Few products leave your hair as touchably soft and silky as a hair conditioner. If you’ve ever wondered how often you’re supposed to use it, we hear you loud and clear!
So, how often should I use conditioner on my hair in a week?
This article will help you figure out how often to use conditioner on your hair. We’ll also spend some time going over how you can make your conditioner even more effective. So, sit back, relax, and keep reading until the end.
Table of Contents
How Often Should I Use Conditioner?
The frequency of using conditioner on hair depends on the type of conditioner and your hair’s condition. Rinse-out conditioner can be used as often as you wash your hair, usually two to five times a week. Leave-in conditioner can be used once or twice a week, but you can use it more often if your hair is dry, damaged, or curly. Deep conditioner should be used at most one or two times a week.
Below, the article will explain the different types of conditioner available and how often they should be used depending on their formulation. Keep reading to learn more.
Rinse-Out Conditioner
Rinse-out conditioners are the first thing people think of when they think of conditioners. Rinse-out conditioner is applied to freshly washed hair and rinsed out after just a few minutes.
You can use a rinse-out conditioner as often as you wash your hair, usually two to five times a week. Remember, the oilier your natural hair is, the less often you need to use conditioner. But if your hair is dry, you can use it more often.
Leave-in Conditioner
As you can tell by the name, you don’t rinse leave-in conditioner out of your hair. Leave-in conditioners function more like a hydrating cream or styling aid than anything else. Typically, you should use a leave-in conditioner once or twice a week.
You can use it more often if your hair is dry, damaged, or curly. The only downside to using leave-in conditioners very often is that they can cause buildup.
So be careful not to overdo it, particularly if your preferred leave-in coats your strands in a greasy, waxy, or filmy buildup.
Deep Conditioner
Deep conditioners are a heavy-duty type of conditioner that is packed with nourishing and fortifying ingredients. However, a deep conditioning treatment is only needed occasionally.
Ideally, you should use deep conditioner no more than one or two times a week. If you use them more often, you could get moisture overload, where your strands become limp, greasy, and hard to manage.
How Do You Use Conditioner Correctly?
Although using conditioner seems straightforward, there are a few things that you need to be aware of. Below, we’ll look at some conditioner-related best practices you don’t want to miss.
Wring Out Your Hair First
Before applying conditioner, you want to make sure your hair isn’t sopping wet. The conditioner slides right off your strands when your hair is too wet.
It won’t be able to penetrate your hair and deliver all of its beneficial ingredients.
So, after you shampoo your hair, wring your hair gently to remove the excess water. Then, apply the conditioner to damp strands.
Use the Right Amount
When you read the label on your conditioner, you’ll see a specified amount of product you’re supposed to use. You may need to use more or less, depending on the length and thickness of your hair.
However, it’s almost always a good idea to stay close to the recommended amount. That will help ensure the product is able to deliver on its claims.
Focus the Product on Your Middle and Ends
The mid-lengths and ends are the oldest and most damaged parts of your hair. They need conditioner the most, whereas your roots and scalp are typically taken care of by the natural oils your scalp produces.
When you apply conditioner, try to keep it on the ends and mid-lengths of your hair only.
Distribute the Conditioner Evenly
When applying conditioner, ensure that all of your hair can benefit from the treatment (except the roots). Use either your hands or a wide-tooth comb to ensure your strands are evenly coated.
Pair Your Conditioner with Heat
Depending on your hair type, your strands may have difficulty opening up and accepting the conditioner. Luckily, the heat generated by a hooded dryer can gently nudge your hair cuticles open so the conditioner can sink in.
Don’t have a hooded dryer? Shower caps trap body heat, allowing you to reap the benefits of adding heat to your conditioning routine.
Give Your Hair Time to Absorb the Product
If you rush through the conditioning process and rinse the product away before it’s had time to penetrate your strands, you’ll flush all those hydrating and beneficial ingredients down the drain.
The amount of time you’re supposed to wait varies, depending on the product. So always follow the recommended time limits on your bottle of conditioner.
Rinse Thoroughly
When it’s time to rinse the conditioner out of your hair, you want to ensure that you’re thorough. So, keep rinsing your hair with cool water until it feels clean and no longer slippery.
While you might be tempted to leave some behind, it can lead to potentially damaging product buildup.
Is It Ok to Condition Your Hair Every Day?
Unlike shampoo, conditioners are highly moisturizing and non-stripping. They’re safe enough to use daily and can even help make your hair feel softer, stronger, and more hydrated.
However, only certain hair types benefit from this amount of moisture. Coarse, chemically processed, and curly hair is exceptionally dry and breakage-prone.
That means they have the most to gain from daily conditioning.
On the other hand, straight, fine, and naturally oily hair probably won’t respond well to using a conditioner every day. These hair types don’t have the same increased moisture needs as curly, coarse, or damaged hair.
Daily conditioning will likely weigh them down and leave them feeling limp and greasy.
If you decide to try daily conditioning, make sure you’re using a conditioner that washes away cleanly without a greasy or sticky residue.
You should also be careful with conditioners that contain protein, as they can lead to protein buildup. An abundance of protein in your strands will have the opposite effect as a conditioner and leave your hair dry, brittle, and stiff.
Keep in mind that protein isn’t always labeled as protein on the product labels. Some other keywords and phrases to look out for include:
- Amino acids
- Keratin
- Biotin
- Collagen
Is It Ok to Leave Conditioner in Your Hair Overnight?
The longer you leave a conditioner on your hair, the more time the nourishing ingredients have to sink into your strands. Overnight conditioning can be an excellent way to hydrate and pamper dry, thirsty strands.
It’s deeply moisturizing, so it’s best suited for hair types with a greater need for hydration. That includes curly, coarse, damaged, and high porosity hair.
Keep in mind that this method can overwhelm your strands. So, try not to leave the conditioner in your hair overnight more than once every one or two weeks.
If you do it more often than that, there’s a chance your strands will develop hygral fatigue. Hygral fatigue occurs when your hair takes on too much moisture.
Repeated swelling and unswelling can damage your hair’s structure, leading to frizziness, brittleness, dullness, and a loss of texture.
How Often Should I Use Leave-in Conditioner?
How often you use leave-in conditioners depends on your hair type and needs. If you have dry or damaged hair, you may benefit from using a leave-in conditioner every day. On the other hand, if you have oily hair, you may only need to use a leave-in conditioner once or twice a week.
How Often Should I Use Cantu Leave-in Conditioner?
Cantu leave-in conditioner is a popular product for moisturizing and nourishing curly or coily hair. You can use Cantu leave-in conditioner every day or every other day if your hair is dry and damaged, but you might only want to use it once a week if your hair is more on the oily side.
How Often Should I Use Shampoo and Conditioner?
For most people, washing hair every 2-3 days is best to keep it clean and healthy. If you have oily hair, wash it more frequently. If you have dry or damaged hair, try washing it less to avoid stripping its natural oils. When you wash, always use conditioner on the ends of your hair to moisturize and nourish it.
How Often Should I Use Deep Conditioner?
Deep conditioner is a more intensive conditioner designed to penetrate the hair shaft and provide deep hydration and nourishment. Deep conditioning once a week or every other week is good for dry and damaged hair. However, if you have oily hair, you may only need to use it once a month.
- What Is Conditioner Used For?
- Leaving Conditioner in Hair
- Squish to Condish
- How Often Should You Wash Natural Hair
When it comes to how often you should use conditioner, things can vary from person to person. So, the most important thing to do is pay attention to how your hair is feeling.
If your conditioning routine is leaving your strands limp and greasy, it’s a sign that you’re over-conditioning them.
But if your hair feels hydrated and strong, keep doing what you’re doing! That said, we hope that this article has answered all your questions and helped send you on the right path!
Kenneth Byrd, with a BS in Accounting and Management Information Systems and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has over 15 years of experience and is a recognized authority in hair care. Co-founder of Curl Centric® and Natural Hair Box, Kenneth has dedicated himself to promoting ethical and scientifically-backed hair care practices. Rigorous editorial guidelines, industry recognitions, and features in numerous media outlets evidence his expertise. Kenneth’s commitment to transparency, quality, and empowerment has positioned him as a trusted voice in the field, empowering readers to confidently embrace their natural beauty.