How much conditioner do you use?

[bunnylake]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before! I could not find a thread like this on the forum.
What is your length and hair type, and how much conditioner do you use?
I am wondering if I actually need to be using as much as I do. I am between waist and BCL, medium thickness with a slight wave, and I pretty much saturate my hair with conditioner from the ears down every time I shower. Is it necessary to coat the hair that much? The main reason I buy cheapie brand conditioners is because I go through them so quickly.

[starlamelissa]

I use a thick golf ball /half dollar size/clementine orange size from the nape to the ends. I comb it through to evenly disperse it, and rinse it out thoroughly. I use a dime size of a leave conditioner post shower.

in case you were wonderering I probably use an ounce of conditioning shampoo per wash, and my hair is iii thickness, color treated, 3 inches from tailbone.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I am 2b/F/iii and I use up to half a cupful per wash. Mostly to soak the hair in after oiling, then another medium dollop after shampooing. My hair is almost BSL. Hope this helps!

[Wahinee]

I have fine 3A hair between waist and hip. I use about 3 to 4 ounces at a time - more than a huge handfull.

And I actually used to use a whole lot more but now I make sure to really work it into my hair with smoothing downward motions instead of just letting it sit on top. It gives me much better results with less product

[starlamelissa]

I am with wahinee, I used to use more product but I got more effective at how I used my product. That is just my hair though!

[Sillage]

My hair is BSL and I use a handful, at least 1/3 to 1/2 cup, all over my hair. I really like to saturate it with conditioner and like Wahinee, I try to work it in as much as I can thru all the layers of my hair, not just the canopy.

[biogirl87]

My hair is between APL and BSL and each time I wash I use between two and three big palmfuls of conditioner. Part of the reason is that sometimes I use more shampoo than I really need (a couple of dollar coin-sized dollops), so I use enough conditioner to soften my hair and not make it rough. I usually eyeball the amount of conditioner I use but it's usually one palmful on the length from ears down when all of my hair is to one side, another palmful applied in the same way when all of my hair is to the other side, whatever is left goes on top of my hair to bring the scalp pH back down to normal. Then just before/while rinsing, if I feel any roughness on the underside of my hair, I'll add a bit more conditioner where I feel the roughness. Normally though when I'm putting conditioner on my lengths (from ears down) I don't comb my hair or run my fingers through it as that alone seems to kill my waves.

[Natalia]

Im classic fine and in the process of growing out a big shed. From scalp to shoulder im ii thickness after shoulder im an i. When i do use condish i use about 1/3 a cup i guess more than 1/4 less than 1/2 cup lol. Im mainly wo so i tend to saturate when i do use it.

[spirals]

I'm a 3A on the cusp of iii. I use about 1/3 cup. My hair eats conditioner. ETA: I'm about an inch from waist.

[Loreley]

I'm at thigh length, my hairtype is 2c/3a, M/C, iii. I use up a 200 ml/6.76 oz bottle of conditioner for 4 washes.

[millyaulait]

I'm BSL, 1b, M, i/ii.

I use so much conditioner that I dilute my bottle of cond' with water so I can stretch the amount more! :lol:

I probably use just under a quarter of a bottle each time, but with dilution it lasts 2-3x as long. Thankfully my conditioner is under $1/£1!

[Taenarian]

I'd say I use about a palm full of conditioner for hair below the nape of the neck. My hair is at 28 inches now (!) and my hair type is 2c / M / ii. My shower caddy is just full of conditioner. :rolleyes:

[Mya]

I use much conditioner, more conditioner, enormous amounts of conditioner. Lol

In my experience, it depends a lot on the dryness of your hair. My hair is APL+, medium thickness, wurly, treated with cassia (that makes it slightly more slippery and healthier)... and very dry. A 300ml bottle lasts me about four washes.

[longNred]

My hair is waist length, I use about a golf ball size amount from the ears down. But I stretch washes to 1/wk if possible, so a bottle lasts me a while.

[jacqueline101]

I use VO5 shampoo and conditioner I use a dollop my hair is sort of thick and its bsl. I use in the winter time mineral oil on the ends and my regular oiling and monistat. I also use a leave in too.

[Mayflower]

I can't imagine using up a whole bottle of conditioner in 3-4 times??! It makes me wonder if everyone else's hair is overly dry, or if mine is and I just don't realise it.

I use about a tennis ball sized amount of conditioner, fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. I comb it through, let it sit, rinse it out and my hair's super soft and non-staticky after that. The smell of my conditioner stays in my hair for 4 to 5 days, which shows the staying power.

My hair's thick, wavy and almost hip length by the way.

[neko_kawaii]

35 inches of type ii. I probably use 1/8 cup diluted to 1/4 cup of conditioner over oil pre wash and a quarter sized squeeze of undiluted post shampoo. My hair is on the thinner side which may be why I don't need as much. It seems like it should only take a light coating on each strand and diluting it makes it easier to work through to each strand. It then sits there for at least 30 min to aid in the removal of the oil but also as a simple moisturizing treatment.

[pogo0685]

I use as much conditioner as I can get to stay in my palm without "spilling over" 2 or so times a week, I put it on my length first and then whats leftover from that on the top of my head and finger comb it all in to try to get it applied evenly, then I let it sit on there while I wash my body and shave and then I rinse it out. My DH complains non stop about the amount I use saying that I waste it. My hair is about an inch or 2 from waist and I am still trying to figure out what type it is, Its not to thick but it does have some curl to it.

[Vivalagina]

If I use a rinse out, I will use about a tennis ball size. However, I put conditioner everywhere from the crown to the tips because I get my knots right up near my hairline and if I don't condition there it is a tangled mess. If I use a leave in, I will use about a golf ball size because it's much thinner and I can get it to pentrate my waves more easily than a thicker rinse out conditioner.

[MegaMystery]

I use an amount that fits nicely into the palm of my hand, if i use more in one time it'll just spill on the floor anyways. Sometimes i get a little bit more after I've put it in if I feel my hair needs it.

[~honeyflower~]

I have type 1A with course and III thick hair so I will use eh, 2 half dollars. It just depends like everyone said, I usually start with 1 half dollar size and add more on if I think it's still needs it.

[Amygirl8]

My hair is F/M, ii thickness and a little past hip length.
I actually don't use a lot, maybe a small handful, and I find that it's enough for me. When I'm running out a quarter size still works for me, but I like how it feels when I slather it on lol.

[dancingrain91]

My hair is 2a/F/ii and is just past BSL. It is nowhere near dry but gets rather damaged so I use a good handful and really massage it into the scalp and length. I leave it on for the rest of the shower and then rinse it out. Then I smear a dollop of leave in from the ears down. I got the idea after reading about CO washing. This way my hair gets nicely conditioned, smells good and is clean after only one shampoo a day. (I can't go a week or even two days. My hair produces more oil than Texas. Pretty soon they'll tap it as a fuel source.)

[renia22]

Wow, I don't use nearly as much as a lot of people here. My hair is 2a, a couple of inches past my shoulders & my circumference is just over 2 inches. I use maybe a dime sized diameter dollop of conditioner per wash, sometimes half that. I probably go through 3 bottles of shampoo for every bottle of conditioner that I use.

[TheMechaGinger]

I use a ton of conditioner. I'm at bsl, 1a and ii/iii thickness and I use a golf ball sized of the stuff! I go through almost three bottles of conditioner to one bottle of shampoo. I've tried using less product and really massaging it in well but it doesn't work for me so I also buy the cheaper conditioners (aussie, tresemme, suave, etc.) to make up for the fact that I blow through so much of it

[rtree721]

I have thin, midback hair... sometimes I CWC and sometimes I S/C then use a deep conditioner. For the first C in CWC I only use a quarter sized amount. For my normal conditioner I use a palm full and coat from my ears down and then put a little from ears to roots. If I am doing a deep conditioner afterwards then I use like a half dollar amount and really try to focus on my ends.

[CurlyCap]

Guh. Conditioner. The only thing my hair really demands and so I can't really skimp on it.

I co-wash every night and use about a tennis ball amount on my BSL 3b/C/iii hair. My hair is very dry and porous and if I don't condition it every night it becomes brittle and breaks.

To apply, I squish it in at the scalp and work it down my hair. Sometimes I have to follow this up with even more of a coney conditioner for detangling. Then I rinse....and follow with about 4oz of leave-in conditioner.

It's painful. I expect to kill 1.5 bottles of conditioner a week. The good thing is that my hair is happy to be co-washed with Suave or VO5 for half of that.

When my hair was longer, one of the major reasons I wanted to cut it was because I was sick of spending what precious little money I had at the time on conditioner. Diluting conditioner never did much for me since if I let it sit long enough, my hair will absorb all the conditioner I put on my hair.

Hope that helps.

Edited to add: I paid more attention to the amounts last night because of this thread. Um. I was COMPLETELY off about the amounts. It's more like 2-3 double handfuls to saturate my hair with conditioner per night, plus leave-in conditioner. Every 5" down my hair, I seem to go through a palmful of conditioner. It just...disappears. So I apply more until I get to the tips of my hair.

So yes. Tons. Not tennisballs.

[seaj]

I don't think I use very much at all. To condition my hair I put about a teaspoon of conditioner in a red dixie cup with a cup of water to dilute the conditioner. After a few swirls, I dunk my hair in the cup up to the base of my neck a few times. I try not to get any conditioner on my scalp. I let the conditioner sit on my hair for a few minutes if I have time before rinsing it out. I also dilute my shampoo the same way so that it is just strong enough to move my excess sebum away from roots without stripping my hair of all it's natural oils. That's probably why I don't need so much conditioner in the first place even though my fairytale ends now reach my buttcrack when pullled down.

[luxepiggy]

LOTS (*(oo)*)

Partially because I CO-wash, and partially because I tend to apply generously. On average I probably use ~5 fluid ounces per wash, divided between 3 or 4 different conditioners.

[RedBlue]

My hair is 2b/2c, M/C, and ii in thickness. It is verging on BSL. That said, I use a little more than a handful of conditioner. I also use leave in conditioner every other wash. I use about a dime size of leave in.

[HintOfMint]

Bunnylake, I'm wondering about your definition of "cheapie." I've found that once I got out of the Suave/V05 type of brands, I didn't have to use handfuls of conditioner. For what it's worth, I have medium/coarse ii/iii hair and I use about a shotglass and a half of conditioner on my tailbone length hair, whenever I wash. I don't use an expensive brand, I use Herbal Essences. When I used V05, it was palmful after palmful of conditioner.

Note: I don't actually measure in a shotglass, but between small hands and other subjective factors, a palmful doesn't always mean the same thing to different people.

[coffinhert]

I use a ton of conditioner, enough to fully lather and cover all my hair. However, I put coconut oil in my hair before washing it, so I need a lot of conditioner to wash it all out.. But I figure too much conditioner is never a bad thing.

[Labs*R*Us]

I use only cheapies for COing, too, since I tend to probably use too much. VO5 is my usual go-to (usually tea-vanilla mint, for the scent), and I can go through a bottle every 7 - 12 days. I glob it on till my scalp is covered, add enough to my length in a thicker, coney condish (I also work it through, not just on the canopy), and at the end of the shower - scrub, scrub, scrub the VO5 out well, with no extra added rinse time for the length. After towel drying, I almost always add coconut oil, before (lightly) blow-drying my scalp, though I will apply another add-in condish if I feel that my hair is oiled-out and needs a change. I do shampoo once a week on the weekend, and deep condition then, too. This is the way I learned when I first joined, and has been the best for me!

[LadyLongLocks]

My hair is ankle length 1a/1b. M iii and I use lots of conditioner. 1/3 -1/2 cup on the full length but avoid the scalp.
I use cones all the time in my conditioner, it really helps detangle my hair. I wash only weekly.

[jojo]

I use a huge amount but only from ears down, im 31.5" and a fine type 2. Theres also a huge difference between waist and BCL!

[biogirl87]

Now that I've switched to Garnier Fall Fight, which is a heavier conditioner than what I was using previously, I'm using only a bit more conditioner than shampoo. About three or four quater-sized dollops, which taken together may be closer to one palmfuls instead of three or four palmfuls I was using previously.

[anitacs9101]

LOTS (*(oo)*)

Partially because I CO-wash, and partially because I tend to apply generously.[...]

^ Same for me. I actually used more condish pre-LHC than post-LHC, when I switched to using a sulfate-free shampoo and didn't use any conditioner on my scalp. But right now I'm trying out CO-washing and I use a TON of conditioner! I supposed 1 or 2 big huge palmfulls. I keep adding more until my scalp is totally drenched.

[joflakes]

I use about half a palmful, heaped.
I'm at collarbone length.

I also use a pre-wash conditioner treatment from Lush and then I just whack as much as I can on, all over...up to a couple of palmfuls!? :)

[Fethenwen]

Interesting thread, I never knew people use that much conditioner.

I have a little beyond waist length, my hair is: Ic, F/M, ii, I use about 2-3 tablespoons each time. I also comb my hair through to distribute it and let it sit for a while with my hair braided.

[MORE]

lol I use a loooot! :smile: Because I pre-oil I use maybe two handfuls to get the oils out (and let it sink in before I wash), then maybe one-two handfuls more in the shower.

[Rosetta]

I use what most would consider a lot - a 200 ml standard bottle gives me about 3-4 uses :eek: (And that is for after shampooing - for the occasional CO wash it's obviously much more than that, though the coneless condishes tend to come in bigger bottles as well.)
Not very cost-effective, yes, and that's one reason why I'd love to transition into shampoo bars - no conditioner needed (though that may be just wishful thinking), just a vinegar rinse :)

I just don't get how so many longhairs (at least in this thread) get by with using so little conditioner - I need to saturate my hair with it, otherwise it's of no use! ;)

[biogirl87]

Rosetta, I try to use the smallest amount of conditioner that'll keep my hair from feeling coarse. After I've started caring better for my hair I've noticed a decrease in visible volume (I probably still have the same amount of hair, it's probably just laying more flat now). I like to have volume in my hair, so I don't want conditioner to weighing down my hair. Plus mine is still above BSL, so odds are I don't need much conditioner anyway at this point.

[KwaveT]

I use several doplets in my hand to spread across each strand. Each strand is probably getting about a triple application. I want my wavy hair to curl. Let it set on hair before rinsing. My hair is about 21 inches in back and just beyond shoulder on sides.

[NoRush]

I think I use to much conditioner :P especially if I go for sulphate free shampoos, I'm not sure if they're supposed to do this but they leave my hair a bit sticky, like when it gets too much protein, so I need more conditioner... :shrug:

[battles]

I use a good handful of heavy conditioner to wash out. My hair is loving it, and I am happy.

[lapushka]

My hair's between hip & TBL, and we use about a palmful. My hair's conditioned twice after shampooing, though, so I guess that's two palmfuls.

[Kelikea]

I don't use anywhere near what others are using. My hair is just passing TB on the longest part, hip on the shorter sides, ii/iii thickness and very wavy. I dilute my suave or VO5 with water, maybe 1/3 water:conditioner, not really sure. I then squeeze it all over my hair, use a very small amount of shampoo at the roots, rinse, and condition again. It takes me months to use an entire bottle of VO5 or suave. I think I bought 4-5 bottles this year, and between me and HB, we've finished 2-3 bottles.

I find this is true about most products I use, though. I still have makeup from 10 years ago, my mascara lasts 2 years, and it takes me over a year to finish a bottle of lotion or perfume, even if I use it daily. I only wash 2xweek, usually, sometimes 3.

[beautifulending]

Well I am only APL right now I use a small palm full if the conditioner is thick and if its thin i use a palm full. I get the big bottles of conditioner so it last longer.lol

[janeytilllie]

My hair is past waist length. I use conditioner from below ear down. I use a good handful of conditioner.

[EtherealDoll]

If I oil my hair before washing, then I use just a handfull of conditioner, and if I don't, then almost three handfulls. My hair is a little past waist length and thick (5.2" ponytail circumference and I have short bangs).

[Ligeia_13]

A lot. Probably more than three palmfuls every time. My 400ml bottle only lasts about a month and a half. So, six washes. I wish I could use less, but my hair is being terrible to wash lately. It tangles really badly in the back.