The original, what makes it special, the shelf parts we use and how to get closer. Add or swap parts and the score updates.
The original · Briogeo
$39 · 16 oz
A rinse-out conditioner with fatty alcohols and cationic conditioners that smooth the cuticle.
Prices and listings checked Oct 28, 2026. Amazon prices change; the link shows today's price.
Step 2 · The build
Not Your Mother's
Not Your Mother's
Adds: Humectants
Partial credit means the part only partly matches that standout.
The 100 points
We split Don't Despair, Repair! Super Moisture Conditioner into 4 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The conditioning base (Behentrimonium Chloride, Brassica Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol) is what coats and detangles the hair after the rinse. A shelf formula with the same kind of base does the same job.
Humectants (Glycerin, Sodium Pca, Panthenol) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Oils and butters (Glycine Soja Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil) soften the hair and seal in moisture.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Glycine Soja Oil, Arginine) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Optional
96 / 100. We have not found a shelf product that closes more of the gap yet.
Step 3 · Buy
One link per part. Each opens the retailer in a new tab.
Your build
Running total ~$8.79
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Running total ~$17.78
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Snapshot prices. Each link shows today's price.
One bottle instead of a build. Sorted by match score; scores use the same standouts as above.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. Similar oil-in-conditioner approach.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. Restore conditioner is the same tier of cationic base with lupine and moringa protein.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Not Your Mother's
Adds: Humectants
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
In a lab test on hair colored with oxidative dye, adding conditioning agents (a silane/panthenol blend, PEG-12 dimethicone, or hydrolyzed silk and milk protein) cut protein loss and combing damage compared with dye alone.
da 2018 · J Cosmet DermatolA combing test found bleaching raises hair breakage and that nearly all anti-breakage products on the market pair silicones with cationic polymers.
Haake 2009 · J Cosmet SciIn a controlled comparison, coconut oil reduced protein loss from damaged and undamaged hair when used before or after washing; sunflower and mineral oil did not. This applies to coconut oil itself, not to a blend that contains some.
Rele 2003 · J Cosmet SciA dermatology review explains how shampoos and conditioners work and what they can and cannot do for hair.
Gavazzoni 2015 · Int J TrichologyWater/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin*, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Behentrimonium Chloride*, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil*, Brassica Alcohol*, Cetyl Alcohol*, Stearyl Alcohol*, Sodium PCA*, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Laminaria Saccharina Extract*, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil*, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil*, Pogostemon Cablin Oil*, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil*, Ferula Galbaniflua (Galbanum) Resin Oil*, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride*, Cetrimonium Chloride*, Arginine*, Biotin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer*, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil*, Algin*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride*, Chitosan*, Citric Acid*, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Parfum), Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
We split Don't Despair, Repair! Super Moisture Conditioner into 4 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 96 of a possible 100. A full 100 needs every standout fully covered.
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Bond Building Hydrating Conditioner by Not Your Mother's is our closest single-product match at 90 out of 100 for ~$8.79 (8 fl oz). It shares Fatty alcohol + behentrimonium, Plant oils (avocado, marula).
Don't Despair, Repair! Super Moisture Conditioner costs $39 for 16 oz. The closest dupe costs ~$8.79, a saving of about $30.21. Prices change, so check the seller page.
No. Dupes share the key actives but can differ in concentration, vehicle and supporting ingredients. Missing from this one: Argan, Sodium PCA. See our methodology for how we score.
Olaplex · bond-repair
$10.99our build, 1 partOriginal $34, build $10.99.
Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · conditioner
~$18.78our build, 2 partsOriginal $34, build ~$18.78.
Neutrogena + Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · dry-shampoo
~$17.98our build, 2 partsOriginal $30, build ~$17.98.
Not Your Mother's