Simple MONAT routine: three products by hair type
9 min read Care know-how Updated 5 October 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
A simple MONAT routine uses three products: a shampoo and conditioner from the same line, chosen for your main goal and your hair thickness, plus a third product for the job a conditioner can't do on its own. Find the row in the table below that matches what bothers you most about your hair every day, and use those three products for four weeks without adding anything. After the first wash, your roots and lengths tell you whether the amounts are right. Whether the line suits you only shows after those four weeks.
This routine is meant for hair with one clear main issue: dry lengths, flat roots, breakage, frizz, or hair that looks thinner overall than it used to. Its limit is the scalp. A film of product residue, or a scalp that feels tight after washing, needs a product of its own, and that only comes in after the first four weeks.
Three products for your MONAT routine, by hair type
Shampoo and conditioner are the base and go in at every wash. The third product depends on your main goal and has its own rhythm. Scalp care and the remaining lines are left out on purpose; you'll find them with their limits in the overview of every MONAT system.
| Your hair | Shampoo | Conditioner | Third product | When the third one goes in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| looks thinner than a year ago, your parting is wider | IR Clinical™ Thickening Shampoo | IR Clinical™ Thickening Conditioner | IR Clinical™ Serum | on the scalp, as often as the pack says |
| breaks after colouring, bleaching or heat | Bond IQ™ Fortifying Shampoo | Bond IQ™ Fortifying Conditioner | Bond IQ™ Peptide Therapy Leave-In Creme | after every wash, before heat protection |
| medium to thick, frizzes in damp weather, worn sleek | Smoothing Anti-Frizz™ Shampoo | Smoothing Anti-Frizz™ Deep Conditioner | Smoothing Anti-Frizz™ Blowout Spray | at every wash, before blow-drying |
| fine to medium, lengths dry and dull | Advanced Hydration Shampoo | Advanced Hydration Conditioner | Super Moisture Masque | once a week instead of the conditioner |
| medium to thick, lengths rough and straw-like | Renew™ Shampoo | Renew™ Conditioner | Restore™ Leave-In Conditioner | after every wash, into towel-dried hair |
| fine and barely damaged, roots lie flat | Revive™ Shampoo | Revive™ Conditioner | Studio One™ The Champ™ Dry Shampoo | the day after washing, on dry roots |
Do two rows fit you, say fine hair with dry lengths and flat roots? The free hair analysis asks about hair thickness and main goal separately and then suggests products.
How to find your row in a minute
Hair thickness means the diameter of a single strand. How densely your hair grows plays no part in it. Take a shed hair from your brush and roll it between thumb and forefinger. If you can barely feel it, it's fine. If you feel a thin thread, it's medium. If it feels almost wiry, it's thick. If you sit somewhere in between and your hair collapses quickly, take the lighter line. For the borderline case between fine and thick, the comparison of the two moisture systems, Advanced Hydration and Renew™ helps.
For your main goal, go down the table from top to bottom and take the first match. Thinning hair and breakage come before frizz and dryness because moisture alone can't make up for them. If your hair is coming out in clumps, though, if you see round bald patches, if your parting has widened clearly within a few months, or if your scalp is red and sore, see a dermatologist first. Behind these signs there can be iron deficiency, a thyroid disorder, hormonal changes or a scalp condition. A dermatologist sorts that out with blood tests and a look at your scalp; no hair care replaces that appointment.
How to use the three products
Start every product with the smallest amount and only increase it if that isn't enough. Too little conditioner shows as soon as you comb; too much only shows once your hair is dry.
Step 1 — Lather the shampoo. Hold your head under lukewarm water for a minute, until your hair is wet right down to the scalp. Chin-length hair needs a hazelnut-sized amount, shoulder-length a walnut-sized one. Bra-length hair gets two portions: a walnut-sized one for the crown and a hazelnut-sized one for the back of the head. Lather the shampoo between your hands, massage it into your scalp with your fingertips for a minute and let the lengths hang. As you rinse, the foam runs through them and cleans them too.
Step 2 — Conditioner from ear level down. Squeeze the water out of your lengths before the conditioner goes in, otherwise it gets diluted. Spread it through the lengths and ends from ear level down and keep it off the roots. Fine hair gets two minutes, thick hair three to four. During that time, comb through with a wide-tooth comb from the ends upwards, then rinse with lukewarm water until the lengths feel smooth and no longer slippery.
Step 3 — The third product. A leave-in, a conditioner that stays in your hair, goes into towel-dried hair: a pea-sized amount for shoulder-length hair, half that for chin-length, two portions for bra-length, always from ear level down. The Super Moisture Masque replaces the conditioner once a week and stays on for five minutes, on fine hair only on the ends. The Blowout Spray goes onto towel-damp hair, then you blow-dry on a medium setting from about 15 cm away. The Champ™ is sprayed onto dry roots from about 20 cm on the day between washes, left for one to two minutes and brushed out. The IR Clinical™ Serum is spread section by section with your fingertips onto the towel-dried scalp, in the amount stated on the pack.
If heat protection, an oil or a styling product joins later, follow the order of hair products from shampoo to styling: leave-in care first, heat protection right before blow-drying, oil and styling last.
What the third product does and what it can't do
Every third product has a job and a limit. Once you know the limit, you won't buy a fourth product out of disappointment.
| Third product | What it does | What it can't do |
|---|---|---|
| Super Moisture Masque | a weekly treatment for dry lengths, which then fall more softly | replace the conditioner on the other wash days |
| Restore™ Leave-In Conditioner | easier combing and supple lengths until the next wash | protect from heat, unless the label says it does |
| The Champ™ | takes the shine off your roots between washes and adds grip | clean your scalp or replace a wash |
| Bond IQ™ Peptide Therapy Leave-In Creme | easier combing and protection from avoidable breakage while styling | mend split ends; only scissors remove those |
| Smoothing Anti-Frizz™ Blowout Spray | a smoother surface while blow-drying | define curls |
| IR Clinical™ Serum | cosmetic scalp care for hair that looks fuller | grow new hair or find a cause |
Any product that leaves a film on your hair can stack up with the others into build-up, a coating that makes hair heavy and dull. Three products keep that coating small. After four weeks you also know which product made the difference. With five new bottles in the bathroom, you can no longer tell them apart.
What the first wash and four weeks tell you
The first wash tells you whether the amounts are right. If your roots feel stringy once dry, it was too little shampoo, too short a rinse, or conditioner on the roots. If your scalp feels tight, use less next time. If your lengths hang limp and feel greasy, it was too much conditioner or leave-in.
Whether the line suits you only shows over four weeks, so with two to three washes a week, after eight to twelve uses. These mistakes are easy to correct in the first weeks:
- Conditioner right down to the scalp → only from ear level down, on lengths and ends.
- Masque on top of the conditioner at every wash → once a week instead of the conditioner.
- Roots lie flat by the evening after washing and get greasy sooner → one step lighter, for example from Renew™ to Advanced Hydration.
- Lengths still feel rough after conditioning → one step richer, or the masque once a week.
- Dry shampoo on day two, three and four → bridge one day with it, then wash.
- Switched after two washes → test for four weeks; switch sooner only if your scalp itches or burns.
If your scalp itches or burns after a new product, stop it straight away and go back to what it tolerated before. Once it has been calm for three days, bring the new products back one at a time, one per week; how you go about it when your scalp itches after a new shampoo depends on the trigger.
What to add to your routine later
A fourth product is only worth it once the three have run for four weeks. Add one at a time and wait a week before the next one, so you can see what your hair and scalp are reacting to.
| If you notice this | Add | How often |
|---|---|---|
| You blow-dry, straighten or curl several times a week | a heat protectant | before every blow-dry, after the leave-in |
| Your hair feels filmy and heavy despite washing | the Purifying Vinegar Shampoo | every one to two weeks instead of a normal wash |
| Your scalp feels tight after washing | Scalp Comfort™ Rebalancing Scalp Treatment | two to three times a week to start |
| Your ends stick out dry after blow-drying | one to two drops of REJUVENIQE® Oil | after blow-drying, on the ends only |
The oil doesn't replace heat protection, so it goes on after blow-drying and never before. The vinegar shampoo clarifies, so you don't use it on a red or burning scalp. If you're starting from scratch and want to understand which steps hair care needs regardless of brand, begin with building a hair-care routine in three steps.
When three products aren't the right routine
If you want to define your curls rather than smooth them, Smoothing takes you in the wrong direction. Waves and curls have their own wash day with Curl Perfection, built around definition and moisture.
If you wear your hair short and want as little effort as possible, a single product can be enough: MONAT Black™ is shampoo and conditioner in one. And if your scalp is irritated right now, don't start the new routine yet. Keep washing with what it tolerated until it has been calm for a week.
Quick questions
Can I use shampoo and conditioner from two different lines?
Yes, as long as both suit your hair thickness. Roots that get greasy quickly with dry lengths can take, for example, the Revive™ Shampoo and the Advanced Hydration Conditioner. Two rich products on fine hair weigh it down.
Can I start with just two products?
Yes. Shampoo and conditioner are the base. Add the third product after two weeks and count the four-week test from that day, so you can see what it changes in your hair.
Can I keep using my current leave-in?
Yes, as long as it does the same job as the third product in your row. Two leave-ins layered on top of each other weigh your hair down and make the four-week comparison impossible.
How often should I wash with this routine?
Two to three times a week is a good starting point. If your roots get greasy sooner, wash more often and use less shampoo each time; the conditioner stays the same at every wash.
Before you pick your first bottle, the free hair analysis asks about hair thickness, lengths and scalp and suggests products for your routine.