Conditioning is probably one of the single most important factors to any hair care routine. Which is why when you choose a deep conditioner you want to choose well. There are some ingredients you should pay attention to and more importantly you should be looking for signs that the conditioner is working with your hair.
How to Know if the Conditioner is Effective for You
- A deep conditioner that is working for you will make your hair more manageable. This means that after the use of the conditioner it should fairly easy to comb through and detangle your hair.
- You should also notice significantly less breakage when you comb through your hair as the conditioner is suppose to increase your hair’s strength.
- After using your hair should feel softer and able to retain moisture with more ease.
If your current deep conditioner is not doing any of the above it’s time for a change. Since a deep conditioner is the area where you are likely to spend the most money for a quality product you want to make sure your money is well spent.
Ingredients to pay attention to
A good deep conditioner will contain proteins and sealing ingredients. Namely deep conditioners include hydrolysed proteins, examples include:
- Hydrolyzed Keratin (from wool)
- Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
- Hydrolyzed Silk Protein
- Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Ingredients that make your hair easier to comb:
- Amodimethicone
- Behentrimonium Chloride
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- Cetrimonium Chloride
- Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
- Stearalkonium Chloride
Examples of Sealing Ingredients:
- Coconut Oil
- Shea Butter
- Soybean Oil
Some conditioners contain mineral oil or petroleum but if you are not a fan of these ingredients you can avoid them.
Even if you do not consider your hair damaged or in bad shape, deep conditioning is still a vital aspect of your routine to consider. Our hair is composed of protein and just by combing or styling your hair you lose some of this protein. Conditioners replenish the hair and help to maintain its strength. Which is why you will want to deep condition regularly to avoid breakage with an effective conditioner that works well for your hair.
For further reading check out:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/04/find-your-perfect-deep-conditioner.html
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-everything-you-need.html
Thanks for this post. I’m in the market for a deep conditioner to add to my routine; it’s the one part I feel I need major improvement on. It just seems like such a hassle now…the whole waiting part lol I like to wash and go on about my business.
No more excuses, though. I’ll have to start even if it’s small…maybe once or twice a month.
I try to stay within my financial means to find or make a conditioner/deep conditioner that will make my hair soft and manageable without the hassle of staying in the mirror for hours on end. I have learned the hard way that I shouldn’t wash my hair too often. I use my conditioner as a hair cream every 2-3 days with a nut oil to seal it.
Is this a great idea for natural tight curl/kinky hair? I then wash my hair twice a month but now I’ve decided to wash once a month in luke warm water.
What do you think?
My hair have been shedding for a very long time what can I do to stop it from shedding
You should first determine whether what you are experiencing is shedding or breakage. With shedding you will see the entire hair strand sometimes with a white bulb attached to it. If your hair is breaking you will see short wispy hairs broken off portions of the strand. We normally shed 50 to 100 hairs per day (so if you detangle once per week it may appear like you are losing a lot of hair when you really are not). Shedding is a natural occurrence. However some women shed more hair after delivering a baby (post partum shedding) and other hormonal reasons. I personally have not tried it, but many have given tea rinses praise for reducing shedding and strengthening hair.
Thank you so much