Hair Conditioners

How are Hair Conditioners Helpful?

Understanding your hair structure, type and care is very important in determining the looking after it needs at your hands to remain healthy life-long. This is why it is imperative for people to understand the mechanics of a good hair conditioner for their hair type and maintain it as is needed.

Nature and Type of Hair Conditioners: what they are and how they work

Hair conditioners are far more complex than any other hair products, be it aligning them with shampoos, gels or de-tanglers is concerned or judging their merits by advertising claims may be involved.

The primary function of a good hair conditioner is to treat the hair after shampooing has taken place and keep it nourished and tamed.

Essentially, hair conditioners help replenish the look and feel of the hair after shampooing so they look shiny, healthy and smooth.

Effective hair conditioners help moisturize, add gloss and manageability to hair after it has been subjected to a head-bath with shampoo or other detergents that deplete its natural protective coating. Thus, in this manner, hair conditioners function much like fabric softeners work for clothing: as a softening after-wash for detergents.

Tips for Using Hair Conditioners

Care should be exercised in purchasing hair conditioners and just going by the brand name is not enough to ensure you are getting the quality your kind of hair requires. Even the amount of conditioner applied and the method of application on certain parts of the hair is a fundamental part of deciding whether you will have a good hair day or your ‘bed-hair’ look will continue to haunt you through the day.

It is important to understand that hair conditioners must be applied to the hair shaft and the ends, especially, the ends only. Never apply a hair conditioner to the scalp as it will lead to buildup and create a limp look. The ends and the hair shaft are dead protein so are chemically inert and insoluble, which is why they can be coated protein or polymer to simulate smoothness and thickness.

Select a hair conditioner after considering your hair type-dry, frizzy, oily, under-nourished, limp, colored, curly etc. and also hair growth-whether thick or thin. This information will help in defining the type of ingredients you should look for in your hair conditioner.

Choosing Hair Conditioners

A hair conditioner helps to replace natural oils removed by the detergents in shampoos. Therefore the best product for hair that needs the oil, i.e. dry, curly, often frizzy and coarse hair are conditioners containing cetyl or stearyl alcohol, panthenol and methicones, silicone/dimethicone, or essential oils and botanicals like avocado, jojoba oil or shea butter.

Volumizing hair conditioners give body and temporarily fluff up fine, limp or damaged hair to give it a lush appearance. These are labeled re-constructors and coat the hair with a layer of protein that fills in gaps if the outer cuticle is damaged, giving the hair a smoother look.

Those with color treated hair will benefit from a conditioner meant for chemically processed hair.