Conditioning treatments = hair food….. Your hair is hungry so feed it!You may consider your hair to have a life of its own, some times it just won’t do what you tell it to…… it rebels, you fight with it, and then it decides to have a lazy, dry day.
It’s ok, it happens to the best of us.
Just like when your feel run down and need good nutrition, your hair needs its own nourishment too. Hair vitamins are great to supplement your diet but application of a suitable treatment directly onto your locs is a good way to see a more immediate improvement of your hair quality.
Yummy deep conditioning treatments can be all you need to wake, shake and plump your tresses up!
Before you decide on which type of conditioner to use, you must know your hair type.
For example, if you have thin, fly away hair, the wrong deep conditioner may weigh it down and make it ‘over greasy’, in the same way a watery thin solution could leave brittle hair tangled and still a little dry.
So let's figure out your hair type:
- Normal Hair
- Oily Hair
- Combination Hair
- Dry Hair
Do you have ‘normal’ hair?
…You do if….
- Your hair is smooth and shiny yet not greasy.
- Is easy to manage and can hold a style without too much effort.
- It doesn’t need a daily shampoo to remove grease.
- It has a soft texture.
Your hair type benefits from mild shampoos and conditioners. If you want to wash your hair more frequently why not try ‘kids’ shampoo. Its ultra mild and won’t strip you hair of it essential oils.
Here is a simple D-I-Y Avocado deep conditioning treatment
You will need:
- A tablespoon
- A whisk
- A small jar of mayonnaise
- Half a ripe avocado
- Baby oil/ Olive oil (your choice)
- A bowl for mixing
- A shower cap/cling film/conditioning cap.
Take 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix in a bowl with the avocado and oil using a whisk.
Mix it until it is a smooth green paste. Let it rest whilst you wash your hair using a good shampoo.
After shampooing, towel dry your hair and smooth the conditioner through your hair from scalp to the ends.
Cover your hair with the shower cap or wrap the cling film around your head and then leave it on for 20-30 mins depending how the level of conditioning you want.
Rinse your hair thoroughly with cool clean water.
Do you have ‘oily’ Hair?
…You do if…
- You have to shampoo your hair every other day to stop it becoming dull and limp.
- Your hair regularly feels ‘dirty’ or ‘greasy’ and seems to always attract dust particles.
- You can only use tiny amounts of ‘hair product’ on your hair before strands clump together and look messy.
- You seem to have dandruff a lot of the time.
If you can identify with this hair type then you should consider using a light leave-in conditioner after you have washed and towel dried your hair.
You can get leave-in conditioning treatments in the form of spray which is extra handy as you can direct the nozzle to the places where the hair is most dry, like the ends……. and miss out the oily parts like the scalp area!
Remember be sure to rinse out the conditioner properly using luke warm water so that no residue builds up.
Before trying out my homemade conditoner for you hair type, try washing you hair with Medi Dan Medicated Dandruff Treatment Shampoo. This stuff has had rave reviews for controlling itching and dandruff.
It's a Dermatologist approved classic formula with Medi-Tar that removes flakes, reduces excess sebum, and controls itching and irritation.
It controls the itching and flaking associated with dandruff, dermatitis, seborrhea and scalp psoriasis.
Here is a dreamy coconut conditioning treatment for oily hair
You will need:
- 1 cup water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (find it in the baking section of a grocery store, health food store, candle store)
- A whisk and a bowl
Start by whisking the egg yolk until it becomes frothy, add the coconut oil, and whisk it a little more.
Add the water and then stir it until it becomes smooth. Apply the mix to your hair and scalp, massage it thoroughly then let it rest for 2-5 minutes.
Rinse your hair with clean cool water. Voila! The bonus is great smelling tropical coconut loveliness in your hair, yay!
Hold it! DH tip: After using conditioning treatments on your hair why not try this home recipe as a final rinse. It leaves your hair soft and shiny and removes some excess grease:
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar mixed with
- 1 cup of water
- Leave on for a minute and rinse out.
Easy peasy!
Do you have ‘combination’ hair?
…You do if….
- Some areas of your hair are dry and some are greasy.
- The ends look dry after shampooing but the rest of your hair looks pretty good.
- You have tricky ends, which can be split or over processed.
- When your scalp becomes too greasy to manage and it’s time for a wash….the ends frustratingly begin to look better.
- You have long hair. You are more likely to have ‘combo’ hair if that’s the case.
Do you think this could be you?
Well with ‘combo’ hair it is mega important to trim you hair regularly and use protective sprays/lotions when heat styling your tresses.
You can benefit from using mild conditioning treatments on your hair, focus on distributing it to the ends where moisture is needed most. If needed, here are some tips on how to care for biracial hair.
Here is a hot oil conditioner that can add luster and body to any hair type:
Safety First! (this involves hot water so if you don’t trust yourself, find a someone who can perform this safely for you)
You will need:
- Extra Virgin Olive oil in a glass bottle. (Pop down to any local grocery or health food store to get hold of some…don’t forget to pay for it!)
- Hot water
- A glass or ceramic bowl
- A towel/conditioning cap
Shall we begin?
First, boil some water in a kettle. Pour the water into the bowl filling it up to half way.
Place the bottle of oil in to the hot water for about 2 mins to warm it up.
Once it is quite warm massage the warmed oil through your hair with your fingertips, paying extra attention to your hair ends and throw in a 30 second massage to the scalp.
Wrap your head in a towel or place a conditioning cap on your head and leave it on for 45 mins.When the time is up, simply rinse your hair with clean luke warm water.
Please DO NOT attempt to microwave the bottle as a faster alternative.
This recipe is great for dry itchy scalp.
Do you have dry hair?
..You do if..
- Your hair looks dull.
- It feels hard or rough to touch.
- It breaks off easily when brushing or combing.
- It has a lot of fuzzy split ends.
- Usually is has been subjected to a lot of chemical treatments like dyes and perms.
- There is not much elasticity (try plucking one hair off your head. Now pull it between your thumbs and forefingers if it stretches a bit and bounces back, it has elasticity, if it breaks immediately it is dry).
- Sometimes there are dry flakes of skin around your hair line.
Psst...another DH Tip!
If you love high quality moisturising conditioners why not invest in a tube of Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique va va voom...as they say!
Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique is the first heat-activated reconstructor milk for weakened hair. Hair fibers are smoothed from the root to tip, leaving it feeling strong, supple and flowing with a long lasting shine.
Here is a great homemade treatment for dry hair. Try using it once a week.
Mix two whole eggs with four tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of honey. Smooth the mixture through your hair.
Wrap head with cling film or a conditioning cap wrap, and leave in hair for 10 minutes or 15 mins for a deeper condition. Rinse very well with cool water.
Honey is great for attracting and retaining moisture in your hair.
More info on conditioners....
Protein conditioning treatments & Hair masques
These types of are deep penetrating mixtures that are left on your hair for 20-30 minutes.
They are even more effective when you cover your hair with a shower cap or cling film and sit under a dryer. The heat opens up your hair shaft and increases penetration of the protein rich moisturizers.
This type of conditioning treatment is good for a once a week condition on dull, dry brittle hair as it restores elasticity and softness to damaged hair.
Protein Rx Reparative conditioner is ideal for brittle, broken hair that has been weakened from coloring, relaxing, or heat styling.
Leave in Conditioners
Well the title speaks for itself! You apply a leave-in after you have washed and rinsed your hair.
You can add it to your towel dried hair but do not rinse it out. It just dries with your hair to leave it smooth and soft.
These formulas are generally much lighter but still provide great moisture and detangling without weighing your hair down.
What’s great about leave in conditioning treatments is that you can get them in a spray on bottle which means you can direct the nozzle to the parts where your hair needs it the most whilst avoiding the bits that don’t need it.
You don’t always have to wash your hair before using it. If your hair is dry pre-shampoo, you can still use it to keep your hair soft until your next wash. Make sure you don’t build up too much product in your hair though.
Here are some of my favourite Leave-in condish's, they suit all hair types.
First there's Tigi S-Factor Papaya Leave-In Moisture Spray It smells yummy and intensely nourishes and moisturizes damaged hair without weighing it down.
Simply apply daily to towel-dried hair and style.