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Mar 27, 2024 · Unlike regular hair conditioners, which are meant to be used every time you wash your hair, deep conditioners are for more occasional use. They tend to be heavier than regular conditioners and are designed to sit on your hair longer to penetrate the shaft more deeply (hence the name).
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- Overview
- What makes hair dry
- What are deep conditioners?
- The benefits of deep conditioning
- Who needs a deep conditioner?
- How to deep condition at home
- Deep conditioning products
- A note of caution
- The bottom line
A deep conditioning treatment can add moisture to your hair and reduce moisture loss. Experts may recommend deep conditioning weekly for many people, but it can depend on your hair texture.
If you have dry hair, deep conditioning may be your ticket to softer, more manageable hair.
“Dry hair lacks moisture from external sources and internal sebum, or oil, production,” says Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD, the president and co-founder of Modern Dermatology and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Here’s what you need to know to choose the right deep conditioner and keep your hair moisturized.
Your hair’s moisture levels depend on how much sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands located in your hair follicles. Sebum is an oil that lubricates the skin, scalp, and hair.
The amount of sebum the scalp produces varies from person to person and fluctuates throughout life. It’s impacted by your age, hormones, stress, and environmental triggers, Mraz Robinson explains.
Your hair may also feel drier if you lighten it, since the bleaching process opens up strands to destroy melanin (pigment).
“This can leave strands dry, porous, and brittle,” Mraz Robinson says.
All conditioners contain a couple of key ingredients:
•Humectants. These bind to water and add moisture to hair.
•Emollients. Sometimes just called moisturizers, these are substances that soften hair and reduce moisture loss by creating a protective film around strands.
Deep conditioners contain higher concentrations of emollient and humectant ingredients than daily conditioners, Mraz Robinson says. They’re also left in the hair for much longer: 20 to 30 minutes instead of just 2 or 3 minutes.
Both regular conditioners and deep conditioners improve hair’s appearance. But deep conditioners have a more noticeable impact. They can:
•detangle hair
•decrease frizz
•boost shine
Because shampoo also removes sebum, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a quick rinse-out conditioner every time after washing hair.
Unless you have especially oily hair, you can likely benefit from also using a deep conditioner, Mraz Robinson says.
How often you should deep condition really depends on your hair texture and how often you wash and heat style it, she adds.
In general, once per week is a good rule of thumb for most people, as Mraz Robinson says using it too frequently could lead to product buildup.
Since sebum travels most easily down the hair to lubricate straight and loose curled strands, people with tight curls may find they need to deep condition more often.
It’s also a good idea to deep condition your hair before you get it chemically treated (i.e., lightened, straightened, or permed).
Mraz Robinson suggests the following steps:
•Shampoo first, only if necessary. “If your scalp isn’t dirty or oily, then you can rinse and skip the shampoo before your deep conditioner,” she says.
•Apply based on your hair type. If you have dry hair or tight curls, you’ll likely benefit from applying deep conditioner very close, if not all the way, to the root. If your hair is oilier, use deep conditioner from the mid-shaft to the ends of hair, and use your regular conditioner closer to your scalp.
•Comb it out. Comb the product through with your fingers or a wide tooth comb to coat all your strands. “Most people will want to apply on the lower part of hair, concentrating on the ends,” she notes.
•Follow the instructions. They vary, so read the packaging. “On average, I’d say [to leave it on for] about 20 to 30 minutes,” she says.
•Rinse with cool water. “This will help seal the goodies into the hair shaft.”
Mraz Robinson suggests looking for the following emollient ingredients in a store-bought deep conditioner:
•honey
•avocado oil
•shea butter
•coconut oil
Don’t shy away from synthetic emollients. Research suggests they’re actually more effective than natural oils. Examples include:
Use caution if you have sensitive skin on your scalp, and especially if you have eczema or psoriasis.
“Many of these treatments are heavily fragranced and may trigger a flare-up of your condition,” Mraz Robinson says.
Deep conditioners have more concentrated emollient and humectant ingredients and are left on the hair longer than daily conditioners.
Most people can use a deep conditioner once per week. Comb through from the mid-shaft to the ends, leave on for 20 minutes, and rinse with cool water.
Look for ingredients, like avocado oil, shea butter, and coconut oil.
Colleen de Bellefonds is a Paris-based health and wellness journalist with over a decade of experience regularly writing and editing for publications including WhatToExpect.com, Women’s Health, WebMD, Healthgrades.com, and CleanPlates.com. Find her on Twitter.
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- DON'T: Wash Your Hair the Next Day. Staying away from water can give your newly dyed strands their best chance of remaining vibrant. "I recommend clients give their hair two to three days to let their new color truly set in," says Pineda.
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- DON'T: Dye Your Eyebrows to Match. Changing the color of your brows to match your newly dyed strands is not a must-do when straying from your natural tone.
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May 31, 2016 · Unlike standard conditioners, a deep conditioner is packed with an intense dose of conditioning agents, which can help to improve the condition of dry, lackluster tresses, making your mane shinier, healthier-looking and stronger against breakage. But what if your hair is already in its best shape?
Mar 28, 2023 · Like a supercharged hair mask, the best deep conditioners nourish and hydrate dry, damaged hair. Here, we've rounded up some top formulas our editors love.
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Apr 11, 2024 · According to Gibson, permanent hair dye goes deep into the hair shaft to change its natural color for an extended period. It's great for those who want a more lasting and noticeable change in hair color. What It Does. Permanent hair dye works via a combination of ammonia and peroxide, Gibson explains.
