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Getting Your Hair in Condition - Your BIB guide to conditioners

Unfortunately very few, if any of us are able to simply shampoo our hair and leave it at that. We usually need some extra help in overcoming the effects of daily over processing and also to fix occasional problem or two that crop up.

Here’s a guide to the vast array of conditioning products available to get your hair in the best condition.

CONDITIONERS

Healthy hair has cuticle scales that lie and overlap neatly to reflect light, thus giving it a glossy appearance.

Relaxing, coloring, and heat styling all take their toll on the hair causing the cuticles to lift and allowing moisture to be lost from the cortex of the hair. As a result of this, the hair becomes dry and lacks luster and is prone to tangle. Severely damaged cuticles breaks off and causes the hair to become thin and eventually break off completely.

It may require the use of a specific type of conditioner that meets the hair’s specific needs to help the hair restore its natural sheen and luster. Conditioners should be applied to freshly shampooed hair which has been blotted to remove excess water.

Basic Conditioners
They coat the hair with a fine film, temporarily smoothing the cuticle and making the hair glossier and easier to manage as a result. Leave in for a few minutes (3-5) before thoroughly rinsing out. Basic conditioners are usually ideal for daily use.

Hot Oils
They give an intensive, deep nourishing treatment (Usually a weekly treatment). To use, place the unopened tube or bottle in a cup of hot tap water and leave it for a couple of minutes to warm up.

Massage the hot oil evenly into your scalp and through out your hair and leave for 3 to 5 minutes. For a more intensive treatment, cover the head with a shower cup for a few extra minutes.

Rinse hair to finish. (Many times, hot oil treatments will leave the hair a little too greasy for some individuals. To help reduce this effect, rinse your hair using a very mild conditioning shampoo)

Intensive Conditioners
These are usually weekly deep conditioning treatments that help the hair to retain its natural moisture balance, replenishing it where necessary. It is great for use on damaged hair with split ends and is dry, frizzy and difficult to manage.

Distribute the conditioner evenly in to the hair, concentrating on the ends and allow to sit and penetrate for 3-5 minutes or longer for extremely damaged hair. Rinse thoroughly with lots of water, lifting your hair from the scalp to ensure any residue is washed away.

Leave-in Treatments
They are designed to add sheen and to help retain moisture and reduce static (Ideal for daily use). They are especially good for fine and limp hair, as they help reduce product overload which can leave the hair looking limb.

Convenient and easy to use, they also provide protection from heat styling. Apply after shampooing and style your hair as usual without rinsing out.

Protein Restructurers
These are intensive protein conditioners that penetrate the cortex, helping to repair and strengthen damaged hair. They are great for hair that has grown limp and lost its natural elasticity as a result of chemical processing or heat damage.

Color/Perm Conditioners
They are designed to nourish and revitalize chemically treated hair. After-Color treatments form a protective film around porous areas of the hair to help prevent the fading of the color.

After perm treatments work to stabilize the hair after relaxing to help maintain the texture, bounce and curl.