Do you know that conditioner is one of the best hair products to re-introduce lost moisture back to your hair? While shampoo cleans, conditioner makes your strands look smoother and shinier. It adds an extra burst of hydration and makes your hair easy to manage.
Whether your hair is curly, straight, thick, long, or short, you can’t underestimate the importance of a conditioner in your hair care regimen. But there is often a dilemma- should you condition your hair daily? If you condition your hair too much, it can become greasy, and if you do too little, your hair may get dry and damaged. To avoid any of these conditions, you should ensure that you condition your hair when required.
You should determine your hair type and consider your lifestyle to know when you need to condition your hair. It is also important to choose the right conditioner for your hair type, or else you won’t get the desired benefits.
Should You Condition Your Hair Everyday for Optimal Benefits?
If you’re confused and want to know if you should condition your hair every day or not, take a look at the factors mentioned below.
How Often is it Okay to Condition Your Hair?
Conditioner is an important hair product that adds moisture to your hair and reduces tangling. It increases shine, softens the cuticle, and makes your hair manageable. But that doesn’t mean you need to condition your hair every day. Conditioner is important for all hair types, but you should not use it on a daily basis. A daily habit of conditioning your hair will do more damage than good. Your hair type plays a vital role in the frequency of conditioning.
So, determine your hair type to know when to condition your hair to have healthy, shiny, and smooth locks. If you have dry and damaged hair, you may need to condition your hair frequently.
If your hair loses moisture quickly and tends to dry out, you can apply a leave-in conditioner every other day to restore moisture.
Conditioning Routine Depending on Your Hair Type
Your conditioning routine will differ depending on your hair type and your lifestyle. For example, if you’re working and spend time outside in pollution, you’ll have to shampoo and condition your hair more often. But if you have oily hair, you don’t need to condition your hair very frequently.
Let’s take a look at the conditioning routine you need to follow, depending on your hair type.
1. Dry and Damaged Hair
If you have dry and damaged hair, you may be confused about whether you should condition your hair daily. It is not recommended to condition your hair daily, even if it is damaged and dry, because it will lose its volume and won’t bounce anymore. You can condition your hair every other day if your hair feels very brittle and damaged.
This way, you’ll provide your hair with the required moisture without overdoing your conditioning routine. You can use leave-in conditioner on days when you’re not washing your hair. This will keep your hair protected and moisturized without the adverse effects of overwashing.
2. Oily Hair
Do you have greasy strands and are struggling to establish the perfect hair conditioning routine for your hair? People with oily hair should avoid conditioning their hair every alternate day as the nourishing ingredients in their conditioner can make their hair look even more greasier.
You should also avoid conditioners that have silicones and apply a clarifying shampoo to remove oil buildup in your hair. You can’t skip conditioner altogether as it is important for adding necessary moisture to your hair, so you should use it weekly on your strands. Avoid applying the conditioner on your scalp, or else it could lead to oiliness.
3. Thin Hair
Having thin hair is both a curse and a blessing. They are silky and soft to the touch, but improper hair care can lead to breakage and damage. So you’ll have to put in extra effort to manage your thin hair. If you’re confused about whether or not you should condition your hair every day, the straightaway answer will be no.
While people with thin hair need to condition their hair more often than those with thick hair to add more volume to their strands, conditioning your hair daily will lead to difficulty in styling your hair and a very flat look. If you find broken strands, start using conditioner more frequently, but if your hair looks greasy, give a break to your conditioning routine.
4. Thick Hair
If you have thick hair, you can make it look amazing without spending hours styling and brushing with the help of a conditioner. A good quality conditioner will keep your thick hair frizz-free and make it easy to style. Dryness is one of the biggest issues people with thick hair have to struggle with.
That’s because it becomes difficult for the natural oils to travel to the tips of the hair shaft from your roots, leaving you with split ends and dry locks. To combat these issues, you should condition your hair at least thrice a week. Also, avoid using hair dyes, blow dryers, and hard hair brushes, as they can lead to dry, frizzy tresses that will hamper your hair’s natural thickness.
5. Curly Hair
Conditioner can be a bliss for curly hair as it restores moisture and combats tangles and knots. Curly hair loses moisture quickly, so you should use a conditioner before shampooing to protect your hair and ensure that shampoo doesn’t strip your hair’s natural oils. On some days, rinse with water and apply a good-quality conditioner suitable for your hair.
On other days, you can use a shampoo to avoid stripping your hair’s natural oils. Every one to two weeks, use a clarifying shampoo to remove the buildup of oil, pollutants, and styling products. A clever idea should be to condition your hair whenever your strands feel dry.
Signs that Indicate You’re Over Conditioning Your Hair
We all want our strands to be frizz-free, soft, smooth, and tangled, and a conditioner can help us achieve the hair of our dreams. But do you know that in a few cases, your conditioner can be the culprit behind your brittle and lustreless hair? Overconditioning your hair can inhibit natural hair oils from penetrating the hair cuticle. Due to excess moisture retention, your hair may look lifeless, and your hair shaft may degenerate. There are a few signs that you should watch out for to know if you’re overconditioning your hair.
- If you have noticed a loss in your hair volume, it may indicate that you’re adding too much moisture to your hair. In this condition, your hair will look sticky and thin, and you’ll feel some extra weight.
- Greasy-looking hair can be caused by infrequent washing and excessive use of styling products. But over-conditioning is also a major reason behind greasy and over-moisturized hair. Even after a hair wash, if your hair looks glossy, it is a sign that you’re overconditioning it.
- We all want to have soft hair, but none of us want a lifeless luster that can give an artificial look to our hair. If you’re facing difficulties with styling due to your stiff and overly soft hair, it might indicate that you’re conditioning your hair more often than required.
- Another sign that indicates you’re over-conditioning your hair is flat-looking hair. Overconditioning can soften your roots, and the extra moisture can lead to a flat top. So, if you see a flat appearance at the roots on the top of your head, it can be a sign that your roots cannot maintain volume. In this case, you’ll have to take some time off your hair conditioning routine.
- If your hair has lost bounce, it can also be a sign that you’re overwashing it. You may first notice a loss of bounce at the ends of your curls and braids, and over time, your hair may look even more flat.
- Over-conditioning can also lead to difficulty in using the styling tools. Even after spending hours styling your hair, if you feel that your hair doesn’t stay in the desired shape, you may have to take a break from regular hair conditioning.
Signs that Indicate You’re Under-Conditioning Your Hair
Conditioning is the best thing you can do for your hair, but many people skip out on the conditioner because they feel it gives a flat look to their hair. But conditioning can adversely affect your hair health, leading to problems like hair damage and rough and unmanageable hair.
If you don’t use a conditioner, your cuticle remains open, and it accumulates chemicals, chlorine, sunlight, heat, moisture, and coloring that can ruin your hair’s health. So, it is important to watch out for these signs that may indicate you’re not conditioning your hair as often as required.
- If you have brittle and dry strands that break easily, it can be a sign that you’re not conditioning your hair as often as required. Conditioner is a hair care product that nourishes your hair follicle, and if you avoid using it regularly, your hair will feel very dry and unmanageable.
- What if you spent hours creating your favorite hairstyle and still couldn’t get the desired results? Under-conditioned hair can be difficult to style due to its rough appearance and inability to hold its shape. So, you must start using a conditioner more frequently to ensure your strands remain smooth and easy to style.
- Tangles throughout your hair post-wash can also be a sign of under-conditioned hair. You’ll lose even more hair while trying to detangle your hair, leading to the problem of hair fall in the long run.
What is the Right Way to Apply a Hair Conditioner?
Whatever your hair type is, you should always use a conditioner after shampooing your hair. Use a shampoo first and then apply a conditioner to get its maximum benefits. Never go for reverse washing, or else it will become difficult to cleanse the shampoo, and you will have to spend all your energy removing the conditioner instead of cleansing the sebum of your scalp. Use the right amount of conditioner and spread it evenly on your hair’s ends. Never apply conditioner to your scalp.
Let the conditioner sit on your strands for a few minutes, and then rinse it off with plain water. Towel dry your hair rather than using a blow dryer for the best results.
Conclusion
Conditioning is an important part of your hair’s overall health. But you should use it in the right amount and choose the conditioner that is suitable for your hair to gain its maximum benefits. It is also important not to overdo or underdo your conditioning routine if you want to achieve healthy and smooth hair.
The conditioning ritual will differ depending on your hair type, so check your hair type to know how often you should condition your hair. If you still have doubts about whether or not you should condition your hair every day, check out the important details mentioned above that will help you achieve the hair of your dreams.
By following these important pointers, your hair care ritual will become easier, and your strands will look their best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Should Use a Conditioner?
Conditioner is an important hair care product for people of all hair types. Whether your hair is long, short, straight, curly, thick, or thin, conditioner should be an important part of your hair care routine. If you have dry and damaged hair, you must use a conditioner more often.
What Can Happen if You Don’t Use a Conditioner?
If you don’t use a conditioner on a regular basis, your hair will become dry and lustreless. By skipping your conditioner, you’re ruining your hair health. Your cuticle remains open when you don’t use a conditioner, and it accumulates chemicals, chlorine, sunlight, heat, moisture, and coloring, leading to long-term damage to your locks.
