Have you tried all kinds of shampoos that are supposed to be good for dry and damaged hair but still haven't found the right one? For you, the very best shampoo might be no shampoo at all if your hair is very damaged and worn. Then the conditioner method might be something to try. With the conditioner method, you wash your hair clean using only conditioner.
5 benefits of the conditioner method
With the conditioner method, you can wash your hair every day without damaging the hair quality.
The conditioner method:
- Makes dry hair shiny.
- Makes colored hair last longer.
- Repairs damaged hair.
- Enhances curls.
- Makes the scalp produce less oil.
In general, both hair and scalp become healthy with the conditioner method, and it is an easy way to save damaged hair.
Step 1: Deep clean with a "final shampoo" before you start
A so-called "final shampoo" is needed to wash away deposits of silicones, mineral oils, and other hard-to-dissolve chemicals from hair and scalp before you begin the conditioner method.
If you already use natural and organic hair products, no final shampoo is needed.
One of these shampoos works as a "final shampoo": – Shampoo no. 4 from Bruns – Shampoo Repair from Eco Cosmetics
Your final shampoo should have pure, natural ingredients and be strong enough to clean. Usually, a shampoo with sulfates is recommended, but it works just as well if the shampoo contains milder soap agents like these.
How to do it:
- Massage the shampoo into your entire hair.
- Rinse out.
- Repeat the washing step until the hair feels "squeaky clean." The hair may feel tangled and rough (no worries!).
- Detangle the hair with a natural conditioner (see conditioners below).
- Wash your hair this way 1-3 times or until the hair feels really clean, shinier, and more manageable.
The reason your shampoo and conditioner should have pure ingredients is so they don’t add more of the substances you want to wash away. They give your hair a good and fresh new start so the transition to the conditioner method becomes easy.
Tip!
It’s good to occasionally reset your hair again with your final shampoo. This is because air pollution and minerals in our water can stick firmly to the hair strands and become difficult to wash away with conditioner alone.
Step 2: Start washing your hair with conditioner
Since fat dissolves fat, it works perfectly to clean hair using only conditioner. But this places higher demands on your conditioner.
Further down you will find our 3 favorite conditioners for the conditioner method.
Keep in mind that conditioner does not lather, which requires a bit more time and effort to distribute in the hair and to dissolve dirt.
With the conditioner method, you may initially need to wash your hair a bit more often. In that case, continue washing with conditioner until your scalp gets used to it.
Be patient and hang in there!
How to do it:
- Wet your hair with water.
- Distribute your conditioner on the scalp and massage carefully for a while so that dead skin cells and oil dissolve.
- Rinse the conditioner thoroughly with water. Be sure to rinse out all the conditioner. Otherwise, the hair may feel flat and oily after washing.
- If needed, finish with a more nourishing conditioner like a hair mask on the ends and lengths that protects the hair, makes it easier to detangle, and repairs dry and damaged hair.
- Rinse with water.
Conditioners for the conditioner method
The conditioners you use for the conditioner method must be free from sulfates, silicones, mineral oils, hard-to-dissolve chemicals, and drying alcohols.
They should not weigh the hair down and should be lighter in consistency while still being able to clean hair and scalp without leaving a greasy feeling.
These organic conditioners are suitable for the conditioner method: – Eco Cosmetics Conditioner with Jojoba & Green Tea – Dr Sannas Volume Conditioner – Bruns Conditioner No. 04 Magic Citrus
Remember that a healthy scalp is the straightest path to healthy hair!
Read more about how you can take care of your scalp to detoxify hair and scalp as well as to prevent itchy scalp.
