Deep Conditioning Your Hair
Deep Conditioning Your Hair
June 22nd, 2023
Deep conditioning is a best practice to incorporate into your hair routine. Even if you feel your hair is not damaged, deep conditioners still help maintain healthy looking hair over time. Choosing how often to deep condition and which products to use can be a challenge. Deep conditioners go by many names, but are often thicker and heavier in their ingredient concentration.
What hair types and styles need deep conditioning?
- Long hair that feels dry
- Chemically altered hair (examples: hair that has been lightened, permed, relaxed)
- Naturally dry hair
- Damaged hair
- Hair with frizz
- Swimmers that expose their hair to chlorine often
- Beach lovers with sun-bleached hair
- People with hard water, or who use well water
- Anyone who frequently uses high heat to style their hair (ex: flat iron)
What is the goal of a deep conditioning treatment for hair?
The two goals here are (1) hydration and (2) slip. Both help with the appearance and overall longevity of your hair's strands.
Hydration
Slip
The two goals here are (1) hydration and (2) slip. Both help with the appearance and overall longevity of your hair's strands.
Hydration
- Silky, flexible strands (versus dry, brittle ones) with more shine
- Smooth ends (versus puffy and frayed)
- On curly hair - curls that form evenly (versus inconsistently)
Slip
- Reduces tangling
- Reduces friction from traction damage (to help hair grow)
- Reduces frizz
How often should I deep condition?
This is unique to each person's hair type. Deep conditioning bi-monthly or monthly is common. If your hair is damaged, you can deep condition up to once a week. For more insights on how to fit deep conditioning into your routine, check out my post on Hair Schedules.
This is unique to each person's hair type. Deep conditioning bi-monthly or monthly is common. If your hair is damaged, you can deep condition up to once a week. For more insights on how to fit deep conditioning into your routine, check out my post on Hair Schedules.
What are the best ingredients for deep conditioners?
Below we've shared common ingredients you'll find in conditioner and/or deep conditioners. It's helpful to know what these ingredients are in case a company doesn't use the term "deep conditioner" on the product label. Other terms used for deep conditioning-related products are: hair treatment, hair tonic, hair lotion and hair masque. You can also check out our post on Hair Oils for more insights on ingredient lists.
Below we've shared common ingredients you'll find in conditioner and/or deep conditioners. It's helpful to know what these ingredients are in case a company doesn't use the term "deep conditioner" on the product label. Other terms used for deep conditioning-related products are: hair treatment, hair tonic, hair lotion and hair masque. You can also check out our post on Hair Oils for more insights on ingredient lists.
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- Panthenol
- Glycerin
- Amino Acids
- Peptides
- Cetyl alcohol or cetyl alcohol
- Hydrolyzed proteins (ex: wheat, soy, keratin protein)
- Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
- Quaternium-87
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- Behentrimonium Chloride
- Dicetyldimonium Chloride
- Distearyldimonium Chloride
- Polyquaternium 55
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- Polyquaternium-44
- Cetrimonium Bromide
- Cetrimonium Chloride
- Palmitamidopropyltrimonium Chloride
- Laurdimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed
- Polyquaternium-4
- Polyquaternium-10
How should you deep condition your hair?
We've listed a process frequently recommended to clients below.
We've listed a process frequently recommended to clients below.
- Shampoo twice with clarifying shampoo, or use a regular shampoo plus a detox treatment, and rinse well.
- Ring out most of the water from your hair, and/or soak it up with a towel.
- Apply conditioner or deep conditioner from roots-to-ends.
- Massage conditioner and water into your hair. Good coverage equals a better result. This can look like a combination of the techniques below. You can read more about the squeezing and scrunching technique here in Cosmopolitan.
- untangling
- working in sections
- pressing root to tip
- gentle squeezing
- scrunching
- combing
- gathering all the hair together
- Let the deep conditioner sit for between 10-20 minutes on thicker hair or 5 - 10 minutes on finer hair.
- Dunk hair in water using a sink or cup, or just quickly rewet in the shower.
- Use the techniques listed above to press more water into the hair.
- Do a final rise. On drier hair, this can be a quick rinse that leaves more conditioner residue. On finer hair, you'll want to do a more thorough rinse to prevent the deep conditioner from weighing your hair down.
- Add leave-in products.
- End with drying and/or styling method of your choice:
- Air dry (avoid this method if it will take more than one hour to dry)
- Diffuse or blowdry with cold air
- Diffuse or blowdry with hot air and heat protection
Can you over-condition hair?
If you are experiencing hair that appears:
If you are experiencing hair that appears:
- limp, flat or heavy
- to have build up or residue
- straighter than you'd like
- greasy or too shiny