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Hair
conditioners
The basic demands on a conditioner are to make hair shiny and manageable.
That isn't particularly difficult to do and so there is not that
much difference between one conditioner and another in terms of
basic ingredients. The only clear differences between different
hair conditioning products is whether they have an oil base or a
silicone base, whether they contain a film forming ingredient to
make the hair thicker, and the particular concentrations of oil
and/or silicone and/or film forming agent in the conditioner.
The basic formulation may be a factor in finding what is a good
conditioner for you, but equally the amount of conditioner you apply
is important. Too much and your hair may feel greasy. Too little
and the hair feels dry. Whatever conditioner you use play around
with the amount you apply to see if their is a significant change
in hair quality. Pick the conditioner type most appropriate for
your hair (dry, normal, greasy), but basically, conditioners for
dry hair have a more concentrated formula than that labeled for
greasy hair. So in theory, if you have greasy hair you can use the
formulation for dry hair but use very little of it.
If you have oily skin but your hair is dry you should try to apply
the conditioner only to the hair away from the skin. Difficult to
do perhaps, but possible if your hair is reasonably long. The natural
oils will take care of hair conditioning close to the scalp. If
you apply conditioner to an oily scalp, the oils plus conditioner
may make the hair rather heavy and limp looking.
It may be best to avoid conditioners with herbal ingredients.
If you are allergic to any of the ingredients you may find seborrheic
dermatitis is exacerbated by them. The exception may be Jojoba oil
which is the least allergenic of the natural oils. Conditioners
with hair coating and thickening agents in them may also induce
a reaction in those with snesitive skin. There have been several
reports of adverse reactions to collagen containing conditioners.
My personal preference is for a silicone based conditioner. Oil
based conditioners can be a bit much for my hair. Silicone makes
for a nice shine without stickiness. It's non-allergenic too. I
also prefer separate conditioner rather than the shampoo and conditioner
in one. Separate conditioner is almost always more effective and
two in one shampoos can lead to a buildup of a dull film on the
hair. Two in one shampoo and conditioner products bring the advantage
of reducing time in the shower, but that is all. If you have the
time, use seperate shampoo and conditioner and almost invariably
you will get a better result - even when using the products from
the same maker of the two in one shampoo.
Hair
conditioner references
- Niinimaki A,
Niinimaki M, Makinen-Kiljunen S, Hannuksela M. Contact urticaria
from protein hydrolysates in hair conditioners. Allergy. 1998
Nov;53(11):1078-82.
- Rushton H,
Gummer CL, Flasch H. 2-in-1 shampoo technology: state-of-the-art
shampoo and conditioner in one. Skin Pharmacol. 1994;7(1-2):78-83.
- Goddard ED. Mechanisms in combination cleaner/conditioner
systems. J Cosmet Sci. 2002 Sep-Oct;53(5):283-6.
- Bolduc C, Shapiro J. Hair care products:
waving, straightening, conditioning, and coloring. Clin Dermatol.
2001 Jul-Aug;19(4):431-6.
- Wu W, Alkema J, Shay GD, Basset DR. Quantitative
methods for evaluating optical and frictional properties of cationic
polymers. J Cosmet Sci. 2001 Jan-Feb;52(1):51-65.
- Trueb RM; Swiss Trichology Study Group.
The value of hair cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Dermatology.
2001;202(4):275-82.
- Schalock PC, Storrs FJ, Morrison L. Contact
urticaria from panthenol in hair conditioner. Contact Dermatitis.
2000 Oct;43(4):223.
- Guin JD. Reaction to cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine,
an amphoteric surfactant and conditioner. Contact Dermatitis.
2000 May;42(5):284.
- Smith HR, Wakelin SH, White IR. Banana
hair conditioner and natural rubber latex allergy. Contact Dermatitis.
1998 Oct;39(4):202.
- Freeman S, Lee MS. Contact urticaria to
hair conditioner. Contact Dermatitis. 1996 Sep;35(3):195-6.
- Pasche-Koo F, Claeys M, Hauser C. Contact
urticaria with systemic symptoms caused by bovine collagen in
a hair conditioner. Am J Contact Dermat. 1996 Mar;7(1):56-7.
- Draelos ZK. Hair cosmetics. Dermatol Clin.
1991 Jan;9(1):19-27.
- O'Donoghue MN. Hair cosmetics. Dermatol
Clin. 1987 Jul;5(3):619-26.
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