Is conditioner bad for your hair? We are so used to reaching for a conditioner to make sense of the tangled mess our shampoo often leaves us to sort through, but is conditioner actually helping or hurting our strands? Find out in this blog post if conditioner is beneficial to your hair!
Is Conditioner Bad For Your Hair?
No, conditioner is not bad for your hair. However, issues can often arise in how you choose to use them and how often. Over conditioning your hair by leaving it in overnight, can actually weaken the hair strands overtime. Be sure to use your conditioner the way it is directed by the manufacturer on the label.
Conditioners are not all the same and as a result, are used to achieve different outcomes. Knowing what your hair needs and what issues you want to target may help you better decide which conditioner to choose and for what purpose.
Conditioner is good for the hair when you know how to properly incorporate it into your routine. For example, trying to use your everyday rinse out conditioner as your deep conditioner and/or leave in , will eventually lead to a host of potential problems for your hair and scalp.
Your hair will not only become weakened over time but may eventually break off. You might even notice your hair feels weighed down, greasy and limp. This is all because you are using your conditioner wrong or for the wrong purposes that were not intended for the products use.
So when we ask the question, “Is conditioner good for your hair?”, the answer is yes. Conditioner can be a wonderful addition to your hair routine when used in the correct way.
Conditioner can provide much needed moisture, hydration and detangling benefits to the hair that a cleanser typically tends to strip away during the shampoo process.
What Is The Purpose Of Hair Conditioner & What Does Conditioner Do?
By using a rinse out conditioner, you are coating the hair temporarily with a quick surplus of moisture and vitamins that will help to further strengthen and lubricate the hair.
Once you use a cleanser, you may be left with hair that feels a little stripped, dry and more likely to tangle up. Conditioner is a great next step to use in your process because it will replenish the hair and protect it from the harsh manipulation of styling.
When working with wet hair, it tends to be in its weakest state especially after shampooing. A conditioner will help to add some manageability to the hair and prevent it from snagging and knotting when trying to use a detangling comb or brush. The right conditioner will help to seal the moisture in and create a barrier over each hair stand to protect against the environment.
The purpose of conditioner usually depends on what you intend to use it for. There are so many conditioners on the market that focus on moisture, strengthening, elasticity and/or repair, so it is going to be up to you to decide which one is best for your purposes during wash day.
Is Conditioner Bad For Your Scalp?
Yes, conditioner can be bad for your scalp due to the fact that it can clog the pores that push the new hair through. If the conditioner is not properly cleansed from the scalp, you might notice a build up of oil on the scalp and dirt overtime.
A buildup of excess oil can be the result of your scalp producing its natural and healthy oils called sebum and by you layering on a conditioner on top of that, you’ll notice a greasy feel to your roots.
This can lead to an itchy scalp and excess dandruff production. By leaving conditioner on your scalp, you could also irritate it due to certain essential oils that may be added or other added elements meant for strength, elasticity or moisture.
The scalp is a very delicate organ that needs to be kept clean in order to produce healthy hair strands, so be sure to use a gentle clarifying shampoo on your hair and scalp the next time your up for wash day.
Is Conditioner Necessary For Hair?
Whether you decide to use a rinse out conditioner, a deep conditioning treatment or a leave in conditioner, it is necessary to incorporate at least one of the three options into your hair routine. When you shampoo your hair, it is beneficial to replace the moisture that is typically lost during the process.
If you are pressed for time and can’t do an intensive deep conditioning mask or treatment, you might opt for using just a basic rinse out conditioner to detangle and smooth the hair after shampooing. By using a rinse out conditioner, you are coating the hair temporarily with a quick boost of moisture and vitamins that will help to further strengthen the hair.
If you choose to deep condition your hair, it’s best to ditch using the rinse out conditioner. Remember the rinse out conditioner helps to coat the hair and provide manageability and slip. By adding a deep conditioner to hair that’s been detangled with a rinse out conditioner, your hair masque/treatment won’t penetrate through the hair stands. For a list of the Best Deep Conditioners For Low Porosity Hair, CLICK HERE.
It is best to shampoo hair and go straight into deep conditioning if you want to get the most out of your treatment. Once you’ve applied it to your hair, sit under a hooded hair dryer or steamer to help open the cuticle layer even further on the hair strand. This will allow for maximum penetration into the hair which will help to moisturize and strengthen from within.
Is It Okay To Use Conditioner Everyday?
Ideally, you don’t want to use conditioner every single day but some products are okay to use. A leave in conditioner can be applied to the hair daily to keep the moisture levels up and add some much needed hydration throughout the week.
Some people lead active lifestyles to which they will feel the need to cleanse their hair more often. In this case, you will want to reach for a co wash cleansing conditioner instead of a traditional rinse out one.
Co washes can be a wonderful addition into your hair regimen, because it often bridges the gap between having to spruce up the hair and the actual full on process that wash day entails. Although washing your hair daily is not the best practice, using a cleansing conditioner is very mild and won’t strip the hair.
Conditioning your hair every day without the use of shampoo could lead to product build up, clogged pores on the scalp, dandruff and oil buildup. This will leave your hair looking weighed down, flat and may even lead to your hair breaking off or thinning out over time. For more information on whether or not it’s a good idea to use conditioner without a shampoo, Click Here.
Try to wash and condition your hair once weekly if possible to avoid any scalp irritations or damage to the hair strands. Too much of an daily manipulation to the hair in general is not a good idea. Your hair is a delicate fiber made of protein so you want to treat it with the utmost care and not over do it.
If you are someone with thin hair, you definitely won’t want to add any unnecessary weight to the hair on a daily basis. Try to schedule your wash day routines once every two weeks, to give your hair an adequate break in between from the rigorous process of washing, conditioning and styling.
Is It Necessary To Condition After Every Hair Wash?
Yes, it is important to condition your hair after every single wash. However, what you choose to condition your hair with is up to you when it comes to using either a rinse out conditioner or a deep conditioning hair mask/treatment. It all depends on how much time you have and how much you want to pamper your hair.
The rinse out conditioner is going to be a quick and simple fix when it comes to adding in the slip for detangling properties and moisture. You hair will instantly feel smoother and any tangles that came from your shampoo process, should melt right away.
However if you are looking to really infuse the nutrients and vitamins into your strands, a deep conditioner is the better way to go. A deep conditioner is formulated to actually penetrate through the hair strands to help strengthen it from within.
The best way to use a deep conditioner is to use indirect heat from a hooded dryer or steamer. The heat opens the pores on the strands and helps to facilitate absorption of the deep conditioner into the hair follicle.
Final Thoughts On If Conditioning Is Bad For Your Hair
Conditioning is a good addition to your weekly or biweekly wash day routine. Whether you choose to use a basic rinse out conditioner or an intensive deep conditioner, always opt for using one of the two. Cleansing your hair with a shampoo can strip your hair depending on its clarifying level and you will need to replenish the depleted moisture that lost in the process.
Conditioner is not bad for your hair unless you are solely using it to replace your shampoo. If this is case, you will end up with hair that is is not thoroughly cleansed resulting in product build up, weak, flat, greasy looking hair. If your scalp is not properly washed, you could get an itchy scalp that leads to irritation, dandruff and hair that is not healthy.
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