Conditioner Basics...

I could wax poetic for days about how strongly I feel about conditioner.

I love it.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I pop the top and inhale the sweet aroma deeply.

But all conditioners are not created equal.

If you are a fellow brown skinned girl you probably already have a very strong attachment to your favorite brand of conditioner. If you don't have a favorite conditioner, you need to arm yourself with one. Right now.

Why is conditioner so important for black/biracial hair? Black hair is typically very dry and if you live in Utah or any another dry, desert climate you need to try and moisturize your hair as much as possible to prevent breakage (when your hair breaks off from the ends).  Dry hair is brittle; it looks and feels unhealthy. If you notice your (or your childs) hair feels like a brillo pad, its time to get serious about your conditioner.

The first question you want to ask yourself is: Quality or Quanity?

Go to any beauty supply store and you will see shelves upon shelves of conditioner options. They promise to deeply moisturize your hair, detangle your hair, help you lose 20 lbs...ok I made that last one up. The reason I point this out is so you will not be influenced by the catch phrases on these shiny bottles! Fact number 1: you need A LOT of conditioner with black hair.  The reason you need so much conditioner is you want to do all of your detangling with a wide tooth comb while your hair is sopping wet with conditioner in the shower.  This is the least damaging way to comb through your hair. Since you need so much conditioner, you probably do not want to spend $35 per bottle for a fancy high end product. But hey, if you are rolling in money go right ahead and treat yourself! My suggestion is start with a few of the cheaper bottles and see which ones work best for your hair. After you have established what works best, and how to properly use the product, go right ahead and splurge on that $35 bottle!!

If you learn nothing else from this blog, please remember that conditioner is your gateway to good hair. You can have the holy grail of hair gels and it will do nothing for you unless your hair is properly conditioned and detangled. When trying to access how well a condtioner is going to work for you/your child, follow these few short steps:

1. Drench your hair with water in the shower. I suggest standing under the stream for at least 2 minutes to make sure every strand of hair is sopping wet.

2. Shampoo your hair-if needed- with an organic/sulfate free/no poo shampoo. Confused? We will talk on a future post about the importance of using organic shampoo. For now just use what you've already got in the shower.

3. Section your hair into small, workable sections and clip.

4. Apply conditioner to each section of hair.  You want enough conditioner that when you squeeze your hair conditioner falls to the shower floor in globs. And yes I am serious.

5. Carefully comb each section of hair with a wide tooth comb.  Start from the bottom of your hair and work your way to the roots.  If you encounter a particularly tangled section, add more conditioner to the tangle, and quickly run your hair through the shower stream of water.  Then, gently, begin combing your hair again.

6. Completely rinse your hair.

7. Thoroughly rinse the shower floor so the next person to take a shower doesn't break their neck slipping on conditioner. This may have happened to my husband a time or two...or 65....but who's counting.

If the conditioner is a keeper it will have good slip.  Good slip is when the comb easily glides or "slips" through your hair.  Good conditioner will practically melt tangles away for you.  Here are a list of a few inexpensive conditioners to try out first:

-Herbal Essence Hello Hydration- this is my go to conditioner. I literally buy this conditioner in a jug so big it has a pump. And I keep several on hand for emergencies. So if the world erupts into chaos, my hair will still look fierce. Available at stores everywhere in the hair care aisle.

-Aussie Moist Conditioner- this stuff is cheap and best of all it actually works well as a combing conditioner. Available at stores everywhere in the hair care aisle.

-Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner- this is not my favorite conditioner, however, my mother loves it.  I LOVE the Giovanni shampoo (details coming in a future post) but the conditioner never stood up to my love for Hello Hydration (HH). This line of product is available at Walmart in the make up aisle where they keep the body butters and organic hair care, and Target in the specialty organic hair care aisle (usually near the Burts Bees products).  You can also find this product at Whole Foods and Good Earth.

-Herbal Essence Totally Twisted- Confession: this used to be my most beloved conditioner. I was obsessed with it and told everyone I know about my love affair with this product. Then the manufacturer changed the ingredients and it never worked the same wonders on my hair.  However, in a pinch I will still use this as a combing conditioner and others have told me they love the new formula. Try it for yourself and see. This product is available at stores everywhere.

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions about conditioning your hair! Or if you have a conditioner you love and I simply must try it I want to know about it!!

Until next time...later gators.