The best daily conditioners for toddlers you can buy

Advertisement
The best daily conditioners for toddlers you can buy
  • Keeping your toddler's hair soft and manageable is easier with a high-quality conditioner made with natural ingredients.
  • After much research, we found Honest Conditioner to be the best for most toddlers with natural ingredients that moisturize and nourish delicate hair.
Advertisement

After a long day at preschool or playing outside, your child's hair can become quite dirty or oily, making bathtime a must.

When you wash toddler's hair, you're not only rinsing out the grime but some of the natural oils too. Most toddler shampoos are as gentle as possible, but you still need to add moisture back in. It comes as no surprise that toddlers need a high-quality conditioner that gets the job done.

When it comes to choosing a toddler conditioner, you want one that's as natural and gentle as possible. Yet toddler conditioners come in many choices. Depending on your toddler's hair type, you might need one to detangle long locks or help ease frizz. Or perhaps, you want one with the most natural and organic ingredients for sensitive skin.

As a mom of two toddlers, I've tried my share of conditioner.

My kids have different hair types, so I've had to use different brands at the same time. I've learned to evaluate conditioner on the following criteria: the quality of the ingredients, how well it nourishes and protects hair, and the cost per ounce. While one bottle of toddler conditioner might be cheaper, you may need more of the creamy stuff so you'd be wasting money in the long run.

Advertisement

I picked out the best toddler conditioners based on these criteria, looked at tons of reviews, asked other parents, and used my own personal experience.

Here are the best toddler conditioners you can buy:

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

{{}}

The best conditioner overall

The best conditioner overall
The Honest Conditioner is an amazing baby and toddler conditioner that's nourishing, natural, and smells great.

The Honest Conditioner is a premium hair conditioner that's somehow nice on the pocketbook and even sweeter on your toddler's hair.

I first discovered the Honest Conditioner when I started to use its diaper bundle service. When you subscribe to a diaper bundle, you have the option to buy other Honest products at a discount. This cuts down the cost of the conditioner considerably. For example, the conditioner usually is $9.95 on Honest or $8.95 on Amazon, but with the subscription service, it's only about $7 — which is an excellent price.

But if the cost savings don't pull you in, then the ingredients might.

It's made without silicones, parabens, synthetic fragrances, formaldehyde donors, or phthalates. I'm continuously horrified by the amount of chemicals in shampoos for babies and kids. With Honest, all ingredients are naturally derived and listed out for full transparency, and formulas are hypoallergenic and tested by dermatologists.

Honest Conditioners also smell amazing. I loved the calming Lavender and Orange Vanilla scents, but there is a fragrance-free option as well.

The lack of chemicals doesn't mean an ineffective formula. In fact, the conditioner helps tame knots and tangles while locking in moisture and soothing itchy scalps. This conditioner works on multiple hair types from thick and curly to thin and delicate.

I'm not the only mom who loves Honest Conditioner. It's available on Amazon, Target, BuyBuyBABY, and other major retailers, with shoppers saying, "I love everything about this conditioner! The packaging, pump dispenser, and the smell...I can't get enough."

Pros: Ideal for many hair types, hypoallergenic, affordable, natural, smells great, inexpensive

Cons: Scents might noe suit everyone

The best conditioner for curls

The best conditioner for curls
The Shea Moisture Mango and Carrot Extra-Nourishing Conditioner is an exceptional shampoo for curly hair. It gently nourishes and moisturizes curls to perfection.

More than one mom friend uses the Shea Moisture Mango and Carrot Extra-Nourishing Conditioner on their kids, so I decided to try it out after seeing the brand at Walmart and Target.

My first experience didn't disappoint.

When I opened the bottle, the warm scent of mango and carrot wafted up, and it smelled delicious. The texture was creamy without feeling oily, and when I rubbed a small amount into my kid's hair, it felt really silky.

The conditioner works for many types of curls from tight ringlets to long waves. It has natural and certified-organic ingredients that nourish hair, like mango butter that leaves hair feeling silky smooth, carrot oil that protects from breakage and promotes healthy hair, and orange blossom for sensitive scalps. It also works well as a detangler.

Plus, you get all this for less than $9, though depending on where you buy it, the conditioner can range between $8 and $10. Many parents love the conditioner and say works well on curly hair — some even say it's great for the whole family.

Pros: Inexpensive, uses natural ingredients, moisturizes, excellent for curls

Cons: Strong smell, potentially heavy on hair

Advertisement

The best detangling conditioner

The best detangling conditioner
The Little Twig Detangling Conditioner is by far the best kid's detangler you can buy. A small amount transforms knots and tangles into smooth-as-silk hair.

My daughter has delicate curls that stretch down her back, but tangles really easily even with a small gust of wind. Bathing takes a long time around our house as I have to stand in the bath with her so she can't slip away.

The Little Twig Detangling Conditioner is a fast-acting detangler that removes knots in seconds. All I do is apply a small amount and run my fingers through her hair. Each time I use it, I'm astounded by how well it works.

There's no crying or need to dump the entire bottle on her head; I even give her some to rub in herself. You can rinse out the conditioner or leave it in as the formula isn't heavy and won't make your kid's hair oily. I honestly love this detangler and feel grateful to have discovered it.

It's inexpensive at less than $7 on Amazon, and I only use it a few times per week, so one bottle has lasted a long time.

Besides working exceptionally well on knots and tangles, it smells delicious but isn't overpowering. The formula is natural too — there are no harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances, or dyes. It has aloe vera, oils like chamomile and calendula, and vitamins E and B5 to smooth and hydrate. Ever since I started using this conditioner on my daughter's hair, it's never looked frizzy or felt dry.

But don't take my word for it. Check out some of the great reviews on Amazon: "I love this product. This conditioner leaves my girls hair very soft and manageable! This is great for my 3-year-old who has constantly tangled curls and hates to have her hair brushed!"

Pros: Great at detangling, smooths out frizz, uses natural ingredients. smells delicious

Cons: Using too much can make hair oily

The best toddler leave-in spray

The best toddler leave-in spray
The TotLogic Leave-In Conditioning Spray detangles and nourishes toddler hair on the go without leaving any greasy residue.

Sometimes you don't have time to condition your little one's hair while bathing them, but you still want something that detangles, smooths frizz, and adds shine quickly.

The TotLogic Leave-In Conditioning Spray is made from plant-based moisturizers that are suitable for many hair types. It helps detangle knots, snarls, and tangles from daily washing — and general toddler life.

You can spray it on wet hair or dry hair anytime throughout the day. Sometimes leave-in sprays can make delicate toddler hair feel heavy and greasy, but TotLogic Leave-In Conditioning Spray doesn't weigh hair down. Instead, it feels freshly washed and has a lovely light scent from the lavender and bergamot essential oils, though some shoppers said they didn't like the scent.

TotLogic also makes a gentle regular conditioner as well as one specifically to help prevent lice. All of the products are eco-friendly and made in the US.

On Amazon, TotLogic has a 4.2 out of 5-star review with almost 500 reviews. One shopper mentions, "There's a difference between this and the $3-$4 one I got at Walmart, this product isn't greasy at all," while another says, "It's the best detangler on the market."

Pros: Leave-in spray is convenient to use, detangles hair easily, eco-friendly, suitable for many hair types

Cons: Scent not for everyone, more expensive than other detanglers

Advertisement

The best 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner

The best 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner
The Fresh Monster 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner is a wallet- and kid-friendly choice that adds moisture back to dry hair.

With a name like Fresh Monster, you can't go wrong. At least that's what my son thought when he saw the multi-eyed monster on the label. Right away, it sends a message that soaping up is fun — something this mom needs to make bathtime less of a daily struggle.

But don't think it's all fun and games when it comes to Fresh Monster. The 2-1 formula makes bathtime faster and more convenient for parents and kids alike. Some kids don't enjoy bath time, so you need a streamlined product to make the experience as painless as possible. It's also cost-effective as you're getting two products for the price of one.

The 2-in-1 bottle features a re-closable pump that lets older toddlers feel like they're washing their own hair too. I've found that it makes bathtime less of a struggle for kids who always resist, like my own.

One verified Amazon shopper says, "This product was perfect. It definitely is a kid-friendly all in one option that works great for most hair types."

Fresh Monster 2-in-1 comes in a coconut or watermelon scent. Or if you prefer a standalone kids conditioner, they have a strawberry smoothie option. Plus, a spray detangling leave-in for unruly hair.

Pros: 2-in-1 formula, convenient, affordable, smells great, kid-friendly

Cons: Not completely natural