Winter is the perfect time to step up your deep conditioning services. While conditioners are only a temporary fix and cannot improve the quality of new hair growth, deep conditioning can restore the hair’s strength, increase porosity & elasticity, infuse moisture, add luster & protect hair against possible breakage. Encourage your clients to deep condition monthly especially in the winter & summer months to help with environmental and chemical damage. Hair that is deep conditioned regularly is more manageable, silkier and less prone to damage.
Five simple steps for perfect results:
1. Shampoo –
It is not enough to simply rinse the hair. It is important to remove any product and open the hair cuticle for better penetration. Use a clarifying demineralizing shampoo which removes old product buildup, chemicals, minerals & free metals.
2. Hair Mask –
Choose a protein conditioner designed to penetrate the cortex & strengthen the hair shaft.
Pro Tip: Add 20 drops of The Color Accelerator (TCA) to your conditioner for an intense moisturizing conditioning pack. TCA will provide additional conditioning (Vitamin E) and will enable deeper penetration.
3. Applying the Product –
Since the ends are prone to the most damage, this is where you should begin to apply your conditioner. Starting at the ends gives them additional time to absorb the conditioner. Finger comb the conditioner through the rest of the hair assuring that each strand is covered.
4. Heat is Key –
Some conditioners require a heat or steam application. Heat is used to lift the cuticle so that the deep conditioner can penetrate the hair shaft. As addressed in Milady Standard Natural Hair Care & Braiding, “Heat helps break down the protein molecule & allows it to pass through the cuticle of the hair & directly into the cortex.”
Simply place a hot towel wrap over your client’s head or use a plastic cap and put them under a medium heat dryer for 20-30 minutes. “After 30 minutes from the initial application, there are no more increases in conditioner absorbing to hair. The reason for this is that the hair conditioner simply has no more places on the hair where it can stick to…all gaps which it can plug & surfaces where it can attach are occupied.” Source
Pro Tip: If you are including TCA in the formula, only 10 minutes is required since it accelerates the process.
5. Rinse –
Rinse the product out completely with cool water before styling.