Hair Matters

Which Hair Conditioner your hair needs depends on your hair, and the condition your hair is in today. The first step you should take to care for your hair should be to pick your Hair Conditioner before you pick your shampoo. The right hair conditioner for your hair completely depends on the state your hair is in today. Write down on a piece of paper* 1)- your hair type and 2)- what you think your hair  needs right now. Select a conditioner to help with the notes on your paper, then you should pick a matching shampoo. By selecting a shampoo to match your hair conditioner, the results from using both products will be enhanced and should improve the quality of your hair. If you hair is in great condition you need a shampoo and conditioner that will keep it in great condition. Remember with your hair, as with the rest of  life "An ounce of prevention is worth a lot more than a pound of cure." No matter what condition you hair is in he biggest "ounce of prevention" we have discovered are in the White Sands Product Line.  It is as simple as 1,2 ands if you have split ends 3! # 1- is White sands Porosity the Fix (left), #2 is White Sands Orchids Oil (right). these 2 are applied every time you shampoo & condition your hair. And #3, if you need it, is The Cure 24-7, which is a once a week treatment for split ends. For more click here --->> White Sands Ounce of Prevention.

There are many different types of hair conditioners on the market today. We're going to break-down each type of hair conditioner to help you find the best hair conditioner for your hair type and your hair's needs.

Conditioning Rinse
A conditioner described as a rinse is a light weight conditioner that should be used on undamaged hair as a maintenance product. A conditioning rinse usually has a low pH level (about 5 to 5.5) which helps to close the outside layer of the hair (cuticle). This type of conditioner should also neutralize and remove any shampoo that did not get rinsed from the hair or scalp. This type of hair conditioner is recommend for those who have undamaged hair. In other words, hair that hasn't been colored, dyed, permed, relaxed, or otherwise chemically treated. If you don't heat style your hair (flat iron, curling iron, blow-dry), this type of conditioner could be right for you, because you aren't inflicting excess damage upon your hair. Also, for those with oily hair/scalp, this is a good conditioner for you, because it rinses out and won't weigh your hair down.

Leave-in or Leave-on Conditioner
There are different types of conditioners that you spray on your hair after you shower, and don't rinse out. These types of conditioners help to detangle hair and make it easier to comb and style your hair. Curly and snarly (hair that tangles easily) hair types will benefit the most from a leave-in conditioner, though they are great for almost all hair types. People with oily hair/scalp should stay away from leave-in conditioners. Leave-in conditioners help protect the hair from environmental elements as well as heat styling tools while adding moisture back into the hair, combating frizz and taming fly-aways.

Deep Conditioner
Deep conditioners come in a variety of forms and are designed for intense conditioning. Deep conditioners are designed to penetrate the hair shaft to the very core for total hair conditioning and protection. Deep conditioning will help smooth dry, unmanageable, frizzy hair, making the hair appear shiny, smooth and healthy. These types of hair conditioners are for extreme hair types like colored/permed hair, damaged hair, and hair that is heat styled. People with fine or thin hair should not use deep conditioners, as they leave behind moisturizing and hydrating properties that can weigh down the hair; for people with fine or thin hair, a deep conditioner can make the hair fall limp. A deep conditioner can come in three different forms: Moisturizing Conditioner, Conditioning Masque (mask), and Conditioning Treatment.

Moisturizing Conditioner
Like a conditioning rinse, a moisturizing conditioner will help to close the cuticle of the hair, sealing in moisture. These types of conditioners tend to be thicker than a rinse and are designed to leave hydrating properties in your hair after your rinse it out. These conditioners are usually applied in the shower after shampooing, left on for two to three minutes, then rinsed off. Moisturizing Conditioners come in a variety of types, from Color Protecting, to Basic Daily conditioner, to Curl Conditioner, and so on. A moisturizing conditioner can be used daily after shampooing. Moisturizing conditioners are best for people with dry, frizzy hair that lacks moisture. They are also suitable for mildly damaged hair.

Conditioning Masques (Masks)
Conditioning Masques are usually the thickest of all types of hair conditioner. These products are designed to literally create a mask of conditioner on the hair (like a facial for the hair). Hair Masques provide conditioning to the hair that is even more intense and longer lasting than Moisturizing Conditioners. Conditioning Masques should be used, at most, once a week or, at least, once a month. How often you apply a conditioning masque depends on how damaged your hair is and how frequently you add more damage to your hair. Coloring, perming, highlighting, and heat styling on a regular basis does a ton of damage to your hair. To help protect your hair and prevent and reverse damage to your hair, you should use a conditioning masque on a regular basis. Most conditioning masques should be applied after you shampoo and condition, left on the hair for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes (check the label) and then rinsed off. To get an even deeper condition and extract even more benefits from your conditioning masque, heat can be applied during the treatment. The best way to apply heat to a conditioning masque is with a Professional Heat Cap.

Conditioning Treatment
Conditioning Treatments usually come in a multi-product system and are designed for severely damaged hair or specific hair types. There are different treatment types, from fine hair treatments to normal or coarse hair treatments, colored/dyed hair treatments and volumizing treatments. These treatments can have anywhere from three to five steps to completely and thoroughly condition your hair based on your hair type and it's needs. The first step in a treatment is to cleanse the hair and prepare it for the conditioning. The first steps removes dirt and build up and also helps to open the outer layer of the hair (cuticle) to allow the conditioner to enter the hair shaft. The next few steps condition your hair and add all the good nutrients your hair needs back into the hair. It may involve a combination of a Moisturizing Conditioner, a Conditioning Masque, and specially formulated boosters or additives specific to your hair type and hair's needs. The last step in a treatment is to close or seal the cuticle of the hair to lock in all the nutrients you just added back to your hair. Just like with the Conditioning Masque, heat can be added to get an even deeper condition and extract even more benefits from your conditioning treatment. Again, the best way to apply heat during a conditioning treatment is to use a Professional Heat Cap. Conditioning Treatments can be done at home to save you money or in the salon by a professional, weekly or monthly, depending on how severely damaged your hair is.

If you still need help finding the right hair conditioner for your hair type and your hair's needs, please visit our Best Hair Conditioner page.

* The short time it takes to "write down" what your hair needs is probably the most important step you can do when choosing a conditioner. It makes us all stop and thin. It gives us time to run our fingers through our hair to feel the hair BETWEEN our fingers - (does it feel dry or oily or scratchy or too stiff) we can check the ends to see if we have split ends and our brush or comb for breakage .  Just make a note. If you don't know what to pick send us your note or ask you hair stylist. Or check out the Framesi Hair Survey for some suggestion.