Hair care is becoming more and more common, thankfully. After all, it is a very important part of self-care, keeping our hair vibrant and full, and a fun routine to have. However, for those just now jumping on the hair care train, it can be a bit overwhelming to learn about when and why each product is used. Lucky for you, I have made it my mission to break down each product in a quick and easy to learn way.
Today, I am talking about leave-in conditioner. What does leave in conditioner do? How to apply leave in conditioner, and is leave in conditioner good for your hair? I am answering each of these questions and creating a step by step process on applying leave in conditioner to make sure you have every bit of information you need to make everyday your best hair day.
What Does Leave in Conditioner Do?
First things first, what is the purpose of leave in conditioner. Hopefully, we are all familiar with standard conditioner. This is meant to bring back nourishment and moisture into our hair after the shampoo has stripped away the oils that buildup. Typical conditioner is meant to sit on our wet hair for a few minutes and wash out. This is where the distinction between standard conditioner and leave in conditioner comes into play.
Leave in conditioner, as one can assume from the name, is left in your hair. This is meant as an extra kick of moisture for your hair. It is NOT a substitute for standard conditioner, but a means for extra moisture. It also helps detangle and protect your hair.
There are loads of types of leave in conditioner to fit each hair type. Everyone can benefit from having some form of leave in conditioner in their hair care routine.
Is Leave In Conditioner Good for Hair?
Like I said, everyone can benefit from having a leave-in conditioner in their hair routine, but let’s talk about the science behind why that is.
Leave in conditioner coats your hair in moisture with oils, heat protectant, and frizz reducing blend to allow your hair to thrive and repair itself from years of heat damage, dye damage, and breakage from pulling and yanking.
Now, you can overuse leave-in conditioner. This is not an everyday use type of product. We’ll get into how much to use this product in the next section. However, I will say this is a tool to have on hand ever so often, not each day. But overall, leave in conditioner is definitely good for hair.
How to Apply Leave in Conditioner
So now let’s get to the most important information: how to apply leave in conditioner. There isn’t much to it in actual application, but the trick is to know when to apply it in terms of how often and in what order with other products.
Each person needs an individual hair care routine to suit their needs. However, as a rule of thumb, leave-in conditioner should be used as the first step out of the shower after your hair has dried out a tag to be damp.
Grab your leave in conditioner, get about 3 pumps onto your hands. Add the conditioner to the lower half of your hair, keeping away from the roots. I like to leave my hair unbrushed and then brush my hair with the conditioner in my hair to help disperse it. This spreads the leave in conditioner more evenly and helps detangle the hair before brushing it.
Afterwards, you can add any oils, dead end treatments, or other hair products to your hair before it dries. Be sure to check out our other articles for some more tips on what fits your specific hair type the best whether it be curly, straight, thin, coarse, oily, or dry.
What to Look For in my Leave in Conditioner
Looking for leave in conditioner, there are a few things to consider. There are specific characteristics to search for and overall good things to have. For the latter, it is always good to look for a vegan product to help reduce our footprint and save an animal in the process. It is also great to look for either biodegradable packaging or recycling friendly options. There are newer products that are creating refillable options to reduce plastic, so if at all possible, this is the best way to go!
For specific hair types, it’s a bit more complicated. Look for options specifically named for your hair type. Curly gals and coarse hair will benefit with standard leave in conditioners the most, as this brings moisture to their hair which is vital to those hair types.
Thin hair gals might want to consider only applying a tad to the ends or switching out your standard conditioner for a lighter option when mixing with a leave in. This can prevent that oily outcome. Dry and color damaged hair would benefit from leave in conditioners created specifically for repairing hair. This could mean breakage, frizz, or any of the results of damaged hair.
In Conclusion
I hope this helped launch your hair journey. This is the year of smooth, luscious hair and leave in conditioner is one of the many tools we need to get there!
