JazzyFresh just wants to know…I’m a member of a hair care forum and recently there has been talk of putting salt in your conditioner for smoother, softer hair. I always thought salt was bad for the hair. Many have said they tried it and have had great results. How exactly is this working?
The Left Brain responds:
Salt can be drying to hair and skin when left in contact for a long period of time but there’s really no issue with using salt in a rinse off product. In fact, salt is a common thickener used in many shampoos because it is effective (and inexpensive.) It works by screening the ionic charges between surfactant molecules which allows them to pack closer together, resulting in increased viscosity. However, salt is not frequently used in conditioners because it can destabilize the oil and water emulsion system that holds the conditioner together. Having said that, I do have a theory that could account for the effect you’ve described.
Salty sensation
Even thought it’s not commonly used in this context, salt can also thicken conditioner. A touch of salt gives certain conditioner formulations a richer, creamier texture. This effect is most noticeable when starting with a thin, translucent product. Because this effect is very apparent and instantly observable, it’s easy to attribute this transformation in texture to improved conditioning. If the product feels richer and feels more cushiony as it spreads through the hair it must be better for your hair, right? Wrong. Increased viscosity doesn’t necessarily correlate to improved technical conditioning, although texture provides a powerful sensory cue that can be easily misinterpreted.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Salt does not provide any direct conditioning to hair although it can improve the rich creamy texture of conditioners. It’s easy to see how some women might assume that this better texture means the salt gives you better conditioning, but that’s not true.
Have YOU ever added salt to a conditioner? Leave a comment and share your salty experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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I have never heard of this concept at all and pretty sure I wouldn’t add salt to my beauty products. Food on the other hand is another story.
Never heard of it either…
A related question: I would like to use my super-watery Dr. Bronner liquid soap as a body wash, can salt help thicken it??
I find it unusable as is (anyone else having a solution to this please help!)
@Pamela – Depending where you are in the salt curve, adding salt to Dr. Bronner may indeed increase the thickness. If you add too much or if it’s already too far along the salt curve, it will not have any effect.
Adding salt will not hurt the functionality (except maybe make it more stinging to the eyes) so there is no problem adding a small amount to see if it works.
As always, I can always count on you all to clear things up. I’m sure that when I report this back to the site it will be disputed, but I’ve come to the conclusion that most of the hair fanatics that I come in contact with on these sites are looking for any and every thing to have healthy hair.
@amanda:
You should read her “What happens if I smear food in my hair” article. Very interesting
Don’t you think they mistake Sodium chloride (table salt, also used as thickener in shampoos) for the conditioning substances in hair conditioners such as Behentrimonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride?
I have never heard of this before.
I’d think that if you’re using a quality conditioner you wouldn’t want to mess with the balance the company has formulated. I love my conditioner, but maybe if you weren’t satisfied.
Thanks for a very interesting read!
Susanna
Wonderful tips for caring our hair. Liked it very much, really informative, maybe I should give it a try. Have been trying a lot of conditioners for my frizzy hair! Framesi Shine-in made my hair easy to manage and style.
What about Lush’s BIG shampoo? It has Sea Salt in it and people swear by it…
I actually was told to try this from my hair dresser bc i had severely dry damaged hair, i’ve been every color in the book and even gone so far as melting my hair chemically and having to grab the buzzers. well i still didnt learn i still continued to color my hair. well back to the point. I did what she said. after my shower of washing and lightly conditioning my hair i towel dried it briefly to where it was slightly damp. then i hesitantly took my tresemme conditioner into the palm of my hand and salted it with table salt. and applied it thoroughly through my hair. i put on a shower cap, and grabbed the hair dryer i applied heat for 5-10 mins then left it on for about 30 min to an hour. then rinsed with cool water. immediately i could feel the results, so i towel dried then blow dried on cool. and i cant even begin to explain to you how incredibly soft, and shiny and brass free my hair is as i type this post. I plan to use this method anytime my hair feels dry. and i would recommend it to anyone.
Hello!
Yes, I always add salt…to my Castile soap. I have scalp psoriasis and Castile soap is what I use. It is very thin and hard to wash a long hair with watery shampoo so I add a bit of salt. It thickens the shampoo without dangerous chemicals.
I forgot to add: salt might not work well with hair conditioner because that has a different base. Since it is oily… it is not anionic, it is polar and sodium ions could not act the same way…. it could not break up micelles too easily. This is just theory…. but give it a try! (However , you might get a different result since the conditioner has other ingredients as well).
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