Hair Conditioners & Treaments

As long as people have had hair, they have needed some way to tame tangles and most importantly, show off their personal style. For centuries, natural oils, wax, honey and plant extracts of all types have been used to improve the appearance of hair but often left it with a oily greasy appearance. By the mid 20th Century hair conditioners changed dramatically with advancements in cosmetic chemistry. What started out as a very basic grooming aid, the hair conditioner has morphed into a highly specialized hair care treatment.

A conditioner basically tightens the hairs cuticle (surface layer), which in turn adds luster and allows each individual strand of hair to remain separate from others for volume (body) and manageability. Conditioners work much like a fabric softeners do for clothing. Beauty experts recommend using a hair conditioner following a shampoo as it can strengthen and improve the texture, replenish moisture, encourage healthy growth and adds body giving hair a clean, healthy and shinny appearance.

Although they have many things in common, the chemistry of a hair conditioner is an “art and science” making each formula unique. Modern hair conditioners have reached a pinnacle of performance and specificity in resent years. There are now countless conditioners and hair treatments some with rare all natural or even nano-sized ingredients to magically transform your hair into a thing of beauty. Hair conditioning ingredients are selected carefully in order to secure the best possible result using a combination of chemical substances, (micro-protein, silicone, fatty alcohols, polymers, quaternary ammonium compounds) and at times natural plant extracts. Hair conditioner ingredients and the amount used will vary depending on the hair type and its condition.

With a variety of hair conditioners available on the market, each promising a special benefit and at times even a combination of benefits the choose can be dounting. Conditioners are subdivided into the following categories: reconstructors, moisturizers, acidifiers, thermal protectors, detanglers and glossers. If you’re shopping around for a new hair conditioner you’ll no doubt be confronted with a wide range of choices and prices. However, if you’re looking for professional results and are willing to pay a little extra you can’t go wrong by “asking your hair stylist” to select the perfect conditioner for your hair. After all who knows hair better then a hair stylist?