Can conditioner be bad for your hair?

[Kirin]

I pose this question in all seriousness. Can some people's hair just not like/tollerate conditioner?

I ask this because, i've noticed a trend with my hair, I am a daily washer (you cant talk me out of it, i smoke, so does my husband and I cook, a lot, hair stinks/gets well yuck), and i condition.

I henna/amla my hair in a mix, and afterwards it always feels great, great body, good shine..... but by day four after a henna, i notice the same thing, my hair goes flat, feels.... bleh. Today, I decided to not condition no matter how rough or coarse my hair felt..... and here's what happened.

No hair loss in the shower. None, when usually i'm swiping up what looks like 20-50 hairs a day. My curl came back, like with a vengeance. I did use my usual leave in, and my hair actually feels fine, not too dry, and i have loads of body.

So, is the advice "condition every day!" ..... well, a myth or, does that mean a leave in instead of? I'm not sure..... I think i might ditch conditioning entirely. I just fear if i dont I'll be having some catastrophe in the future of damage or something.

[Delila]

I do think my scalp dislikes some conditioner ingredients, and that some can build up and cause problems.

My hair's really fine, and I find that I get along best if I DO condition, even if the conditioner is fairly light. I need any and all detangling assistance I can get.

Having said that, though, I did experiment last fall with varying levels of conditioning, and found that I could get away with less conditioning than I'd thought.

[eadwine]

Seems like for your hair it is happier without it. There is no law about using conditioner or any other hair product for that matter Use what works for you.

[Feisty Redhead]

Everyone's hair is different; if your hair does better without conditioner then don't use it. My hair NEEDS conditioner or it gets to be a frizzy, knotted mess.

[wolf girl]

I know there are a few on the LHC that don't use conditioner. I have to use it in my length only so that I can detangle it. I haven't put it on my scalp in 2 years. I noticed a lot less shedding too.

[Cricket]

I went through something similar a little while back and ended up switching to shampoo bars. Two lathers, a good rinse, and a few minutes of ACV are all my hair seems to need. There are enough oils in the soap to condition my hair.

As long as your hair is not reacting badly, don't worry about the conditioner. Its one less expense for you!

[Ursula]

Some people don't have good results with conditioner at all.

Quite a few other people, however, have better results using no conditioner than the conditioner they have been using - but might get even better results using a conditioner that is right for them.

The key, I think, is not to think in terms of "using conditioner" but in terms of "appropriate conditioning in my routine." That may mean conditioner, or it may mean oils, or it may mean a herbal rinse, or it may mean frequent henna/cassia, or it may mean using a superfatted soap to wash with (e.g., Chagrin Valley soaps, rather than the less fatty shampoo bars), or it may mean any number of other things.

[Mahars]

I think it also depends on which conditioner you use. In my experience, different conditioners do totally different things to my hair. Some build up, some do nothing, and some moisturize really well. I wonder if a volumizing conditioner would work well for you. I've heard good things about Kiss My Face Big Body but I haven't tried it myself because I have the opposite problem from you (too much volume).

[Guenever]

Well, I for one don't use condish.. my hair gets all tangly, dry looking and crunchy.. cone/non-cone/natural - doesn't matter.. my hair just dislikes it.. so it's definitely possible to skip it!
I shampoo only with an occational oiling in the shower before applying shampoo.. when I'm in the mood. That's pretty much it..
Congrats on finding a routine that works for you!

ETA:

I have the opposite problem from you (too much volume).

Hey Mahars.. I would gladly free you of some of that

[heidi w.]

My guess is that you simply have the wrong conditioner for your hair type AND for henna'd hair. If hair is going limp and flat, it usually means to find a conditioner that doesn't cause this situation. Your conditioner may be too heavy, or you may need simply less conditioner, or a different conditioner, .... but I'm not convinced this means you need NO conditioner at all. If you wash daily, typically a very light conditioner is all that's needed.

A few trials may tell you the real story. Remember, change one thing at a time so you arrive at a reliable answer, such as, try a little less conditioner a few washes, then try a lighter conditioner a few times....then try not conditioner a few times.....

ETA: you might also consider not applying conditioner to scalp hair yet only to length through the ends. A lot of hair goes 'limp' on top because the conditioner is either too heavy or applied too much. You can dilute conditioner!

heidi w.