Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Beauty
    2. Hair

    Reverse shampooing: The way you wash your hair is about to change

    Conditioner first, washing second might just be haircare’s new secret weapon.

    By Marie Claire
    Published 26 April 2016 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    shampoo hair landscape
    shampoo hair landscape
    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Conditioner first, washing second might just be haircare’s new secret weapon.

    File then polish, cleanse then tone, shampoo then conditioner – there are some beauty rules you never break. And why would you?

    It’s an age-old tradition that we cleanse and rinse before applying a hydrating conditioner. But hair care brands are questioning everything we’ve ever known and believed to be true with their latest releases – which could literally change the entire hair care industry.

    Brands including Tresemme and Kerastase have started rolling out lines that ask us to do the complete opposite: condition before shampooing. And, according to them, it's a pretty easy trick to achieving a killer mane.

    Tresemme’s new Beauty-Full Volume Reverse Wash System is a two-part regime whereby the conditioner is used before the shampoo.

    You may like
    • selection of the best pre-shampoo treatments tested by Marie Claire UK If Your Hair Still Feels Lacklustre No Matter What You Try, a Pre-Shampoo Treatment Could Be What’s Missing
    • hair I Haven't Trimmed My Hair in a Year—I Credit This Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner For My Surprisingly Silky Ends
    • The long hair trend and the post-bob era I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending

    Far from a fad, there’s some pretty good reasoning behind the new reverse shampooing system, which might actually change the way we wash our manes forevermore.

    Turns out, conditioning before you shampoo is great for adding nourishment to fine hair without weighing it down. It also promotes a longer lasting blow-dry and primes the hair before cleansing, allowing shampoo to distribute easier and more evenly.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Using conditioner after you shampoo can weigh hair down, which is why this game-changing idea starts with a Pre-Wash Conditioner instead. Used before washing with shampoo and hair will feel soft and silky - but still have plenty of bounce.

    Kerastase’s Resistance Therapiste collection uses keratin-associated proteins to strengthen hair and when used in the right order, the duo helps smooth and hydrate even the most damaged hair.

    But, you don't have to overhaul your routine to try this trick at home. Just take your normal shampoo and conditioner (or a mask), and reverse the order. If your hair is thick or coarse, you may benefit from a condition-shampoo-condition regimen.

    Extra hydration sans-weight is never a bad thing, but it's especially amazing in the summer when our hair takes a hell of a beating. So, instead of trying to find a miracle formula to quench your thirsty strands, maybe just change up your roster order.

    Aren't the best answers always the simplest?

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    selection of the best pre-shampoo treatments tested by Marie Claire UK
    Hair If Your Hair Still Feels Lacklustre No Matter What You Try, a Pre-Shampoo Treatment Could Be What’s Missing
    hair
    Hair I Haven't Trimmed My Hair in a Year—I Credit This Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner For My Surprisingly Silky Ends
     
     
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    How to make your blow dry last
    Hair I've Been Styling Celebrity Hair for 30 Years—Here's How to Make Your Blow-Dry Last for Days
     
     
    Latest in Hair
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    selection of the best pre-shampoo treatments tested by Marie Claire UK
    Hair If Your Hair Still Feels Lacklustre No Matter What You Try, a Pre-Shampoo Treatment Could Be What’s Missing
     
     
    Scalp SPF
    Hair So You Think You Know All About SPF—But Beauty Experts Say This "Forgotten" Part Of Your Body Needs Attention
    The Rachel Hair on Gigi Hadid, created by hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos
    Hair Gigi Hadid Brought Back the 'Rachel' Haircut—So I Tried It Too, and My Hair Has Never Looked So Full
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
    Copenhagen Fashion Week street style
    Shopping Kitten-Heel Sandals, Lace Dresses and the Season's New Favourite Shade of Blue— These are the Copenhagen Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Note
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.