What is a hair balm for?

Shampoo – for cleansing, conditioner – for easy combing and styling, mask – for moisturizing, nourishing. What is a hair balm for? Is it possible to do without it?

Why do you need a hair balm

You know what happens if you just wash your hair with shampoo and dry it. Do not comb and style your hair, they look dull. And it’s a completely different matter if, after washing off the shampoo, apply a balm to the curls – then they will magically transform.

What does hair balm do?

  • Closes the cuticle, the scales of which rise during shampooing.

  • Cares for her, levels the surface of the hair.

If the shampoo dissolves grease and impurities, then the balm, on the contrary, covers the hair with caring substances, like a protective film. All other properties of hair balm depend on its variety.

Balm conditioner for hair does not promise a radical transformation, it is needed in order to simply smooth the cuticle after shampoo.

Balm conditioner moisturizes and envelops every hair. After it, the curls become smooth, silky, well combed and easy to style.

Caring balm (moisturizing, nourishing, regenerating, etc.), among other things, nourishes the hair with nutrients and is needed, respectively, to moisturize, nourish, restore them. Sometimes he is able to lift the hair at the roots and give them extra volume, and sometimes he specializes in maintaining the brightness of the color after dyeing the hair. In this sense, it is similar to a mask – only you can use it, unlike a mask, not 2-3 times a week, but every day.

By the way, here you can find out which mask suits you.

What happens if you don’t use conditioner after shampooing?

We have already written above why you need a hair balm – curls without it will not look the best. Yes, they will be clean, fresh, light, but at the same time less obedient and smooth. Do I need a hair balm after shampoo? Definitely yes! Moreover, it is better if it is a separate product, and not a 2-in-1 shampoo-balm, because, as we can see, they perform different functions.

How is a balm different from a conditioner and a mask?

Let’s figure out how a balm differs from a hair conditioner? These products are used after shampoo and are intended for additional hair care. Manufacturers often make them multifunctional. Perhaps that is why many people think that one thing will be enough – either a balm / conditioner, or a mask. But they have different functions! If it is very schematic, then:

  • balm smoothes the hair cuticle, cares for the hair;

  • conditioner smoothes the cuticle, can facilitate further styling;

  • the mask is designed for intensive action, requires exposure to the hair.

The balm covers the hair with caring substances, like a protective film. © Unsplash

“The mask has the most intense effect: it has a higher concentration of useful components and it is applied for a longer time than a balm or conditioner,” explains dermatologist, trichologist Maria Nevskaya. – It is usually recommended to use it 2-3 times a week after washing your hair. As for the hair balm, it can also nourish and restore curls, but its effect is less than that of a mask, including because it does not need to be kept on the hair, but it must be applied after each wash. The conditioner comes into contact with the hair the least. It is actually applied – and immediately washed off.

What should be in the balm

Each balm necessarily contains acid – lactic, citric, ascorbic, etc. It neutralizes alkali after shampoo. In addition to it, the composition may include the following ingredients:

  • ceramides;

  • oil;

  • proteins, amino acids;

  • plant extracts;

  • peptides;

  • vitamins.

Overview of hair balms

Let’s talk about the favorite tools of the Healthy-Food editors. If you also used them, please share your impressions in the comments.

Balm Balm “3 valuable clay” for hair oily at the roots and dry at the ends, L’Oréal Paris

Three types of clay perfectly cleanse the hair and scalp for both women and men, provide freshness and lightness at the roots. Complementing the shampoo from the same line, the balm moisturizes the hair and makes combing easier.

Balm conditioner Elseve “Fibrology” for hair devoid of density, L’Oréal Paris

The balm thickens the hair shaft. Among the active ingredients is the same filoxan, a molecule due to which the hair becomes thicker and more beautiful.

Laminating balm Elseve “Color Expert” for colored or highlighted hair, L’Oréal Paris

Protects hair, at the same time restores them and nourishes, protects from fading. Curls look bright, shiny. To create such a balm, specialists were inspired by the lamination procedure in the salon.

Balm Botanicals Fresh Care Rose and Geranium. Radiance Elixir” for colored and dull hair, L’Oréal Paris

The product consists of 98% natural ingredients, including geranium flower oil, rose petal extract, coconut and soybean oils. Together, they help restore natural shine to hair. Curls again become soft and obedient.

Botanic Therapy Tea Tree Oil, Orange Blossom & Aloe Vera Tonic Balm Conditioner for normal to oily hair, Garnier

Among the active components of the balm are tea tree oil, orange flowers and aloe vera, which tone the scalp, give hair energy, increase their elasticity. The balm has a light texture, it does not weigh down the strands.

Balm-conditioner for hair in need of moisturizing Fructis Superfood “Aloe. Hydration, Garnier

Absorbs quickly, moisturizing, smoothing the hair, rinses easily and makes combing easier. The balm does not contain parabens, silicones, synthetic dyes. 98% of the ingredients are of natural origin.

Sealing regenerating balm Dercos Densi-Solutions, Vichy

Contains rhamnose, ceramides and vitamin E. The balm restores hair fibers, stimulates their growth, making them thicker, voluminous and durable. Promotes the restoration of damaged curls.

How to use hair balm correctly

There are subtleties.

  1. The balm does not need to be applied to the hair roots, it is not rubbed into the scalp, it should not come into contact with the skin at all! This tool is distributed exclusively along the length of the hair.

  2. It seems that if you hold it longer, the hair structure will improve, the curls will become smoother, silky and moisturized – beauty! And here it is not. The tool is kept on curls exactly as long as indicated in the instructions – no more, no less.

  3. Balm – the final stage of washing. Therefore, if you want to use a mask as well, first apply it, and only then the balm. How to use hair conditioner balm? In the same way – at the end of washing, before you are about to get out of the shower.

  4. Wash off the balm with a little cool water, this helps to consolidate its effect.

  5. It should be used after every shampooing.

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