A restorative, repairing deep conditioning treatment is absolutely ESSENTIAL

[varaneka]

Deep conditioning should not be confused with daily conditioning. A restorative, repairing deep conditioning treatment is absolutely ESSENTIAL for healthy hair. Many people believe they are conditioning their hair sufficiently by using daily conditioner after each shampoo, but this is not always the case.

How to Deep Condition Your Hair Properly

Deep conditioning should not be confused with daily conditioning. A restorative, repairing deep conditioning treatment is absolutely ESSENTIAL for healthy hair. Many people believe they are conditioning their hair sufficiently by using daily conditioner after each shampoo, but this is not always the case.

A daily conditioner is essential for maintaining healthy hair and should follow each shampoo.
The cuticles of the hair are slightly raised or "opened" when you shampoo: This allows the shampoo to thoroughly cleanse the hair. A daily or "instant" conditioner will smooth down this raised cuticle as well as restore the hair to its proper pH balance. It also replenishes moisture to the hair's exterior surface.


Deep conditioning, on the other hand, provides nutrients and essential protein to hair's cortex (the center of each hair shaft). In order for this to happen, you must use an external heat source. The heat causes the cuticles on each hair strand to open fully, allowing the conditioner to saturate, nourish and condition each hair.

Heat for deep conditioning can come from a variety of sources.

A bonnet style hair dryer is the most commonly used method at most hair salons. If you are deep conditioning at home and you do not want to invest in a bonnet style hair dryer, there are conditioning heat caps as well as bonnet attachments that you place over the nozzle of your blow dryer. You can also wet a large towel, microwave it and wrap it, turban style around your head. No matter which method you choose to heat your hair, you should always wear a conditioning cap (a thin shower cap). This will ensure that the heat is concentrated onto the hair and also take advantage of the heat that is generated by your own body. It takes approximately 20 minutes (up to 35 minutes for longer/very thick hair) for the hair to fully absorb a deep conditioning treatment.

Once the sufficient amount of time has elapsed, you must allow your hair to cool down completely before you rinse the conditioner out. If you do not allow this cool down period, the cuticles will still be lifted or "open" from the heat. You will rinse away most, if not all of the deep conditioner's nutrients and proteins. In addition, your hair will feel slightly course and rough, because of the raised cuticles.

If you color, chemically or thermally straighten your hair, it is absolutely essential for you to deep condition your hair every two weeks. Weekly deep conditioning would be even better.

Hair that is otherwise healthy will benefit from monthly deep conditioning treatments. There is such a thing as over conditioning your hair, because each hair can only absorb a finite amount of protein: Anything in excess of that will coat the hair shaft and weigh it down.

If you would like to try these techniques on yourself, I've found the BEST heat cap EVER! The Hair Therapy Wrap ™ is simply BRILLIANT! I fell in love with it the first time I used it.
The Phat Head Hair Therapy Cordless Heat Cap is reusable, machine washable and completely FABULOUS! Watch a demonstration.

source

 

[Odd One]

We all know about how much DCing is the truth here! but this a still a nice article..

I didnt know about the cooling down period thing

 

[PikiNiki]

Hmm, never knew about the cool down period. Makes sense though, as you could rinse off conditioner because cuticles are raised. Thanks creolesugarface.

 

[varaneka]

We all know about how much DCing is the truth here! but this a still a nice article..

I didnt know about the cooling down period thing

Me either. I was going to post this in that thread about the definition of DCing, but I couldn't remember what it was called.

Hmm, never knew about the cool down period. Makes sense though, as you could rinse off conditioner because cuticles are raised. Thanks creolesugarface.

You're welcome!

 

[Eisani]

I've read the cool down thing in the instructions on a couple of my dominican dc's. Guess they had it right!

 

[varaneka]

I've read the cool down thing in the instructions on a couple of my dominican dc's. Guess they had it right!

oo that's nice to know

which brands do you use?

 

[AnsbachFrizzpuff]

Ah so a cool down? That makes so much sense now that I think about it. And rinsing out with cool water.

Same principle. Its funny how things that make so much sense, often aren't even thought of.

Thank you so much for this article.

I plan on getting a hooded dryer for rollersets and I guess for deep conditioning too. I never do it with heat but I know I need to.

 

[varaneka]

Ah so a cool down? That makes so much sense now that I think about it. And rinsing out with cool water.

Same principle. Its funny how things that make so much sense, often aren't even thought of.

Thank you so much for this article.

I plan on getting a hooded dryer for rollersets and I guess for deep conditioning too. I never do it with heat but I know I need to.

you're welcome

I saw it tweeted by Brendita (a member here who makes Brendita's Body Works). If you're on twitter, her name is @BrenditaWorks. She is always posting on there.

I have a hooded dryer from Sally, but I rarely use it because it's hard to find a comfortable spot to sit and have the dryer at the right level

I have the cordless heat wrap that she mentions. It's so much easier. But I can't do rollersets with it lol ( not that it's relevant anymore since I shaved my head hehe)

 

[sharifeh]

I didn't know about the cooling down thing either...

 

[chavascandy]

Thanks for posting that info. It was very helpful.I thought I was deep conditioning everytime I shampooed just by applying a plastic cap but, I had know idea. Now I know the difference. This makes me want to re-wash my hair and do the conditioning process right.
Thanks

 

[Firstborn2]

informative..thank you...like everyone else I had no idea about the cool down.

 

[varaneka]

you're all very welcome.

 

[DaRKNLuVLy]

Good info about the cool down period. Thanks!

 

[Fine 4s]

This makes sense to me and I have noticed a difference between DCing with and w/out heat. Thanks for reminding me!

Didn't know about the cooling down process...

Another reason not to grow long hair hair. Now I gotta wait 35 mns to DC! I have no time for Roux Porosity Control no mo'!

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

cool article. its crazy, cuz i've always had a cool down period. and i didn't know it was beneficial, i thought it was undoing all the dc to let me cool down. i only had the cool down because i was too lazy to get up and would start watching tv or surfin the net. ♥

 

[Jazala]

This article is so on point. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my hair because of deep conditioning. I must have I read about the cool down on this board some time ago because I have been doing it ever since I joined here.

 

[Lady Esquire]

Yeah, DCing is so delicious. And that cool down tip is on point. A lot of ladies rinse with a shot of cold water to close that cuticle and seal the benefits of the DC in there. Also, its said to give the hair some shine too.

 

[~*~ShopAholic~*~]

Not to hijack the thread but the cooling down period is also a must when curling the hair, b4 removing rollers from rollerset/flexi/rod sets, etc., and if you blow dry do a shot of cool air through out the hair when done drying. I figure I would throw that out there since alot of pple didn't know about the cooling period for DC.

 

[Victorian]

I must have I read about the cool down on this board some time ago because I have been doing it ever since I joined here.

I think I read about that somewhere here too, or maybe one of my deep conditioners had that in the instructions, because I always let my hair cool too. My soft bonnet dryer has a cool setting.
Ditto w/the blowdrying.

 

[twinkletoes17]

I'm dc'ing with NTM Deep Recovery Hair Mask atm. I just protein dc'ed with Nexxus Emergencee and rinsed that out already. I used a heat cap with it for about 30 minutes, then I let my hair cool for about another 30 minutes. Then, I rinsed my hair with lukewarm-cool water...



My hair felt a little slippy O.O I know right? Slippy-feeling after Emergencee is crazy, but I'm being honest. Rinsing with cold water always left my hair feeling rough, and then the MC smoothed it a bit, not to mention, it made shiver.

I'm letting my hair cool from now on

 

[brucebettye]

cool article. its crazy, cuz i've always had a cool down period. and i didn't know it was beneficial, i thought it was undoing all the dc to let me cool down. i only had the cool down because i was too lazy to get up and would start watching tv or surfin the net. ♥

I do the same thing. I did not know it was good for my hair.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

i never knew thats what the cool option was for on my soft bonnet dryer. thank goodness. it sure feels good after all that heat. ♥

 

[Lanea87]

I'm DC now, just gotta remember the cool down thing.

 

[DaRKNLuVLy]

If I'm rinsing with cold water after my DC, do I still need to do the 'cool down' period? I always thought the cold water closes the cuticles...

 

[beans4reezy]

Good article. I will need to remember the cool down period.

 

[Salsarisma]

I didn't know about the cool down period! I guess that's why bonnet style dryers have the 10-15 minute cool down at the end of the drying cycle?? I never understood that! Makes sense now!

Also, how do you know if you are over conditioning? I wash my hair once a week and I dc with heat for 30 minutes after every wash.

 

[JJamiah]

I have done this as well for some years now with the cool water as well as cool off period, I read in a book back when I just hit double digits as I use to read so much, I think it was one of the essence beauty books, I also when I blow Dry with the hand held I put it on cool after it is mostly dry and blow dry the rest on cool.

 

[Amerie123]

cool article. its crazy, cuz i've always had a cool down period. and i didn't know it was beneficial, i thought it was undoing all the dc to let me cool down. i only had the cool down because i was too lazy to get up and would start watching tv or surfin the net. ♥

This is me all the way.. a part of me always felt that letting it cool down would counteract what i was doing the whole time. but it never stopped me, cuz i would always have so much stuff goin on (laziness). lol.

 

[goodmorningruby]

Does anyone know if letting the hair cool off after using a heat source is still necessary if the conditioner is rinsed out with cold water?

 

[PrincessLinzz]

Thank you so much for this article. I never knew that the hair had to cool. I know I sound like an echo, but I really didn't know!

This was a very helpful read.