So, I talked about cutting back on shampooing if your hair is too dry. Now, I’m NOT saying that you can’t wet it daily, and I encourage gently rubbing your scalp with straight water or doing this with conditioner, in between shampoos. Most of us (read on) will benefit from regular use of conditioner…

When hair is damaged or frizzy-looking, its cuticle (outer layer of the hair) is in an “open”, frayed state. Conditioner helps to smooth and close the cuticle – that looks & feels like your dry hair returning to a smooth, shiny, “healthier” condition.

I recommend using conditioner in most hair situations – if your hair is coloured, long, curly, dry, frizzy, too fluffy, damaged, or if you style your hair with heat (blow drying, straightening, etc.). Colored hair can get especially dry and may need an extra conditioning boost – that’s a good time to come in to the salon for a deep conditioning treatment. Long hair can dry out towards the ends, especially if it is not regularly brushed through. If your hair is in its natural state, and not too long, you may not even need to use conditioner at all.

To summarize: experiment for yourself, but if your hair is too dry, brittle, or frizzy, you’ll probably benefit from less shampoo and more conditioner. The rhythm that seems to work for me is shampooing every 3rd wash (once or twice a week) conditioning/rinsing in between. You’ll find your own rhythm, based on your lifestyle, hair type & style.

(Sources: Personal experience, Byrdie “How to Train your Hair to be Less Greasy, According to Hair Stylists” https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-train-greasy-hair-4686867, Allure “10 commandments of Curly Hair” https://www.allure.com/gallery/the-ten-commandments-of-curly-hair,  Scienceline “How does hair conditioner work” https://scienceline.org/2014/01/how-does-hair-conditioner-work/)