# Hair product question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281 "2020-04-21T17:49:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281/1 "2020-04-21T17:49:57Z")

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Are creme rinse and conditioner the same thing? I remember creme rinse as a product used to detangle hair, while conditioner was used for volume and split ends, but when I went to the store the other day I couldn’t find any product labeled “creme rinse”.  
What’s the scoop?

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281/2 "2020-04-22T06:12:25Z")

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Bumping this once: I looked it up online and a few sites claim that they are one and the same, but I distinctly remember two different products that claimed to do two different things. Is this all my imagination?

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281/3 "2020-04-22T08:55:30Z")

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From Quora:

> [@](#):
>
> What hair conditioner basically does is replace the natural oils that shampoo strips away when you wash your hair. They usually contain one or more fats, oils, or synthetic compounds that behave like fats and oils, surfactants, and a bunch of other stuff that makes it more marketable(perfumes, dyes, preservatives, etc.). The fats or oils (natural or synthetic) leave a smooth, waxy coating on the hair, making the hair smooth and shiny.
> 
> Hair is made up of an outer layer called the cuticle, a second layer called the cortex, and an inner layer called the medulla. Hair tangles when the lifted or frayed edges of the cuticle layer on one hair get caught on the cuticle layer on another hair.
> 
> The way conditioning fights tangles is that it strengthens the cuticle or, where cuticle cells have broken away, forms a protective layer over the cortex. This coating essentially smooths out the rough edges along the cuticle layer and thus can keep your hair from tangling as easily. The coating also seals in moisture and helps reduce static electricity, both of which help in avoiding bad hair days.