CAIRA: What about two-in-ones? Do they even work?
AMANDA: No, they’re not actually that bad, which I feel bad about, because the amount of exes that I ridiculed for having that in their shower.
CAIRA: Oh, I’m a hater, a hater.
AMANDA: I was too, and I still am a little bit, but they’re not actually that bad.
CHRISTINE: I’m Christine Cyr Clisset.
CAIRA: I’m Caira Blackwell.
ROSIE: I’m Rosie Guerin, and you’re listening to The Wirecutter Show.
ROSIE: Hi, guys.
CHRISTINE: Hi.
CAIRA: Hey.
ROSIE: Hey. So before we get into the episode, today we’re talking about conditioners, I just want to mention this special offer available for folks. So if you’re not already a subscriber to The New York Times, you can now explore The Times, dip your toe in for free, no paywalls, during your first month of downloading the app. So download The New York Times app. You can find all your favorite shows, like Modern Love, Cannonball, The Wirecutter Show, I don’t know, whatever you like, whatever you listen to, and you can check them out on the app via the new shows tab. You can also check out our entire back catalog, which is amazing. So check that out, you might find something you like, and that’s it. Let’s get into it.
Today, we’re talking about conditioners. We talked about shampoos with our colleague, Amanda Rosenthal, a few weeks ago, and now this feels a little bit like the other half of that discussion.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. I’ve been waiting for this conversation because I use conditioner a lot more than I use shampoo.
CAIRA: Oh, definitely. I’m buying two times the conditioner-
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
CAIRA: … than I do with my shampoo.
ROSIE: Same.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: But like we said in our shampoo episode if you listened to that one, the three of us have curly hair, very different types of curly hair, different curl patterns, different textures, and the products you need to pick for different hair types are really different. So today, we are going to really get into how to approach that for conditioner.
CAIRA: Right. That’s why we’re bringing back Amanda Rosenthal. She’s a staff writer on the beauty team here at Wirecutter, and she wrote the conditioner guide. She’s going to break down everything we need to know about our hair and how to find the right conditioner for it, things you should be considering for your hair and things that maybe aren’t so important.
CHRISTINE: We’ll take a quick break, and then we’ll be back with Amanda.
ROSIE: Welcome back. Our guest today is Amanda Rosenthal, who is a staff writer on the beauty team. She’s covered everything from shampoo and conditioners to lip liners. And we were just chatting about how, in service of testing makeup longevity claims, Amanda, you worked out and then slept in a full face of makeup.
AMANDA: That breaks my beauty writer soul.
ROSIE: Without washing your face.
AMANDA: Without washing my face.
ROSIE: I shudder.
CHRISTINE: All the things you do for the work. Well, Amanda, thank you for joining us again. We had you on the show last month to talk about shampoos, and I feel like I learned a ton about shampoo. You see shampoo and conditioner in your shower every day and maybe don’t think too much about it. In that episode, we talked about the actual nitty-gritty of what shampoo is doing to your hair and how it can actually make your scalp healthier and it has all these beneficial effects, right? I’m curious about conditioner. We’re going to talk all about the conditioners today. I think of conditioner as like lotion for your hair. It’s like the moisturizing step, right? Am I right, or is there some other way we should be thinking about conditioner?
AMANDA: You are definitely on the right track. I’m very excited to be back. I loved talking about shampoos, but I’m even more excited to talk about conditioners. I think of conditioners almost as a two-part step to shampoos. So if you think of shampoos as the cleansing cycle when you’re doing laundry, conditioners are that lovely softener that makes clothings feel better, that helps soften the fabric, and prevents any frays.
ROSIE: Do you know what? One of the most interesting things I’ve learned while doing this show for almost two years is that fabric softener is fat.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. And we don’t actually recommend using it. Great analogy, but not for real life. But your hair is different than your clothing.
CAIRA: Yeah. Exactly.
AMANDA: Completely.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
AMANDA: Completely. And so when you wash your hair with shampoo, what happens is that it leaves your hair with a negative charge. And if you think about when you wash your hair, you’re scrubbing your scalp, you’re creating a bit of friction, so naturally you’re just, by doing that action, going to increase the amount of frizz in your hair.
CHRISTINE: So electrical charge, like electricity?
AMANDA: Yes.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
AMANDA: So it becomes negatively charged. And what happens is conditioner is actually formulated with a positive charge. It contains cationic surfactants, which I know sounds like a big word, but really it’s just ingredients that helps smooth the hair cuticle. And what conditioner does So first, it moisturizes, which is great for revitalizing dry or brittle hair. Second, it helps with minimizing frizz, and in doing so, what it does is it temporarily seals the cuticle, which is the outermost layer of the hair shaft. And then, thirdly, it helps impart shine, and the way that it does that is by lowering your hair’s pH. And essentially what happens is that light is able to refract and reflect more, which gives the hair that silky sheen that we all know and love.
ROSIE: It’s the hardest working man showbiz.
CHRISTINE: That is, yeah, way more complicated than I ever imagined.
AMANDA: It’s doing a lot of heavy lifting, but you don’t want it to be heavy.
ROSIE: All right. So we’ll get into that in a minute. I’m wondering, is conditioner then for everyone? Should everyone be using a conditioner?
AMANDA: As much as I love it, the short answer is no.
ROSIE: Really?
AMANDA: Not everyone actually needs it. For instance, if you co-wash, meaning you wash your hair with a conditioning cleanser, you don’t need to apply conditioner after that.
CAIRA: Is that like a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner?
AMANDA: No, it’s a little bit different, and we will definitely get to two-in-ones later because I have many thoughts. A little bit controversial, actually.
ROSIE: So a co-wash is something different?
AMANDA: Yes, it’s a little bit different. And if you also have short hair or super thin strands, your natural hair oils, the sebum from your scalp can actually go down the shaft and hydrate your hair enough, so you may not need it for then. It can also change based on your environments. For me personally, in the winter, my hair gets drier and a little bit more brittle, so I want to add back in that shine. So I think it’s worth experimenting to see what works best for you.
ROSIE: Does your hair change hormonally?
AMANDA: Yes.
ROSIE: So you could be a person who’s always had to, wanted to use conditioner, and your hair theoretically could change as you get older?
AMANDA: Yes, exactly, or through pregnancy or other hormonal changes as you get older.
CAIRA: Say somebody isn’t using conditioner right now. What are some signs that maybe they should be?
AMANDA: I think there’s two ways to look at it. First, I think you should look at the appearance of your hair. In doing so, you want to say, okay, does my hair look lackluster? Is it less shiny than usual? Does it look frizzier? And then, the second way is texture. You want to actually feel your hair, put your hands through your hair. Is it difficult to detangle? Do you notice pulling, snapping? Does it feel brittle? Those are clear indicators that you need a conditioner.
CHRISTINE: Have you guys experienced going to a new place, and you wash your hair and you’re doing your hair, and it doesn’t react in the same way?
CAIRA: Yes.
CHRISTINE: I just had a friend visit from San Francisco in New York, and she said her hair was just freaking out, it was frizzy, and she was blaming it on the water. Could it be a conditioner problem, she needs a different hair product here?
AMANDA: 100%.
CHRISTINE: Interesting.
AMANDA: I think that’s a very clear indicator of needing a different conditioner. But also, environmental factors do contribute. So I grew up in California, moved to New York, and my hair completely changed. It needed a lot more hydration.
CHRISTINE: In our shampoo episode, we talked about needing to understand your hair type. There are different hair types, there are different curl patterns. Is it the same for conditioners? Do you need to start by assessing your hair type before you pick a product?
AMANDA: Absolutely, because not all conditioners are formulated the same. A perfect example is if you’re someone with fine hair, you don’t want a super heavy conditioner. So the conditioner that someone who has gorgeous, thick, full hair is using is going to weigh down your hair.
ROSIE: What does that mean, weigh down? What would that look like?
AMANDA: The conditioning agents, the silicones and butters tend to be a lot richer in those products, and if you use that on someone with fine hair, their hair is going to feel like they almost have a greasy residue around the strands.
ROSIE: Okay.
CAIRA: This is why it’s always so hard to take other people’s recommendations, especially if you’re on social media. When I’m on TikTok and I see these girls with beautiful, luscious hair and they’re advertising this product, and of course I buy it and it doesn’t work the same, it’s because we have completely different hair types.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Even if they have very pretty curly hair-
ROSIE: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: … you have very pretty curly hair, but it might not work for you.
CAIRA: Right.
AMANDA: Exactly. I have been such a victim of TikTok, it’s bad, but I love breaking a trend.
CHRISTINE: We also talked about in the shampoo episode that there are some ingredients, if you have very sensitive skin, you might want to avoid. We recommend Vanicream in our shampoo guide. Doesn’t have any fragrances. It doesn’t have any irritating substances. What about conditioners? Is it similar for conditioners if you have sensitive skin, eczema, other skin issues, should you be looking for a certain type of conditioner?
AMANDA: Yes, that still rings true. You definitely want to avoid synthetic fragrances. And you might not think that’s as important in conditioner because it’s supposed to be applied from your mid to end lengths. But if you think about when you’re rinsing it, it’s still touching the rest of your body, so you want to make sure that you’re not going to aggravate it or cause any irritation.
ROSIE: What does mid to end lengths mean?
AMANDA: When speaking with my hairstylist, they recommended at least three inches from your roots of your hair and start conditioner down.
CHRISTINE: So don’t glop it onto your scalp.
AMANDA: No.
CHRISTINE: That’s not what you’re supposed to be doing.
ROSIE: Oh. Wait. Okay. I’m so sorry. Say that one more time. Don’t put it on your scalp?
AMANDA: Don’t put it on your scalp.
ROSIE: Wait, but what-
CHRISTINE: I watch my kid do that all the time. I’m like, it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do.
CAIRA: I do that all the time.
ROSIE: Yeah. My mind is a little bit blown.
CAIRA: I feel like if I don’t put it right on my scalp, then my hair right by my face is going to feel different when I come out the shower, no?
AMANDA: No.
ROSIE: How do you do it though?
AMANDA: I would just start from, instead of going down, pressing down, start outwards.
ROSIE: Oh.
AMANDA: Because if you think of it, shampoo is kind of clearing the slate. We’re removing the extra product buildup, removing oils. If you go in and put conditioner on top of that, you’re essentially messing up all the clean that you just did.
ROSIE: That is wild.
CAIRA: This is news.
AMANDA: It’s not the end of the world though, because at least you’re cleaning your scalp prior. And for some people, they need that extra hydration. If your hair is very overly dry or super processed, it won’t hurt. However, for your scalp health to keep the microbiome clean, you don’t want to be applying conditioner.
CHRISTINE: Okay. Let’s say your hair is longer and you’re going three inches down to the end.
AMANDA: Yes.
CHRISTINE: Are you supposed to start from three inches down and go down or should you start from the bottom and go up?
ROSIE: For instance, what are you doing?
CAIRA: Yeah.
ROSIE: How are you going to do it?
CAIRA: You just don’t start from your hairline. You start from-
CHRISTINE: I just kind of pull my hair back into a ponytail, essentially-
CAIRA: And then work your way down?
CHRISTINE: … and just work my way down.
CAIRA: But what about-
AMANDA: That’s a great way to do it. Your scalp is already producing natural sebum and oil, so the top of your hair isn’t going to feel naturally as dry. That’s where all the oil’s being produced, all the oil sits.
CAIRA: Unsurprisingly, it seems like there are a lot of factors to consider when you’re choosing the right conditioner for your hair, and also the way that you put it on your hair. But how do you go about testing them, Amanda? In this case, you’re trying to find the right conditioner for as many people as possible, which doesn’t sound like it is possible. How do you do it?
AMANDA: It was a challenge. There are numerous conditioners on the market, and they have so many different ingredients. There’s a lot of marketing jargon, sulfate-free, synthetic fragrance-free. So what I did is I spoke with my experts, I spoke with derms, hairstylists, and a trichologist, and I ended up with an initial list of 84 different conditioners. And after looking at them, I then evaluated them a little bit more holistically when speaking with hairstylists, feedback from people of different hair types, and I was able to narrow that list down to 34, which I sent to a first group of preliminary testers. And based on their feedback, I then narrowed that down to 15. And then, eventually, we came to our top five picks.
CHRISTINE: And these are the picks that worked the best for the widest range of people, right?
AMANDA: Correct. Within different hair type categories.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. The thing I like to always remind people about when we make recommendations on the site is that if you’re using something that you actually really love and you don’t see it as a pick, and we tested it and we didn’t love it, that’s fine. You love it and it works for you. But the picks that we have are generally things that we have tested with a wide range of people and they worked for a wide range of people. So I think it’s just, especially for personal care products, I think that’s important to just note.
CAIRA: I’d also love to tag on that if you tried one of the main picks and you find that it didn’t necessarily work, check the other good options, because nobody ever goes down to the bottom of the guide.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. There’s another section in our guides-
CAIRA: Exactly.
CHRISTINE: … that has all sorts of stuff that we’ve tested that maybe some people really loved, but they didn’t rise to the height of a wider range of people liking.
AMANDA: Yes. We have a very robust competition section, and there were so many picks in there that worked for some and not others. So I think if you’re trying to find something and you can’t find one based on the picks, you should look at the competition to see.
CAIRA: Because you will tell people why you eliminated it, and the reason that you eliminated it might be the exact reason that somebody else might want it.
AMANDA: Exactly. And a perfect example is when we were testing fine hair conditioners, we tested them on people with fine, short hair that was straight. We tested it on fine, long hair that was curly. So it really is what works best for the most amount of people with fine hair.
ROSIE: Did anything surprise you during testing?
AMANDA: The one that stood out the most was that conditioners can’t actually mend split ends.
CAIRA: I knew it. I knew it. That seemed too good to be true.
CHRISTINE: You have to get a haircut to do that, right?
AMANDA: Exactly. It’s like a bandaid on the problem, it’s not going to fix the whole solution. And that leaving conditioner on for a long time isn’t actually going to make it work any better.
CHRISTINE: How long should you leave it on for?
AMANDA: Typically, two to five minutes is all you need.
CHRISTINE: Oh, okay. Well, how long are people leaving it on?
ROSIE: Y’all-
CAIRA: I don’t ever rinse it out.
ROSIE: Sometimes I don’t rinse it fully out either.
AMANDA: That’s scandalous.
CAIRA: Is that bad?
AMANDA: Do you use a leave-in treatment?
CAIRA: No, I use my conditioner that I leave in.
ROSIE: Okay. So you don’t have to keep it on for ages and ages? Two to five minutes?
AMANDA: Two to five minutes is all you need. When I’m in the shower, I like to put my conditioner on, and then I’ll wash my body or shave, and that’s typically the amount of time that you need.
CHRISTINE: So just to recap briefly what we’ve covered so far, conditioner does a lot. It’s not just moisturizing your hair. It’s actually creating this positive charge that’s reacting to the negative charge, I know I’m probably screwing that up on a scientific level, but it’s a way for you to get rid of that frizz that you might have. It just will make your hair look shinier and nicer in general. It’s important to pick one that works for your hair type, so figure out what your hair type is and go for that type of conditioner. And then, apply it in a way that’s not going to create more residue on your scalp, essentially. So you want it to really just be on the hair below your scalp.
AMANDA: Correct.
CAIRA: Okay. We’re going to take a quick break. And then, when we’re back, we’re going to do some more myth busting, plus a conditioner lightning round.
CHRISTINE: Welcome back. Amanda, now that we have covered the basics of conditioners, we want to get into some more myth busting. What’s the deal with deep conditioners? I see these in the store. I’m not sure if they’re a gimmick or if they’re a real deal thing. What do we need to know about deep conditioners?
AMANDA: I also had the same question when I started reporting on this. Essentially, deep conditioners are formulated with higher concentrations of conditioning agents. They contain richer butters, heavier silicones, and they’re meant to be used occasionally. That said, from a property standpoint, they’re really not that different. They’re meant to hydrate, they’re meant to help seal frizz and split ends, and they’re meant to impart shine when you dry your hair.
CHRISTINE: Are these the same as a hair mask?
AMANDA: This is a great question. I wish that there was a regulation on how these products could be labeled because this is a clear example of marketing jargon. Essentially, a hair mask is kind of describing the actual reason a product is being sold. Hey, you’re supposed to use this occasionally. It’s not meant to be used with every shampoo. But a deep conditioner is describing the function of the product. It’s supposed to deeply condition. It contains higher concentration of products. In my reporting, these words are used interchangeably, and they mean the same thing. So it’s just a marketing ploy to try and get you to buy a product that you think is supposed to work better than a deep conditioner.
CHRISTINE: I’m just imagining the boardroom where they came up with that. They were like, “Okay, this is the way to do it.”
ROSIE: “You know what we’ll call it? A mask.”
CHRISTINE: A mask, exactly.
CAIRA: A mask.
CHRISTINE: The tweens are into masks right now, yeah.
ROSIE: They’ll never see it coming.
CAIRA: It’s that self-care ritual.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ROSIE: So it’s just a deep conditioner?
AMANDA: Exactly.
CAIRA: What about two-in-ones? Do they even work? Is that sacrilege in your reporting, in your research? What is that?
AMANDA: One of my colleagues reported on three-in-one products, and it breaks our hearts to admit that two-in-ones are truly not that bad. It’s more about the cleansing. Two-in-ones do a great job cleansing, which from a dermatologist’s standpoint is probably the most important part about washing your hair. Typically, they don’t include as great of conditioning agents, so you may not get that moisture and shine that you will if you use a separate conditioner.
CHRISTINE: Wait a minute, what is a three-in-one? Is that also body wash?
ROSIE: Body wash.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
CAIRA: No.
CHRISTINE: I was going to ask, because a friend had the Trader Joe’s version, the three-in-one, and I was like, “What is this Frankenstein thing in the shower?” It smelled good.
ROSIE: What’s your point?
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ROSIE: Grab a bar of Irish spring-
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: … and just to rub it on your…
CAIRA: It’d be cheaper, probably.
AMANDA: Exactly. But no, they’re not actually that bad, which I feel bad about, because the amount of exes that I ridiculed for having that in their shower.
CAIRA: Oh, I’m a hater, hater.
AMANDA: I was too, and I still am a little bit, but they’re not actually that bad.
CAIRA: So if it works for you, then it’s fine and leave it alone?
AMANDA: Yes. Or it works great in a pinch if you’re at a hotel and those products aren’t doing it for you.
CAIRA: Tell me what the tea is with leave-in conditioner. I don’t believe in them. I think that they’re more expensive than they should be, and I have conditioner in my shower that I could just leave in. So what’s the difference between a conditioner-
ROSIE: Let’s run that back. Because the deal is that you condition your hair and leave your conditioner in, instead of using leave-in conditioner?
CAIRA: A leave-in, correct.
ROSIE: So essentially, we want to know, are they different?
AMANDA: Yes, they are very different. The biggest difference in formulation is that leave-in treatments contain lighter ingredients that are meant to stay on your hair, no rinse-out required. They’re not going to weigh your hair down, leave that greasy residue or coat your hair strands in heavy silicones. Conditioners are meant to be rinsed out because they are heavier, but also they can cause irritation if they’re not rinsed out.
CAIRA: To my scalp?
AMANDA: Yes.
ROSIE: To your personality too.
CHRISTINE: Are you feeling irritated?
ROSIE: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I mean, if it’s not bothering you, then-
ROSIE: Emotionally?
CAIRA: I mean, my hair might be a little heavy.
AMANDA: Do your strands ever feel coated?
CAIRA: For sure.
AMANDA: Because over time, that can build up. But if you’re using a good shampoo, then that makes me happy, and our experts would agree that as long as you’re rinsing it out and washing out all that product buildup, you’re good to go.
ROSIE: Okay. Amanda, we want to do a lightning round. We are going to give you some scenarios, and want your best recommendation for what might fit the bill. Cool?
AMANDA: I’m excited.
ROSIE: Let’s do it. Okay. I have thick hair that’s always frizzy and dry. What do I need?
AMANDA: You should go for the TRESemme Silky Smooth Conditioner. It’s super hydrating, so it’s going to revitalize that frizz and dryness, it’s less than $10, and it includes amazing high-quality ingredients that are usually touted in premium hair care lines, like hydrolyzed silk and niacinamide, which you actually see in a lot of skincare.
CHRISTINE: Okay. Tight curls or coils, and it’s wash day, and it’s terrible to detangle the hair. What do you use then?
AMANDA: Pattern Beauty Intensive Conditioner. It provides great slip, and one tester actually likened it to a leave-in conditioner curl cream. It’s very emollient-rich, and it’s going to provide great hydration and help with detangling after you shower.
CHRISTINE: Okay. Follow-up question. You said like a curl cream. Is a curl cream actually a leave-in conditioner? Is that just the same thing?
AMANDA: It’s a little bit different because it’s formulated to help define and hold curls.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
CAIRA: What if my hair is really fried from heat styling?
AMANDA: I have been a victim of this, and I would advise to go for the Redken All Soft Conditioner. It’s a bit more pricey, but testers found that you really only need a small size amount. A little bit goes a long way. It contains argan oil, which is deeply going to hydrate the strands and prevent dryness.
ROSIE: What about someone who has gray or bleached hair that’s incredibly fragile? What are you going to hand them?
AMANDA: If their hair is incredibly fragile, I would go with the CeraVe Gentle Hydrating Conditioner. It’s fragrance-free, it’s extremely gentle. It contains lightweight conditioning agents that still provide enough moisture and shine, but it’s not going to weigh down your hair, and it will give you great slip, so that when you are detangling, your hair’s not going to be pulled or snagged.
CHRISTINE: This one’s for me. I have a super fine texture to my hair, and every conditioner seems to just leave my hair weighted down and oily-feeling.
AMANDA: The Living Proof Full Conditioner, I recommend it to everyone who has super fine hair. It’s weightless, essentially, but it provides amazing moisture and hydration that’s great for detangling.
CAIRA: All right. Last one. What if my scalp is very sensitive and everything seems to irritate it?
AMANDA: The CeraVe Gentle Hydrating Conditioner is a great fragrance-free formula. It contains non-irritating ingredients, and you can buy it at the drugstore.
CAIRA: That’s yours, Rosie.
ROSIE: That’s for me.
CAIRA: Okay. Before we wrap, we always ask our guests one last question. What’s the last thing you bought that you really loved?
AMANDA: I love this question, because I actually just moved apartments, so I would say my recent favorite has been the All-Clad stainless steel pan.
CHRISTINE: Fancy.
AMANDA: I love it.
CHRISTINE: Fancy, fancy.
ROSIE: You were officially a grownup, I think.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: You’ve entered into-
AMANDA: I feel that way. I was worried that it was going to be really hard and not great because it’s not non-stick, but I have not had any issues.
CAIRA: When you learn how to cook on it, it’s amazing.
AMANDA: Exactly.
ROSIE: A whole new world. Amanda, thanks for joining us. It’s always really fun to have you here.
AMANDA: I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for having me back.
ROSIE: Amanda is a pro.
CHRISTINE: Amazing.
ROSIE: She is.
CHRISTINE: I always learn something new when she comes on the show.
CAIRA: Yeah.
ROSIE: Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge. What I’m taking away is… Is that silly?
CAIRA: No, we know what your takeaway is.
ROSIE: Okay. So rude. I’m applying my conditioner wrong, all right?
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Well, a lot of people probably are.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I mean, I don’t think that anybody reads the back of the bottle anyways, right?
CAIRA: Does it say, “Don’t put this on your scalp” on the back of the bottle?
CHRISTINE: I mean, I see the people in my family do it all the time.
ROSIE: The more you know.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ROSIE: Also, I’m keeping it on for too long.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ROSIE: Two to five minutes. Boom, boom, boom.
CHRISTINE: My takeaway is that conditioners are a lot harder working than I originally thought.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I just thought they were moisturizing my hair, but they are also reducing frizz, which isn’t surprising because I kind of associate that with moisture, but also that they’re making your hair shinier. So it’s kind of like a full package that is much more than I originally thought.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I also want to try, I have really fine hair, and I’m curious about the Living Proof Full Conditioner, so I’ll maybe try that one next.
CAIRA: Yeah. In the same vein, I also have really fine hair, but my curls are different from yours, Christine.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
CAIRA: So I actually think I’m going to try the TRESemme next and see how that goes.
ROSIE: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ROSIE: I think the last thing that blew my mind that Amanda said is that conditioners won’t fix your split ends.
CAIRA: Nope. And hair masks are the same as deep conditioning.
CHRISTINE: I knew it.
CAIRA: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I knew it.
CAIRA: Now, we know.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
CAIRA: Don’t spend extra money on that.
ROSIE: If you want to find out more about Amanda’s reporting, the conditioners we recommend, head to our website, or you can find a link in the show notes. That’s it for us. Thanks, y’all.
CAIRA: The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. Today’s episode was mixed by Catherine Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, Catherine Anderson, Rowan Niemisto, and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. I’m Caira Blackwell.
CHRISTINE: I’m Christine Cyr Clisset.
ROSIE: And I’m Rosie Guerin.
CAIRA: Thanks for listening.
ROSIE: Oh, that is-
CAIRA: Can I ask why?
CHRISTINE: I wish this was a video cast, because Amanda, your face, it was like… There could be so many great sound effects.
