What’s The Difference Between Rinse Out And Leave In Conditioners

Mari Murmers:
Hi Beauty Brains, Thanks for all the info, its really fantastic! What the difference is between regular conditioner and leave-in conditioner? I’ve been putting a little bit of conditioner on after I’ve toweled off my hair and all (except Pantene) seem to work better that way for my curly hair.

The Right’s Really Righteous Reply:
If you’re asking if it’s ok to use little bit of rinse out conditioner and leave it in your hair, the answer is yes as long as it leaves your hair looking and feeling the way you want.

Rinse out conditioners are typically made with heavier ingredients (and they generally conditioner better) because they contain a combination of “fatty” chemicals and high molecular weight silicones.

You don’t usually find these ingredients in leave in conditioners because they weigh the hair down too much.

Now, if you have hair that’s really thirsty for conditioning, all bets are off. And while most leave ins don’t make very good rinse out products (because they’re not designed to stay on the hair after rinsing), many rinse outs could work well as a leave in.

Two things to watch out for:
1) Make sure you only apply to the ends of your hair and don’t use too much or your hair will get greasy.

2) If you have sensitive skin, the ingredients and fragrance used in the rinse out product MAY cause irritation if left on too long. If you experience irritation, stop using the product entirely!

The Brain’s Bottom Line:
Rinse out and Leave in products are formulated to have different functionality, but they can overlap. If it makes your hair happy, feel free to leave in a rinse out.