Have you noticed that there are lots of conditioners on the market, but not sure how they’ll benefit your hair? There are cleansing conditioners, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners and rinse-out conditioners. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned naturalista, finding the right conditioner can be overwhelming when you have lots of options. Let’s take a look at the different types of conditioners and discuss how to use them and the benefits each one offers.
Cleansing Conditioners
Cleansing conditioners are also known as co-washes. Co-washing is the term for conditioner only washing. Many products on the market are designed for cleansing and are considered cleansing conditioners. Cleansing conditioners are ideal for curly girls with thick hair because they help to maintain moisture. Cleansing conditioners are also aimed to help to remove residue and buildup from the hair without stripping your hair of natural moisture. You can use a cleansing conditioner in place of your shampoo. I don’t like to use them too often, I use them in between washing my hair with a regular sulfate-free shampoo. A good cleansing conditioner is EDEN BodyWorks Coconut Shea Cleansing Co-Wash.
Rinse- Out Conditioners
Rinse-out conditioners are used right after shampooing your hair to help add moisture back into your hair that was stripped during the shampoo process. One main purpose of a rinse-out conditioner is to add moisture to your hair, so they are usually very thick in consistency. Rinse out conditioners are not made for cleansing the scalp or removing buildup from the hair. They provide great slip and also help in the detangling process. I will use a rinse out conditioner if I don’t plan on deep conditioning my hair. A good rinse out conditioner I like to use is Creme of Nature Ultra Moisturizing Conditioner.
Deep Conditioners
Deep conditioners are specially designed to penetrate deeper into your hair and help repair and hydrate it. Deep conditioners are best when they are used weekly. I deep condition my hair weekly with steam to get the best results. I have low porosity hair and steam helps to penetrate the conditioner into my strands. I use a gentle sulfate-free shampoo to remove any product build-up from my hair before deep conditioning. When applying your deep conditioner make sure to remove any excess water so that your deep conditioner can penetrate your hair. Keep the conditioner on for 15-30 minutes for best results. I also switch between a protein deep conditioner and a moisturizing deep conditioner to help maintain the protein-moisture balance in my hair. I love TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask and Mielle Organics Babassu Oil & Mint Deep Conditioner.
Daily/ Leave-in Conditioners
A leave-in conditioner and daily conditioner is a conditioner that you apply to your hair that does not need to be rinsed out. Leave-in conditioners have many purposes, they help to moisturize and nourish the hair. Most importantly, leave in conditioners contribute to preventing breakage, tames frizz and also helps with detangling. Some leave in conditioners like Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave in also serve as a heat protectant. Most leave-in and daily conditioners have water as the first ingredient which helps to restore moisture in the hair. Leave-in conditioners also contribute to seal the moisture into the hair. I use a leave-in conditioner in the LOC method weekly on my hair. I also love Design Essentials Daily Moisturizing Lotion daily because it helps to refresh my curls.
