The 12 Best Color-Depositing Conditioners to Refresh Your Hue (2024)

If you've gone a while between salon visits or your hair color is simply looking a little lackluster, a color-depositing conditioner offers an incredibly easy, fast, and foolproof way to refresh your hue. This isn’t an at-home color that you have to mix and painstakingly apply yourself (with the potential of goofing up). These are exactly what they sound like—conditioners with pigments that are left behind on your hair for a subtle brightening and color-enhancing effect.

You really can’t mess these up since the color is very minimal and ultimately washes out, and it’s a product that pretty much anyone could use. “Anyone who would like to add shine, enhance their existing color, or cool down yellow or brassy tones can benefit from using a color-depositing conditioner,” says colorist Giselle Luza, founder of Giselle Luza Studio.The point is, they work to combat brassiness in your blonde highlights, enhance your brunette base, or revive your all-over red.

Plus, a color-depositing conditioner is also great for experimentation if you want to try a tone without committing to permanent dye. And yes, you use them exactly as you would any other conditioner, simply letting the formula sit on the hair for a few minutes longer to reap the benefits. Swap one out for your usual conditioner a few times per week, or use it whenever your hue needs a little help.

We conducted hours of research to find the best color-depositing conditioners on the market, evaluating top picks based on their active ingredients and ability to enhance color. After considering dozens of options, we landed on these top-rated picks.

Our Top Picks

• Best Overall: Maria Nila Colour Refresh at Amazon
• Best Overall, Runner-Up: dpHue Gloss+ Deep Conditioner at Amazon
• Best Drugstore: John Frieda Color Deepening Conditioner at Amazon
• Best Shade Range: Overtone Coloring Conditioner at Amazon
• Best for Blondes: Kerastase Blond Purple Mask at Amazon
• Best for Brown Hair: IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-In Drops at Amazon
• Best for Black Hair: Davines Alchemic Conditioner at Amazon
• Best for Gray Hair: Hair Biology Silver Conditioner at Hairbiology
• Best Multitasker: Keracolor Color + Clenditioner at Amazon

Active Ingredients: Argan oil | Hair Type: Color-treated | Size: 10.1 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

A favorite of former Byrdie Editorial Director Faith Xue, this pick deposits a soft wash of color onto the hair. It straddles the line between color-depositing conditioner and demi-permanent color, given that the pigment lasts for anywhere from four to 10 washes.

The formula is packed with softening argan oil as well as a color guard complex. There are 17 shades to choose from, ranging from more standard options to fun tones like pink and violet if you want to temporarily change up your look.

Hair Type: Coarse, color-treated, curly, dry, damaged, fine, balanced, oily | Size: 6.5 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

True to its name, this hybrid formula imparts high shine and tons of smoothing and softening benefits. It comes in 11 natural-looking colors, including plenty of options for blondes, brunettes, and redheads.

It can also be used to refresh all-over color, as well as to tone highlights or lowlights. Be aware that the pump can break easily.

Active Ingredients: Evening primrose oil, cocoa extract | Hair Type: Color-treated, dry | Size: 8.3 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

There admittedly aren’t a ton of color-depositing conditioners to be found at the drugstore, making this pick all the more noteworthy. It deepens and darkens a wide range of brunette shades in the most natural way possible and leaves hair extra soft and smooth, though we wish it conditioned better. There’s a version for redheads, too.

Active Ingredients: Coconut oil, shea butter, avocado oil | Hair Type: All | Size: 8 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This well-known color-depositing conditioner comes in—wait for it—40 shades. Yes, you have basic brown options, but there’s also a large variety of on-trend hues (think teal and magenta)—just be careful about staining.

Also nice: There are many colors specially formulated to be used on darker hair, which is important since brown hair picks up pigment differently than lighter hair. And per the conditioner part of things, the formula is loaded with hydrating oils—coconut, jojoba, avocado, just to name a few—plus other moisturizers such as glycerin and shea butter.

Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid | Hair Type: Lightened, highlighted, blonde | Size: 6.8 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No

Blondes may have more fun, but they can also be more prone to color fading and unwanted color changes. Enter the beauty of color-depositing shampoo—more specifically, a purple-toned one like this option.

Why purple, you ask? Purple falls opposite yellow on the color wheel (remember that from elementary school art class?), so using this helps to counteract unwanted brassiness.

“This is my favorite option for blondes who want to neutralize yellow tones,” says Luza. It’s especially nice to pair with purple shampoos, which can tend to be a little bit drying, she adds. However, some may find this conditioner somewhat heavy.

Active Ingredients: Blueberry extract, artichoke extract | Hair Type: Straight, wavy, curly, coily | Size: 1 ounce | Cruelty-Free: Yes

“These blue toning drops cancel out orange, brassy tones in brunette hair,” says Luza of another one of her picks. Because they’re meant to be mixed in with your regular conditioner, it’s a great more moisturizing option, and the amount of toning you need can be customized based on how many drops you add, she points out.

A bonus is that it provides UV protection. To get the best overall results, you do have to leave it in longer.

Active Ingredients: Jojoba oil | Hair Type: Color-treated, brown, black, natural | Size: 8.84 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No

It may not seem like dark brown or black hair is prone to color-changing issues, but it is. Enter this option, great for intensifying and enhancing these deep shades.

And while it’s not as long-lasting as actual hair dye, it's a good way to temporarily camouflage unwanted grays that can be super noticeable on darker hair colors. Plus, it’s free of both silicones and parabens. Just make sure to wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.

Active Ingredients: Biotin | Hair Type: Gray | Size: 12.8 ounces

Those rocking silver hair are prone to the same issues as blondes—namely yellowing and brassiness that can make gray look dull and dingy. Again, a purple-based conditioner is a great option, but this one goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Yes, it deposits violet pigments to counteract those discoloration issues, but it’s also specially formulated to address the unique needs of gray hair, which tends to be dryer and more coarse. That said, you may want to also use a deep conditioner if your hair is especially coarse and dry.

Active Ingredients: Coconut oil, shea butter, keratin | Hair Type: Dry | Size: 12 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Not only does this multi-tasking formula deposit semi-permanent color and condition, but it also gently cleanses—though don't expect it to lather up like a regular shampoo. The pigment lasts anywhere from 10 to 15 washes, and ingredients such as coconut oil, shea butter, and keratin make the blend equal parts softening and strengthening. It comes in an array of 18 pretty shades.

Active Ingredients: Buriti oil, apricot oil, shea butter | Hair Type: Coats, color-treated, curly, dry, damaged, fine, balanced, oily | Size: 8.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Buriti oil, apricot oil, and shea butter give this mask its luscious consistency—it's an amazing choice for anyone with hair that needs a little extra TLC and a color refresh at the same time. It comes in four shades, including two options for blondes and two for brunettes, all of which are specially formulated without silicone to reduce color fading.

Hair Type: Balanced | Size: 7.5 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This color-depositing conditioner really does offer a little something for everyone—with two shades specifically for redheads. Also nice: The bottles come in both large and mini sizes, the latter a great choice if you just want to take the product for a test run.

And no matter which hue you choose, the formula helps combat frizz and imparts tons of shade. FYI, it’s meant to be applied on towel-dried hair and left on for three minutes before rinsing. Be sure to wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.

Active Ingredients: Oat milk, camellia oil | Hair Type: Straight, wavy, curly, coily | Size: 6.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Yes, we know, this isn’t technically a color-depositing conditioner so much as it is a clear gloss—it has no conditioning properties per se. But if you don’t color your hair but do want some added vibrancy to your natural hue, this formula is amazing. It works on all hair colors (and types and textures) and adds a mirror-like shine that lasts up to eight washes.

What to Look for in a Color-Depositing Conditioner

• Consider the Final Outcome: “Identify what you’d like to accomplish, then look for the correct product—do you want to neutralize warmth, do you want to enhance your current color, or do you want to add shine?” says Luza. For example, if the goal is to neutralize unwanted tones, you want to choose a shade that’s opposite on the color wheel, adds Kristen Fleming, color director at Chicago’s 3rd Coast Salon. (Think: a violet conditioner like the Kerastase Blond Absolu Anti-Brass Purple Mask to combat unwanted brassiness in a blonde.) On the flip side, if you are trying to enhance an existing shade, you should choose a conditioner that’s the same or desired hue, she adds.
• A Shade Close to Your Own: To that point, if you’re simply trying to enhance your shade, don’t venture too far from your natural color, advises Luza. Stick within a shade or two of your natural hue, and keep in mind that these products won’t lighten hair, she adds. A color-depositing conditioner also cannot transform gray hairs. However, if you’re just wanting to conceal the few grays that have sprouted, a shade close to your own can help to blend them in better.
• Conditioning Ingredients: It should go without saying, but you want to make sure the formula will still be able to do the conditioning part of things, and not just deposit color. Butters and oils (found in the Overtone Coloring Conditioner and the Maria Nila Colour Refresh) will help hydrate the hair, keeping it soft and shiny, and making the color look even better. “Identify what you’d like to accomplish, then look for the correct product—do you want to neutralize warmth, do you want to enhance your current color, or do you want to add shine?” says Luza.
  

Why Trust Byrdie

Byrdie contributor Melanie Rud has over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, writing for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there. She’s very particular about the tone of her blonde hair and refrains from using any type of at-home hair color products, so she relied on expert input and consumer review research to come up with the products on this list.

According to ourDiversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any color-depositing conditioners from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us atcontact@byrdie.comand we will evaluate the product ASAP.