Shampoos and conditioners are always recommended to be used as a pair from the same brand and range. “For best results, use with brand X’s matching shampoo/conditioner!” is what you’ll always see at the back of every shampoo and conditioner. Of course, most of it is marketing talk; each beauty product should be able to be used on its own without needing to be paired with another product from the same brand for best results.
But you see, the thing is, as much as a part of my cynical brain tells me I don’t need to use shampoos and conditioners from the same range and brand together, the other part of me says I have to. I don’t know why but I have a thing for matchy-matchy shampoos and conditioners.
It’s very rare that I buy a single shampoo or conditioner without getting the matching partner. For example, if I picked up a Pantene Aqua Light shampoo, I’d have to get the Aqua Light conditioner too. If you tell me that there’s no need to use them together, I know. I KNOW! Somehow I seem to think that I’m breaking up a pair and I couldn’t do it.
*cue eye rolling*
The irritating part of using a matchy-matchy pair of shampoo and conditioner is – and I bet most of you experience this too – one always gets used up quicker than the other. For some, the conditioners finish up first. For me, I’d use up an entire bottle of shampoo and still have about half of the remaining conditioner from the same brand and range left. If I restock on the shampoo, I’d use up the conditioner when I’m halfway through the shampoo. Oh the vicious cycle!
Call it a strange OCD part of me if you will, but when I’m done with the shampoo, I’m pretty much done with the conditioner as well. When I move on to another shampoo, I’d use the matching conditioner as well instead of finishing up the old conditioner that doesn’t match the shampoo. And this, ladies and the few gents who read my blog, is why I have so many half-used conditioners in my beauty cupboard.
*facepalm*
So you see, I can tell you about not needing to use all of the beauty products from the same brand and range for “optimum results” but here I am, doing the same for my haircare. Mine has nothing to do with the so-called increased efficacy of the products used together; my brain just needs the damn things to match, that’s all. Ahh the little eccentricities you learn about me, eh? 😛
Guilty as charged! I use the recommended pair too! Just because I’ve been so used to doing that. And yeah… I always end up with more than 1/2 a bottle of the conditioner even when I’ve run out of the shampoo. I reckon they should make a pair but with a smaller sized bottle for the conditioner because realistically we only use a very tiny bit to condition our hair each time anyway!
Exactly! We actually only need very little conditioner, even with long hair. Then again, brands would have to charge less for a smaller-sized matching item and you know that’s never going to happen. :-/
I always use up my leftover conditioner by co-washing my hair once a week, my locks are super dry so this helps me wash (and consequently strip it of natural oils) it less.
As in wash with conditioner only, no shampoo? I’ve tried that before for “experiment” sake but couldn’t get on the fact that I’m not shampoo-ing before conditioning. 😛
I am matchy-matchy with my shampoo and conditioner as well! Luckily my shampoo/conditioner usage are really comparable so they finish pretty much at the same time.
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Hahaha you must use very little shampoo! Which is good because we don’t really need much of that either. 😛
Oh my gosh, I’m the same! I am the opposite I go through the whole bottle of conditioner before I use up the shampoo but that’s when I leave the shampoo for hubby to use up, he doesn’t use conditioner at all.
Just a little tip to try, the conditioner is great lotion for shaving legs, it just enables my razor to glide on my skin and gives me the perfect close shave and doesn’t dry my skin out. You must try it 🙂
I keep forgetting about using conditioner to shave!
Tim nicks my shampoo all the time. He doesn’t use conditioner after shampooing, which is why my shampoo depletes so much quicker than conditioner. One time we ran out of shampoo and I was using one of my expensive ones (which I *ahem* use, then keep away) and he thought the entire bottle of conditioner he used up after that was shampoo the whole time!
You don’t have to match the brand of your shampoo and conditioner. It’s more about the results you want to get from the products. If you want volume in your hair then using a ‘volume’ shampoo followed by a ‘volume’ conditioner, you get that “double punch”.
Just want to say that everyone needs to use a conditioner. It’s about the cuticles of your hair, you can read more about this in my blog post about Frizz. 😊
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Haha yeah I know. A haircare PR emailed me after reading this blog post telling me that the haircare brand she looked after trained her and her colleagues that shampoos and conditioners needn’t match and that it’s all about the results you want. Erm, said haircare brand had the words “FOR BEST RESULTS USE WITH BRAND X’s MATCHING SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER”. 😛 😛
Hehe I’m not really fussed about my shampoo and conditioner matching!
I tend to try out different shampoos but will stick to my holy grail conditioners, Lush American Cream or Macadamia deep repair mask 🙂
Oh I know what you mean by sticking to HG conditioners. Even though my OCD-ness won’t allow me to get a shampoo without its matching conditioner, every now and then I’d use my favourite conditioner instead. I know, I’m weird. 😛