The Best Conditioner for Curly Hair
If you’ve got a head full of curly hair, then you know that keeping it healthy can be a bit of a headache. Curly hair is more prone to drying out than straight hair due to the simple fact that naturally hydrating oils that keep hair healthy have a more difficult time reaching the ends of curly hair than straight hair. What this means for curly hair is that over time it becomes dried out and brittle and can break much easier. This is why finding the right hair conditioner is essential for people with curly hair. The proper conditioner will hydrate your hair and help prevent it from drying out.
In looking for the right conditioner for your hair, it is very important to look at the ingredients. As a general rule, the more natural ingredients there are in the conditioner, the better. Additives like avocado or jojoba oil can help to keep your hair hydrated without subjecting it to harsh, unpredictable chemicals.
According to experts, most quality curly hair conditioners will contain an ingredient called panthenol, which they claim will penetrate the hair follicles, resulting in increased strength and flexibility, and reducing the likelihood of breakage. Another good rule to abide by is to avoid alcohol based ingredients in your conditioner, since alcohol is prone to drying out hair, which is obviously the opposite of the effect you are going for. A few exceptions to this rule are cetyl or stearyl alcohol, since they are fatty saturated alcohols that actually help to hydrate hair and make it easier to comb.
Another thing to be aware of if you find that your hair is excessively dry is that frequent shampooing can actually dry out your hair and do major damage. Conditioners are intended to protect against this, but even so, it may be worth doing a test and shampooing your hair less often to see if it helps at all. You can still condition on days when you do not shampoo to help keep it moisturized. Also, be aware of the temperature of the water you are using to shampoo and condition your hair. If it is overly hot, it can actually dry out your scalp. Ideally you should use lukewarm or cool water to condition your hair.
Here are a few homemade conditioners that you can use to help moisturize your hair:
Tropical Conditioner
For a nice tropical hair conditioning, all you need are an avocado and some coconut milk. Mash the avocado and mix it into the coconut milk. Once it reaches the approximate consistency of shampoo, comb it into your hair and then let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then wash the mixture out of your hair.
Banana Deep Conditioner
Using a banana, one tablespoon of sunflower oil, and one half tablespoon of fresh lime juice, you can make a powerful deep conditioner. Mash the banana and mix the ingredients together, and then comb it through your hair while it is dry. After thirty minutes, rinse it out.
