How to deep condition your hair with heat
There are many grossly overrated things in life, and the power of a good hair day is not one of them.
The beauty salon trade is a whopping $20 billion industry. The average woman spends about $1,800 USD a year on regular salon visits. Add to that the amount spent on hair care products annually, where an average American consumer spent $78.70 USD in 2019.
Fortunately, we know a little thing or two about looking like a million bucks for a dime, and it all starts with that crown we never take off, our hair. Hair comes in many cuts, length, textures, styles and colours, but the common denominators of all good hair are that they are deeply conditioned and hydrated.
For most hair conditioning treatments, heat is an important factor. This is because heat opens up the hair roots, stimulating blood flow to the scalp. More importantly, heat also opens up hair follicles, making them absorb the hair treatment products more effectively.
Not everyone has the luxury and time to always have their hair deep conditioned and treated in a salon, so we’ve created the ultimate guide to deep conditioning your hair in heat, at the comforts of your home.
What kind of conditioner or treatment should you use?
Packaged treatments
Let’s start with the conditioning treatments or products to use. There are plenty of deep-conditioning treatments available in pharmacies and beauty salons, from huge 500ml tubs to single-use sachets. These come in all sorts of variations, from the generic drugstore brand to high-end salon brands that can only be purchased from specialty stores. Popular ingredients for deep-conditioning treatments are argan oil, Moroccan oil, keratin complex and many more. They are all hydrating and, together with heat, can do a great job deep conditioning your hair.
From the kitchen
Your own kitchen contains plenty of items that can naturally condition your hair. Examples of these natural hair conditioners include banana, olive oil, coconut oil, eggs and mayonnaise.
Here’s a quick homemade hair mask recipe that you can use to deep condition your hair:
- Take 1 medium-sized banana, 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and an egg.
- Mix all these together in a bowl until it forms a paste.
- Apply the mixture on your hair and leave it on for 15-30 minutes before washing it off.
Warning: We do not recommend using heat sources like a thermal heat cap (both cordless or with cord) for these natural conditioners, especially when using eggs, egg whites or mayonnaise. You will literally end up with fried egg on your hair, and that’s neither attractive nor appetising.
Natural oils
Many natural oils promote hair growth and are also natural hair conditioners. To stimulate hair growth, mix castor oil with rosemary oil and apply it all over the scalp with a massaging motion.
To deep condition your hair, most especially the ends, use one or, better yet, a mixture of any or all of these oils: coconut oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia oil and jojoba oil.
How to deep condition hair with different types of heat sources
There’s more than one way to incorporate heat in a deep conditioning hair treatment. The following methods can all be done at home.
Using a deep conditioning heat cap
Deep conditioning heat caps are all the rage when it comes to deep conditioning hair at home. They’re inexpensive, convenient and show great results in just a few uses. These conditioning heat caps are cordless so you can still be mobile whilst getting a hair treatment. Beauty bloggers and vloggers gush about these heat caps, describing them as having a jacuzzi on your head.
How to use a deep conditioning heat cap:
- First, make sure your hair is damp. You can do this after washing your hair, or you can simply spritz water in your hair enough to make it damp.
- Apply your choice of conditioner (except kitchen ingredients like dairy, eggs, etc) and wear a disposable shower cap.
- Place the actual gel cap in the microwave and heat for 1 minute.
- Place the cap on your head for 15 minutes. Feel free to relax or do other chores. The beauty of these cordless conditioning heat caps is that they give you mobility and freedom whilst getting a deep conditioning hair treatment.
- After 15 minutes, remove the cap and rinse your hair with water and shampoo. Your hair will be noticeably silkier and softer, especially after three or more uses.
Electric thermal hair cap
In a nutshell, electric thermal hair caps are like the older generation cousin of the cordless deep conditioning cap. They work the same way, except this one requires you to plug the hair cap in an electrical outlet. They also give your hair enhanced softness and sheen, but the cord is one drawback enough for us to make this the last choice for deep conditioning hair with heat. You are pretty much tied to one place when using this, and the imagery of an electric shortage happening and having fried head is just hair-raising.
Hot towel
This is a tried and tested technique that’s basic and simple. It may not give as deep a conditioning as the two other methods above, but it does the trick.
After putting conditioner on your hair, place a hair towel (or any cloth hair turban or towel) in hot water. Squeeze the water out and wrap the damp (and hot) towel around your head. While you also have freedom and mobility with this like the deep conditioning heat cap method, the hot towel can only hold heat for about five minutes until it starts to cool. You may have to repeat this every five minutes until you have deep-conditioned your hair in heat for 15 minutes in total.
Using natural body heat
This is by far the easiest method. Apply your chosen hair conditioning treatment and put your hair up in a bun. You can also use a shower cap if you wish. Go about your normal routine and rinse after about an hour. This method requires you to leave the conditioning treatment on your hair for a longer period of time as the only source of heat here is coming from your head.
Tip: If you workout or do any type of physical activity while your conditioner-filled hair is tied up in a bun, this will generate a lot of body heat in the scalp through blood circulation.
We hope this guide is able to help you achieve that perfect, deeply conditioned hair! If you have any questions or would like to share your hair care experience, get in touch with us, we’d love to hear from you!