March 26, 2014

Replace Your Hair Conditioner with Fabric Softener?

Replace Your Hair Conditioner with Fabric Softener

Replace Your Hair Conditioner with Fabric Softener? Is that a thing now? Apparently you can substitute regular hair conditioner with fabric softener to detangle your hair and add softness.

What the what?

Warning: I do not recommend trying this.

Bless my dear old mum I don’t know if she exactly understands what I do on Musings of a Muse. Well, I don’t think she understands the Internet period. She tells her friends that I’m on “hotline”…cringe….she means online obviously but for some reason it turns into hotline. I picture her friends thinking I’m some sort of a Internet pr0n star.

She does understand it has something to do with beauty, makeup, etc…though…so by default of me having this blog she’s become some sort of expert on beauty even though she’s never worn makeup in her entire life. This means she’s taken responsibility for locating beauty tidbits from magazines, TV, and other media. It also means mid-work day she’ll call and tell me to turn on the Today Show because Bobbi Brown is on or they are showing “how to do makeup” or some other such nonsense. She also cuts out articles and rubbish from magazines and saves them for me.

It’s quite amusing to say the least.

Most recently she gave me a copy of Woman’s World and told me about a tip for replacing hair conditioner with Fabric Softener. You’d think the woman had discovered the Ark of the Covenant she was so excited.

Apparently you can add 1/4 a cup of fabric softener to water to create conditioner. Pour it on, wait a few minutes, and rinse off. Obviously avoiding your eyes while doing this. They “market” it as a great way to give you laundry fresh scented hair.

I dunno if I really want my hair to smell like Snuggle. And even though the ingredients are gentle I’m unsure if I’m willing to replace my hair conditioner with fabric softener…it kinda scares me in all honesty!

How about you?

What do you think of replacing your hair conditioner with fabric softener?

Sounds like a case of beauty most unusual.

Warning: I do not recommend trying this.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Kathie Dorsam

    I used to use Fabric softener on Wigs when I worked on them. Just a drop in a sink full of water. It takes care of all the Static. I would not use it on my own head or anybody else. It has not been tested for this kind of use.

  • Littlecreek

    I too have a mother that reads Woman’s World. May we all gather together and shake our heads in solidarity. I would like to see two things dear musings readers. 1) Hair professionals, tell us all why this is bad. 2) Someone who is at home, please grab your fabric softener and see if it has the “Avoid contact with eyes” warning.

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL! I shake my head constantly when it comes to my lovely amazing incredible mother because she is just all sorts of beautifully clueless! God, now I’m worried she’s home trying this I better call her!

  • Brianna

    What the what? No thanks! I’ll stick to products made solely for my hair. 🙂

  • Ruth

    your mom is so freaking adorable! I love that she’s enthusiastic about what you do even though she isn’t a make up fanatic. as for replacing my conditioner with fabric softener- nope, nuh-uh, no way, nein,

    • Isabella Muse

      lol she’s insane but I love her 😀 I’m not sure she understands a blog but she knows it’s makeup and beauty..she’s constantly sending me makeup coupons and such. I swear she’d be a better blogger than I am she’s so dedicated to the cause of finding new stuff!

      • Ruth

        of course you love your mom, she’s got an awesome daughter =) you should tell us every once in a while the crazy things that she send to you like the fabric softener, they are hilariously great!

        • Isabella Muse

          you don’t wanna know…seriously you don’t….lol my mom is all kinds of weird. She’s a dollar store person so of course she’s always buying me stuff from the dollar store *hangs head* oh woe! Aww shucks I love you too Ruth 😀

  • Nesita

    I wouldn’t want my hair smelling like fabric softener either! lol
    Seriously though, who thinks putting that all over your hair and scalp is a good idea?

    • Kay

      Me!!! My hair is a tangled mess. I have nothing to loose but hair which is a tangled mess

      • Cindy

        I did this yearsss ago, I colored my hair blonde and this softener (downy) took the brassie look out of my hair. I had people actually thought it was my nature’s color.

  • Kaja Elisabeth

    This is probably one of the worst beauty ides I’ve ever heard. There are some things in fabric softener that are really harmful for humans and are likely to cause allergies. Not to mention it’s bad for the environment. I would rather go bald then but that in my hair.

  • Simone

    How bizarre! I so want to hear from somebody that does this!
    I wouldn’t try it, personally, but I’m definitely curious lol
    You’re mom sounds so cute <3 oh, moms.

  • Ashley

    Laundry detergents are so highly fragrances, this sounds like a nightmare if it came into contact with your skin or eyes. Had excema once and that was enough! No more scented lotions or body washes for me.

  • JoElla

    I pick up a copy of Woman’s World at my grocery store every week, and have gotten some really good tips, fantastic recipes and some cute ideas. However, this is a tip that I won’t be trying.

    But they do say run a fabric sheet over your hair to cut down on fly aways. So who knows.

    Hopefully someone will take one for the team and try it, and let us know.

  • Quinctia

    Why would you even do this? I’ve found VO5 conditioner to be perfectly serviceable, and it’s less than $1, usually.

    Unless you REALLY liked the scent, I guess…?

  • Katmary

    Time to give your Mom her own column here! Of course, she has to try these things! 🙂 Seriously, she sounds like a sweetheart and really wants to help you giving you tips and coupons. Strange how the “beauty bug” seems to skip generations, it’s the same thing in my family.

    • Isabella Muse

      lmao that WOULD BE FUNNY! Isn’t it weird? She really is no nonsense…she’s one of those mom’s that thinks ivory soap is a great facial cleanser lol!

  • Alyza Rae

    I was actually just talking about this with some women the other day! A lot of women of color that I talked with say that they love conditioning their hair like this because it just works well for them with the texture of their hair, not just because it’s cheap. Personally, I think this would be too much for my fine hair!

    • Kay

      Yes it soften the hair n would give your hair too much slip and make it flat.

  • Ling

    This sounds really dangerous…. Seriously, we need to consider the chemicals inside…..
    I’ll ask the beauty brains what they think. They should know, since they made hair products.

    • Isabella Muse

      i’m not recommending ANYONE try it..thought it was an interesting thing to find in a magazine though! 🙂

      • Ling

        Don’t worry, I saw the disclaimer 🙂
        Why the heck would they publish that?!?! I wonder if they considered if they could be sued if someone got hurt?
        I’ll report back when I get a reply.

        • Isabella Muse

          phew I was picturing you rinsing your hair with fabric softener 🙂 sounds good!

  • Coco

    Um…….I’m kind of loving your mom right now! The hotline thing sent me into a fit of giggles. Can you imagine her friends trying to not let their eyeballs fall out and jaws hit the ground when she tells them that? Lol!! I def agree with the others that think you need a little “mom corner” of the blog, and you can show us what she’s sent you or picked up at DG for you!! I think it would be a hit!

    • Isabella Muse

      knowing her friends they are clueless as her and are sitting there like, “Oh yeah, hotline! I heard of that before!” LOL! LOL you know what Coco that isn’t a bad idea it would be rather funny!

  • Angel

    Nope, nope, nope. Are they nuts? Is this early April Fools?? I won’t even use this crap on my clothes let alone my hair LOL!

  • Cindy

    Your mom sounds amazing and very proud of you and what you do. And as I am all for going the most organic as I can I don’t have fabric softner.I do use vinegar to soften up my towels and use baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo but I don’t think that that vinegar counts as fabric softner.

    • Isabella Muse

      aw thanks cindy let’s hope so eh? 🙂 never tried either to be honest….! vinegar for softening up towels?! Hm! I’ll have to try that!

  • ggggg

    As someone who has always had problems with their hair and has tried hundreds of products that did not work for me, I have to be honest and admit that I have wondered about using fabric softener on my hair in the past. I did not do it as I had no idea whether it could or should be done. But sometimes I think that if putting dog poop on my hair would give me the beautiful hair I know I SHOULD have been born with, I would do it (but it would have to be proven first!).

  • cosmogrl

    I do hair (and makeup), and this would leave a build up in your hair something fierce! Definitely stick to products made for your hair. Although I do recommend the fabric-softener-sheet-for-static trick. It’s especially helpful in the winter, when it’s so dry your hair flies around like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket.

  • Miss D

    Okay, you and I have already compared our moms once before (I showed you picks of the new lamp shades my mom bought STILL in their plastic wrapping & you told me about your mom, plastic wrapping and furniture- LOL), but this one is hilarious! And the “hotline” comment is even more hilarious (she’s starting to remind me of my mom again when I read that comment)!
    Yup, you DEFINITELY need to do more posts of beauty suggestions your mom sends your way. Instead of “Beauty Most Unusual” it should be “Dearest Mommy…Most Unusual Indeed”!
    LOL! 🙂

  • Alex Williams

    I am Black and I have 4a hair; my hair is soooo prone to single strand knots and tangles. Nothing was working with me and out of curiousity, I gave it a try. I don’t have sensitive skin so I would’nt advise someone with allergies to give this a try. However, it worked instantly, it softened my hair and my hair smells nice. I would recommend using a gentle conditioner along with a very little fabric softener. Plus, if anyone would read the ingredients that in many haircare products, some of them are more harmful than what’s in fabric softener ie. relaxers… It humors me when I get compliments on my hair and when people ask me about my regimen; they have a puzzled look on their face when I say I use fabric softener in my hair LOL. It’s worth the try… But, I won’t say that I did not have my reservations upon my first time using it… lol

    • Jess

      Thank-you! I am white but my hair is always unmanageable, and besides the 12 dollar professional grade stuff I cannot find anything to smooth or soften or help get tangles out. I was sitting in the bathtub one night and thought, “I wonder what would happen if I put some fabric softener in my hair?” I love the smell of swavitel and it makes my bedding and clothes so soft and smooth, i would love my hair to have the same effect so I got on my laptop and googled it just to make sure it would not cause my hair to fall out. Thanks to your positive comment, i beleive I will try it and see what happens. Worst thing i can probably expect is good smelling hair with a little build up.
      Oh, and some people mentioned the bad effect on eyes, uh, have you ever gotten shampoo in your eyes???? ouch! so i dont see how the eye thing applies to making it worse than shampoo.

    • Veronica

      Hi There
      It actually works hey,it leaves your hair soft and tangle free,you’ll be even more amazed after blow drying it…i dinno why i grabbed the fabric softner i think it was one of those days when you really have no other option & when your hair shows you who is the boss…lol!!

  • tara

    Call me crazy but I would LOVE for my hair to smell like Snuggle Blue Sparkle! I have dreads and I’m wanting to remove them. Might have to try it. ☺

    • Aimee Stepp

      Tara, did you ever try the fabric softener trick to remove your dreads? Did it work? My teen daughter recently had to go to the hospital for emergency gallbladder surgery thus she was unable to brush her hair for almost a week before being released. She has long, fine, curly hair that almost reaches her booty. She came home with the worst “bed head” I’ve ever seen. I have spent the last 2 days trying to detangle her hair with Miss Jessie’s Slippery Shampoo and Conditioner, lots of H2O from a spray bottle, and using various hairbrushes specifically designed to untangle curly hair! I’ve managed to untangle most of her hair on the sides of her head and the lower back portion. She still has a “tangled nest” near the top of her head and it would break my heart (and hers!) if I ended up needing to cut it off.

  • Jen

    Every winter I use it on my fine hair & my daughter’s fine hair. It takes the static out and yes it does add a snuggle fresh scent too. We do it because of the winter static. I shampoo, then condition & while the conditioner is on I then put on some fabric softener. No skin issues at all. My husband’s mother used to put it on his sister’s hair over 30 years ago & she still does it. We love it. Don’t mock it, till ya try it.

  • Nonya

    Actually I use fabric softener on my extensions. Not on my hair. I initially looked it up on youtube as to how to get the chemical smell out of my extensions. I bought some from china that smelled absolutely horrible and my hair shampoo and conditioner were not getting rid of the smell. So I youtubed it and came across a fabric softener solution. Worked like a charm. I would be scared to try this on my natural hair however. Fabric softener is a solvent (like paint thinner is a solvent) and at work (a custom tshirt shop) our heat press material will not stick if shirts have been washed with fabric softener bc of this reason. So for me fabric softener on hair extensions–yes! Natural hair–no.

  • Deborah

    I saw this on a make over show on tv. Guess what? I’m going to try it in the diluted strength of course, and will be back with the test results.Consider me an adventurer. I firmly believe that with everything we consume, breathe, and are subjected to by no choice of our own, that this will be a fun choice. Later ladies.
    A Cape Codder

  • Audrey

    I have used fabric softener and love it, but I don’t use it as explained here. I have very little softener diluted in water in a spray bottle and I use it just like a leave in conditioner spray. Originally this was for detangling my wigs, but when I ran out of my regular spray I used this and it worked wonders on my hair! So many compliments on how it looked, and it feels so soft!

  • MamaJ

    I have actually used fabric softner on my hair… back in the day someone told me it would make my hair soft. I will say it did do that, and made my hair very soft and smelled very good! Now, i didnt just pour the stuff on my head. I put about a quarter size amount through my hair (about shoulder length) Im not an allergy type person so it didn’t seem to bother me. I do think long time, or every day use would probably cause some serious dryness! Now, this is also coming from a person who was told eggs will make your hair shine. Yeah… so my friend and I applied raw egg to our hair. She rinsed her hair with water that was just a bit to hot. Haha! Well, needless to say washing boiled egg and it’s smell out of your hair is not an easy task! So, try at your own risk. If you need a smooth silky look for an evening out, I don’t see any harm. I would not do this all the time. It is a detergent.

  • Sher Thom

    I heard about this idea for weaves (ie. hair extensions). I’m not sure if i would use it on my natural hair though. I’ve been looking for information on whether or not this method could be harmful or useful for human hair extensions (vs. synthetic hair). With that said, I’m not totally against it. I feel like in today’s world, most things are simply marketed to “something”. Just because something says “Hair Conditioner”, for all the average person knows; it could have all the same ingredients as something that says “fabric softener” or god knows what else. Even a lot of products that say “all natural” have different toxic additives…I don’t know, that’s just my thought. I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist, no harm intended 🙂

  • Kathy

    I used this from childhood (my mother) thru college and my twenties. Pink generic fabric softener, the cheaper the better. Did not water it down. I am now 60 years old and stil have long, thick beautiful hair. It works.

  • Linda Webb

    Hi Isabella! I’m not sure about using fabric softener on human hair; however, according to Heather @ cysterwigs 1/4 cup of Snuggle added to luke warm water in a sink is the way that she conditions her AMAZING wigs.

    There’s my 2 cents (and you can keep the change)

    Linda

  • Lauren Garden

    I wash my hair once a week as ive trained it to not get greasy.. I used this fabric softner as conditioner as its dyed blonde and it gets veeeeery tuggy and ran out of conditioner, after 4 days my hair still smells amazing and is silky smooth!! Not going to use it everytime though.. Maybe just emergencys!

  • Aimee Stepp

    Isabella, your Mom sounds very sweet! I think you’re lucky that she’s showing an interest in what you’re passionate about! My Mom passed away almost 6 years ago and, with hindsight, I wish I would have told her more often how much I appreciated the thoughtful things she did for me (i.e. the newspaper articles she saved for me on mental health, the cute cat socks she bought me “just because,” etc.). It’s just our Moms way of telling us that they love us!

    • Isabella Muse

      aw thanks Aimee! She’s a trip 🙂 I’m very sorry for your loss. It’s not easy losing a parent! That’s so true! Sometimes we take these things for granted! 🙂 <3! thanks for reminding me to show my appreciation more!

  • kristi

    Lmao that is funny but cute and very thoughtful and swet at the time time that your mom does try to help u come up with new material for your blog! If its bothering u instead of being annoyed with your mom, the next time she does that mabybe u should take some time to sit down with her and show her your blog and explain a little bit about it to her so she can have a better understanding of what ur blog is actualy about, that way whe she does come across something that might be more revelant tjelp you out! You are vey fortunate to jave a mother that is so supportve

  • Caroline bartholomew

    Inwas told same thinf by my exs mum apparently shes been doing it for years ive tried it and it works i dont pour mine on tho i put mine in a water spray bottle with eater spray on comb through leave to sit then wash my hair well with a good gentle baby shampoo and then a good hair conditoner..