Natural hair confession — I’ve been slacking on deep conditioning. I used to be faithful to weekly deep conditioning and hot oil treatments, but last summer I fell off completely. I think since I was starting to see my hair past bra strap length, I got into an “I made it” stage and stopped focusing on health. Now my hair has been at a stagnant length for a year.
I used to deep condition overnight, but I read it was bad to have hair sit in conditioner that long and much better to sit under a hooded dryer for 15-30 min. That was too difficult for me. I could never find the time sit under a dryer, so I ended up stopping altogether.
I definitely notice a major difference in my hair when I deep condition versus when I don’t. I know that deep conditioning is one of the reasons my hair has retained 12 inches in the past 2 years & 11 months I’ve been natural.
Here’s my previous deep conditioning routine that works perfectly during the cooler months:
• Deep condition once a week until you feel your hair is healthy. Then bi-weekly, tri-weekly or even once a month is fine.
• You can alternate your deep conditioning with hot oil treatments. Damp your hair with water, add an oil, and sit under a dryer for 30 minutes or overnight. Be sure to apply a protein treatment when you feel it is necessary, which is usually every 4-6 weeks.
• Use the most natural deep conditioner you can find! The point of this is to penetrate the hair strands, so you want the best ingredients going in.
• Read the instructions. If it says leave in 5 minutes and rinse it is NOT a deep conditioner.
• It’s not a deep treatment if some type of heat is not involved.
If you’re like me, some weeks you won’t feel like sitting under a hooded dryer. Why not try to deep condition overnight? My first year of being natural I would simply make two sections, wet my hair, add the deep conditioner mask, add extra virgin olive oil and finger detangle. Then I’d make two braids, add two plastic caps, wrap my head with two scarves, and place a winter skully cap on top. This creates a heated environment to get the most out of your deep conditioner. In the morning just rinse out wash & style.
Try this method for a couple of months. (Don’t write anything off hair related until you’ve tried it for at least five months, otherwise it’s difficult to tell if it worked or not.)
