15 Best Color-Depositing Conditioners for Color-Treated Hair

When it comes to natural hair colors, this range is the most impressive we’ve seen. It features different shades of blonde, brown, and red. There is also an unpigmented shade that gives the hair shine.

The formula acts as a hair gloss and conditioner to give the hair some added sheen while also smoothing it out. It’s easy to spread through the hair, and the formula is very versatile: you can leave it in for a while for a deeper color or just for a few minutes for a light color refresh.

However, it’s not ideal for big color changes or to cover grays. If you attempt to use one of the darker shades over bleached hair, you can end up with some splotchiness, although the blondes will look quite nice. It’s great over both natural and dyed hair, and it can also improve unintended undertones. Buy it at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta, or Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 6.5 oz.
• Color Range: 11
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

CHI offers a gorgeous line of color-depositing conditioners in both natural and fashion colors at one of the best price points we’ve seen. There are even purple and blue shampoo options to neutralize and enhance blonde hair!

This formula is very saturated with color, so it’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for a two-in-one that can both dye and refresh the hair. Just keep in mind that even in the shower, it’s best applied and washed out with gloves to avoid staining your hands. It’s quite strongly fragranced, and the scent is a little masculine, which is the only big drawback.

As a conditioner, the formula includes silk proteins, which add some more moisturization, and overall it leaves the hair a little softer than it was before. Get it from Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 8.5 oz.
• Color Range: 11
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/No

Oribe is a brand you splurge on, but the results, packaging, and overall luxury experience make it worthwhile. It’s a light purple conditioner that gently neutralizes yellow tones, although it’s not as strongly pigmented as the shampoo from the same set. If you’re worried about accidentally turning your hair purple, it’s a great option. 

It’s a fantastic option for regular or semi-regular use because, as a conditioner, it’s fantastic. It has a formula that doesn’t build up or weigh down the hair but still manages to smooth down the cuticle to make the hair soft, shiny, and very easy to detangle. It’s especially ideal for bleached hair or just naturally fine hair that’s more prone to damage. It’s available at Nordstrom, Sephora, and Amazon.

Key Features:

• Size: 6.8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

This is another fantastic purple color-depositing conditioner to get blonde hair shining bright. It’s not a cheap conditioner, but it’s more affordable than Oribe’s formula while still giving wonderful results.

The level of pigmentation is quite similar to Oribe’s, so it’s light enough to never accidentally dye the hair. If you’re dealing with severe yellowness, you may need to use it a few times to see significant results.

As a conditioner, it’s a rich formula that works well for medium and thick but damaged hair. It smooths the hair and makes it very easy to style. For those with fine hair, it can weigh things down a little, in which case you might prefer a lighter formula, like Oribe or Aveda. Pick it up from Nordstrom, Sephora, Amazon, or Ulta!

Key Features:

• Size: 8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/No

While it’s technically not a color-depositing conditioner, we still wanted to include this lightening formula as another option for those hoping for a change. It’s designed with chamomile and citrus fruits, which help to gently lighten the hair.

It’s designed to be used along with a peroxide-based lightening spray, as part of a system. The results aren’t particularly dramatic when you use it alone, although it does help blonde hair retain its brightness. The other benefit to this formula is that it’s quite affordable, so it’s not a great loss if it doesn’t work for you. Find it at Ulta, and Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 8.3 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No/No

Brunettes can also benefit from neutralizing conditioners! This gorgeous blue conditioner helps to camouflage orange tones in the hair and helps to cool down brown hair, giving it a more sophisticated look. It’s especially ideal for preventing a balayage from turning brassy.

It’s not very pigmented, so the results are subtle. If you’re dealing with serious brassiness, you may need to use it a few times before it’s completely neutralized. The benefit is that it’s easy and not too messy to use, and it doesn’t stain for the most part (except for maybe the nails).

As a conditioner, this formula is very middle-of-the-road. It does the job and makes the hair more manageable but not much beyond that. Shop for it at Ulta, or Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 10.1 oz. or 33.8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No/No

This is another gorgeous, budget-friendly conditioner from John Frieda. It’s designed to bring out deeper tones in the hair without necessarily neutralizing or changing any of the colors. It’s very lightly pigmented, so when used alone, the results are subtle. However, if you combine it with the full Color Deepening system, which also includes a shampoo and treatment, you can darken your hair by a few shades.

As a conditioner, it’s phenomenal. It smooths down the hair cuticle and makes brunette tresses shine beautifully! You can purchase it at Ulta, or Amazon.

Key Features:

• Size: 8.3 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No/No

oVertone is a cult-favorite color-depositing conditioner with impressive results but a high price point. This is one of the most pigmented conditioners on our list, and since it comes in a jar, it’s ideal as a light, non-damaging semi-permanent dye.

The shade range is incredibly cool, with options formulated specifically for different base hair colors. For example, there is one rose gold formula for blondes and another for brunettes! Make sure to look at the strand photos before purchasing so you know exactly what kind of results to expect. The formula is vegan and cruelty-free, so it’s great for all animal lovers. Order it from Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 8 oz.
• Color Range: 9 
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

Celeb Luxury’s metallics are to-die-for. They’re shimmery and beautiful, with shades that sit somewhere between fashion and natural to fit in any environment. This formula is more of a gloss or neutralizer, with light pigmentation that enhances your hair color and refreshes faded dye. For dramatic results, use it in combination with the brand’s color-depositing shampoos.

The price point is a little higher compared to some of the other options on our list, but the shades are so pretty and unique that the cost might be worthwhile for some buyers.

As a conditioner, the formula is about average, offering some added softness to the hair. Star Sapphire is one of our favorite shades here since it’s an unusual cool-toned brown with some gunmetal touches, but every shade here is a winner. Shop for it on Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 8.25 oz.
• Color Range: 21
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

If you dream about unicorn hair, this is the color-depositing conditioner for you. Sure, you can buy one of the more saturated fashion color formulas and then just dilute it. However, if you want to save yourself the fuss, this is a no-brainer at a reasonable price point.

As a conditioner, this formula is fantastic. It softens the hair, making it smooth and easy to handle while also increasing its shine factor. As a dye, it can work, although it’s not ideal because results can be splotchy. It can make quite a difference if your hair is already bleached, but it’s not as nice as using a dedicated dye. Over dyed hair, however, it’s the perfect color-enhancer or extender, which is great because pastels tend to fade very quickly.

Finally, we want to mention the lovely scent, which is sweet, refreshing, and tends to linger in the hair. If you’d like to try it, it’s sold at Nordstrom, Ulta, and Amazon.

Key Features:

• Size: 8 oz.
• Color Range: 6
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

This gorgeous blue-violet conditioner is an ideal choice for silver, platinum, and white hair. It cools down yellow and orange tones to give the hair a silvery look. The formula is a blue-violet shade, so it’s quite versatile.

It’s a great color-depositing conditioner for regular use because it’s not overly pigmented. It helps to improve the brightness and clarity of your hair gradually and over time, without ever overdoing the blue-purple tones. 

As a conditioner, it has a creamy, lightweight formula that moisturizes gently. While it does work on its own, if you have severe brassiness, it’ll work better with the brand’s matching shampoo to double up on the color. You can get it at Nordstrom, or Amazon.

Key Features:

• Size: 8.5 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

If you want a very icy gray, this is a fantastic choice. Compared to Aveda’s blue conditioner, it’s more pigmented, so you can expect a dramatic change in your hair quickly. You’ll want to be careful not to overuse it, but if you have very persistent warm undertones to neutralize, it’s a powerful solution that’ll work fast.

Its color is also a much more neutral-blue without even a hint of purple, which is the reason why it gives such a clear, icy color. This also makes it a decent choice if your discoloration leans more towards orange than yellow.

Finally, as a conditioner, it’s simple yet excellent, and it’s especially ideal for fine or high-porosity hair types that need a lightweight formula. Pick it up at Ulta, or Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 10.1 oz. or 33.8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No/No

If you’d like to amplify red tones in your hair, Joico’s got you covered. It has subtle pigmentation to enhance red tones and prevent red hair color from fading. It’s not as intensely pigmented as the red conditioner from CHI, but that makes it a great day-to-day choice.

As a conditioner, it’s lightweight but not dramatically conditioning, so you may want to supplement it with a deep conditioner once or twice a week. It does still help the hair since it contains UV-absorbers that prevent red hair from fading in the sun and mitigate damage for long-term vibrancy. Order it from Amazon, or Ulta!

Key Features:

• Size: 8.5 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: It’s complicated (they’re PETA-certified, but other sources say no)/No

On the opposite side of things, what if you want to hide some red tones in your hair? In that case, nothing beats the color green. This green conditioner neutralizes red tones to give brunette hair a clear, deep undertone.

The Matrix formula is actually not overly pigmented since it’s meant to be used with a more intense matching shampoo. On its own, results are extremely subtle, but on the other hand, it has a magnificent conditioning effect on the hair that adds a lot of shine and softness. Shop for it at Ulta, or Amazon!

Key Features:

• Size: 10.1 oz. or 33.8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No/No

Finally, if you’re ready to drop some coin, this purple conditioner from shu uemura is our favorite splurge. It’s expensive, and it’s not necessarily better than some of the other purple conditioners on our list, but it might become your Holy Grail.

This conditioner has a light lavender tint, so it’s one of the subtlest color-depositing options you can find. It’s fantastic for heavily bleached hair because it’s designed with super-light but sealing and smoothing amodimethicone. It leaves the hair extra soft and strong while also gradually diminishing yellow tones. It’s not dramatic, so there’s no risk of overdoing it. Purchase it at Sephora!

Key Features:

• Size: 8 oz.
• Color Range: 1
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No