Here's what happened when I added Pink Salt to my conditioner

Deep Conditioning
I'm excited to share with you my wonderful experience this past wash day.  It all began months ago when I was brainstorming new, creative way to continue incorporating pink salt into my beauty regimen.   I thought to myself, "surely there are other ways I can use this nutritious salt that I haven't thought of yet."   But just as quickly as that thought came, I dismissed it as nonsense.

Yet the thought wouldn't escape me no matter how silly it sounded.  How could salt possibly add any value to my hair?  That's when I decided that I had nothing to lose if I did a quick search online.  I'm so glad I did because what I found next would both astound and excite me.   Turns out that adding salt to your conditioner was not only something others have tried, it's also an experience that most, who've tried it, raved about. 

More often then not, those ladies who experimented with salt in their conditioner mix boast about softer, smoother hair that feels ultra-moisturized and tangle-free.  Two days after learning of this information, I was ready to experiment.  I mixed a bunch of my favorite conditioners and oil in a bowl.  Then I mosied over to my kitchen cabinet and added some pink salt to the mix.  Using my trusty Sprush, I mixed everything together very well.  My intention was to dissolve all of the salt into my conditioners so none of the granules remained. 

Mixing was easy and the salt grains dissolved really quickly. I thought that adding salt would cause my conditioner to bubble and fizz like when salt is added to a slug. But none of that happened.  One change did occur.  My thick conditioner concoction seemed to thin after mixing in the salt.  The watery texture made it a little difficult at times to keep the product on my Sprush without some falling on my shoulder or on the floor.  After covering my entire head with conditioner, I had the brilliant idea of refreshing my soft water shower filter.  Once that was done,  I sat under the dryer and deep conditioned with heat for around 30-45 minutes. 

I knew this was going to be a great experience once I realized that my hair wouldn't fully dry even though I was under the dryer for over 30 minutes.  I kept touching my hair and it felt so moisturized.  Next I jumped in the shower to rinse.  Once again, I was so pleased with how conditioned my hair was feeling.   Roller setting was breeze.  My shed hairs easily glided down which made detangling a dream.  Once again, even after sitting under the dryer for the designated amount of time, I still wasn't sure if my hair dried completely (it was retaining so much moisture). So I decided to leave the rollers in overnight.

Now that I've removed the rollers, I'm completely sold on making this part of my regimen.  When I read the feedback from others online about combining salt and conditioner, many seemed cautious and weary of using this process week after week. The concern was that salt could be drying when used regularly.  I think many associate this with the drying effect of salt water from the ocean on the hair.  I think there are some differences between this and ocean salt water.  First, this isn't left on the hair, it's rinsed out.  Secondly, the hair is being conditioned while receiving the benefits of the salt.   Third, the amount of salt in the conditioner mix probably isn't as high as one would find in ocean water.  I only added a 1-2 teaspons of salt to my mix.  I didn't go overboard.  The theory behind the effectiveness of this process is that natural salt attracts moisture from the air and holds it. Which is why many who tried this method shared that they didn't feel the need to moisturize their hair for a few days following the salt/conditioner treatment.  I did add moisturizer and felt like this experience only heightened the effectiveness of my moisturizer.

Others who've tried this method use plain table salt but I opted for pink salt because perhaps the nutritional qualities of the raw, natural salt, might somehow make a difference, no matter how small.  Several days have passed since I've experimented and my hair still feels pretty good. I feel like my hair is somehow responding better to products than before.  I've decided to take a walk on the wild side and try this method two weeks in a row to see what happens.

(Grainy Iphone photo taken 3 days after salt-conditioning. Photo was captured 12 hours after I first curled my hair using a wand)

Here's a link to the original forum post if you want to read more on this process.



16 comments

  1. Well who would have thought Salt had any benefits to the hair at all.

    I think I will definitely try this out soon, however I don't have pink salt so will try 1 teaspoon of regular table salt and go from there.

    Thanks for Sharing

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  2. I'll try this out one wash day. I wonder if it'll be even more moisturizing under a steamer. Ill also try table salt as well

    thanks for this post :D

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  3. Great post. Thanks for the info, I may just try this method someday soon.

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  4. While I enjoyed this post, I am very cautious about putting anything with a gritty, coarse texture into my hair, no matter how well you mix it in. I've seen many ladies who claim it softens and detangles, but at what cost? Any salt, with its gritty texture, can possibly degrade the hair shaft. This is probably what people mistake as softening. Once the cuticle layers have been degraded or compromised, there's no getting it back! While it might be advantageous to use it every once in awhile, I'd strongly caution against using it regularly. I've never tried pink salt myself, but experimented with garlic powder when I read of the benefits of garlic (i.e. reducing shedding). The softening effect was unmistakable, but I noticed overall weakening hair strands after continued use.

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    1. Actually since salt is a compound substance consisting of sodium chloride. When in its combined state salt takes on a crystallized form. When it dissolves in a water based substance, such as conditioner, it's crystallized form also breaks down. Therefore it no longer has a "gritty or coarse texture". Think about when you properly make salt water at home... the salt dissolves in the water and it tastes like salt water not salt AND water.

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  5. I've never used salt in my conditioner before or even thought about it but it's definitely something I would like to try knowing the results you've had from it

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  6. I think I will give this a try this weekend. I have the pink salt and will use 2 tsp. How much condish did you use?

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  7. Excellent post. Salt tends to help hair hold moisture just like it helps the body retain water (i.e. Gatorade contains sodium & electrolytes to keep athletes hydrated). Thank you for sharing!

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  8. Nice and Interesting Post love to read it.Thank u so much for posting :)

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  9. Thanks for this Nadege. Think I'll use my sea salt next hair wash.

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  10. I tried this method and it worked great. I was very concerned about the coarse texture of salt and possible damage so I put 1 teaspoon of salt in 1/3cup of water and let it dissolve overnight in a mason jar then I added added it with my conditioner and coconut oil into a spray bottle and sprayed liberally throughout both my hair and scalp. The texture was soft and watery. Hope this helps anyone wanting to try it but too scared like I was.

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  11. That's great feedback, Anon, thanks for sharing. How did your hair turn out using the "salt water" method?

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  12. Hello!
    It turned out fabulous!!! Very soft new growth (I stretch my touch ups to 12 weeks so that was very helpful) and my hair felt highly moisturized. I plan to do this every other week and I wash my hair once per week. Thanks for sharing and btw your hair is looking thicker and longer! I think you are going to make your yearly goal!

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  13. thanks for the information! I hennaed my hair this weekend and then mixed my Aussie Moisture Conditioner with coconut oil and a teaspoon of sea salt. I let it sit in my hair for over an hour and rinsed - no breakage, the hair was soft and manageable and I roller set after. It looks great !! the salt dissolves in the conditioner very well after stirring for about a minute.

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  14. Well this is interesting. I know salt is often added to tanks for those of us with hard water, so I wonder if those softening qualities are happening here. I am definitely going to try adding some pink himalayan salt when I dc this weekend. Thanks for idea.

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