“Strands SOS: Signs You Might Be Over-Conditioning Your Hair”
Using too much conditioner on your hair can cause more harm than good. Over-conditioning your hair can make it dry, brittle, uncontrollable, greasy and limp. However, you can easily solve this problem by limiting the amount of hair conditioner you use and limiting the daily use of other styling products. This article provides steps to properly care for your hair and some helpful hair tips to repair damage caused by over-care. If you’re unsure if you’re overusing your conditioner, scroll down to learn more!
What are hair conditioners used for?
Conditioners are primarily used to moisturize, smooth and detangle hair. It nourishes, reduces frizz and strengthens your hair while coating the hair shafts with a protective seal to improve their texture. This layer gives your hair the shine and texture typical of healthy hair. The conditioner also makes your hair softer and easier to style.
A hair treatment with conditioners can moisturize and leave your hair silky and soft. But how does it affect your hair? We’ll find out in the next section!
How does a conditioner work?
Conditioners are primarily used to protect your hair and provide it with extra moisture. It forms a layer on the hair shafts and helps nourish and hydrate your mane. Generally, conditioners lock in the nutrients and exclude the contaminants. This helps strengthen the hair shafts, preventing split ends and hair breakage.
Every time you apply conditioner after shampooing, a layer forms on the hair. As this layer continues to build up, your hair’s ability to absorb and respond to other products decreases. This, in turn, helps protect the hair shafts from damage.
However, applying too much conditioner to your hair can make it limp, sticky, and unmanageable. So what is overconditioning? You can learn more about it in the following section.
What is Overconditioning?
When you over-condition your hair, each cuticle becomes heavily coated and provides your hair with more than the required amount of moisture. Because of this, other hair products – such as hair oils and serums – cannot penetrate the hair cuticle and work effectively. In addition, your hair will become too soft and lose volume.
Remember to cover the hair shafts with an additional layer of product every time you use hair conditioner. Using too much conditioner and leaving it on your hair for too long, using a conditioner that is not suitable for your hair type, not washing the conditioner out of your hair properly, and conditioning your hair too frequently can lead to overconditioning. Additionally, using styling products and moisturizing treatments in addition to conditioner is another way to over-condition your hair.
You can easily notice it when you apply excess conditioner to your hair. Below are the signs that you are over-conditioning your hair. Continue reading! Signs that you are over-conditioning your hair
If you’ve used too much conditioner, you’ll soon notice easily recognizable signs. Here are some of the most common signs that your hair has been over-conditioned.
Your hair will feel limp if you apply too much conditioner to your hair. Because over-conditioning adds too much moisture to the curls, your hair becomes very soft, looks sticky and loses its natural volume. Additionally, the lack of volume makes it look thin and feel heavy.
If you spend a lot of time styling your hair, over-conditioning can be one of the reasons behind it. Your hair will be difficult to maintain and style as it is extremely soft and greasy. If you have curly hair and have used too much conditioner on it, it will lose its bounce and won’t stay in place. You may observe difficulty in styling updos due to over-conditioning. In addition, the hair slips out from under the hairpins when you do an updo.
Over-conditioning also makes your hair extremely stiff, making it less manageable and difficult to style.
A major benefit of using a hair conditioner is that it leaves your hair soft and shiny. However, if you use more of it, your hair will become super shiny. This in turn makes your hair sticky and uncomfortable.
Oiliness is the most common sign of overconditioned hair. Overuse of hair styling and care products can cause your hair to become greasy, greasy and dirty.
Over-conditioning will also leave your hair looking super flat and soft on top. The super soft approach cannot hold the volume for a long time. Therefore, minimize the amount of conditioner you use on your hair to give it shine.
You should care for your hair properly to avoid excessively sticky and greasy hair. So what is the right way to care for your hair? Find out in the next section.
How to properly care for your hair
Woman washes her hair with cold water to avoid this
Nourish your hair every time you wash it.
Make sure you don’t leave the conditioner on your hair for more than a minute or two. Leaving it on your hair for too long can make it greasy and weigh it down.
Distribute the conditioner evenly throughout the hair. Also, avoid applying the conditioner to your scalp.
Apply the conditioner only from the mid-length to the ends of the hair. Your hair roots require no care other than natural sebum.
Conditioning is an essential part of your hair care routine to maintain healthy hair. But over-conditioning makes your hair messy. This way you can avoid over-care for your hair.
How to avoid over-care for your hair
To avoid overconditioning your hair, it’s important to use the right amount of conditioner and rinse thoroughly. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo or scalp scrub into your regular hair care routine can help prevent product buildup. Taking care of your hair is a crucial step for voluminous and healthy hair. However, you should do it right to avoid greasy and flat hair.
Try to avoid over-conditioning and don’t leave it on your hair for too long.
Wash the conditioner thoroughly with cold water. This will help wash away any residue and product buildup from the hair. It also gives you shiny, healthy hair.
Avoid using a leave-in hair conditioner after using a conditioner.
Also remember not to use too many hair styling products as they will only weigh your hair down and make it even greasier.
Pro Tip: Reverse washing (using conditioner first and then shampoo) can remove excess conditioner that could weigh your hair down.
Have you already overconditioned your hair and want to repair it? Do not worry! Here are some ways to repair overconditioned hair.
Ways to Repair Overconditioned Hair
Washing your hair properly to remove excess conditioner from your hair or using dry shampoo exactly where you find the greasy spots on your hair can fix your problem.
Rinse your hair once a month with a 1:2 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. (That means 1 part apple cider vinegar and two parts water.)
Over-conditioned hair looks limp and using protein treatments can add volume back to your hair and make your curls stronger. However, be careful not to use these treatments too often.
Limit the use of styling and leave-in hair products to preserve the desiredto achieve the desired results.