It is very common that people wash their hair regularly to keep it clean but not everyone knows how to take a hair care routine. We are not talking about a treatment carried out in a salon, it can simply be done at home with less than five minutes, just by using conditioner right after shampooing.
Why Do You Need Hair Conditioner?
Everyday when we clean our hair with shampoo, it opens the hair cuticle. As the hair is covered in fish scales like tiny cells, improper treatment will cause damages to the hair strand and make it looks dull, rough and difficult to handle. The use of conditioner can help smoothing down the cuticle and detangle the hair so the hair looks smooth and shiny. Other than the appearance, it provides nutrients to the hair as well as a protection layer which strengthens the hair shaft and prevent it from breakage, static, split ends or even hair loss.
How to Use Conditioner
First of all, we will suggest to separate shampoo and conditioner even though there are products that claim 2 in 1 shampoo. It is because the purpose of a shampoo is only to “clean”, it should not have a good moisturizing property and will leave hair dry or a bit scraggly.
After shampooing, put a small amount of conditioner into your palm and apply directly to your hair. Wait for a while and wash it away. People ask “How long should it be left on hair?” The answer is “it depends”. If your hair is naturally greasy, two to three minutes may already be good for you. If your hair is extremely dry, you many consider a five to ten minutes’ treatment or even an overnight leave-in conditioner. We will discuss it in the later part. No matter how long you have applied your conditioner, the benefits should be instant, at least a lot easier in combing, styling and managing.
As mentioned above, conditioner can give you a protection layer on your hair shaft. It can be seen right after you have washed your hair, during towel drying and blow drying. When your hair is wet, it is extremely vulnerable and towel will cause breakage and damage if you dry it too roughly. The heat by blow dryer will also cause an extra damage of cuticle when it opens up. Using conditioner beforehand can help reducing the burden caused.
How to Choose the Right Conditioner
There are various types of conditioner and all of them are having the same purpose – to keep your hair healthy, good looking and feeling great. Here we are mentioning two common types of them, post-shampoo conditioner (the one we usually use) and leave-in conditioner.
For a normal conditioner, it works like a hair mask to penetrate the strands by providing enough nutrients and a deep moisturizing effect. While for leave-in conditioner, it is a no-rinse treatment that can nourish and protect the hair throughout the day and make your hair shinier, smoother and softer.
Some stylists do not recommend applying conditioner directly on the scalp. It is true when the conditioner consists of lots of chemical ingredients as the “nourishing” elements will block the follicle and cause hair loss more easily. Choose the conditioner with natural ingredients like aloe vera or natural oil that provides moisturizing effect. It can then be applied directly on scalp and the nutrients can be absorbed. It is important especially to those damaged, color treated, or curly hair.
Our recommendations
Zenz No.02 Pure Conditioner is surely the best organic conditioner for everyone. It is made with organic cold pressed avocado oil and organic purified aloe vera. It gives strength and vitality to all kind of hair and coat each strand of hair with a protective, invisible film to maintain the intensity of colored hair. The emollient ingredients in the conditioner can also make the hair easy to comb, adds shine and makes a damaged and dull hair look healthy and shiny.
It is awarded Nordic eco label and Allergycertifed which can be safely and ideally used by the whole family, children, pregnant women and scent-sensitive people. This can also be used as leave-in conditioner which prevents the hair from drying out and is heat-resistant.
Simply speaking, conditioner treats your hair with nutrients and improve its condition. Over time, the cuticle is under burden by air pollutants, weather change, styling products, brushing, etc. Using shampoo can only help cleaning them, only with conditioner, it can fill in those injuries and coats the hair to assist the cuticle, restore your damages and give you a healthy hair.