The Beauty of Deep Conditioning

Mayday!! Mayday!! Happy Worker’s day peeps…

20 months into my natural hair journey (Transitioning or what I like to call my T stage), I figured my hair curl pattern was not defined or well wasn’t as defined as those I saw on Natural hair blogs or instagram pages. I kept wondering what was wrong… had I gotten irreparable perm damage that it had affected the new growth? or ~~maybe twas cos I transitioned instead of doing a big chop.~~ Rule that out. Or maybe because ~~I had lived in Nigeria all my life and had not left the shores to experience a different type of water and air~~, to tell you the truth the sun and heat we get in this part of the world is able to fry an egg in a pan-no jokes. Nah, Scrap that. Was I not getting enough moisture or not using the right products or what?

I had all these lamentations running through my mind anytime ‘Wash day” approached or I met someone with a more defined curled hair. Very inquisitively, I asked and it was kinda a relief whenever I hear “I did the big chop”… then I’ll always say to myself “you should have…”. I love to experiment… I’ll try as much products as possible, read as large as I can, watch videos, read reviews then I realized not all hair is the same. You’ve got to find what works for your hair type , although there are a few general principles. What worked for people did not work or have the same result on me. Once I found some products I liked, I stuck with them but still couldn’t resist the spirit of exploring… I had to find answers…I couldn’t stop, not now…I had to keep moving.

Then one day I decided to add Deep Conditioning more to my routine… I suddenly realized that my curls began to get more defined and I DC’ed every time I washed my hair- sometimes I used a DC I bought from a store other times I made my own deep conditioner at home.

Deep Conditioners have been formulated to provide intense conditioning to the hair. They make hair more manageable, less prone to breakage and frizz! Deep conditioning will make your hair softer and helps retain length. It helps hair retain moisture and some have said in order for it to work better, you will need to heat it up a lil bit before applying or steam hair with it that way the ingredients will penetrate more easily into the scalp. You should be able to deep condition your hair at the least once every 2weeks, you’ll be amazed at the results!

INSIGHTS

What’s your Budget? : When buying a deep conditioner it is best you have a budget. Although some really good DCs are a lil more expensive, there are some that are very affordable that are more effective to produce great results with some very expensive ones that don’t do nada. You can also alternate with home made recipes (see below).

What are they made of? : You should always check the back of the container to see what it contains before purchasing.You should look out for cationic surfactants, cationic polymers, emollients, oils and silicones (Curly Nikki has more to say on this here).

How To : Too much of something is bad even Deep conditioning! Don’t over do it…Wash your hair with a sulfate free shampoo (sometimes I Co-wash). Apply the deep conditioner on the hair especially the ends/tips of your hair (they need it more) to the roots.Don’t let it stay too long- a few hours should do the trick, Do not do the over night stay. Cover with a plastic cap (you can tie a scarf round or towel to trap in heat just incase you don’t steam then rinse off with cool water -remember Hot and Cold Water benefits.

Home made DC Recipes

Blend 1 Avocado Mix 1cup of Mayonnaise

1 Banana 1/2 cup olive oil

1Tbsp of Honey 3Egg yolks

11/2Tbsp of Coconut/Olive oil. Apply on hair. Microwave for 30seconds.Apply on hair.Do not Shampoo afterwards

Mix 1 cup Yoghurt

1/2 Tbsp Coconut milk

1 Egg

3tbsp Olive oil

1Tbsp Honey

Squeeze Orange or Lemon into the mix.

Hope you found this piece beneficial. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.