How Often Should You Condition Your Hair – What to Pay Attention

How Often Should You Condition Your Hair - What to Pay Attention
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You likely already know that conditioner can give your hair a softer, shinier, and more manageable appearance. You might not be aware, though, that the kind of conditioner you use and how frequently you apply it can also make a significant difference.

Every time you wash your hair, ideally every two to three days, you should condition your hair with rinse-out conditioner. You should also condition your hair each time you shampoo.

Continue reading to find out how often to use conditioner and what products might be best for your particular hair type.

What is Conditioner?

How Often Should You Condition Your Hair - What to Pay Attention

Your hair will feel hydrated after using conditioner. It typically contains silicones, emollients, oils, and cationic surfactants, which smooth your hair and reduce hair loss.

Silicones coat your hair to help to lock out humidity, reduce frizz, and make your hair shiny.

The conditioner has three main uses:

  • Replenishing some of the moisture that shampooing strips away
  • Moisturizing hair after chemical treatments, like coloring and straightening
  • Helping hair recover from heat damage, including damage from hair dryers and curling irons

How Often Should You Condition Your Hair?

How often you should condition your hair depends on your hair type and the type of conditioner you’re using.

Rinse-out Conditioner

The conditioner that most people think of when they think of conditioner is rinse-out conditioner. After shampooing your hair, you apply it and rinse it out after a few minutes.

Rinse-out conditioner should be applied following each wash, ideally several times per week, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

If your hair is extremely oily or fine, you might want to condition less frequently because it can make your hair look drab.

Conditioning your hair or using the hair mask more frequently, such as daily or every other day, may be advantageous if you have dry, coarse, curly, or color-treated hair. These hair types are typically drier and may benefit from a little extra moisture.

Leave-in Conditioner

How Often Should You Condition Your Hair - What to Pay Attention

Leave-in conditioner, as the name suggests, is designed to stay in your hair until the following time you wash it. With this kind of conditioner, damaged hair can be repaired and mildly to moderately dry hair can be moisturized.

Try using a leave-in conditioner once a week as a general rule. It might be best to use it more frequently if your hair is curly, dry, or damaged.

Deep Conditioner

Deep conditioner should be left on your hair for at least 30 minutes.

It is heavier than rinse-out and leave-in conditioners and is made to help hydrate and repair severely damaged hair. Typically, it should be applied every month or two.

Also Read: Should You Condition Hair After Using A Hair Mask – When to Apply

Cleansing Conditioner

Cleansing conditioners are a type of rinse-out conditioner that both cleans and conditions your hair. They do away with the requirement for a separate shampoo.

They won’t weigh down your hair because they are typically lighter than other kinds of conditioners. They therefore make a good option for those with fine or oily hair.

You can use cleansing conditioners as frequently as you would shampoo because they are used the same way. For oily or fine hair, that typically means daily or every other day.

In many cases, up to a week or more, dry, coarse, and curly hair can go longer between washes. However, they should be conditioned more regularly, so cleansing conditioner might not be the best choice for these hair types.

How to Apply Conditioner

How you apply conditioner can have an impact on how effective it is. Additionally, it may significantly alter the general appearance of your hair.

Although applying conditioner to your entire head of hair might be tempting, people with fine or oily hair should refrain from doing so. It can make your hair look weighed down.

Instead, concentrate on conditioning your hair only at the ends. Over time, damage to your ends causes them to become more porous and drier than the rest of your hair.

On the other hand, extremely coarse or curly hair typically benefits from all-over conditioner. Co-washing, or using conditioner in place of shampoo, can also work well for some individuals with curly hair.

Though occasionally it can lead to buildup, it’s a more gentle method of cleaning. In that case, performing an apple cider vinegar rinse or clarifying treatment once every few weeks should be beneficial.

How Can You Tell If You’re Overconditioning?

While conditioner can benefit your hair in lots of ways, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Signs that you’re overconditioning your hair include:

  • Greasiness
  • Lack of buoyancy and volume
  • Excessive shine or glossiness
  • More difficulty styling your hair with heat

Simply reduce the amount of conditioner you use if you notice any of these symptoms. To achieve the ideal balance of shine, buoyancy, and smoothness, you can experiment with the frequency and type of conditioning you apply.

How Can You Tell If You’re Underconditioning?

The same way that you can over- or under-condition your hair, vice versa. Signs of underconditioned hair include:

  • Dry or brittle strands that break easily
  • Excessive tangling
  • Frizz
  • Dullness

If you are bothered by any of these symptoms, try using conditioner more frequently. To help keep moisture in your hair, you might also think about deep conditioning it occasionally.

Why Use Conditioner?

Start with this, please… yes, you need to use a conditioner!

There is no denying that a great shampoo will thoroughly clean your hair and leave it smelling wonderful. The natural oils in your hair and scalp will be lost during the process, even with the best shampoos. That is where a great conditioner comes in to play, the benefits of which are substantial. You can also use conditioners with hair dye to fix damage from a previous bad dye job. These benefits include:

  • Restore natural oils which are vital to your hair and scalps overall health.
  • Gives the hair follicles a layer of protection that smoothes, thickens, and preserves them all day.
  • Restores the moisture that shampooing has stripped from the hair.
  • Restore hair that has suffered heat damage from blow dryers and other offenders.

Takeaway

How Often Should You Condition Your Hair - What to Pay Attention

How often you should condition your hair depends on your hair type and the type of conditioner you’re using.

People with fine or oily hair should typically use a rinse-out conditioner or cleansing conditioner a few times per week.

For maximum moisture, those with coarse, curly, or dry hair should condition it more frequently and may want to think about using a leave-in or deep conditioner.

Also Read: Is It A Good Idea to Mix Hair Dye with Conditioner?

Frequently Asked Questions

You may still have some inquiries despite knowing everything there is to know about conditioners. Some of the questions our readers have asked us the most are answered below.

Can Too Much Conditioner Cause Hair Thinning?

Yes, over-conditioning your hair can lead to breakage and hair loss. This is due to the possibility of the hair shaft becoming dry and prone to hair breakage and loss when leave-in deep conditioning is used or when regular conditioner products are overused.

Are There Negatives to Conditioners?

Although there are very few negatives to using conditioners, some do exist. Different conditioners have the potential to cause allergic reactions, in which case you should stop using them right away and call your doctor.

Some conditioners cause people to break out on their face, back, and neck because of the excess oils. The biggest drawback of these items is how heavy and gross conditioners can make your hair feel.

Is It OK to Condition Your Hair Everyday?

Conditioner can be used everyday, as it re-hydrates hair and replenishes nutrients. You might also want to consider conditioning on the days you don’t shampoo (remember, keep that to two or three days a week).

Why is My Hair Still Dry After Conditioning?

After deep conditioning, if your hair still feels dry, you either haven’t properly cleansed your hair or have a significant amount of product buildup.

Does Leaving Conditioner Actually Help Dry Hair?

The most advantageous product for people with dry hair is leave-in conditioner because it can add the required moisture. Damage, frizz, and breakage can eventually result from dry hair. Consider concentrating the leave-in conditioner on your ends if they are especially dry.

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