Hair Conditioner vs. Treatment: What's the Difference?

Hair conditioner and treatment serve distinct purposes in haircare routines, offering targeted benefits for hair health and maintenance. Conditioners primarily focus on nourishing and moisturizing the strands after shampooing, which can sometimes strip them of natural oils. This improves manageability, softness, and shine. On the other hand, hair treatments have reparative benefits, addressing intense damage from heavy styling and coloring.

It’s easy to confuse the two products and use them interchangeably. And while your locks will probably survive the occasional post-wash product switch, understanding these differences can be a real haircare game-changer. The first step is checking out the label on your product – is it a hair conditioner or a treatment? The next is reading about what differentiates the two below.

The primary purpose of conditioner is to nourish your strands. This includes moisturizing, detangling, and improving the manageability and appearance of the hair. Although the immediate benefits of conditioner may be cosmetic, using it regularly does contribute to long-term hair health by helping prevent breakage, thanks to its smoothening properties. 

In contrast, hair treatments are designed to provide intensive repair and targeted solutions for specific hair concerns. Some types of hair treatment may tackle damage from frequent heat styling and chemical procedures like coloring and rebonding, while others address dryness or lack of elasticity.

Conditioners typically contain ingredients like oils, nutrients, and proteins that coat and penetrate the hair shaft, providing immediate hydration and smoothing effects on the hair surface. For example, Cream Silk Vitamin Boost Standout Straight Conditioner combines 10x more vitamins (vs. other tri-oleo variants) and argan, rosehip, and marula oils to deliver smoothness and shine. Consider this your introduction to using conditioners if you haven’t been using them already. Simply squeeze the contents into your hand and spread evenly through your strands, focusing on the ends.

Advanced conditioners like Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Conditioner use superior ingredients to deliver next-level nourishment to your locks. Use this if you’re a regular conditioner user who wants to level up their hair’s appearance (like getting ultimately beautiful, straight hair) and overall nourishment game. This one has three times more keratin than leading conditioners: keratin relaxers, keratin serum, and keratin essence that complement the formula in taming rebellious frizz, reviving strength, and restoring shine and lustrousness in hair.

Hair treatments, on the other hand, have higher concentrations of active ingredients in a formula that penetrates deeper into the hair shaft. Cream Silk Salon Expert Treatment Damage Repair is a hair treatment product that uses keratin and collagen to repair and strengthen from within.

Here’s where everything could go awry. Applying post-wash products incorrectly can lead to wastage or excessive product buildup on the hair, so follow the proper order of application and don’t rush the process.

Hair conditioner is typically used after every shampoo and is rinsed out shortly after. It is applied to strands – avoiding the roots – and left on for a brief period before rinsing. Most hair treatments, however, are applied less frequently and often left on the hair longer to allow for maximum absorption of the active ingredients. Use them weekly or as needed after heavy styling.

Hair conditioner provides immediate benefits such as softness, shine, and easier detangling. But because these effects are surface level, it’s best to use it daily after every shampoo. Shampoo alone is not enough since it’s a cleanser that, while removing unwanted dirt and residue, can also strip your locks of essential oils. Think of conditioner as your hair’s daily nourishment. Bonus: it’s also a nifty pre-styling assistant that preps your locks for whatever look you want to achieve for the day.

On the other hand, hair treatments are for people who have damaged hair caused by styling and salon procedures such as rebonding, curling, and straightening. It addresses underlying damage that may manifest as dryness, brittleness, or dullness. Use weekly after your conditioner to maintain your locks as needed after heavy styling sessions.

To learn more about hair conditioner, treatment, and hair care in general, head over to The Cream Silk Hair Institute, a new education platform launched to celebrate the brand’s 40 years. Aiming to make hair care simple and easy for all Filipinas, it offers all the information you’ll need to make the best choices for your locks. Explore Cream Silk’s superior post-wash solutions and get the best hair treatment and conditioner for your needs on Lazada and Shopee.