Why, When, and How to Use Deep Conditioning Treatments

There are a lot of hair products that are marketed to our clients on a daily basis. Commercials, magazine and online ads, and even salon marketing pushes a consumer to buy every kind of product to try and make their hair healthier, shinier, and more beautiful.

At Changes, we want you to have your best hair. Sometimes that means that a product is right for your specific needs, and sometimes it means that one isn't. We're taking a closer look at deep conditioners today to help you decide if they could be beneficial to you. As always, we encourage you to book a consultation at the studio if you need more personalized information.

What Does a Deep Conditioner Actually Do?

A deep conditioner- also commonly marketed as a hair mask- is a product that is designed to penetrate the hair and scalp much more deeply than a standard daily rinse-out conditioner. These products can be used to add shine, strength, or moisture to the hair (or all three!). Certain deep conditioners also contain heavy-duty moisturizing agents for the scalp.

Why Would I Ever Need to Use One?

Hair becomes dry, damaged, or both for a number of reasons. Weather, chemical alteration (such as hair color or texture services), heat treatment, or manual styling can all cause hair quality to deteriorate. As the internal structure of the hair shaft suffers, hair loses its shine, tension, and its manageability. Deep conditioners target these weaknesses and repair them over time.

How Often Should I Use A Deep Conditioning Product?

How frequently you should use a deep conditioner depends on several factors, including the texture of your hair, how oily your scalp is, how dry your hair is, and how damaged your hair feels (if you don't know how to assess dryness or damage, check out this article). People with fine, unaltered hair and/or oily scalps may never need to deep condition. People with heavily highlighted or otherwise chemically treated hair may need to use a deep conditioner up to once a week. Those with dense, curly hair may need to use one somewhere in between. As always, determining your own hair type and specific needs is the most helpful way to achieve your best hair. If you need help, please contact your hairstylist at Changes Hair Studio for consultation and product recommendations.

How Should I Use Deep Conditioning to Achieve My Best Hair?

For best results, we recommend getting your deep conditioning treatment at the salon. There are no doubts about it- heat helps a deep conditioner penetrate into the hair shaft, and sitting under a hood dryer will help evenly diffuse heat to the hair and scalp. Additionally, we keep a variety of deep conditioning masks on our back bar, so we can target your specific needs as they change.

If you need to perform your deep conditioning treatment at home, we recommend:

1) shampooing hair with a clarifying shampoo prior to using the deep conditioner

2) using a quality product (like Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment)

3) covering hair in a plastic cap, and covering the plastic cap with a wrapped towel to trap body heat

4) keep the deep conditioning treatment on for the recommended amount of time (usually between 5 and 20 minutes)

5) rinse out and enjoy your restored locks!

We hope this information is helpful to you, and we look forward to helping you achieve your best hair!