My hair is naturally dry. I don’t mean the standard kind of dry either. What I’m saying is, it doesn’t matter how long I deep condition my tresses or what kind of oil that I used to seal my ends, my hair is going to drink up all that moisture and still ask for more.
That said, three things have helped me to give my hair the hydration that it seeks — drinking more water, consuming more fatty acids and applying a leave-in conditioner.
If you’re someone who either rarely uses leave-ins or you never have because it just seems like an additional semi-unnecessary step to take in your already hectic hair care routine, I’ve got seven solid reasons why you should consider adding it in. Seven reasons why, after doing so, you’ll wonder what the heck took you so long.
1. It gives your hair an instant moisturizing boost
What’s one way to know, for sure, that your hair needs more moisture? It’s, if when you gently tug on a strand, it snaps. If that happens, adding a dab or two of leave-in conditioner can almost immediately add some elasticity and bring your hair back to life. Just make sure that you go with a product that has water listed as the first ingredient. The more water that’s in your leave-in, the more moisturized your hair will ultimately be.
2. It significantly reduces frizz
Anytime your hair is stripped of the natural oils that it needs, you’re going to encounter at least a little bit of frizz. And since curly hair textures already have challenges with natural oils making it all the way down its hair strands, you can probably see how leave-in conditioners can significantly help in this area. When your hair is conditioned well, that helps to bring more definition to your curls. The more definition you’ve got, the less frizz there will be.
3. It can help to decrease breakage
Very few things are as strong and as fragile as hair is. On one hand, according to science, when hair is stretched out, it’s actually stronger than steel. On the flip side, when there’s too much heat applied, it’s constantly experiencing the wear and tear of styling. Or, it’s dry and brittle and that can result in breakage. Since leave-in conditioners are able to penetrate your hair’s cuticles, you significantly decrease the chance of your hair breaking whenever you apply it.
4. It makes hair styling easier
Hair that’s soft and hydrated is so much easier to style; especially if you’re trying to part or comb through your locks. Leave-in conditioner can definitely help to make this possible. And since it comes in the forms of sprays and creams, you can go one that is light or heavy; it’s totally up to you (and your hair type”>.
5. It protects hair from damaging UV rays
Did you know that too much exposure to the sun can result in your cuticles being damaged? When that happens, it can discolor your hair, make it more brittle and even lead to split or broken ends. None of this is a good thing; however, all of it can be avoided if you apply a leave-in conditioner when you know that you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the sun. There are plenty of products on the market that can help you out in this department. Or, you can go the DIY route by checking out our article, “6 DIY Sunscreen Recipes to Protect Your Hair”.
6. It adds depth to your hair color
Two things that tend to happen whenever we color-treat our hair is 1″> it gets drier and 2″> it becomes more fragile. Because leave-in conditioner hydrates the hair, it can help to remedy both of these issues. Something else that’s cool about leave-ins is, the more moisturized your hair is, the richer your color will appear to be. Not only that but moisture can help to reduce how quickly your hair hue fades. At the end of the day, this means less color touch-ups which means less (new”> hair damage.
7. All hair types can benefit from it
It doesn’t matter if your hair is thick or fine, curly or straight, high or low porosity — there is a leave-in conditioner that’s ideal for every hair type. Since we’ve been focusing on curly hair textures today, Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate & Repair Multi-Action Leave-In and Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Treatment are three that you definitely will enjoy seeing the results of.
So, the next time you’re out shopping for some products to pamper your hair with, you now have some really good reasons to put a bottle of leave-in conditioner at the top of your list. From personal experience, you won’t regret it. I can just about promise you that!
