How Much Hair Product Should I Use For Best Results?

Dime size, quarter size, golf ball size…How much hair product should you be using regularly? As a stylist what I normally find with my clients is that you are using way too much product!

There is nothing worse than having to re-shampoo and blow-dry your hair because you accidentally went overboard with your leave-in conditioner and your hair feels gunky. We have all been there before, especially with a new product that you haven’t used before.

In this post I’m going to explain how to determine the perfect amount of hair product that you should be using regularly, as well as what can happen if you frequently use too much!

How much hair product to use

The amount of hair product that should be used definitely varies from person to person. Since my hair is bleached, I may need to use twice as much leave-in-conditioner as you do and vice-versa.

Professional grade hair products are much more concentrated than cheap drugstore or Sallys brands. So this means that if you’re using a quality product, you should be using much less of it.

This is one of the benefits of high quality products. They’ll last you much longer than a low quality brand will; you’re getting more bang for your buck.

If you’d like to check out my favorite professional grade brands, see my post here.

To determine the correct amount of hair product for your hair, there are a few different factors to consider before pumping the product into your hands.

Below, use each section to help determine the amount of product you should use based on what hair type you have.

1. Hair type

You can have any combination of the three textures, densities, and wave patterns. I highly recommend reading my post here if you aren’t sure what your hair type is.

How much product to use with fine and/or thin hair

Fine and thin hair will always require much LESS product than someone with coarse or thick hair. If too much product is used with already limp, fine, and flat hair; it will become weighed down even if the product is a root lifter!

How much shampoo and conditioner to use with fine or thin hair

Start with HALF a dime size amount of shampoo or conditioner. You’ll want to emulsify the shampoo into your hands first before applying it. This activates the product and allows for better distribution.

Concentrate shampoo at your root, and conditioner on your ends. The ends of your hair don’t need as much shampoo as the root does, because the ends don’t have as much oil present since oil comes from the scalp. I actually don’t shampoo my mids/ends at all, and just allow the shampoo to run down through my hair when rinsing.

Always add water to your hair first before adding more shampoo. Sometimes the product just needs to be distributed a little bit better rather than adding more product, and water will help you do that.

As far as conditioner goes, unless you have a super dry scalp (dry not dandruff! See my post here to learn the difference) you shouldn’t need to condition your scalp. The oil from our scalp does the job of moisturizing the scalp. As long as we are skipping days between shampoos as we should, then our scalps do not need conditioned.

See my post here to learn how often you should be washing your hair based on your hair type.

How much leave-in product to use with fine or thin hair

When it comes to serums and leave-in conditioners, definitely start small and work your way up. One or two pea sized drops should be all you need. Emulsify the product into your hands to activate it and allow for even distribution.

As you apply leave-in conditioners and serums, focus them on the ends of your hair, NOT the root. Remember that our scalps produce oil, so the more oil and leave-in conditioners that we use on our scalp, the more oily it will become.

When it comes to mousse and root lifters, apply a quarter sized amount ONLY to your root. If you apply the mousse all over your hair it will weigh it down! This is a common misconception that I see regarding root-lifters. Less is more!

How much product to use with thick or coarse hair

Thick and coarse hair usually will require more product, but this also depends on the condition of the hair as well. Hair that is in healthy condition can become oily with too much leave-in conditioner or serums.

How much shampoo and conditioner to use for thick or coarse hair

Start with a nickel size amount of shampoo and conditioner. Emulsify the shampoo into your hands, this activates the product and allows for better distribution. If you feel you need more shampoo try adding some water to your hair first. Distributing the shampoo better is usually all you need and more water makes this possible!

Concentrate the shampoo at your root and conditioner to your ends. The ends of your hair don’t need as much shampoo as the root does, because the ends don’t have as much oil present since oil comes from the scalp. I actually don’t shampoo my mids/ends at all, and just allow the shampoo to run down through my hair when rinsing.

Always add water to your hair first before adding more shampoo. Sometimes the product just needs to be distributed a little bit better rather than adding more product, and water will help you do that.

As far as conditioner goes, unless you have a super dry scalp (dry not dandruff! See my post here to learn the difference) you shouldn’t need to condition your scalp. The oil from our scalp does the job of moisturizing the scalp. As long as we are skipping days between shampoos as we should, then our scalps do not need conditioned.

See my post here to learn how often you should be washing your hair based on your hair type.

How much leave-in product should I use with thick or coarse hair

For serums and leave-in conditioners I recommend starting with a dime sized amount depending on how long your hair is as well as the condition. Less is more when it comes to these products and if you use too much you’ll have to re-wash your hair!

Emulsify the product into your hands to activate it to allow for even distribution.

As you apply leave-in conditioners and serums, focus them on the ends of your hair, NOT the root. Remember that our scalps produce oil, so the more oil and leave-in conditioners that we use on our scalp, the more oily it will become.

How much product to use with curly hair

Curly hair typically requires much more product than straight or wavy hair. This is because curly hair is prone to be frizzy and appear dry, so it needs the extra product to weigh it down, smooth it out, and give you control.

How much conditioner to use with curly hair

You’ll probably need to use twice as much conditioner in the shower as someone with straight hair. I recommend starting with a quarter sized amount, going up to a golf ball sized if needed.

Definitely concentrate the conditioner on your ends rather than your scalp.

How much leave-in product to use with curly hair

With curly hair you can also be a little heavy handed when it comes to serums, leave-in conditioners, and smoothing gels AS LONG AS you’ll be wearing your hair curly. If you plan to wear it straight, then cut back on the amount of product you use.

Depending on how much hair you have and your length, I recommend starting with a dime size amount of leave-in product if you want to wear it straight and a nickel size if you’ll be wearing it curly. Always start with less, you can add more as needed but it really stinks if you start off with too much and have to shampoo it out!

2. Hair condition

The next factor is the condition of your hair. If your hair is in poor condition, you are going to need more product than someone with virgin healthy hair.

To learn more about what condition your hair is in, check out my post here.

How much product to use on dry or damaged hair

If your hair is dry, damaged, or bleached then you need to be loading up on conditioners, masques, leave-in conditioners, and serums. Hair that is damaged has an open cuticle, so it struggles to keep in moisture. Because of this, you’ll have to proactively add extra moisture to your hair.

How much conditioner to use on dry or damaged hair

You really can’t over-do it with conditioners and masques as these are getting rinsed out, and honestly the more you use the better. The only downside to using too much conditioner is wasting product. Just make sure that the hair is fully saturated with your conditioner and masque.

Combing the product through with your fingers can help you to distribute it better and allow for better absorption.

How much leave-in product to use on dry or damaged hair

For leave-in conditioners and serums, start with a dime sized amount emulsified into your hands and work your way up as needed. You can always add a little more serum to your hair after it has been dried and styled if you still feel dry and see some fly-aways.

How much product to use on healthy or virgin hair

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

If you have healthy, smooth, or virgin hair, then you need to be careful not to use too much product or it can appear greasy, weighed down, or you may even need to shampoo it again to remove the excess product!

How much leave-in product to use on healthy or virgin hair

Start small with leave-in conditioners and serums to avoid feeling gunky or creating build-up. I recommend beginning with a pea sized amount and add more as needed! If your hair is healthy, you likely don’t need a serum AND a leave in conditioner. I’d recommend a lightweight leave-in conditioner instead of a serum.

How do I know if I used too much hair product?

There are a few ways to determine this! If your hair is feeling gunky, weighed down, too stiff, or you don’t think the product is working as it should be, then you likely used too much. Often times if you use too much leave-in product, you may need to shampoo it again because it is impossible to style without the hair separating.

Hair product build-up

Hair product build-up happens when low quality hair products are used and/or too many products are being used too frequently. Either of these situations can make your hair feel heavy, waxy, gunky, or stiff.

Spraying hairspray too close

This is an issue that I see frequently that most women don’t have a clue about! You should never spray hairspray any closer than 8-10 inches from your hair.

If you spray it too close, it will be heavily concentrated and can create serious build-up on a specific area of your hair. This typically happens in the front or crown areas of the head where you need extra hold and volume and spray frequently.

This type of build-up can cause serious damage if done every day! I have seen hair break off because it was so built-up with a gunky hairspray. Always hold the can 8-10 inches away, and if it’s not holding enough then look into getting a stronger hold hairspray over using an excessive amount!

Conclusion

Using too much hair product can cause cause build-up, make your hair feel gunky, require a second shampoo, or even cause hair breakage.

To determine how much hair product you should be using, take your hair type as well as hair condition into consideration.

If you have fine and/or thin hair, you should be using much less product than if you have thick and/or coarse hair. Using too much product in thin hair will weigh it down and reduce volume, even if the product is a root lifter.

If you have dry, damaged, or bleached hair; you should be using more product than if you have healthy and/or virgin hair. Since damaged hair has an open cuticle, it’s easy for moisture to come right out. Because of this, you’ll need to take extra measures to ensure the hair is properly moisturized.

The main take-away from this post is that less is usually more when it comes to hair products. Start with small amounts and increase if necessary. To see a list of all the products I recommend, check out my retail page here.

Leave me any questions you have in the comments section! As always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated 01/15/2024