The conditioner hunt

one, two, three, four, five

My hair has been pretty dry. I do a lot of work to it, so it’s not like this fact surprises me, but I’ve been looking for a new conditioner to help restore my ends to good condition.

Up until this search commenced, I was using Pureology Hydrate conditioner. I still really like that conditioner, but I was itching for a change and wondered if something different would help my ends stay a bit healthier.

I asked for suggestions on Instagram, hopped into my car, and sped off to Ulta. I left with these three and a gut instinct that I needed to give the very suggested Aussie 3 Minute Miracle a try too.

What do I look for in conditioner?

1. The ability to run my hands through my hair while the conditioner is applied. If you can’t do this, I’d argue that the conditioner is not as smoothing and hydrating for you as it should be.

2. No waxy residue. There is nothing more obnoxious that finishing your blow dry only to realize your hair still feels dirty with a layer of “too heavy” conditioner on it.

3. An actual difference in the away my hair feels. I want to feel the conditioner working by smoothing out my hair and helping it feel hydrated.

There are a few directions you can go with conditioners. You can aim for softness, repair, protein, hydration, or smoothness. Some conditioners claim to do all that I just listed and more.

Here are the high and low points of the conditioners that I tried:

1. Oscar Blandi Instant Volumizing Conditioner: It’s hydrating and thick, without feeling too heavy on the hair. Not the best for very dry hair, but a great “normal” conditioner.

2. Sebastian Drench Conditioner: It was my favorite of the new group that I tried. It left my hair feeling fantastic with zero weight. I could tell that a deep conditioner would be helpful to add in to my routine since it wasn’t overly hydrating, but it was a great, nourishing conditioner.

3. Pureology Hydrate Conditioner: This has been an all time favorite of mine. It’s softening, rich, nourishing, and makes me hair feel fantastic.

4. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist: This deep conditioner came highly recommended on Instagram, and at $2.99/bottle I had to grab it to give it a try. No one was more skeptical than me about it living up to the hype, but I will say if softened my hair really well. I did find that it built up a waxy residue after a few uses, and that’s probably just due to the quality of components in it. So, I wouldn’t recommend using it daily. Instead, if you like a super heavy daily conditioner, look into Redken All Soft. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle is okay for periodic use if you need something cheap!

5.Ojon Damage Restorative Conditioner*: My least favorite of the bunch by far. It smelled of paint thinner and no part of it impressed me.

*pictured is the deep conditioner. I used the regular conditioner linked above but simply grabbed the wrong image.

My favorite, like I mentioned, is Sebastian’s Drench. I find myself alternating between that and Pureology Hydrate throughout the week.

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