What’s The Difference Between Hair Mask & Conditioner?

There are literally hundreds of hair care products on the market – all of which are potentially beneficial to making your hair look and feel good no matter what your hair type is. Choosing the right conditioning treatments is essential for keeping your hair smooth and shiny, whatever your lifestyle. So, what’s the difference between a hair mask and a conditioner? Find out more here…

Application Guidelines

Whether you use a conditioner or mask, it’s imperative to use a quality shampoo as this prepares the hair to receive treatment. Washing your hair is a very individual routine and both hair masks and conditioners usually need to be rinsed out, so you may initially have to experiment with how often you use either of them. Look at the advantages of using these products and then select which one to apply and when!

Conditioner Facts

Hair conditioners actually condition the hair strands, making them soft and manageable, and hydrating the strands at the same time. On top of making the hair softer, a good quality conditioner will reduce hair tangling and hair frizz, whilst helping to prevent breakage and damage.

Conditioners need to be applied to hair strands and generally washed out after about two minutes. They can be applied every day to re-hydrate hair and replenish nutrients. Conditioning your hair also helps prevent damage from sun exposure and any atmospheric toxic air that causes hair to lose its lustre and shine.

There are different types of conditioners, ranging from a cleansing option that cleans and conditions the hair to leave-in conditioners that don’t require a rinse to nourish and protect throughout the day. Dry conditioners are designed to spritz on to make hair shinier, smoother, and softer without the risk of making the hair greasy.

Bear in mind that excess water can dilute the conditioner and prevent hair from soaking up moisturising ingredients – and just two minutes is enough for the conditioner to adhere to the hair.

Hair Mask Data

Hair masks are a mix of richly hydrating oils and butters, which also contain hair softeners and other conditioning ingredients that provide moisture for your hair. This makes them ideal for dry and damaged hair, but there are hair masks available for almost any hair type.

The beauty of hair masks is that they also add strength to hair, making them perfect for long-term hair care and management when ideally used once a week. If you regularly have masks specifically for coloured hair, it can help to lock in the colour, reduce fade, help restore the hair shaft and fix the damage.

Hair masks are designed to be left in for up to 20 minutes and applied from root to tip after a hair wash on wet hair. Getting the mask to work faster can be achieved by wrapping hair in a towel.

Hair types that benefit from masks include those that are prone to dehydration – Afro and mixed hair kinds in particular, as well as bleached and damaged hair. Quality products used less often will nourish and strengthen strands from the inside out.

Chat to the Experts

Cochrane & Co are renowned for hair replacement systems in London, and caring for your hair replacement system is made simple when you get all the help and advice you need from your professional hairstylist. Ask about hair masks and conditioners to get an opinion from a specialist.