Regular hair care can be very expensive so if you’re like me, you are always looking for ways to cut costs to keep extra cash on hand for other household expenses. By deep conditioning your hair at home, you can quickly change the health of your hair between salon visits while avoiding feeling guilty for spending too much money on your beauty needs. At most local salons, a deep conditioning treatment can cost in upwards of $15 on top of your normal cut/style bill so why not give this effective alternative a try. Deep conditioning hair at least once a week allows hair to be nourished and pliable to avoid unwanted breakage and split ends.
Begin by visiting your local beauty supply store to browse their selection of conditioning products. Ask the sales assistant to help you locate one that has gotten high reviews from their own personal use or from that of other customers. You’ll want a thicker formula that is intended for more than a daily instant pick up. Many can be found in little packets for as little as $1.99 each. If you have thick or very long hair, you’ll want to purchase two of them in order to have enough to thoroughly and evenly coat your entire head of hair for this process.
Step One:
Gently and thoroughly wash your hair with a shampoo of your choice. It doesn’t have to be an expensive name brand shampoo. Suave or any baby shampoo gets the job done just as good. Use warm (not HOT) water and rinse well.
Step Two:
Towel dry hair gently and apply conditioner packet(s) evenly. Remember that your local beauty supply store sells a variety of different conditioner packets at very reasonable prices compared to what your stylist will charge you and you can choose a product based on your particular haircare needs. If you color your hair, get one for color treated hair to protect and enhance your color. If you use lots of heated appliances, get one geared towards that type of protection.
Step Three:
Using a wide toothed comb for wet hair, slowly comb the conditioner through your hair from roots to ends. DO NOT YANK or pull too harshly as dry, damaged hair is very brittle and will break off easily. Take your time and get your tangles out nice and easily. Pay special attention to the ends of your hair by transferring any excess conditoner from the comb to them.
Step 4:
Now if you’re like most of us, you have an over abundance of plastic shopping bags lying around that you’re meaning to take back to the store’s recycling bin. All you’ll need is one of them now (or ANY clean plastic bag that will easily fit over the top of your wet, condition coated hair) Put the bag over your hair and push out any air. Making sure all hair is under the bag, pull the ends tight and twist them around a few times before tucking them under to hold the bag in place securely.
Step 5:
Fill a spray bottle with warm tap water.
Step 6:
Spritz a clean towel with the water from the spray bottle until it is evenly moist but not SOAKED! (You can get a headstart on this step by using the towel you dried your freshly shampooed hair with) Then fold the towel into thirds and roll it up tightly.
Step 7:
Place the damp, rolled up towel into your microwave oven and heat on high for 30-45 seconds to warm it up. Please note that all microwave ovens heat differently, so do NOT leave unattended or you will cause the towel to burn and possibly start a fire. A little heat goes a long way on this step so please be careful!
Step 8:
Making sure that the towel is not TOO hot to the touch, immediately wrap your head with the warm towel and secure it in place. You can also use a terry turban for this purpose and secure it per instructions.
Step 9:
Now that the applied conditioner is warmly covered, it’s time to relax! You’ll want all of this to stay on your head for AT LEAST 20-30 minutes to reap the full benefits to your hair. After at least 20 minutes, it’s time to rinse your hair with warm water until it runs clear and all traces of the conditioner are gone. This rinse will take about 3 minutesTo boost the shine factor as well as seal the hair shafts, it is recommended that you use COLD water for the last minute or rinse time! There you go! You have just DEEP CONDITIONED your hair and SAVED a LOT of $$$$! blow it dry (using the cool setting) and style as usual.
Tips:
For best results do this DEEP CONDITIONING home treatment once a week. It’s definitely worth the time!
Warnings:
* PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN HEATING THE DAMPENED TOWEL IN YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN. If you are intimidated by this step, you can always grab a warmed towel from your clothes dryer instead!
