We’ve all probably searched for ways to help our hair grow longer, stronger and faster. Especially during the summer months, some of us crave luscious long beach waves or a long flowing ponytail.

Warm summer months might even make you turn to dieticians or hair growth vitamins in an attempt to discover new ways to grow your hair faster.

While the options above MIGHT help your hair grow faster, don’t forget about a simple yet effective way to help nourish your hair – deep conditioner.

Benefits of Hair Conditioner

Everyone should know the benefits of hair conditioner and how essential it is to the overall health of your hair.

Yes, hair tends to grow faster when there’s a good balance between food, environment, stress and other factors, but conditioner helps to further nourish and hydrate it.

If your body is getting all the important vitamins and nutrients, if you’re staying hydrated, and your scalp is healthy, your hair will also likely grow well.

Your shampoo and essential oils help keep your scalp clean, while your conditioner moisturizes your hair follicles. These all contribute to how fast and healthy your hair grows.

Without conditioner, you’ll end up with dry and brittle hair that won’t grow well.

A quality hair conditioner will:

• Help replace all the important growth proteins in your hair shafts
• Seal the cuticles and prevent damage while giving it free rein to grow as much as possible without breakage

Should you Leave Regular or Deep Conditioner in your Hair Overnight?

In short, sleeping with regular or deep hair conditioner in your hair isn’t recommended or even needed.

The common saying: “too much of anything good is bad for you” definitely applies in this situation.

To illustrate, you wouldn’t take any more than the prescribed dose of a medication to get rid of symptoms faster, would you? Similarly, leaving hair conditioner in your hair overnight will not result in added benefits.

Instead, it may even have an adverse effect on your hair.

What Happens if you Leave Hair Conditioner in your Hair for too Long?

Leaving hair conditioner in your hair for too long will put it at risk of damage in the form of hygral fatigue.

Essentially, hair will become overly moisturized and the moisture will penetrate the hair shafts.

Since your hair strands aren’t meant to expand and contract quickly, practices such as overnight conditioning will have the complete opposite effect than what you’re hoping for.

It’s like forcing yourself into clothes that are too small. You might be able to squeeze into them as they’ll stretch to accommodate you, but over time the clothes will become permanently stretched and may even begin to rip.

What Happens if you don’t Wash out Hair Conditioner?

Hair conditioners aren’t meant to be left on your hair overnight.

Many hair conditioners have a chemical substance known as surfactant, which strips all natural oils from your hair. These substances are not meant to remain in your hair for long periods of time.

Hair conditioners are always meant to be used together with a high-quality shampoo. You could say they’re a dynamic duo!

How Long do I need to Leave Conditioner in my Hair?

First, you should always apply hair conditioner to hair that’s been wrung out.

Sopping wet hair is too slippery for conditioner to adhere too. In fact, conditioner will drip down along with excess water and result in uneven coverage and incomplete treatment.

One or two minutes is enough time for your hair to properly absorb a regular hair conditioner. Afterwards, very gently comb through your hair while applying deep conditioner.

Ensure that the product has been distributed equally, then rinse thoroughly and end with a shot of cool water to close the hair cuticles.

If you’d like to use a rinse-out conditioner that provides deeper penetration, use an oil-based product. It will take a few extra minutes to properly absorb into your hair, but it’ll leave it feeling soft and nourished.

The primary functions of a rinse-out conditioner are simply to coat hair cuticles with a protective layer and to nourish it.

While most everyday conditioners do provide a bit of moisture, it is important to use deep conditioning treatments sometimes if you really want to hydrate and refresh your hair.