a question about conditioners

[Agnes Hannah]

I have read across many threads, and have seen that some conditioners seem lighter or heavier than others. Please could you tell me what the difference is and which ones are which? I'm a little confused!
Thank you
x

[DweamGoiL]

Unfortunately, it's not a simple matter of lighter or heavier, but also of cones (silicones) vs. cone free. I use light conditioners because I have fine hair and am not a fan of using cones on any regular basis although I do use them every now and again when I do heavier treatments. My favorite daily conditioner is the Tresemme Naturals Radiant Volume Conditioner. It's very light and is cone free. A heavier favorite for me is the SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner.

For the most part, lighter conditioners have a more watery feel to them and they don't provide as much slip and are very easy to rinse out. Heavier conditioners tend to feel creamier and provide a lot more slip and do not wash out as easily.

[lapushka]

For me Herbal Essences Hello Hydration is a mid to heavy conditioner. Creamy, thick, and provides enough slip as to detangle easily.

[Agnes Hannah]

hi thank you for your advice. I have tried the Tresemme after the first conditioning. I am trying out different sorts to get the right balance, so lighter condish for the canopy and a heavier one for the ears down. for the second condish a coney one on the ends to seal in the moisure. sometimes a bit of oil evoo or argan for luck too. I will try to find the Sheamoist and the Herbal essence ones to try for my ends. Its all experimenting and practice!!

[Firefox7275]

Texture in the hand has only a limited amount to do with it, any product can have a thickener added to make it seem richer. Lightweight and slippy are more likely to be rich in cationic surfactants with some fatty alcohols, fatty alcohols with some cationic surfactants tend to be slightly more weighty and clumpy (help my waves and curls stick together) for me, tho YMMV.

Anything rich in natural or artificial oils (including silicones that build up), butters or waxes (including cetyl esters) will be heavier/ richer. However silicones that don't build up (water soluble or amine ones) shouldn't have the same effect.

Some people find products loaded with potent humectants (glycerin, propylene glycol) feel light in texture but heavy on their hair once dry, but that tends to vary with the porosity of hair and dew points/ humidity because these ingredients attract water.