Leave-in hair creams for dry, brittle hair

Many of us already do the now-familiar steps: shampoo and conditioner to protect and repair hair from the rough treatment we put it through. From factors we cannot easily control — UV, pollution, tiredness, stress — to the things we do and then feel guilty about (colour, bleach, straightening and so on), our hair goes through a lot and lets us know about it: dry ends, rough texture, breakage, hair that is hard to style. It makes us pay for our experiments. And when it comes to a comforting treatment to repair all that, a leave-in hair day cream is a lovely invention.

The method is simple: apply it rather like a face cream, in the morning before styling, through the mid-lengths and ends only. It moisturises, repairs, protects and helps with styling, while leaving a light scent — the cherry on top. How often? It depends: every morning, or every other day, as needed.

This is exactly when I reach for my leave-in hair day cream. Not a Sunday mask, not a heavy oil: a light emulsion, with no rinsing, applied just before styling.

Mind the wording here. It is not a face cream: hair formulations are richer, more film-forming and designed to stay in the fibre for hours. A face cream will, at best, make your hair shine; at worst, leave it sticky.

So here are five leave-in treatments — four creams and one serum — to give tired hair a treat.

Phyto 9 Crème de Jour Nutrition Extrême

Phyto has built a reputation and a following: it specialises in hair care and offers plenty of products formulated with plant actives, among other ingredients, although, unfortunately, they are not entirely free from some chemical ingredients.

The Phyto 9 cream is one of the best: nourishing and protective, it coats the hair while acting as a treatment, adds shine and softens. A real treat for dry, weakened hair. Apply it to damp or dry hair, after conditioner or a blow-dry. A small amount is enough: warm it between your hands and work it through the hair.

On curly hair, scrunch it in; on straight hair, smooth it through. The result is immediate: softer, shinier, better-looking hair, deeply nourished by macadamia oil and plant extracts. You can reapply it every day when styling; the cream does not weigh hair down or make it greasy. A very good product.

Its weak point? A high price for a small size.

Crème Glossing Frederic Fekkai

A real favourite: this product from Frederic Fekkai, another hair specialist, is a glossing, hydrating cream for all hair types.

Formulated with olive oil among other ingredients, it can be applied to damp or dry hair; it hydrates, adds shine and smooths frizz. I am won over by its soft scent, which lingers in the hair, and its slightly thick texture, which, against expectations, does its job perfectly without weighing hair down or making it greasy.

Be careful, though: a small amount is enough. Warm it between your hands, apply only to the mid-lengths and ends, then brush.

Crème Glossing suits straight, wavy and curly hair, helps with styling and protects hair day to day — a genuinely comforting treatment. Consider yourself warned: one try and you may well be converted.

Carthame Hydrating Leave-In Day Cream, René Furterer

Another day treatment with plenty of fans: the famous Carthame from René Furterer comes to the rescue of dry, brittle hair that refuses to behave when styling.

Same principle as the others: apply it like a day cream, on damp or dry hair, as often as needed. Formulated with safflower oil, among other ingredients, its texture is more fluid than the previous products. Apply it to the mid-lengths and ends, not the roots; it softens and beautifies hair without weighing it down or making it greasy. The scent is a little unusual — you will either like it or you will not — but the result is there: used regularly, for example in the morning before styling, it strengthens the hair and makes it supple. A real pleasure.

Intense Nourishing Leave-In Cream, Garnier Ultimate Blends (Ultra Doux in France)

Excellent value: this Garnier cream with avocado oil and shea butter. The conditioner in the range has already won plenty of fans, so expectations were high for this hydrating cream.

It has the same pleasant, if slightly chemical, scent as the conditioner. The texture is quite rich but applies easily provided you really 'massage' it into the hair — in other words, do not slap it on in a hurry.

Again, it is up to you: damp or dry hair.

The result? Hair is visibly better-looking and shinier, as well as softer and easier to style, making it an effective product at a low price overall.

Note, however, that the creamy texture may be a little too rich and can therefore weigh down very fine hair; on the other hand, it works wonders on curly hair, helping to redefine curls and eliminate unwanted frizz.

A product to recommend especially to those with curly hair, then; for everyone else, use a light hand and distribute it well from mid-lengths to ends, avoiding the roots.

Sérum Nutri-Sculpt Kérastase

And we finish with a hefty serum that is particularly good for long hair. One pump into the palm, warm it, then apply to the mid-lengths and ends. The result is quick to appear: hair is soft, smooth, shiny and smells good. A real pleasure.

The texture is very pleasant to apply and protects the hair by coating the hair fibre: it does not make hair greasy, does not weigh it down and sinks in quickly. Even the ends look visibly better. Worth trying.

Price-wise, it is not cheap — although one pump is enough for the whole head, so the bottle lasts... a while.

A useful reminder for anyone who does not want to pile on layer after layer: with daily treatments, silicones and rich oils or butters build up. If your mid-lengths and ends turn dull after a few weeks, use a clarifying shampoo. And do not worry about cetearyl alcohol: it is an emollient fatty alcohol, nothing like the drying alcohol in toners.

For a more natural alternative, from a pharmacy or health food shop, an organic safflower or macadamia oil (look for a recognised organic certification; in France this may be the AB label) mixed with a neutral base makes a perfectly decent cream for a few pounds. You control the ingredients, but not the stability of the mixture: make small batches.

Léna's verdict: start with a small size from a pharmacy, health and beauty retailer or health food shop, note how your hair responds, and only buy the large bottle after three weeks.

Budget

Expect to pay around £5–£10 for a high-street or supermarket cream such as Garnier Ultimate Blends, £15–£25 for Phyto 9 or René Furterer Carthame, and £30–£45 for the Kérastase serum. UK prices vary by retailer and size, so check current listings. Size makes a big difference: the price per ml climbs quickly on small tubes, and a 30 ml bottle can cost more than a 200 ml one with comparable results. The rest comes down to size, concentration of actives, organic cosmetics certification (Cosmébio, COSMOS Organic or Ecocert) and the retail channel (supermarket, pharmacy, health and beauty retailer or salon). A budget alternative: an organic plant oil — safflower, macadamia or avocado — mixed with a neutral base, for a few pounds from a health food shop.