How conditioners work
Conditioners contain a variety of conditioning and moisturizing ingredients that are left behind on the hair after rinsing and affect the hair characteristics. This is a key concept in conditioning. For a hair conditioner to work, it has to be left behind on the surface. The primary conditioning agents include quaternized surfactants (quats), cationic polymers, silicones, emollients, and humectants.
Quats (also known as cationic surfactants) and cationic polymers remain on the hair via electrostatic interactions. These ingredients are positively charged when placed in a solution of water. They are attracted to the negatively charged, damaged protein sites on the hair. This positive/negative interaction prevents them from being removed. On hair they coat the fibers and counteract the problem characteristics.