Whether you’re wearing your hair natural or relaxed, we all have encountered the black hair traditional practice of deep conditioning. It has many benefits to adding moisture, nutrients, and managing hair, but many don’t understand how valuable this practice is to maintain and to grow your healthiest hair.
Is deep conditioning the biggest secret to healthy hair. Not really but you should incorporate this step into your hair care regimen. It’s the most efficient way to provide your hair exactly what it needs to have defined curls and promote maximum health.
Luckily for us, deep conditioning is just as versatile as our natural hair! You can make it an overnight process, DIY recipe, or whatever best fits your curly hair! Here are a few methods and tips that you can explore to reach maximum healthy hair.
Why Deep Condition Your Natural Hair?
Deep conditioning is exactly what you think it is, it is the practice of giving your hair deeper conditioning than any leave-in or regular conditioner can.
- Its purpose is to condition your hair strands to prevent breakage, repair any damage, and provide a plethora of moisture.
- Proper deep conditioning treatments equate to more moisture which will result in healthier hair.
- Healthy hair is the product of a balance of protein, moisture, and adequate hair habits. Also, healthy hair is shinier, less breakage, less split ends, and more elasticity. Because of its properties, deep conditioning is a necessary must for anyone who seeks to reach their healthiest hair possible.
- Deep conditioners can be categorized by their most dominant quality. They can provide the most moisture, repair chemical damage, or create better detangling sessions to name a few.
Knowing what your hair needs from a deep conditioner, will be your best determining factor is choosing which product would work best your hair needs.
How To Deep Condition Natural Hair
To have the most effective deep conditioning session, you’ll want to consider a few things.
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- First, you want to choose the best conditioner for your hair need. If you’re experiencing dry hair, you would want to choose a product with extra moisturizing qualities and ingredients. Look for a deep conditioner that states it’s for dry and damaged hair.
- If your hair is recovering from a chemical process and/or heat damage, you’re going to want a product with protein.
Once you’ve chosen your product, you’ll choose your schedule. A general regimen calls for deep conditioning at least every week. Naturals who deep condition weekly see better results than someone who deep conditions once a month. Working with your lifestyle is a major factor in picking a deep conditioning schedule, so remain mindful of realistic expectations.
How often you deep condition is one factor and how long you deep condition is another. Ideally, it’s recommended for the product to sit in your hair up to 45 minutes. Others have found it beneficial to deep condition overnight as well as multiple hours. Both are equally fine and will be pertinent to what conditioner you choose as well as your schedule.
For longer textures, it’s easier to work in 4 different sections. You want to ensure you are applying conditioner from the ends of your hair to your roots. This method will make sure that you are covering every hair strand with the product. Lastly, you can sabotage your efforts with the way you remove your deep conditioner. A deep conditioner opens the pores of your hair strands and infuses them with necessary nutrients for maximum moisture and strength. It’s not recommended that you use very warm water rather lukewarm water to rinse out your deep conditioner.
This method will ensure that your hair pores are closed with the new moisture and nutrients you just work so hard to attain.
How to Deep Condition Natural Hair with Regular Conditioner
If you don’t happen to have any deep conditioner on hand, knowing how to deep condition natural hair with regular conditioner can be a lifesaver. It’s a great way to add nutrients, protein, and moisture to your hair. I must advise that it’s not a solution you should always do as it’s not as effective as a deep conditioner but will work until you can add a regular deep conditioner to your routine again.
To deep condition natural hair with regular conditioner, take a small amount of your conditioner and put it into a small bowl. Add a small amount of pumpkin seed oil. peppermint oil, jojoba oil, glycerine, and castor oil to the conditioner and mix. Add the mixture to your clean and damp hair, making sure every strand is covered. Cover with a shower cap and sit under a hooded dryer.
It’s also possible to put a warm towel on top of the shower cap. Continue adding heat for 20 to 30 minutes. If applying heat is not an option, simply leave the mixture on for an hour to ensure it penetrates the hair shaft thoroughly.
After the recommended time has passed, remove the shower cap and rinse with cool water to close the hair cuticle. Seal in the moisture with your favorite oil such as Butta Butta Cream and allow your hair to air dry. Style as you normally do.
Trending Method: DIY Deep Conditioners
DIY Deep conditioners are a perfect option for the conscious ingredient naturalista. Also, it’s a great alternative for someone who is looking for an affordable method to get the moisture, repair, and damage prevention deep conditioners provide straight from natural ingredients.
Because of its popularity, a lot of hair products have turned to use more organic and natural ingredients. Creating your own DIY deep conditioner is super easy, and only requires a few inexpensive items from your local grocery store.
Avocado, bananas, olive oil, honey, coconut oil, mayo, eggs, and mayo are just a few ingredients many naturals have found useful in attaining maximum moisture and health.
Reaching healthy hair is super easy! It’s all about mastering effective practices, such as deep conditioning. As you can see, deep conditioning natural hair is super essential on a deeper level than we ever could of imagine. Make sure you also use the l.o.c. method.
How to Deep Condition Natural Hair with Coconut Oil
Using oil to deep condition your hair is really giving yourself a hot oil treatment rather than a deep conditioning treatment. Using coconut oil is a very simple and effective way to add softness and shine to your hair. To use this method, it’s important to use unrefined organic coconut oil as it penetrates the hair more easily and has not gone through a filtration process to remove its nutrients. Simply add a small amount of coconut oil to your bowl of choice and then add this bowl into another bowl of warm water Coconut oil melts very easily.
It is not recommended to microwave or heat on a stove as coconut oil can become too hot. Apply the coconut oil to damp hair, and cover with a shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes or longer. It can also be left on overnight. It is not necessary to apply heat when deep conditioning with coconut oil. Rinse with warm water then allow your hair to air dry.
How to Deep Condition Relaxed Hair
Relaxed hair has specific needs and understanding how to deep condition relaxed hair ensures your hair receives the proper moisture and nutrients. There are a lot of products that are formulated specifically for deep conditioning relaxed hair. Most of them require heat so the deep conditioner can fully penetrate the hair shaft and replenish moisture and nutrients lost in the relaxing process.
Heat can be in the form of a hooded dryer or deep conditioning cap. To deep condition, relaxed hair thoroughly apply the conditioner to clean and damp hair paying extra attention to the ends. Cover the hair with a shower cap or hooded dryer and apply heat for 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water to close the hair follicle and allow your hair to naturally dry.
Deep Conditioning Natural Hair Overnight
Deep conditioning natural hair overnight is another way to add vital nutrients and moisture to the hair. It can make the hair super soft and easy to detangle. However, depending on the person, it’s possible to add too much moisture. Deep conditioners, when used overnight, could cause an imbalance between the protein and moisture in the hair which weakens the hair. This makes the hair susceptible to breakage and moisture overload.
If you would like to deep condition your hair overnight, to only use this practice no more than twice a month if you do not feel that your hair is extremely dry. Cover the hair with a shower cap and leave it on overnight. In the morning, shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and follow with your favorite conditioner. Allow your hair to naturally dry then style as usual.
How to Deep Condition Natural Hair Without Heat
There may be some who are wondering how to deep condition natural hair without heat. While most deep conditioning treatments require heat, direct heat with dryers isn’t necessary. Many times, wearing a shower cap alone will work. This is because the head generates enough heat to activate the deep conditioner, enabling it to soak into the hair follicle. Of course, it will take a bit longer for the deep conditioner to work effectively. The general time frame is about an hour or so.
Thermal Deep Conditioning Caps
A thermal deep conditioning cap is a cap that has been designed to gently heat the hair while deep conditioning. One kind of thermal cap has flax seeds or similar filling. The cap is put into a microwave for a couple of minutes which heats up the seeds. The thermal cap is then placed over a shower cap and heat the hair, activating the deep conditioner. It’s a convenient way to add heat to the hair and have mobility.
Do You Use Conditioner After Deep Conditioning?
A common question I receive from many women is, “Do you use conditioner after deep conditioning?” The answer is YES. It isn’t a good idea to shampoo after deep conditioning because it would be counterproductive to the deep conditioner. However, it’s best to condition your hair with a water-based conditioner that rinses out for the detangling process. This adds a little more moisture to the hair and helps your hair retain the nutrients you just worked so hard to put in.
Hey Curl Friend, I’m Patrina Haupt the creator and author of Natural Hair Queen. I hope you find my healthy hair care tips helpful in your hair journey. Healthy hair care practices are definitely, what helped me to achieve waist length hair.
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Thank you for all the advice. I have been looking for this type of information for a long time. My hair is natural as well but I can’t seem to get it to grow past the center of my back. I will be applying your advice to my regimen.
You’re welcome.
I HAVE HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP. I BOUGHT YOUR BUTTER. I’M STILL USING IT.
THANK YOU,
ALLISON MATTHEWS
Thank you Allison, I appreciate your support.
Thanks for the information. My hair has been braking badly these days and i need to change my routine. i am natural.
Be sure to take a look at: https://www.naturalhairqueen.net/natural-hair-care-regimen/