Deep conditioning seems simple enough, right? You slap on some conditioner, wait a few minutes, rinse out, and voila! Right? Wrong. Deep conditioning is vital when it comes to restoring moisture to our strands, but many of us have been doing it halfheartedly, not by any fault of our own.
Steps
Deep Moisturizing Conditioning
- Choose a moisturizing conditioner. Moisturizing conditioner is ideal for most African hair, especially if the hair is dry and brittle, and breaks easily when brushed. (If the hair stretches before breaking, read the instructions for protein conditioning, below.) The "moisturizing" label on the front is a good start, but it's best to look at the ingredients list and instructions:
- Ingredients that contain protein should be avoided in a moisturizing conditioner. This includes amino acids, casein, cholesterol, collagen, keratin, oat flour, and panthenol.
- If the directions say to leave on for 2-5 minutes and rinse, this is not a deep conditioner. Look for a product intended to be left on for at least 15–20 minutes.
- Purchase a leave-in conditioner. A leave-in conditioner will keep your hair in good shape between washing sessions. Buy one in addition to the other treatment(s) you selected.
- A moisturizing leave-in conditioner is usually the best choice for African hair.
- Consider a steam treatment. Now that you've selected your product, decide which type of treatment to use. One option is a steam treatment, which lifts and opens the cuticles on the hair strand, allowing your hair to absorb more conditioner. This is ideal for dry, brittle hair, but more than two steam treatments a month may cause hygral fatigue. Here's a step by step explanation:
- Wash you hair and gently squeeze it until damp, but not soaking wet.
- Rub in deep conditioner. Focus on the ends, which are the weakest point, but condition all the way to the roots as well. Do not apply on the scalp.
- Sit under the hair steamer for one complete cycle. If you don't own one, wrap hair in a hot, wet towel and cover with a plastic bag or shower cap for 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse out conditioner with cold water. This closes the cuticle layer again, laying them flat to seal conditioner in and let strands glide past each other with minimal tangling. This also gives the hair a nice sheen.
- Apply a moisturizing leave-in conditioner, then style.
- Trap heat overnight instead. Many people find this method uncomfortable, but it's a good choice if you have dry, coarse, brittle hair. Also, this method can be used more often than the steam treatment without causing damage. Apply as follows, starting in the late evening:
- Wash hair and squeeze until damp.
- Apply moisturizing conditioner. Never use a conditioner that contains protein, as this can harden the hair and break it if left in longer than instructed on the label.
- Cover with the thermal cap. If you don't have a thermal heat cap, use a plastic cap covered in a beanie or bandana.
- Sleep with the cap on.
- Cold rinse in the morning and apply a moisturizing conditioner before styling.
Restoring Protein with Conditioner
- Check your hair strength. Protein adds strength to damaged hair, especially hair treated with relaxers, bleach, or other harsh chemical treatments. However, they can also dry out your hair. Brush your hair and watch how the strands snap to find out whether protein will help or hurt:
- If your strands stretch, then break, you need more protein.
- If your hair snaps off easily without stretching, look for conditioners that do not contain protein.
- Find a protein deep conditioner. Protein-heavy conditioners may be sold as "hair mayonnaise" or "protein conditioner." For a more accurate choice, check the ingredients. Conditioner ingredients with protein include amino acids, casein, cholesterol, collagen, keratin, oat flour, and panthenol. Of course, anything with the word "protein" in it is another good choice.
- Dampen hair. Wash your hair, then gently squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Do not rub with the towel, which can cause damage.
- Apply the conditioner. Rub the product into your hair. The ends are usually most in need of strengthening, but rub all the way to your roots as well. You do not need to apply this to your scalp.
- Heat with a thermal cap or bonnet dryer. There are three different ways to "cook" a protein treatment into your hair:
- Cover with a thermal cap.
- Or cover with a plastic cap covered by a beanie or bandana. (This is essentially a homemade thermal cap.)
- Or cover with a plastic cap, then sit under a bonnet dryer. The plastic cap is necessary to avoid damage.
- Leave in according to label instructions. Always follow instructions that come with your protein treatment. Leaving it in too long will create hard, brittle hair, defeating the purpose.
- Rinse with cold water. Seal in the product with a cold rinse.
- Finish with a moisturizing leave-in conditioner. Protein can dry out your hair, so restore lost moisture with a moisturizing conditioner. Make sure this contains no protein.
Natural Deep Conditioning
- Wash your hair with lukewarm water. Hot water makes the hair even curlier and more unmanageable.
- Let an egg sit in your hair. Beat the egg, then massage it in thoroughly. Cover your hair with a plastic bag or a shower cap. Leave this in for about half an hour to feed your hair vital nutrients. Wash the egg out of your hair.
- Because eggs contain protein, this treatment may not be ideal for weak hair that stretches and breaks when brushed.
- Massage in oil. You can use just about any kind of vegetable oil, but coconut oil and jojoba oil are recommended. Pour enough oil to fill about ¼ of a tea cup (about ⅛ measuring cup or 30mL). Massage this into your hair, replace the shower cap, and move on to the next step. This will soften your hair to a healthy, supple texture.
- You can use sunflower oil or other cooking oils, but these may smell bad.
- You can even use an avocado if you have no oil.
- Steam the hair. This will "cook" the oil into your hair, restoring shine and flexibility. At the salon, all you need to do is sit under the dryer. At home, sit on a chair and let your head hang backwards with your hair over a bucket of boiling water. Either way, this takes about 30 minutes.
- Rinse with warm water. Add a few drops of vinegar to the water to reduce dandruff.
- Blow dry. You need very hot air to dry African hair. To dry quickly and effectively, clip your hair into several segments. For each segment, comb out and blow dry lines of hair one by one. Finish the whole segment before moving on to the next.
- Oil the hair with glycerin. Glycerin is the best of the best when it comes to African hair. This last step will protect your hair from breakage. What you have in the end is a head full of fluffy, shiny, kinky hair!
- Braid your hair afterward to help your hair grow.
Tips
- African hair is much drier than other hair types, with little natural oil. It needs deeper and more frequent conditioning than any other hair type.
- A deep condition can take two hours or more. To make it more fun, set aside time on the weekend to condition your hair with your friends and family.
- Because African hair is naturally dry, applying conditioner all the way to the roots does not cause oily buildup. People with looser textures such as curls or waves may feel that this weighs their hair down. If this happens to you, adjust to apply conditioner just to your ends and the middle of the strands.
- If you have dry hair, you may need to deep condition weekly. Other people may only need to deep condition once a month.
Video
Related wikiHows
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- How to Care for African American Hair if You Have a Relaxer
- How to Care for Chemically and Heat Damaged African American Hair
- How to Get Your Hair to Look Good Quickly
- How to Control Afro Style Hair
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