13Dec
3 Big Things To Avoid When Conditioning
All of us curlies are obsessed with moisture: we need it, and we will do anything to get it! Conditioning curly hair moisturizes the hair, which gives you softer curls and curls that look shinier and healthier. Failing to condition curly hair results in a lack of shine, dull hair colour, and will attract more oil – which will weigh down your curls. Clearly, moisture is important for curlies!
“Conditioning is one of the most important aspects of curly hair care”
- Jonathan Torch
Conditioning is one of the most important aspects of curly hair care, and for most of us, we go through many different conditioning products before we find a system that works for us. However, conditioning hair doesn’t come without its risks and its hang ups – so we suggest that you consider these three things to avoid when looking for the right conditioning system:
1. As crazy as it might sound, there is such thing as over-conditioning! Think of a sponge that is being held under a running faucet. At a certain point, the sponge can’t absorb any more water; it’s completely full. If we were to leave it to dry without squeezing out the excess water, it would take days to dry. The same concept applies to our hair. Most of us need to condition our curls, but if we are using a cowash, then a conditioner, not rinsing it out, then adding another leave in conditioner or oil on-top of that, the drying time only increases.
Over conditioning your hair can also make it brittle, as hair is more vulnerable while it’s wet. With too much conditioner in the hair, it takes forever to dry – and when hair stays wet for prolonged periods of time, it can get damaged by blow dryers far more easily. So make sure you’re conditioning your hair only as much as you need to! More isn’t necessarily always better!
2. Another bad habit we need to curb is not rinsing out conditioners that aren’t “leave-in” conditioners. I know for some of you, leaving a conditioner in and not fully rinsing it out seems to do the trick to make your hair soft and shiny, but here is the reality. Your hair will get dirty faster, because dirt will cling to the conditioner in your hair making your hair look dirty. This leads to you washing your hair more often, and again, over conditioning your curls! Left-over conditioner will hinder your maximum styling ability and management because the moisture weighs down your hair - and the left-over product deprives you of precious volume too. You might also experience an irritated scalp from product build-up. So make sure you rinse out your conditioners properly - Conditioners, unless they are labelled a “leave-in” are not meant to be left on your hair!
3. There are also those of us whose hair can’t handle heavy conditioning. Loose and wavy curls get weighed down and lose volume when they’re conditioned, compared to tight curls where a heavier, more concentrated conditioner is needed more often. In this case, those of us with a wavier and looser curl texture need to avoid conditioning every time we wash. An amazing light-weight leave in conditioner that you can try that also acts as a 30 second detangler is Curl Keeper Slip. You don’t have to rinse it out and because it’s a spray, it’s not heavy!
If you keep these three tips in mind when you condition your precious locks, you will be doing your curls a service. It will always be an important aspect of our hair care regime so let’s not neglect doing it the right way!
