When it comes to scoring killer hair, it’s a given that you need to consider what you’re doing to your strands from the moment you hit them with water, to the moment you finish styling.
Thing is, we know we have to care for our hair to keep it schmick, but often we just buy any old products at the supermarket without actually considering whether they’re right for it. Or worse – we just avoid some products that we really need to use because we’ve had a bad experience in the past.
The conditioner you use (or don’t use) can be key to getting the swishy, celebrity-style finish you dream of. Here’s a bunch of mistakes loads of us make when it comes to our conditioner choice.
PROBLEM: YOU HATE CONDITIONER
SOLUTION: USE SOMETHING LIGHTER
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh54YvTnkVz/?taken-by=elysetaylor
You DO need to use conditioner. Not using it will leave your hair prone to breakage, because conditioner works to smooth down the hair shaft. Skipping this step is why you’ll find hair full of knots and tangles, and brushing through those is a highway to split ends and snapped strands. If conditioner freaks you out, try a really light formula – Pantene just dropped a range of foam conditioners for example – they’re super light, which means you can use them on the daily and not end up with flat, greasy strands.
PROBLEM: YOUR HAIR FEELS HEAVY AFTER USING CONDITIONER
SOLUTION: RE-THINK YOUR PRODUCT
Noticing your hair feels really weighed-down after using conditioner? There’s a high chance your conditioner is too rich for your hair type, or the amount you wash your hair. Some folks need a rich conditioner (your moment is coming, friends) but people with fine hair definitely do not – anything too rich will weigh your hair down big time.
If you wash your hair daily, you’re also likely to need a lighter form of conditioner. Try one specifically for daily washing, or for people with fine hair.
PROBLEM: YOUR HAIR IS FRIZZY AND UNRULY NO MATTER WHAT
SOLUTION: USE A RICHER FORMULA
Got curly hair? Thick, unruly hair? You need a conditioner that’ll be extra nourishing. See, curly hair types are notoriously drier than their straight hair mates. They need as much nourishment as they can get to ensure they’re not frizzy as hell and prone to snapping.
Loads of folks with curly hair use a deeply nourishing conditioner every time they wash – like Pantene 3 Minute Miracle, for example. If you are applying to the mid-lengths and ends, then massaging those into your roots, you won’t get the greasy finish and you’ll find your curls are bouncier and shinier.
PROBLEM: YOUR ROOTS GET OILY REAL FAST
SOLUTION: APPLY CONDITIONER TO THE ENDS FIRST
The worst thing you can do with conditioner is to slop it all over your roots. It’s your mid-lengths and ends that really need the product – the best way to apply is to add product directly to mid-lengths and ends, then use a wide-toothed comb from roots to ends to distribute the product. You can also massage the ends into the roots. Either way, it means you’ll get less product up there than if you apply direct.
PROBLEM: YOUR HAIR SEEMS TO BE ETERNALLY FLAT
SOLUTION: TRY USING LESS CONDITIONER
Sometimes you’ve got the right product but you just aren’t using it correctly. FYI, you definitely don’t need a palmful of conditioner to treat your hair. The general rule is to use a 10 cent piece-sized amount for shorter hair, and a fifty cent piece-sized amount for long hair. If your hair is curly or coarse, go for the fifty cent piece.
Now go forth and blind people with your healthy, shiny, swishy-to-level-100 hair, babetowns.
