I have a secret. It’s kind of bad. Unforgivable in the curly hair world, actually. Up until about a year ago….I didn’t use deep conditioner. I figured, ‘Why bother?’ and would just go about my business doing a quick pre-poo with coconut oil. And my hair was ok – it struggled along during the winter months, but I felt like everything was kosher. Until I actually purchased a deep conditioner. At which point my life took a bit of a dramatic turn for the good. Now, I am a firm convert, and I’ve stayed true to my DevaCurl Heaven in Hair Intense Moisture Treatment for months now.
If you are looking for something that smells nice, and provides some slip while intensely conditioning your strands, look no further. This deep conditioner, in my opinion, does it all, and for that, my hair is grateful.
Typically, after I’ve washed and conditioned my hair and everything is rinsed clean, I will slather some of this on my strands, put them into twists, and throw everything back in a double shower cap with towels on top. I leave this on for about half an hour, with a brief time spent either steaming my hair to open my lower porosity strands to the goodness of the conditioner, or blow drying the outside of the shower cap on a high setting to get the heat in there. Often, I can see my hair becoming visibly bouncier as it drinks up the Heaven in Hair. After rinsing, my hair is clearly more moisturized, healthier-looking, and overall happier for up to a week after my deep condition treatment.
So, are there any downsides? To be honest, the price was the only thing that struck me as a negative; at $40 for a container, it can be a little steep – particularly if you have lots and lots of hair. However, it has lasted me for several months now, and I’m quite happy to have it as an addition to my curl arsenal. If you love other DevaCurl products, you will most definitely love this DC.
Water Only Washing
My poor scalp, you guys. This winter has been brutal to many people and things – the snow in Boston, the extreme cold alerts that are constantly being issued in Ontario – but I’m pretty sure my scalp has taken the brunt of it. Granted, it’s always been a little dry, and a little…angry. “It goes with the territory!” I thought. I’ve got dry hair, I’ve got eczema, and dry skin…it’s natural that my scalp is going to be a little needy too, right?
But this winter, well, boy. I’ve tried it all – fish oil capsules, drinking lots of water, tea tree oil shampoos, (sulfate-laden!!!) dandruff shampoos, scalp massages, increasing my washing, decreasing my washing, jojoba oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar rinses – everything under the sun, and still those flakes pop up cheekily. So I went to a curly girl’s best friend, Google, and started to unearth something…interesting. Perhaps, my results told me, I had a sensitivity to chemicals in products. Perhaps, just maybe, my scalp was rebelling against the constant bombardment of this product or that product. So, after a brief hesitation, I stopped. Using. All. Products.
Which might sound a bit crazy, right? Something I never would have considered, only…there are other naturals outthere promoting this. And not just with 3a/b/c hair like mine; naturals with beautiful, long, tight kinky strands. There’s actually an entire YouTube channel dedicated to this phenomenon, and it’s something that’s been kicking around on straight hair boards for a while. Essentially, the idea is that your scalp will naturally produce sebum, the substance that helps coat and protect your glands. The water will help distribute it evenly along the strands, and help keep any greasiness in check. It’s kind of a counter-shampoo revolution, returning to the times when we didn’t have things to make our hair squeaky clean. To me, it sounded a little bit gross, but a little bit intriguing. And as someone who never in a million years has greasy hair, I thought, Why not? I’ll give it a shot….do an experiment, if you will, for a few weeks to see what it might yield.
So for now, I’m taking care to follow a routine religiously, rinse every other day, and see what develops (or doesn’t, in the case of dandruff). What do you think? Have you heard of water only washing? What are your thoughts and opinions on this hair care practice?
WHAT IT SAYS ON THE BOTTLE
An intense moisture treatment for all curl types. Chemically treated hair needs extra hydration to repair itself and curly and wavy hair always need special attention. This intensive moisture treatment provides super hydration for your locks and excellent deep conditioning for all curl types and processed hair. It is especially well-suited for slightly wavy, wavy, Botticelli, and corkscrew curls.
MY RESULTS
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