If you’re struggling with brittle strands or a dry, flaky scalp, look for solutions that help your hair retain moisture. These formulas typically contain ingredients that soothe itchiness and boost hydration, like glycerin or aloe vera. From hair masks to leave-in treatments, there are various solutions available. But remember, a proper shampoo and conditioner can help set you up for success. Below, we’ve rounded up the best products for dry hair—all of which will help reverse the damage and bring your locks back to life.
Psst, along with tapping the best products for dry hair, adjusting your nighttime routine is another way to prevent hair damage. So consider swapping your cotton pillowcase for a silk alternative or sheathing your strands in one of our favorite bonnets before bed.
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Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner
Olaplex’s bond-building conditioner helps repair and prevent hair damage—which is more prevalent for dry hair types. The formula also leaves hair soft and shiny without weighing it down.
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Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Super Moisture Shampoo
This cleanser is free of drying ingredients like sulfates and parabens. On top of that, it’s chock-full of ingredients that help strengthen, nourish and moisturize your hair, such as biotin and algae extract.
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Flawless by Gabrielle Union Hydrating Co-Wash Cleansing Hair Conditioner
This sulfate-free co-wash uses a blend of nourishing oils to deliver a boost of hydration, including coconut oil, castor seed oil and shea butter (to name a few).
This cleanser is a bestseller for a reason. The sulfate-free formula is spiked with manuka honey–a natural humectant that seals in moisture–and a bunch of vitamin-rich ingredients that strengthens hair.
Overnight hair masks are great for conditioning your hair while you sleep. Ingredients like shea butter, grape seed oil and mango seed butter go to work in this formula to infuse locks with moisture.
This shampoo does a little more than run-of-the-mill cleansers. It’s formulated with Oribe’s restorative complex (think: biotin, plant collagen, caffeine, and niacinamide) to intensely moisturize hair, along with the brand’s signature complex to protect strands from environmental damage.
A step up from Pattern’s lightweight conditioner, this formula is infused with jojoba seed oil to provide three times more hydration. Plus, it’s safe to use daily and on color-treated hair.
If you’ve ever been to ESSENCE Hollywood House, you know it’s more than just a series of panels—it’s a gathering of visionaries. A space where Black creatives and leaders come together to share stories, strategies, and solutions. This year’s conversation, Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City, presented by AT&T, was no different.
The discussion brought together three voices, each deeply invested in shaping LA’s future: D. Smoke, the Grammy-nominated rapper and educator; Olympia Auset, founder of SÜPRMRKT, a grocery service tackling food apartheid in LA; and DJ HED, a radio personality and advocate for independent artists. Though their paths differed, their mission was the same—creating opportunities, protecting culture, and ensuring Black spaces in LA don’t just survive but thrive.
For Olympia Ausset, the work she’s doing with SÜPRMRKT goes far beyond providing fresh groceries—it’s about laying the foundation for a stronger, healthier community. “The LA we love, the cultural beacon it’s known as today, was built by people who worked hard to create their own spaces,” she shared. “The reason I do what I do is because it’s essential. We can’t achieve any of the changes I want for my community without being in good health and having access to affordable, organic food. Without places where we can gather, heal, and support each other, none of the other goals will be possible. It starts with taking care of ourselves and building those spaces together.”
From Olympia’s focus on wellness and accessibility to DJ HED’s belief in the power of self-worth, the discussion explored what it means to dream beyond individual success and invest in collective progress. “I see a lot of people who aren’t proud of where they come from, what they look like, or where they’re at in life,” he said. “I had to learn to give myself grace, to grow. I grew up in Inglewood, raised by a single mom. We lived in a car, we were on welfare, but I knew I wanted to be bigger than my circumstances. That’s what dreaming in Black is—believing in something greater and nurturing it until it grows.”
DJ Smoke also touched on this, emphasizing the importance of intention and fulfillment. “You don’t want to climb that ladder and realize you went real high in the wrong direction,” he warned. “A lot of people in LA are ambitious, but if you don’t understand your ‘why,’ you can get to the top and still feel empty. The goal isn’t just to make it—it’s to make it mean something.
Sometimes, as Black creatives, we only dream as far as the next gig or the next check, but dreaming in Black means going beyond that. “It means thinking bigger than what’s right in front of you,” said host Donye Taylor.
This conversation was a call to action – a reminder that preserving LA’s Black culture means investing in community, honoring our history, and building a legacy that lasts.
