Are Your Tresses Falling Flat? Avoid This Common Mistake In Your Haircare Routine
Flat hair, do care. Because while you probably love the look of a sleek, slicked-back style every now and then, you'd rather not have it be your default. Most women want to choose their smooth hair days, and not have them thrust upon them each time they step out of the shower. Infusing more volume into your hair can be done in a variety of ways, including blow-drying locks upside down, using hot or Velcro hair rollers, and copious amounts of hairspray.
For those with fine or thin hair, there are even more tricks and tips at your disposal, but a permanent pixie cut or clip-in extensions aren't for everyone. Thankfully, there might be a simpler solution to your flat hair woes, and it begins while you're still in the shower, after you've washed your hair with volumizing shampoo but before you've done your final rinse-off. Before you next reach for your bottle of conditioner, stop for a minute and re-think your usual routine.
Too much conditioner could be making your hair flat
If a little bit of conditioner is good for your hair, a lot must be great, right? There's a reason that the old adage is that too much of a good thing can be bad, and it's true about conditioner too. Think about a sponge: Add a little water, and it does a great job; add too much and it becomes a heavy, wet mess. When you use too much conditioner, it can weigh your hair down, causing it to look limp and flat.
As Eufora's style director, Mirza Batanovic, explained to Mane Addicts: "Warm water opens the cuticle and allows your shampoo and conditioner to penetrate the hair. Once the conditioner has been on for its recommended time, you should rinse it out with cooler water to seal the conditioner into the hair," adding, "Cool water helps to seal everything in by closing the cuticle back down."
A good rule of thumb is to start with a dime-sized amount of conditioner for short hair, working your way from the ends to just short of your scalp. If you run out of conditioner before you reach that point, use a little more. Longer hair will require more conditioner, so start with a quarter-sized amount in this case. If your hair is especially thick or very curly, you can use two-quarters worth, maybe even a little more.
How to make your conditioner work for you
While using too much conditioner can have a flattening effect on your tresses, you don't want to skip this important step in your hair maintenance routine either. Conditioner can up the shine factor of your locks, add body and moisture, help protect your color, and even repair damage. You just have to know how and what to use to get the maximum benefits.
If you want to create more body, find a conditioner with the word "volumizing" on the bottle. Most volume-boosting formulas are created to work with finer strands, pumping them up without weighing them down. If you find in-shower conditioners to be too heavy, try a leave-in conditioner, spritzed on to hair after towel-drying. These are usually more lightweight, but still offer the benefits of regular conditioner (plus lots more).
When using a rinse-out conditioner, read the directions carefully and follow the guidelines for how long to leave the product on your hair. Three to five minutes is usually ample time, but certain formulas recommend even less. If left on too long, your hair may absorb more than you need, leaving it feeling limp and greasy. You should also remember to thoroughly rinse the conditioner out to avoid product build-up, which is another flat-hair culprit.