When it comes to cleaning our hair, the usual steps of shampooing, conditioning, and rinsing are rather straightforward.
Even so, beauty fans have been delving into the particulars to unlock the secrets to the shiniest and healthiest tresses. The issue of how long to let conditioner sit is the latest matter up to debate.
One beauty enthusiast has taken to social media to share a scientific theory that claims people could be damaging their hair by leaving their conditioner in for 'too long'.
As reported by The Mirror, TikTok user @kelseygriffin has said the ideal amount of time has to do with the pH of shampoo and conditioner.
The beauty fan says conditioner is designed to adjust the pH balance of your hair after you've used shampoo, and so by leaving it to sit on your locks for too long, you could end up altering the pH by too much.
In a video seen over 35,000 times, she shared: "Basically, shampoo and conditioner affect the pH levels of your hair. So, like, a shampoo can have a pH of maybe like seven or eight, and then a conditioner can have a pH level of like four or five."
Kelsey continued: "But they're formulated like that so that they balance each other out, so that your hair isn't too basic or too acidic. I'm not an expert but this is how I understand it.
"So when you're in the shower and think 'Oh, I'm just going to leave my conditioner on for like 5 or 10 minutes', you could be f***ing up the pH of your hair by leaving the conditioner on for too long."
However, the American TikToker insisted this wasn't the case for hair masks which are designed to sit on your locks for longer periods of time, as they are formulated differently.
It also doesn't apply to conditioners that specifically tell you to leave the product to sit in the instructions on the back of the bottle, however the beauty fan said that many bottles don't tell you to leave it - so you shouldn't.
She added: "There's a reason on conditioner bottles they just tell you to apply it, and then most of them say just rinse it out. None of them say 'leave in for 5-10 minutes' or whatever. And there's a reason! You're supposed to rinse it out immediately!
"I did not know this! So, if you have been leaving your conditioner in for 5-10 minutes, which I think a lot of people are - including myself - and you think 'Oh my god my hair is so dry but I've been conditioning it so much', maybe you just need to rinse your conditioner out faster."
Commenters on the post were baffled by Kelsey's claims, as many said they had no idea they were using conditioners incorrectly all this time.
One person wrote: "This legitimately blew my mind." Another said: "My whole life is a lie!"
But others said it's actually fine to leave the conditioner on for a couple of minutes, as they insisted the pH balance won't be drastically swayed.
Someone posted: "Shampoo opens the cuticle of the hair and conditioner closes it back up because of its lower pH. But leaving conditioner on for a few extra mins is fine!"
As someone else added: "Hairstylist here! So the pH level of hair sits at 4.5 to 5.5 so if your conditioner is pH balanced to that level, it's actually healthy."
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