EP 308: Hair Conditioners

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Conditioner is more than just a post-shampoo powerhouse product – it's an essential step that restores what shampoo strips away, creating smoother, more manageable hair at a microscopic level.

• Understanding the science of conditioners – positively charged ingredients that stick to negatively charged hair
• Everyone needs conditioner, even fine hair – it's about finding the right formula for your specific hair type
• Four key benefits: detangling to prevent damage, protection against environmental stressors, moisture balance, and improved shine
• Different types for different needs: rinse-out, leave-in, deep conditioning masks, nighttime oils, and co-washes
• The beautiful Indian tradition of hair oiling combines family connection with incredible hair benefits
• Proper application matters – squeeze out excess water first and focus on mid-lengths to ends
• Contrary to popular belief, warm water rinses make hair shinier than cold water
• Two-in-one products compromise effectiveness by trying to do opposing jobs simultaneously

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see my favorite conditioners, which I'll be sharing this week – the link is in the show notes.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
onus, step after shampoo.
It's a powerhouse product andtoday we're breaking down the
what, why and how behindconditioners with some real-life
stories, global rituals andscience-backed facts.
Welcome to All About Hair,where we talk, shop, share

(00:20):
stories and spill the secretsbehind great hair and a great
career.
I'm your host, denise Keilitz,a former salon owner, educator
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
Each week, we dive into realtechniques, honest career advice

(00:44):
and inspiration to help yougrow behind the chair or just
fall even more in love with theworld of hair, because around
here, it's not just aboutlooking good.
It's about learning, evolvingand having a little fun along
the way.
So grab your coffee, yourshears or your dry shampoo and
let's get into it.
Hey there, welcome back.

(01:13):
Let's start today's episode witha little bit of nostalgia.
Do you remember the first timeyou ever used conditioner?
Well, for me, I remember my momcalling it cream rinse, and it
was a non-negotiable yeah.

(01:33):
I had that long hair and I hadlots of tangles.
She'd say, if we skip it,there's no way we're getting a
comb through that hair, and youknow what?
She was right.
My first memory of conditioneris the brand called Flex.
You know, I don't even know ifthey make that anymore, but just
saying it, I can remember thesmell.
Oh, it smelled so good.
It truly was one of my favoriteshampoo conditioner smell.

(01:59):
I don't know if you guys evenremember Flex, but if you do,
let me know.
Okay.
So let's talk about what is aconditioner really?
Well, at its core, conditioneris a moisturizing and protective
product designed to restorewhat shampoos have stripped away

(02:19):
.
When we wash our hair, we'renot just removing dirt and oil,
we're also removing some of thenatural lipids that keep the
hair cuticle smooth and flexible.
Conditioner steps in toreplenish moisture, close the
cuticle and add slip, makinghair more manageable and less
prone to breakage.

(02:39):
So how does it work?
When you shampoo your haircuticle that outer layer of the
hair you know that looks likefish scales or a pine cone.
I've talked about it before.
But your hair cuticle getsopened up and this allows dirt
and oil to be washed away.
But this can also leave yourhair feeling rough, tangled or

(03:04):
even a little fragile.
The ingredients in conditionerare positively charged, so they
stick to your negatively chargedhair.
This helps smooth the surface,reduce static and strengthen
weak areas.
If you've ever noticed how mucheasier it is to brush your hair
after conditioning, that's whyConditioners also lock in

(03:28):
moisture and can add aprotective barrier against
everyday stressors like heat,styling, sun and pollution.
Yeah, your conditioner actuallyhas a little bit of UV or sun
protection in it.
I bet you didn't even know that.
In short, it's like giving yourhair a little hug after every
wash.
So here's the science in simpleterms.

(03:50):
Conditioners containingredients like emollients,
humectants and proteins.
The emollients help to smoothand soften the hair.
The humectants draw in moisturefrom the environment and from
the air to help bring inmoisture to your hair, and then

(04:12):
the proteins can temporarilyfill in the weak spots in the
cuticle, strengthening the hairshaft.
Most conditioners are alsoslightly acidic, which helps
tighten the hair cuticle or layit down, creating shine and
smoothness while reducing frizz.
That's why your hair feelssilkier after you condition.

(04:32):
It's actually smoother at amicroscopic level.
So do you really need to useconditioner?
I know I have those guests.
I have clients with really finehair that really don't.
They say no, no, I don't useconditioner.
I get it, I get it.
They've actually probably haveused the wrong conditioner in

(04:57):
the past and it's weighed theirhair down or it's felt oily.
Totally get it.
But do you really need to use aconditioner?
Yes, everybody needs to usesome sort of conditioner.
You just have to find the rightone, especially if you want to
grow your hair long or keep itlooking its best Fine hair,

(05:18):
curly hair, color treated hair.
We all need different levels ofconditioning and if you've had
a bad experience in the pastwhere your hair felt greasy or
heavy, you probably just weren'tusing the right formula for
your hair type.
Even if your hair doesn't feeldry, it still needs conditioner.
Here's why.
First, detangling Conditionerhelps separate the strands,

(05:42):
reducing mechanical damage frombrushing or combing.
We've all had that If you'vebeen swimming in a swimming pool
or you're at the beach and youget out of the water and you try
to comb your hair without somekind of detangling agent on
there, it's, it's hardcore.
So that's the number one reasonwhy you need conditioner.

(06:04):
Number two is protection.
It forms a barrier against theheat, styling, the pollution and
the sun.
We talked about that.
Number three is moisturebalance, especially important
for those curly, color-treatedor aging hair which tends to be
drier.
And then finally, the shine andthe smoothness.

(06:25):
It improves your hair'sappearance and touch.
Who doesn't want that?
Skipping conditioner is likeskipping moisturizer after
washing your face.
It just doesn't make sense.
Let's talk about the types ofconditioner, because this is
where it can kind of get fun andcustomizable.
We have rinse out conditioner,and this is just your

(06:49):
traditional daily useconditioner and it's meant to be
left on for a few minutes andrinsed out in the in the shower
or the bath.
So this is great for detanglingand just everyday softness.
Then you have leave-inconditioners.
These are lightweight formulasthat you leave in your hair
after washing.
That could be a spray form orit can be kind of like a cream

(07:13):
form, and this is great forextra moisture or heat
protection or frizz control,even if you've used the rinse
out conditioner beforehand.
But ideally these are for finehair or anyone who styles with
heat.
It's also great for kids.
You know those.
Do you remember those spray in,leave in conditioners?

(07:35):
They kind of look I can't evenremember who made them, maybe
L'Oreal or something a long timeago and they came in like fish
shapes or I'm dating myself bigtime, but and they smelled
really good.
I remember my kids used toalways love those Deep
conditioners or hair masks.
These are more intensetreatments and they're usually

(07:56):
only used once a week or as youneed them.
These penetrate a little bitdeeper to repair, strengthen and
revive very dry or damaged hair.
There are some people that havereally unruly, coarse hair that
actually could use deepconditioners or hair masks every
single time, almost like theirdaily conditioner, and it would

(08:19):
not weigh down their hair.
It just depends on your hairtype.
Then we have nighttime oils andleave-on treatments, and these
are actually oils that are usedwhile you sleep for protection
and softness, and these areactually oils that are used
while you sleep for protectionand softness, and we'll talk
about that in just a little bit,about a ritual in India that
they do.
It's really cool.
And then we have our lastcategory, which is co-wash or a

(08:44):
cleansing conditioner, and thisis a great option for curly or
textured hair types who want togently cleanse without stripping
any of the natural oils offtheir scalp.
So let me tell you about thatnighttime oils.
One of the most beautifulrituals I've ever heard of comes
from India and it's called hairoiling, and it isn't just about

(09:05):
self-care, but it's actually afamily tradition.
The little ones, or even older.
They sit at the feet of theirgrandmother while she massages
warm oils into their scalp, andnot only is this great for their
scalp and their hair, but it'sjust a moment of connection.
That oil blend is a blend ofcastor oil, coconut oil and

(09:28):
olive oil, and it restores thehair like nothing else.
Maybe you should try that Ifyou're looking for something to
restore your hair and make yourhair feel like silk.
Mix those three oils.
Warm them up a tad, you know.
Massage them into your scalpall the way into the ends of
your hair.
Braid your hair up, sleep withit.
Wake up in the morning.

(09:49):
You might have to do two orthree shampoos to get all that
oil out of your hair, but yourhair up, sleep with it.
Wake up in the morning.
You might have to do two orthree shampoos to get all that
oil out of your hair, but yourhair will feel amazing.
Now let's talk about the scienceof conditioners.
Hair is made of keratin, whichis a protein, and it's protected
by lipids, which is actuallythe moisture.

(10:09):
When we color, heat, style orexpose our hair to the sun, we
lose those lipids.
So conditioners they don'treally rebuild protein, but it
does help fill in the gaps leftbehind, like patching potholes
in a road.
Your hair won't magicallyrevert to a virgin condition,
but it will look and behave somuch better.

(10:30):
Revert to a virgin condition,but it will look and behave so
much better.
How do you choose the rightconditioner?
And then how do you properlyuse a conditioner?
First, you want to pick aconditioner that matches your
hair type and your goals,whether that be moisture, volume
, repair, color, safe, whateverit is, frizz, whatever it is
you're trying to alleviate.
There is a conditioner Iguarantee it out there for your

(10:53):
hair type.
Even if you've got the finest,straightest hair on the planet,
you still need some kind ofconditioner.
Probably just want a spray onconditioner.
But choose a conditioner thatmatches your hair type and then,
for the best results, alwayssqueeze out the excess water out
of your hair before you applyyour conditioner, because it's
like a wet sponge.

(11:13):
If you've got a really wetsponge and you try to soak up
water in it, soak up water in it.
It won't soak up any anymorebecause it's completely wet, but
if you wring it out, it'll soakit up, same with your hair.
Just squeezing out the excesswater helps the conditioner
penetrate your hair shaft better.
Then, while your conditioner'son there, comb it through with

(11:36):
your fingers or a wide toothcomb for better even
distribution, so it goes all theway through your hair and try
to focus.
Especially if you have long hair, try to focus on the mid
lengths to the ends, not theroots, unless it's a scalp
treatment conditioner.
But the reason why you want toconcentrate on just the mid
lengths and the ends is becauseif you put the conditioner on

(11:58):
the root area of your hair firstof all, that's not where your
hair needs condition.
Your hair needs conditioned onthe ends.
If you think about it, that'sthe oldest hair on your head and
it's probably the most prone tobreakage chemical damage, uv
damage, mechanical damage.
So you really want thatconditioner to penetrate that

(12:20):
first.
Slather it on the ends and thentake what's left on your hands
and rake it through your scalp.
Your scalp produces oil.
So typically your scalp unlessyou have a very dry scalp
typically your scalp area oryour root area of your hair
doesn't really need too muchconditioning.
But also listen to your hair.
If it feels heavy, try alighter formula or alternate

(12:45):
with a leave-in.
You don't always have to usethe same conditioner every
single time.
I have like three conditionersin my shower and it depends on.
Well, first, it depends on howI wear my hair that day If I'm
going to wear it curly, if I'mgoing to wear it smooth, volume.
You know, you know me, I havetons of products.
So not everybody does have aton of products, but I really do

(13:08):
think everybody needs at leasttwo types of conditioner,
whether that means your dailyconditioner and a deep mask, or
your daily conditioner and aleave-in spray conditioner,
whatever works for you.
And then you know we've alwaysheard to rinse with cool water
if you can, because it helpsseal the cuticle.
But you know what?
I just read an article thatthere's actually a study that

(13:31):
revealed that cool water rinsesdon't actually help seal the
cuticle.
Ah, I know.
And it doesn't make your hairshinier.
Actually, the results of thisstudy actually showed.
They showed that warm watermakes your hair the shiniest.
Warm water rinse, not coolwater rinse.
The reason for this is becauseyour hair is not alive.

(13:53):
It's a cuticle on your hair.
Your cuticle's not alive, itdoesn't listen to the water and
go.
It's cool water.
I'm going to shut down now.
No, it doesn't do that.
The only thing that will shutdown the cuticle is actually a
different pH, and that's whatthe conditioner is for.
So you don't have to be in thatshower and turn on the cold

(14:13):
water.
So don't worry, warm water isthe best for rinsing.
And if you really want me toput where I can't remember where
that study was, but I I'll findit, if you're curious, let me
know, I'll guide you to thatstudy.
But I did read something aboutthat.
Okay, let's talk abouttwo-in-one conditioners shampoos

(14:35):
and conditioners.
You know, you've seen themright, two-in-one shampoos and
conditioners.
Mostly men like these the bestbecause it's quick and easy,
like fraternities, or thinkabout that guy's locker room.
Yeah, sure, they might beconvenient and it's a great
marketing thing and they mightwork a little bit.
But if you really want truecleansing and conditioning, give

(14:57):
them each their own stage time.
If you will, shampoo andconditioner do actually opposite
things cleaning versusrestoring and combining them
also might mean compromising onthem both.
So it's kind of like mixing oiland water.
They might mix up, but thenthey're going to separate Same

(15:18):
thing.
I would probably recommendskipping the two in ones.
But everybody's different.
If it works for you, fabulous.
So here's my final thoughts.
Your hair is your crown and theconditioner helps make it shine,
Whether it's a quick rinse outor a weekly mask that really,
really gets in there andmoisturizes your hair.

(15:39):
Give your strands the love theydeserve.
Want to know my favorites?
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I might make a YouTube out ofit too, so make sure you follow
me on Instagram, facebook, firstname and last name.
I'll leave a link in my shownotes and I'm going to leave my

(16:00):
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(16:20):
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