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Herbal Essences

Hello Hydration Deeply Moisturizing Conditioner

Conditioner / Everyday rinse-out, detangling

  • Conditioner
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
  • Cruelty-free · label states
Size13.5 fl oz
Price$8.99seen at one store · 13.5 oz
Price / oz$0.67/ozat 13.5 oz
Where to buy2 stores · $5.99–8.99

Scent:

The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.

“Creamy notes of coconut essences” — Brand page

Manufacturer page: herbalessences.com

Personal fit

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Lower cost than most conditioners

$0.67/oz at 13.5 oz — less than 84% of the 689 conditioners , which mostly run $0.91–3.10/oz. The cost less.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
Short ingredient listsfifteen ingredients or fewer
Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent
Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether this much richness is right for you depends on your strand thickness, porosity, and how easily your hair flattens — that is what the consultation works out.

What the formula actually does

Read from the label, not the marketing

Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.

Oils and butters None

No oils or butters in the list.

Weight on the hair Medium

Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove Yes

Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.

Hard-water defence Chelators present

Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
Water solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Neutral
Stearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol Softens
Behentrimonium Chloride conditioning agent Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through Detangles
Cetyl Alcohol fatty alcohol Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol Softens
Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone silicone Smooths the cuticle and adds shine Buildup
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract botanical extract A plant extract, marketed as much as functional Neutral
Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract botanical extract A plant extract, marketed as much as functional Neutral
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
Benzyl Alcohol preservative Keeps the product from spoiling Stabilizes
Methylchloroisothiazolinone isothiazolinone — Stabilizes
Methylisothiazolinone isothiazolinone — Stabilizes
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates or drying alcohols. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance. The silicones here need a detergent wash to come off.
Full ingredient list (15)

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

  • 1 Water
    General function

    The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    • solvent
  • 2 Stearyl Alcohol
    General function

    A fatty alcohol that thickens conditioners and helps them coat the hair evenly.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

    DependsFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

    PubChem
    • fatty alcohol
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 3 Behentrimonium Chloride
    General function

    A positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

    DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science
    • conditioning agent
    • cleanser
  • 4 Cetyl Alcohol
    General function

    A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

    DependsFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

    PubChem
    • fatty alcohol
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 5 Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone
    General function

    An amino-modified silicone that binds to damaged spots for smoothing that survives rinsing.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

    A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Amino-functional silicone carries a positive charge, so it binds where the cuticle is worn rather than coating evenly. Damaged areas get most of it.

    May suitMaximum-hold styling

    Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

    • silicone
    • conditioning agent
    • film former
  • 6 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract
    General function

    A coconut extract used at low levels for scent association and label appeal, not for the oil's conditioning effect.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    • botanical extract
  • 7 Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract
    General function

    An extract of Corn (Zea Mays). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    • botanical extract
  • ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 8 Fragrance
    General function

    An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 9 Benzyl Alcohol
    • preservative
    • solvent
  • 10 Disodium EDTA
    General function

    Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.

    PubChem
    • hard-water chelator
  • 11 Methylchloroisothiazolinone
    • isothiazolinone
    • preservative
  • 12 Methylisothiazolinone
    • isothiazolinone
    • preservative
  • 13 Blue 1 (CI 42090) · Blue 1
    General function

    A certified colour used to tint the product itself, not the hair.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

    • colourant
    • direct dye
    • blue dye
  • 14 Yellow 5
    General function

    A certified colour added to tint the product itself. It does not colour hair.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

    • colourant
  • 15 Red 33
    General function

    A certified colour used to tint the product. It does not colour hair.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

    • colourant

What the whole list adds up to

  • 3 preservatives
  • 3 colourants
  • 2 solvents
  • 2 fatty alcohols
  • 2 emollients
  • 2 thickeners
  • 2 botanical extracts
  • 2 isothiazolinones
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 cleanser
  • 1 silicone
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 film former
  • 1 fragrance

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-06. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 13.5 oz

Seen at $8.99 1 store · checked Sep 6
Good value under $5 Under $0.40/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $5 line; products that do this job typically go for about $11 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 2 stores

Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.

How we work this out
  1. 13.5 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
  2. Seen at $8.99 is the price we have observed for the 13.5 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. Good value under $5 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $0.40/oz; at 13.5 oz that is $5. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $11 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 13.5 oz.

Formula

Formula score
7 of 10

The formula covers the core of what a conditioner does, and it costs less per ounce than most conditioners in our library.

How the score is counted
  • 3 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
  • Costs less per ounce than 84% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
  • No humectant in the formula
  • Reviewers mention 2 things they like about how it performs
  • Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.3 pts
  • Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
  • Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
  • A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
  • A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.1 pt
  • Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt

The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job, for less

Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.

AussieLowest cost per oz Aussie Kids Curly Conditioner $0.31/oz $0.36/oz less
  • Protein-free
  • Alcohol-free
  • Medium weight
· Close function
Function
  • Toning dye
Also
  • Coconut scent
  • 16 oz bottle
Compare
AussieClose function Aussie Moist Sulfate Free Conditioner for Kids' $0.31/oz $0.36/oz less
  • Protein-free
  • Alcohol-free
  • Medium weight
Function
  • Toning dye
Also
  • Coconut scent
  • 16 oz bottle
Compare
Herbal EssencesClose function Color Me Happy Conditioner $0.43/oz $0.24/oz less
  • Protein-free
  • Alcohol-free
  • Medium weight
Function
  • Toning dye
Also
  • 11.7 oz bottle
Compare

See more alternatives in the product library

These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Suits every hair pattern

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person
Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein, looking for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

Best alternative if not

Aussie Aussie Kids Curly Conditioner — for similar results at a lower price

We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.

Claims check

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.

3
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
2
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Paraben-free and mineral oil-free

No parabens appear in the ingredient list.

—

Supported

Preserved without parabens.

Dermatologist tested

A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.

—

Stated by brand

Only the brand’s testing shows this.

Certified cruelty-free (PETA)

Our researched record has this brand as cruelty-free.

—

Supported

Matches our researched record.

Color-safe and pH-balanced

It avoids sulfate detergents, which are the usual cause of fast fade.

  • Behentrimonium Chloride
Supported

Less fade per wash.

Deep moisture system leaves hair nourished and soft

Nothing in the list reads as a moisture system.

  • Stearyl Alcohol
  • Cetyl Alcohol
Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula — not marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

Reviewers

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.

Reviewers frequently say the coconut scent is strong and long-lasting, often naming it as the main reason they keep repurchasing this conditioner

long-time and repeat buyers across many star ratings

Many reviewers say the conditioner detangles hair easily and can be applied in the shower to work through knots before rinsing

reviewers with long, thick, or coarse/textured hair mentioning detangling specifically

Some long-time users say the conditioner leaves their hair feeling dry or no longer moisturizes as well as it used to, prompting a few to consider switching brands

multi-year repeat buyers and one reviewer with textured hair using it as a leave-in cowash

A recurring complaint is that the conditioner is dyed a bright blue color, which some reviewers say feels like an unnecessary added chemical in a hair product

reviewers who noticed the product's color while otherwise rating it anywhere from 1 to 5 stars

More from Herbal Essences

How this page was made

  • Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per product.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 9 sources consulted for this product (2 manufacturer or regulatory, 6 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-06.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 4 of 9 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
  • We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
  • Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
  • Formula readings: derivation v22. Record last updated 2026-09-06.

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