Hair conditioner

Its main purpose is to reduce friction between strands of hair to allow smoother brushing or combing, which might otherwise cause damage to the scalp.

[weasel words] Conditioners are available in a wide range of forms, including viscous liquids, gels and creams, as well as thinner lotions and sprays.

[2] A conditioner popular with men in the late Victorian era was Macassar oil, but this product was quite greasy and necessitated the pinning of a small cloth, known as an antimacassar, to the headrests of chairs and sofas to preserve the upholstery from being damaged by the oil.

[3] Modern hair conditioner was created at the turn of the 20th century when the Edouard Pinaud company presented a product he called Brilliantine at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.

[5] Since the invention of Pinaud's early products, modern science has advanced the hair conditioner industry to include those made with silicone, fatty alcohols and quaternary ammonium compounds.

A 19th-century advertisement for hair care products
A bottle of modern-day hair conditioner by Clairol (right)