What Is the Difference Between Hair Conditioner And Hair Mask?
I always use conditioner (or mask) after shampoo. It helps my hair stay smooth and silky. But what is the difference between hair conditioner and hair mask? Let’s examine it together.
- The most important difference is a texture. Hair masks have dense consistency. They contain less water; therefore, higher concentrated. Conditioners, on the contrary, are runny, so they are easy to distribute through the hair.
- Ingredients: I compared ingredients in products from different brands. And as it turned out, the ingredients are almost the same.
- Masks are usually left 3-5 minutes on the hair before they are rinsed out thoroughly. But conditioners should be left only for 1 minute. This is a bit strange, since these ingredients make hair silky smooth and create a protective layer, i.e. work on the surface. After you have properly applied the product to the ends of the hair, you can rinse it off. But you must evenly distribute the product on the hair for this you can use a large comb.
- Masks and conditioners contain different oils. Most oils sit on the surface of the hair, but research shows that coconut oil penetrates more deeply into the hair shaft. But oil should be the first in the ingredients, only in this case, I can imagine that hair mask should be left more time. In other cases, it is a waste of time.
Why are different times indicated on the product? I think this is marketing. We spend more money buying two products.
- Another theory about which hairdresser told me: You use a conditioner after the mask. The point is that mask nourishes hair and then you seal with a conditioner. The reason is that рH of conditioner is lower than in mask for hair.
- I found some information about the pH level in masks and conditioners. It turns out that each of these products have the same pH value. So masks and conditioners have the same effect. I think this is marketing again. We spend more money buying two products, although we only need one.
How to choose and what is suitable for your hair? Personally, I prefer to use hair conditioners, because masks make my hair heavy with no volume. Only personal experience will show which products are suitable for your hair. Some people like texture of conditioner; some people like hair masks, and others prefer to use both.
In conclusion
I want to say that you don’t need to use hair mask and then apply conditioner and don’t need to leave mask for a long time. It makes no sense. The most important thing is to evenly distribute the product on the hair.
P.S. I am not talking now about treatments masks for scalp. These ingredients need to be analyzed in detail in another post.
I hope you were interested in reading my thoughts about this.
Do you use hair masks and hair conditioners? What do you prefer and why?
Aysia
May J, 2019Such a good post! I always wonder about this when I’m choosing which to do for wash day. I wrote a post about picking the right products too! Check it out here: https://www.motheringthemama.com/2018/09/mamas-hair-crown-my-post-baby-hair-and.html
Hailey Miranda
May J, 2019I love this post! It’s so informative and yet interesting to read. I didn’t know that they both basically had the same effect. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
May J, 2019Such a great clarification! I think a lot of girls get confused and overwhelmed with everything on the shelves these days – this will definitely help!
Xo Emily | beyoutifit.com
Oxana
May J, 2019Thanks you)
il bello di essere donna
May J, 2019questa maschera sembra ottima