I have been really taking care of my hair this year and I am so happy about it that I have been boring you time and again :D Anyways, this was requested by Pallavi and it has been a long time in coming. So, here it goes!
What is a Conditioner?
A treatment which follows the shampooing routine to restore the oils of the hair after washing it. Shikakai is the traditional conditioner which was used to compensate for the harshness of reetha or soapnuts.
Now a days, we have two classes of conditioners. One is a post-shampoo treatment and another is pre-shampoo treatment and one can go for either home remedies or get the commercially available products!
The home remedies are nourishing for hair and the commerical products have hair-friendly ingredients or ones which coat the hair strands to shield it from the external elements. You also get products which claim to restructure the hair collagen using chemical compounds like peptides and keratin.
How to apply the conditioner?
Well, this is something I have already discussed but it is still a huge doubt for me. So, the simplest thing I do is divide my hair into two sections and take a dollop of conditioner and smooth on one side and repeat the same for other. I do this very gently but still some hairs do fall so I gently remove them and wash them off.
I do not use comb in the shower as many people suggest. I think it is a bad idea because hair is most delicate when wet and howsoever gentle one might be, its totally impossible not to break the hair.
How often should conditioner be used?
Well, generally, the answer would be every time you wash your hair. But, honestly, I do not use it every time. Sometimes, I am just too lazy or sometimes I want to treat my hair to henna or something else so I simply skip. In those times, I make sure I do a leave-in treatment for the hair.
For oily hair as well, finding a conditioner which is not heavy for hair is very important! Or, they can make do with a leave-in treatment and some people do a pre-conditioning like applying egg or henna or curd or some other hair pack for an hour before wash it off.
I think how often you need to condition also depends on the quality of your shampoo. If it a drying type, you would obviously need the conditioner but if the shampoo simply cleanses the hair and doesn't remove the natural oils, one can make do without conditioner.
I have been using SLS-free shampoos for long and yes I do think I can make do without conditioners if I want. But, a drop or two of some oil acts a leave-in agent in my hair otherwise my hairs do dry out a lot but then my hair is not oily but dry and curly/wavy as well.
Does skipping conditioner affect hair?
Yes, actually! I have seen that personally and have mentioned it already on the blog. But, this point applies only when you are missing the leave-in treatment as well. The hair is prone with split ends and thin hair especially on the ends which leads to breakage! For hair to remain beautiful, both internal and external nourishment are equally important.
Eat omega3 rich foods and foods rich in Vitamin B and E. They help in hair growth and keep hair moisturized and hydrated all the time. Eating protein-rich foods also helps in maintaining body of the hair strands. And, protect hair from the external damaging elements like pollution and dust and sun.
How to select a conditioner for my hair?
Now, this is the most difficult question to answer! There are no guidelines to select a product which will suit. So, I can just mention a few salient points! First, it is not necessary that the shampoo and conditioner should be from the same brand and range. If your hair reacts well to a particular shampoo and some other conditioner, go ahead with that as well.
Second, always buy the products depending on your hair type and issues. You can always rotate them one after another as well like using a volume boosting conditioner and then color protecting conditioner and then conditioner for curly hair if all those issues pertain to your hair condition.
And, lastly, in my opinion professional range products are always better investment if you are looking for some serious hair care. Yes, they are more expensive but then the companies spend quite a lot of amount in decent research. And, do not get involved into the good ingredients and bad ingredients debate because its just not worth it!
So, these were my few pennies on the topic and hope the post is clear enough. I have written it with a muddle-head! Drop down your comments and see ya tomorrow :)
Add your questions to the above-mentioned ones and let me know your answers as well for the questions above!
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