Let’s be honest, when it comes to looking after your hair, most of you reading this probably don’t put as much effort into it as you ideally would. With only so many hours in a day, concessions have to be made somewhere.

Now, maybe it has something to do with being a dedicated barbershop, but we think that skimping on your hair regime is a mistake we cannot allow you to go on making.

At the very least, we’re here to tell you why you shouldn’t stop at shampooing, and why you should be conditioning your hair.

The first clue to why you should be conditioning your hair is in the name: conditioner. Conditioner adds nutrients into your hair, improving its condition.

If, at the moment, you just shampoo your hair every day, you should really consider starting to condition as well. This is because, although shampoo does work well cleaning your hair, over time it strips more and more natural oils and nutrients out of your hair. Further factors like brushing and drying your hair, and exposing to outside elements, serve to further damage your hair and deplete its protective oils and nutrients.

This can lead to your hair looking dull, lifeless and damaged, and this is where conditioner comes into play.  If you were to look at your hair under the microscope, it will look like it is covered in interlocking scales or flakes. These flakes are actually dead skin cells that lock together to form a cuticle layer, which protects the more fragile strands of hair within. When your hair gets damaged, these scales won’t be laying tightly against each other, exposing the fragile inner strands to damage and leaving your hair looking frayed and damaged.

All conditioners contain small amounts of catatonic surfactants and acids, and it is this acid which encourages the flakes to lay flat and tight against each other, once again protecting your hair and leaving it looking glossier and healthier.

When it comes to how often you should condition, the answer can vary from a few times a week to every day, depending on your hair. If, for example you find that you hair is naturally quite thin, or tends to get greasy fairly easily, then you should condition your hair once every other or once every three days. If, however, your hair is of the thicket variety, then feel free to condition every time you shower.

When you’re shopping for conditioner, you should always look for ones that contain mainly – preferably only – natural ingredients. These may cost more money, but there is a simple reason for that: they work better. Try to avoid 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner bottles as well, as what you gain in convenience you tend to lose in quality.

So, if you think your hair is in need of some TLC, just reach for that bottle of conditioner, or, if it needs that extra bit of attention, pop in to Kensington Barbers today!