Apparently conditioning every wash is bad for your hair?

[FallingDarkness]

My sister asks me how often I condition my hair, and I say twice every wash, to which she replies, "That's so bad for your hair. Conditioner gives your hair nutrients, right? If you condition every time you wash, then it's going to get bogged down and damaged." I say that maybe it depends on the type of conditioner you use, because after all, conditioner is for moisturizing hair. But she said that she had read from soo many sources that over conditioning was bad and that I shouldn't do it. :/ Then again she washes her hair everyday, never ever wears it up, and uses heat products on it on a daily basis, so she might not be the most reliable source... Anyways, I thought to turn to you people to get your opinion. :D

[YamaMaya]

Well, yes and no. If you're using silicones, it's important to clarify or the resulting buildup could cause your hair to dry out. I don't wash my hair daily but I do condition twice with every wash (wcc method) and I've not had any ill effects. I even use a bit of conditioner after my wash as a leave in then seal it up with oil.

[Bri-Chan]

I condition my hair after every wash. Sometimes I tried to don't use it, and my hair was gnarled D:

[woodswanderer]

I would say conditioner doesn't give nutrients since hair is dead anyway.Conditioner provides moisture. I think the only way to provide nutrients to your hair is to eat healthy and then the hair follicle can presumably push out a healthier strand.

[kganihanova]

Bull. Over conditioning is a thing but it's avoidable. And no it won't damage it unless you're doing something very wrong.

[sourgrl]

We have members that condition only wash, members that conditon/wash/condition, members that wash/condition/condition.... Find what works for you! Personally, for me it's wash/condition/leave in tiny bit of rinse out condish then seal with oil

[molljo]

I think there is a tiny sliver of truth to this, and that's protein overload. If you're consistently using a protein-heavy conditioner when you don't actually need it, then that can definitely mess up your hair, making it brittle instead of conditioned.

[meteor]

Conditioners deposit patch-repairing and emollient ingredients on your hair, so you can definitely reach some build-up, but that point is different for different people.
Some people condition every day but wash once a week or even less frequently, others feel like they need to wash often but don't need any conditioner at all.
Listen to your hair. A rule of thumb is being on the lookout for any build-up: first, the rule of diminishing returns kicks in where you can't tell whether the specific treatment did anything and you notice that you could "take it or leave it", then hair gets stretchy, or coated, dull, weighed down, etc. This means, it's time to use less of that product or rotate or clarify.

[~Abi~]

Wonder what she would say to those that CO wash (myself included)! My hair loves CO washing and only needs to be clarified once a month or. And it's definitely not over conditioned (whatever that would look like...greasy maybe?)

[xoChesleyy]

I condition my hair every wash (1-2 times a week). I always have. If I didn't condition every wash, my hair would become dry. Thus, resulting in breakage.

[Anje]

Conditioner helps moisturize hair and provides slip. It doesn't do nutrients. (And even if it did -- does she also think that eating every day is bad? Nutrients are good!)

Now occasionally hair can get weighed down if you condition too heavily or get buildup, but that's a reason to clarify hair and use the right amount and type of conditioner for your hair (to be determined primarily by experimentation). It's not a reason to forgo conditioner entirely.

[jeanniet]

I CO wash and only rarely shampoo--and in addition, I leave conditioner in and use either a conditioning curl cream or a heavier leave in on top. Most curlies can leave in an amazing amount of conditioner. If you want proof that using lots of conditioner doesn't damage hair, look at GRU's or CurlyCap's!

[Nadine <3]

So the conditioner only wash I did this morning, followed by a glob of cone free conditioner put in as a leave in and then sealed with coconut and olive oil must be a BAD BAD THING...But then...why does my hair feel so soft, silky, and shiny?!

I'm calling bull poopy. You're more likely to do damage if you're not conditioning. But, every hair is different.

[MeAndTheMaz]

Conditioners deposit patch-repairing and emollient ingredients on your hair, so you can definitely reach some build-up, but that point is different for different people.
Some people condition every day but wash once a week or even less frequently, others feel like they need to wash often but don't need any conditioner at all.
Listen to your hair. A rule of thumb is being on the lookout for any build-up: first, the rule of diminishing returns kicks in where you can't tell whether the specific treatment did anything and you notice that you could "take it or leave it", then hair gets stretchy, or coated, dull, weighed down, etc. This means, it's time to use less of that product or rotate or clarify.

This is what I've been doing recently. Even managed to stretch an actual wash to two weeks without any noticeable ill effects.

On a side note, I'd like to thank all of you (mostly) ladies. Since I've cut down dramatically on my washing, I suddenly find myself with a lifetime's supply of poo. :justy:

[FallingDarkness]

See, this is what I thought! I understand that maybe where she's coming from is that some conditioners are bad for your hair due to cones and an OD of protein, but conditioner makes my hair happy. That's its purpose. I don't put shampoo on my length, I CO or CWC whenever I wash my hair, and it seems to work really well. I figured that because so many people were using conditioner for moisture as much as possible here, that she must have been wrong. Explanations definitely help though. :) Thanks

[lapushka]

My hair's washed every week (weekly though, so not it's not *every* day it gets conditioned) according to the WCC method (links in my signature). I never experienced "overconditioning". I doubt it even exists.

[rohirrrims]

I heard exactly the same thing from my friend who was training to be a hairdresser at a very popular salon. She said she was taught it there.... I just ignored her because... hairdressers.... yeah :|

[renia22]

Check it out, there was a thread on this topic a couple of years ago with some interesting responses. I agree that this is probably another one of those urban hair myths circulating around:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=97747

[Carolyn]

Since she is your sister, if I were you I would thank her for her advice and leave it at that. All I know is I wouldn't have long hair without using conditioner every single wash. I could never detangle without it. It protects hair and moisturizes. I've read a couple of things about over conditioning but I know for my hair, it would take boatloads for me to get to that point. There is so much misinformation out there! Let your sister take care of her hair as she wishes and you do what you feel is best for yours.

[meteor]

My hair's washed every week (weekly though, so not it's not *every* day it gets conditioned) according to the WCC method (links in my signature). I never experienced "overconditioning". I doubt it even exists.

Why not? Isn't "overconditioning" the same as build-up from conditioners? If it never happened, we'd never need to clarify.
The amounts needed to overcondition are different for different people (I need 10 times more conditioner than shampoo) and the products are different too.
I think I could soak my hair in a bath of something light like Suave for days without my hair getting overconditioned, but if I slathered my hair with a lot of cocoa butter or lanolin, it would need a very long clarifying session.

[UP Lisa]

Wonder what she would say to those that CO wash (myself included)! My hair loves CO washing and only needs to be clarified once a month or. And it's definitely not over conditioned (whatever that would look like...greasy maybe?)

Wow. I could never do that. I only condition once a week, and I still have to clarify twice a month.

[lapushka]

Why not? Isn't "overconditioning" the same as build-up from conditioners? If it never happened, we'd never need to clarify.
The amounts needed to overcondition are different for different people (I need 10 times more conditioner than shampoo) and the products are different too.
I think I could soak my hair in a bath of something light like Suave for days without my hair getting overconditioned, but if I slathered my hair with a lot of cocoa butter or lanolin, it would need a very long clarifying session.

My hair's clarified weekly. Maybe I just don't notice. :shrug:

[Arwenlily]

My hair is easily over conditioned. It seems that no matter how much conditioner or what conditioner I use this happens. It is likely because my no poo is basically conditioning so I may not need conditioner on top of it. Though sometimes I do try and I get super soft fluffy curl-less hair.

[Bitstuff]

I don't know if it's possible to get (any? too much?) build up when using only conventional shampoo and conditioner, like most people do. The cones, undoubtedly in the conditioner, would be washed off by the SLS in the shampoo.

Overconditioning in terms of too much protein I can imagine. Overconditioning in terms of hygral fatigue from leaving treatments in for long periods of time as well I can see. I doubt most 'regular' folks do either.

[Arwenlily]

I don't know if it's possible to get (any? too much?) build up when using only conventional shampoo and conditioner, like most people do. The cones, undoubtedly in the conditioner, would be washed off by the SLS in the shampoo.

Overconditioning in terms of too much protein I can imagine. Overconditioning in terms of hygral fatigue from leaving treatments in for long periods of time as well I can see. I doubt most 'regular' folks do either.

Wouldn't build up of protein cause brittle hair not over conditioning? I don't think protein can over condition, it's the opposite.

[lazuliblue]

Wow. I could never do that. I only condition once a week, and I still have to clarify twice a month.

I think generally people who CO wash use silicone-free conditioner, so there is less need to clarify as often.

As for the OPs sister's comments, I CO wash once a week with silicone-free conditioners, and then do CWC for my second wash! My hair has never been happier :)

[StellaKatherine]

I have never "clarified " my hair. I only washed my hair. My hair seems to LOVE oils and conditioners and mostly dislikes shampoo. I could never only use shampoo as it will leave my hair super dry, freezy and fluffy. I use shampoo only on my scalp now and lately my hair is feeling smooth and almost silky and tangless almost not at all!!!!! Conditioner alone doesn't help me much though as only after I started oiling I saw real results.

Btw. how can I know if my hair needs to be clarified ? :shrug: :bigeyes:

[chen bao jun]

to the OP: this depends on the person. What does your sister's hair look like? Apparently she does non LHC approved things, but some people can do them and still have great hair.
One of my best friends has the greatest hair ever--thick, healthy, slightly wavy, she cuts it short and it grows to tailbone in a minute again (well, in a very short time) and she NEVER uses conditioner. she says she tried it and it didn't work for her. I wouldn't presume to give her advice, whatever she is doing is clearly working for her. I personally got much better hair once I started CWC washing and leaving in lots of conditioner but I am an entirely different hairtype than she is. People's hair differs.
By the way-- I thnk you CAN overcondition, though it is hard for a curly to do. Its not just protein overload, its possible to overmoisturize and then get 'mushy' hair. In that case, you NEED some protein to correct things. Never happened to me, but I've read enough people who have had the problem to know that it exists.

[meteor]

Btw. how can I know if my hair needs to be clarified ? :shrug: :bigeyes:
From what you are describing (great hair days :) ), you don't need to worry about it. I like clarifying when my hair looks/feels decidedly "off" and needs a "reset", because leave-ins aren't helping the situation much.
For example, if I experience tangly, dull, coated hair - I suspect a build-up of waxes, silicones, polyquats, etc. If my hair is stringy and stretchy with that characteristic oily look even right after a wash - I suspect a build-up of oils and butters. If my hair is brittle, tangly, dry, snap-prone and feels a bit like wire or hay, it might be protein overload, and I also get it from tannins in herbs. I would consider all of these cases different types of "over-conditioning", but it looks like different people may use this term differently.

[Anje]

Yes, overconditioning to the point where hair is limp, seemingly dry, and stretchy definitely exists. I haven't personally experienced it (my hair doesn't tend to go that direction and hasn't had much for harsh treatments since I was a kid), but it can happen even on hair that doesn't get lots of chemical treatments. Hair that does get dyed or permed a lot is more prone to this because it often loses protein. That said, I think it's relatively rare -- most people struggle with dry hair, not stretchy hair.

[starlamelissa]

I think over conditioning is the concern of a different hair type than my own. I wash with every other day with moisture shampoo (coney pantene) and matching conditioner. Add mineral oil/ cone serum after washing. No problems, no need to clarify.

[NatNat]

I condition every wash as well, I couldn't imagine not doing it. I'd never get my comb through if I didn't use conditioner.

[spidermom]

I do believe in too much of a good thing. I used to think that I needed handfuls of conditioner for my hair. Now I know that one or two pumps of conditioner carefully massaged and/or combed through is all I need. These days I use about the same amount of conditioner as I do shampoo, and I used to use about 3 bottles of conditioner for every bottle of shampoo. What a waste!

[peachyleshy]

I really don't think it would damage your hair. More than anything it well help protect it from damage because for one it will help detangle! Since cutting my hair short a few years ago I learned something for my hair. I don't need as much conditioner as I used when it was longer. Since it's fine/1b type it really doesn't get tangled on a regular basis (especially when shorter) and when I do use conditioner it will way my hair down. When it was longer (bsl) I would use condition-wash-condition-wash-condition+ leave in. That was way too much for my hair and since it was weighed down often I didnt really like how it looked. Now that its shoulder length I CO-W-CO-W (have to wash 2x). And that leaves my hair tangle free but with volume. Once it gets longer I'll probably use just a little after I wash though.

[pelicano]

My hair is easily over conditioned. It seems that no matter how much conditioner or what conditioner I use this happens. It is likely because my no poo is basically conditioning so I may not need conditioner on top of it. Though sometimes I do try and I get super soft fluffy curl-less hair.

My hair is like this. Glad it's not just me! There seems to be a very fine line with my hair between dry and over-conditioned.

[bunnylake]

My hair is very picky with conditioner, I've realized. It easily becomes over conditioned, meaning it goes flat and limp and looks oily or dirty. Even if I use a light cone-free conditioner, I need to be careful not to use too much. I have to use a very cleansing shampoo every wash and a very light conditioner about every other wash and that's what works for me. Everyone's hair needs are different.

[spidermom]

I forgot to add that when I used a lot of conditioner, it seemed like I had a lot more surface fluff. My theory is that longer hairs were being weighed down by so much conditioner, while the shortest, curliest hairs were not.

I really can't think of a way in which too much conditioner would cause damage, though, except to your wallet.