The Best & Worst Ingredients For Your Hair Type

When it comes to hair, a lot of people just slap on any ol' shampoo and conditioner (mostly whatever's on sale) and hope for the best. Well, Jacquelyn Walent, senior stylist at Devachan Salon, thinks you should treat your mane like the most expensive item in your closet. "Hair is a very delicate fabric that can be easily damaged and destroyed," she says. "It really needs to be treated as such, [but] people are treating their cashmeres nicer than their own hair — and it’s kind of sad."

Walent stresses the importance of paying attention to the products you put on your strands and the ingredients in them. But ingredients aren't a one-formula-fits-all situation. A product you may gravitate toward for its smoothing qualities could be super-drying for your best friend's tresses. It all depends on hair texture, density, and porosity.

Cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson says you should also pay attention to the physical form of a product. Is your hair on the fine side, but you're using a ton of heavy creams? Is your hair thick and curly, and you're mostly using sprays? This might be doing more harm than good. Ahead, we break down what you should — and shouldn't — be putting on your hair, depending on your hair type.