Hair care is one of the essential routines men and women must pay attention to. Proper hair care ensures healthy hair and prevents common problems like white flakes, dandruff, and even hair thinning. One of the good ways to maintain your hair is to use proven and effective products like shampoos and conditioners. A great one to try that we always recommend is Malie Organics’ Mango Nectar Shampoo and Conditioner for healthy, clean, and soft hair.
If you are into hair care, you may wonder whether to mix shampoo and conditioner. Many people consider it to save time and run through their wash day routine faster or just out of curiosity. This article has the answers you need if you have been wondering whether to mix both products together.
Should You Mix Your Shampoo And Conditioner Together?
- While mixing your hair shampoo and conditioner together may not necessarily be harmful chemically, it can affect your hair’s outcome. Shampoos and conditioners are designed for different reasons. Shampoos are designed to be soft and gentle on your hair and scalp while also getting rid of dirt and other particles. Hair conditioners, on the other hand, are designed to deposit nutrients and oils on your hair. These nutrients and oils make your hair feel softer to touch after application.
Mixing both products together may create a conflict of roles or create a totally different function that may harm your hair’s health. You may also be wasting your money by combining both products. This is because you won’t get the full benefits of each product after it has been mixed in.
Now that you understand that mixing shampoos and conditioners may not necessarily create harmful gases but can affect your hair health, you should also know how to use both products separately.
How To Use Hair Shampoo And Conditioner
There’s a huge chance that the effectiveness of your shampoo and hair conditioner may be reduced because of the wrong application methods. Wrong application methods put your hair health at risk and cost you more money due to product wastage. In this section, you’ll learn more about using your shampoo and hair conditioner for the best possible results.
The steps to applying your shampoo and hair conditioner are simple. They include
- Use warm water to rinse your hair out. Ensure that you are using adequately warm water and not hot or cold water.
- Get your shampoo and squirt the desired amount on your palms. You can start small and massage each squirt into an area of your hair.
- Apply the shampoo gently but firmly, massage it into your hair and scalp until it lathers.
- After complete application, massage the shampoo through the length of your hair and on your scalp.
- Rinse the shampoo out after thoroughly massaging it.
- Repeat the process if you feel your hair or scalp isn’t clean enough.
To use your hair conditioner,
- Squirt a small amount of your hair conditioner on the palm of your hand.
- Gently but firmly massage it through the length of your hair. Unlike the shampooing process, avoid applying conditioners to your scalp.
- Thoroughly massage the conditioner through your hair length and leave it in place for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Rinse your hair out using warm water.
- Gently dab or blot to remove moisture using a soft towel
Now that you understand the proper and procedural use of hair shampoos and conditioners, it is up to you to decide your hair wash frequency. Some people choose to wash their hair weekly, others every fortnight. It all depends on personal preference and the condition of your hair.
Can I Use a Conditioner Before Shampoo?
Some people have attested to using their hair conditioners before shampooing. While there is no scientific data to back the effectiveness or otherwise of this process, some things remain clear.
Reverse hair washing or co-washing, as the process is called, may be beneficial to some people, especially those who feel their hair goes flat, weighed down, or greasy after conditioning. For this class of people, the shampoo may help to remove some of the deposits left by the hair conditioner. This reduces the amount of deposit on each strand of hair, thus reducing the flatness or weight on it.
However, with reverse hair washing, there are a couple of things you should know;
- You shouldn’t rinse out the hair conditioner before adding shampoo to your hair.
- Once the hair conditioner has been applied, let it sit in for a few minutes before applying shampoo directly over it.
- Ensure that you add enough amount of shampoo to lather your hair and wash your scalp
- Rinse out the shampoo and hair conditioner mix at the same time.
With reverse washing, you can expect that;
- Your hair won’t feel excessively greasy after conditioning
- Hair conditioner acts as a primer for the shampoo and can aid even shampoo distribution
- Hair protection as each strand of hair is protected from the sometimes-harsh effects of your shampoo.
Who Should Reverse Wash Or Condition Their Hair Before Shampooing?
Anyone can choose to reverse wash their hair. The decision is largely due to individual preference and hair health. However, those who may benefit the most from this act include people with damaged, dry, or fine-textured hair. This class of people is more concerned about protecting the texture and volume of their hair.
Co-washing, which involves skipping the shampoo and washing with a conditioner, may be recommended to people with very dry hair, those prone to breakage due to chemical treatment, and those with textured or curly hair.
However, co-washing has its disadvantages. It leaves a lot of excess product on the hair and may also increase the dirt load. In most cases, washing the hair with a shampoo first helps to get rid of dust, chemicals, and other harmful substances while the conditioner deposits necessary and useful ingredients for hair growth and maintenance.
Skipping the washing part for nutrient addition may further weigh down your hair and affect its texture. So, you weigh the pros and cons and decide based on your needs and hair type.