What does conditioner do for hair? As mentioned before, it makes unmanageable hair softer, smoother, and easier to control. But what is the mechanism behind this effect of conditioner on your lovely tresses? Before you get into the mechanism of hair conditioner, first have a look at each hair strand up close.

The coating of your hair strands is made up of a protein called keratin. Layers of keratin overlap each other, such that they look like fish scales or roof shingles. When hair is damaged or dry, the keratin appears very bristly, causing strands to easily get tangled up. Imagine how the rough ends of Velcro attach to each other. That is how you get mussed up hair.

Now, this is where hair conditioner comes into play. The pH of hair conditioner is slightly acidic, which means that it contains many hydrogen atoms. When they come in contact with the keratin on the hair surface, hydrogen bonds are formed, causing the shingles to flatten out and smoothen.

No longer is there a scaly or bristly appearance on the surface of hair strands. In this same manner, hair is untangled, leaving is smooth and soft at the same time. This is why hair becomes easier to brush after applying conditioner.

However, hair conditioner does more than just improve the texture of each hair strand. This hair product also is significant in maintaining the health of your tresses and your scalp. Because conditioners also contain moisturizers, the skin on your scalp becomes healthier and more nourished. When the scalp is healthy, good hair growth is achieved as well.

How do you use hair conditioner? After shampooing, wring out the excess water from your hair, and apply your conditioner while massaging your scalp. This also improves blood circulation in this part of your body. When done, rinse off the conditioner and towel try your hair. There are certain treatments that require conditioner to incubate on the hair to help penetrate it better, an example of which is deep hair conditioning.

What is the pH scale? This is the basis that helps determine how acidic or basic a chemical solution is. If the pH is measured at 7, such as in distilled water, you can expect it to be neutral. If it goes above 7, like for bleaches and detergents, it is considered basic or alkaline. If the pH is measured below 7, like for vinegar and lemon juice, it is now acidic.

Normally, most areas of the body like the scalp, skin surface, and the stomach contains acidic substances. The pH on the hair and scalp, to be more specific, is about 5. as said before, pH affects the health of the hair, which is why the pH of products used on hair can also have significant effects on your tresses.

Speaking of hair care, the most common product people can’t do without is shampoo. This has a slightly acidic pH, but more close to neutral for gentle shampoos. Shampoo has to have a lower pH to be able to clear off the scum and excess oils on the scalp and hair. A neutral shampoo is often used for babies or people with sensitive scalp and hair, to prevent irritation. Conditioners are also acidic, so that they can cause the surface of hair strands to flatten out and be smooth instead of bristly like roof shingles, as how hair strand surfaces would normally look when you have a bad hair day.

When you go for a perm, on the other hand, the chemicals used on hair are more basic, or have a pH above 7. This creates specific types of chemical bonds on the surfaces of hair strands, causing them to curl up. pH is also an important factor in other hair treatment products such as hair dyes or hair colors.