What is the purpose of conditioner?

While you can find a variety of conditioners on the shelves, the common trait of this routine staple is an ingredient list made up of silicones, oils and emollients to produce a conditioning or moisturising agent that replenishes the hair’s moisture. Conditioner works to deposit itself along the hair shaft to add lubrication and reduce friction between hair strands. In the case of most textured hair types, conditioners are an important step in your routine due to the hair’s tendency to tangle and knot causing hair to break off.

The science of how conditioners work varies depending on formulation. But, at a basic level, composition doesn’t change that much from formula to formula. Hair is negatively charged and most conditioners are positively charged, so will cling to our hair because opposites attract.

How to read the label

The first 5-6 ingredients listed on the INCI (ingredient label) usually give an idea of what has the highest concentration in the product. These can be indicative of your conditioner’s most important properties and a useful way to look for a conditioner that best suits your needs.

The typical ingredient profile of conditioners includes:

• Fatty alcohols, used as solvents and make the hair shaft feel soft (e.g. cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cetyl)
• Cationic surfactants smoothen the cuticle and also softens hair (e.g. behentrimonium mesosulphate (BTMS), behentrimonium chloride)
• Proteins are theorised to help strengthen hair (e.g. hydrolysed wheat protein, silk amino acids)
• Oils and Butters provide lubrication and slip (e.g mango butter, jojoba oils, coconut oil)
• Polyquaterniums work similarly to cationic surfactants(e.g. - 11, 57, 10, 37)
• Humectants help retain moisture (e.g. glycerin, aloe vera, sorbitol)
• Silicones protect against heat damage, add shine and lubrication (e.g. dimethicone, amodimethicone)

How to pick what’s best for you

We understand that everyone’s hair needs vary and this will likely affect how you shop for conditioning products even if they do share similar properties. We’ve tried to pinpoint some of the common concerns our community have expressed and what you can look for to specifically target this.

For moisture, you want to look out for powerful cationic surfactants like BTMS, humectants that are great at holding on to water and silicones that gives hair the soft to touch wash off feeling.. In terms of product recommendations, the Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment is powerful for making hair feel lubricated and moisturised.

Meanwhile, conditioners with hydrolyzed proteins and silicones could be good for anyone looking to target breakage. Once the hair exits the scalp it’s dead so it can’t repair itself, but hydrolysed proteins are theorised to be uniquely able to fill the gaps and penetrate damaged cuticle because of their low molecular weight. Silicones are also great at protecting hair because they coat the hair in a thin glossy film that lubricates hair but can easily be washed off by most shampoos. A great all-round conditioner full of effective hydrolysed proteins is the Trepedora Quinoa Repair Deep Conditioner.