Again Anonymous Asks: What a great blog! I’ve started reading labels and actually know what some of the stuff means now. My question is, is there a difference between regular conditioners and deep conditioning?
Why do they tell us to use a deep conditioner once a week? Why not use it every day?
The Right Brain Explains:
The simple answer to this question is that in many cases there’s not really very much difference between regular conditioners and deep conditioning treatments. What you’re hearing is the sweet, sweet sound of Marketing hype.
For an example let’s take a look at the ingredient list of one of the most popular brands, Pantene. We’ll just list the basic ingredients and leave out fragrance, preservatives and other ingredients that don’t affect how the product works on your hair:
Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal:
Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glutamic Acid, Dimethicone
Now let’s look at a Pantene treatment the same way,
Pantene Hydrating Mask Treatment:
Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Strearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Dimethicone, Glutamic Acid
As you can tell, the basic ingredients for the regular conditioner and the treatment product are essentially the same. This doesn’t mean the formula are EXACTLY the same, because the levels of the ingredients could be a bit different. But the point is that they use the same technology.
Now, that’s not to say that this is true for every single treatment product. There are treatments that are different. Oil treatments, like Ojon for example, have fundamentally different formulas than regular rinse out conditioners. And of course there are leave in treatments that are different. But in reality, all these products are trying to do the same thing: smooth the cuticle to protect the hair and improve the way it looks and feels. The important thing is to find a product that makes your hair feel better and not worry too much about what the marketers call it.
Could you use deep conditioning treatment everyday? The answer is yes for some formulas and no for others. With the Pantene example above, you could use these products interchangeably and probably not see a lot of difference. But you wouldn’t want to use a coconut oil treatment everyday because it can be difficult to wash out.
The Beauty Brains’ Bottom Line:
Depending on the brand, a regular conditioner and an intensive treatment may not be that different. The good news is that the hair care companies are giving you lots of high quality products to choose from. The bad news is you have to be able to see through the hype and find the ones that work for you. Don’t believe a product is better just because they call it a treatment.
Loading ...
