Last Updated on February 5, 2023 by Gaga
What’s Deep Conditioner?
Like regular visits to the doctor, dentist, and auto shop, deep hair conditioning is a healthy habit that gives you peace of mind (and mane!). In fact, it’s a powerful hair-nourishing treatment that pampers your tresses with moisture and vital nutrients. Although innovative, damage-fighting hair products such as bond multipliers have entered the market in recent years, deep conditioning treatment is still used as a highly effective way to maintain healthy, bold, and beautiful hair.
Specifically, the active ingredients in the treatment are combined to suit the unique needs of different hair types and individualized concerns. Moisturizing deep conditioners contain ingredients such as hair oils, butter, glycerin, panthenol, and fatty alcohols that work to impart softness and shine. Deep conditioners designed to temporarily repair damaged hair, in addition to hydrating ingredients, include hydrolyzed proteins which can also add strength to damaged locks.
Regular Conditioners vs. Deep Conditioners: Pudding vs. Crème Brulee
So why can’t we get the same boosts from regular conditioners? The main difference between regular and deep conditioners is the depth of penetration inside the hair. The action from a regular conditioner merely takes place on the surface of the hair strands. Daily conditioners coat the hair, reducing the frizz-causing friction that makes it difficult to comb and style your hair.
Yet deep conditioners are meant to be left on the hair for longer than regular conditioners. They can lift the cuticle and go deep into the hair shaft, thus nourishing your hair from the inside out. Thanks to the deeper penetration, the treatment continues to work inside your hair even after rinsing it.
Plus, deep conditioners offer creamier textures and much thicker consistencies than regular conditioners. They’re available in jars or tubes, unlike regular conditioners that usually come in bottles.
DIY Deep Conditioners vs. Store Bought Deep Conditioners
The main advantage of using any homemade or DIY hair treatment is that you can customize the ingredients to fit your specific hair needs. Such treatments are also free of preservatives and other synthetic ingredients. However, you’ll need to learn about the functional properties of the ingredients you’ll use. If you prefer hassle-free deep conditioning, there are ready-made products available designed for various hair problems. In addition to providing the desired outcome, these store-bought products also save you the time you’d invest in preparing the treatment yourself.
Benefits of Deep Conditioning Hair Treatments: Stealth Health, Damage Buster, Tress Tamer, and More!
The ingredients in the deep conditioning treatment are selected to infuse thirsty and damaged hair with moisture and vital nutrients. Your hair will be healthier and more resistant to damage. All types of hair can benefit from deep conditioning. Below, we’ve listed some of the main benefits that deep conditioning treatments cater for different hair problems:
- Damaged hair: If you dye your hair frequently, your hair may become overly porous and may feel brittle, like straw. Bleach and chemicals in permanent dyes often leave hair dry, fragile, and prone to breakage. That’s why your processed hair needs some serious TLC. A deep conditioning treatment replenishes lost moisture and elasticity in bleached hair, thereby making it more resistant to breakage and splitting. It makes your hair feel soft and silky; besides, your color will last longer.
- Unmanageable hair: If your hair is coarse and unruly, you need to put a great deal of effort to keep it looking good. Fortunately, a well-composed deep conditioning treatment can restore softness and pliability to unmanageable hair. This makes combing and brushing easier and helps prepare your hair for styling. Tame those wild child tresses!
- Curly hair: Curly hair is by nature drier than straight hair, which makes it quite vulnerable to damage and breakage. Deep conditioning treatment gives the necessary moisture to curly hair, improves detangling, and makes the curls look healthier and shinier.
- Frizz-prone hair: If you live in an area where it’s humid in the summer, your hair may be subject to frizz. On the other hand, dry air in the winter may increase static electricity in your hair. Deep conditioning treatment helps to moisturize hair from the inside, balance hair porosity, and keep frizz and static under control.
How to Use a Deep Conditioner
For best results, apply the treatment to wet hair after shampooing. Leave it to work for 5-40 minutes or according to the instructions. Some people prefer to apply the treatment to dry hair, but wet hair makes it easier to evenly distribute products with a creamy texture. Then cover your hair with a plastic shower cap. After the recommended time has passed, rinse the treatment from your hair. You don’t need to use a regular conditioner.
Do You Need Heat for Deep Conditioning?
The application of heat will increase the effectiveness of deep conditioning treatments. Some ingredients in the treatment can penetrate the hair shaft without the application of heat. However, the heat opens the cuticle and encourages deeper penetration, enhancing the benefits of the treatment. The optimal heat, which is both comfortable and effective, is around 95 ° Fahrenheit.
The application of heat is especially important if you have low-porosity hair. Low-porosity hair has a tightly closed cuticle which tends to decrease the effectiveness of hair treatments.
How Often should you Apply Deep Conditioner?
If your hair is dry or colored, or you frequently use hot styling tools, you should deep condition it once a week. If your hair is in good shape, then deep conditioning treatment performed biweekly helps replenish moisture and prevent damage from brushing, styling, and damaging environmental factors. You can do this treatment whenever your hair needs extra care and moisture to stay healthy, bright, bold, and beautiful.
Are you ready to roll in the deep today?
Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.