Your hair is your crowning glory. Often, it’s one of the first things people look at when they bump into you. It’s also the most easily noticeable part of your head, so keeping it neat and nourished is a must. Some people would wash their hair and do their usual routine. But some take extra careful steps to care for their hair—even going to such lengths as applying various treatment solutions and regularly going to the salon to keep it nice and presentable.

But what’s important to remember is to wash and condition your hair separately. Some would prefer just washing because their hair is presentable and low-maintenance. But some hair needs conditioning, and people are often confused about the difference. Products that declare themselves as two-in-one shampoo and conditioner might work for you. But it just wouldn’t cut it for others. Let’s discuss this.

What Is A Conditioner?

Conditioner is the hair product primarily used after cleansing to moisturize and soften the strands of your hair. Some people think that conditioning is unnecessary, but many hair experts explain the science behind it.

The shampoo is a cleaning agent for your scalp that contains detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sulfonate, or sodium laureth sulfate. These are anionic detergents and surfactants that strip your hair of sebum and dirt. It’s a bit harsh. That’s why when shampoo gets into your eyes, it stings painfully, and you need to wash it off immediately.

The shampoo is meant for your scalp and not for your hair. When you apply and rub shampoo on your scalp, the pores open, and the sebum, dead skin, and dirt are removed. It also picks up the remaining dirt and oil on your hair shaft as you rinse. What happens is that the ingredients of the shampoo dry out your hair, so the conditioner’s purpose is to bring back the moisture lost from shampooing. It also balances out the pH level of your hair.

Conditioner is an essential product you shouldn’t skip after shampooing. Many people have realized its importance over the years; that data reveals that about 179.22 million Americans used conditioner for their hair in 2020, a 30 million difference from those who don’t.

What’s also essential to remember is that when shopping for hair care products, including conditioner, there’s no one-size-fits-all product because every hair is different. So, it would be best to choose a conditioner from a store that offers a wide range of products to address various hair conditions, like Hair and Beauty Kingdom. They carry great brands in multiple sizes, so you can get something for personal use or an institutional size for your salon.

Read on for more tips on choosing the best conditioner for your hair.

1. Take A Hair Type Quiz

Is your hair dry, smooth, brittle, thick, curly, or chemically treated? You need to know your hair type to get the most appropriate conditioner for your hair. Remember, what worked perfectly for your friend might not work for you.

Most online quizzes help to determine the texture of your hair so they can make suggestions on the ingredients that would be best incorporated into the formulation. The quizzes also ask if you use heat tools. Some questions are created and described in detail, so you can choose the most applicable answer because hair can be genuinely complicated.

There’s also a question about hair density, which people often confuse with thickness, but density is the proximity of the hair follicles to each other. You also need to check the strands and the length of your hair to come up with the ideal conditioner.

2. Choose A Moisturizing Conditioner For Dry Hair

You need a moisturizing conditioner if your hair is dry, frizzy, and brittle. Harsh chemical treatments or too much shampooing can do that to your hair. As mentioned, shampoo is for the scalp, but some don’t know any better and use dollops of shampoo to rub on their hair shaft, not realizing that this makes their hair dry and frizzy.

The detergents in the shampoo will travel down your hair shaft as you rinse; it’s inevitable. That is why it’s necessary never to skip the conditioning step when you shampoo your hair.

3. Choose A Water-Based Conditioner For Oily Hair

If, despite shampooing, your hair remains oily, you need a water-based conditioner. However, it would help if you remembered that your hair might be oily because of too much shampooing. Ideally, you only need to shampoo at least every two to three days because washing hair daily can cause overproduction of sebum, the same way overwashing your face makes it oilier.

A water-based conditioner removes the oil from your skin. But even if it removes the oil, it doesn’t dry the hair because it has humectants that draw the moisture to keep the hair looking hydrated. Typically, water-based conditioners are leave-on, so you don’t need to rinse your hair. 

4. Choose A Hydrating Conditioner For Curly Hair

Whether your curls are natural or salon-created, you want them to look healthy and bouncy when you go out, not frizzy or flat. Unknown to many, curls are more prone to damage when they’re not moisturized. When curls dry, they tend to break, split, and look dull. 

It would be best to get conditioners explicitly made for curls without weighing them down. A conditioner that will fortify your hair shaft and define your curls made from naturally-derived ingredients like shea butter and almond oil will do the job. It would also be best to leave the conditioner for about two minutes before rinsing so the hair strands can soak up all the goodness.

5. Use Color-Depositing Conditioner To Highlight Your Hues

Getting a hair color is super expensive these days. And to not enjoy that color for an extended period will be a total waste of money. A conditioner that will make your hair color brighter will be a great addition to your hair care arsenal.

These pigmented conditioners will add luster to your  and instantly enhance your tresses to look like you just got out of the salon. You have to pick the right type for your hair condition. A pigmented conditioner can enhance your existing color, cool down some tones, enhance the darker hues, or revive the vividness of your hair color. To fully reap the benefits of color-depositing conditioners, it would be best to let them stay longer on your hair before rinsing thoroughly.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to pick the best conditioner for your hair, you have no reason to go out of the house with hair that looks weighed down or frizzy. But before you head out to your favorite beauty shop, take the hair type quiz to stop second-guessing which products will work for you.

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