Hi, friends! Welcome back to Stylishly Good Vibes! If you read the title of this blog post and thought, “What the h*ll?! How?!” then I guess I’m doing something right. You read it correctly. I don’t use conditioner in my hair in the winter, and I’m going to tell you why.
How It All Started
This is something that I started doing while I was living in South Carolina. Something about their winters really messed with my hair. I felt like I was using clarifying shampoo so much, but my hair was still greasy and built up with product. In the midst of that, I had been reading a lot about using less hair products and how it could be beneficial to the health of your hair.
So, one day I decided that I wasn’t going to use any conditioner, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results. My hair wasn’t as weighed down, it had more volume, and I could get more days in between washes.
Stop! Read This Before Trying!
Now, before you go running off to the shower to wash your hair without conditioner, hear me out. This is not for everyone. I have really thick hair. It’s not too greasy, and it’s also not too dry, so I think that’s why I’m able to do this without issue. If you color treat your hair frequently, or your hair is already dry and damaged, DON’T DO THIS.
If you do want to try doing this, here’s my advice! If you decide not to use conditioner in the winter, you need to be using a high-quality shampoo to make up for it. I know that some don’t like spending a lot on shampoo, but you should be using a salon-quality shampoo if you do this.
Take Your Time Choosing a Shampoo
I put my trust in Matrix Biolage. Their shampoos are always on point. I buy them at Ulta because I usually have a coupon or points that I can use toward the purchase. I absolutely love the Matrix Biolage Advanced Keratindose Shampoo. It’s for extremely dry hair, but that’s the kind of formula you should look for because it’s going to be really moisturizing, which helps since you’re not using conditioner.
In the winter months, I can usually go two days in between washes. I tend to pick one day of the week to do a moisturizing treatment before I shampoo. My favorite right now is the Ouai Treatment Masque. It smells really yummy and makes my hair super soft and sleek if I decide to blow-dry after washing.
Listen to Your Hair
My best piece of advice for not using hair conditioner in the winter is this: listen to your hair. If you hair feels really dry and your ends are brittle, use a little conditioner in the shower. Since I started doing this three years ago, I’ve realized that we rely too much on hair products. We’ve got to give our hair room to be, well, hair. Use your best judgment and try different things to see what works best with your texture and hair type.
If you have any additional questions about my process for not using conditioner, don’t hesitate to reach out!
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend doing something fun!
Until next time!
Alicia