By Jc of The Natural Haven
Could deep conditioning be a myth? I was watching QVC (uh huh), when a trichologist (hair scientist) was asked about leaving a conditioner in hair for longer for more of an effect and his reply was, ‘It is formulated to get to maximum potential in 5 minutes. You can leave it on for longer but not for added effect. ‘ At that point I really began to wonder why is it that my hairdresser at the time always recommended deep conditioning for 20 minutes at least once a week? Is it pointless?
In my search for an answer I came across a post on thebeautybrains.com which contained a letter from a trichologist Barry J Stevens who described deep conditioning as ‘wishful thinking’ . I don’t really know the authenticity of this letter but it made me even more interested to find out the fact from fiction.
First step, what really happens when you condition your hair?If you use shampoo, then what you first do is remove excess oils and grease from your hair leaving you with a clean shaft. What DOES NOT happen is ‘opening of the cuticle’. I thought I should draw some of this out, just incase people’s eyes start glazing over.
So, what can open up the cuticle? Commonly, chemical processing of hair such as relaxing or colour rely on alkaline products and these CAN open up the cuticle. Your average shampoo does not have the ability to do this. They are mostly mildly acidic to neutral (around pH 6-7 though 8 is considered ok) because cosmetic scientists need to consider that the shampoo can end up in your eyes, face and mouth, so it is safer to be close to neutral. See this site for some pH ranges of shampoo. Lisa Akbari also advertises a shampoo at pH 5. The pH of hair and skin is a range between 4.5 to 5.5.
Therefore, if your hair is natural, you most likely have a closed cuticle as has been seen scientifically (Khumalo et al, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2000, pp 814-820).
This leads to the question, if the cuticle is closed then what can really get in? Well two things can,water and some oils.
What kind of oil can get into the hair cortex? The complex answer is many different oils to varying degrees. The simple answer is coconut oil and olive oil have been shown to penetrate hair quite well (Hornby et al, Int Journal of cosmetic science 2005 pg299-300).
This now leaves the question, what exactly is the purpose of conditioner? Well most conditioners do just work on the outside. They soften the hair, help smooth the cuticle, minimize static, sometimes help the water stay in the cortex. When rinsed off they do leave some conditioning agents behind which keep the hair feeling soft.
So why do so many people say that deep conditioning is good? Well maybe they just have a better procedure and can get more out of it.
1. Make sure you have sufficient water, make sure you wet your hair properly and make sure your chosen conditioner has coconut oil or olive oil. If it doesn’t, consider adding a teaspoon or so to it (portion out the part you are going to use and add the oil to that, do not put it into the main container).
2. Concentrate on applying the conditioner very well so as to cover your all your hair. Don’t plop the conditioner onto the middle of your head, back and sides. Take your time, part the hair and apply to small sections.
3. Do you need heat? It takes 15 min for hair to get saturated in pure water while steam takes 18 hours or more (Robbins, Chemical and Physical Behaviour of Human Hair, Springer). Water directly on your hair through wetting is probably more useful than steam or vapour.
4. Should you leave it on for longer? Well you can do so if you want to, but if you leave it just for the stipulated time, then you don’t need to worry too much.
So is deep conditioning a myth, what do you think?
Hallelujah! I have not deep conditioned in years. I’ve felt guilty about it, but lately realized that it has not made a difference. I do not have more breakage or a shorter length. Actually, the thing that has made a difference was to leave the lye. I stopped relaxing and I don’t have a need or desire to deep condition – my hair feels awesome. Of course, I stopped dc long before I went natural, but I felt it was more like a massage/facial. No proof that my hair was any better, but I was treating myself to a little time for me.
I like to deep condition my hair (leave the product on for 20+ minutes) because I have noticed that the longer I leave in the deep conditioner, the more the products seem to absorb more into my hair and do not easily rinse out. I use cholesterol mixed with Organics’ clove and olive oil. My hair LOVES it as a leave-in oil, but my scalp doesn’t like a lot of products and itches when I use it. So, I stopped using it as my main leave-in oil and mixed it with my deep conditioner. Even after I rinse thoroughly, I can tell that some of the oil remains in my hair, but it doesn’t seem to irritate my scalp as much.
I stopped deep conditioning a couple of years ago when I noticed that my hair feels pretty much the same way it does after regular conditioning. If the point is to retain length, deep conditioning doesn’t do it, protective styling, low manipulation and/or keeping the hair moisturized with water and oil helps retain length best from my experience.
The process described is not how I go about it but I can see the relevance of the statements made. I actually put coconut and/or olive oil in my hair before washing it. Some people call it pre-pooing but I have always, even when I have BSL relaxed hair, gotten my hair conditioned while dry at the Dominican salons in NY with olive oil, garlic and mashed avocado.
It seems to me that every one should do what their hair needs and what their hair responds to, as for me, I will put oils mixed with conditioner (can’t do that whole avocado and garlic thing – I eat it too much!) and leave it in before I wash – sometimes its right before I wash and sometimes it’s the next day! LOL! Like one commenter stated, its about the time I have available and whatever else is going on. Either way, DO YOU ;)
Oh and I don’t always do that either… I always condition but it’s according to what I feel like doing, my hair’s state, and the time I have to work with.
Oh this article is timely. I deep condiioned this weekend and I was wondering until I came accross this article why my hair felt no different. That is not quite true come to think of it, it did feel different it felt dryer than usual. Now I will just make use of my oils and water more and do the occasional protien treatment.
You completed various good points there. I did a search on the subject and found a good number of folks will go along with with your blog.
Hey Jc, question about number 3.
“3. Do you need heat? It takes 15 min for hair to get saturated in pure water while steam takes 18 hours or more”
You mention just water, and then you mentioned steam. What if I’m not steaming my hair, but I’m still under a hooded dryer? And do you know if oils at a higher temperature penetrate the cortex better/easier/quicker?
You know what I want to see? A strand of hair, under a microscope, cold, and then heated up, surrounded by conditioner or some type of oil.
The jury’s going to be fully out on DCs. I’ve always done so, but I’m going to try simple conditioning, and compare results.
I can’t say I’ve seen much difference after DC. I’ll keep an eye on it.
I understand that what works for one does not work for all, however i’ve been DCing overnight for approx. 6 month and I love it! While the amount of applications varies week to week I pretty much maintain about twice a week adding essential oils and coconut to a moisterzing deep condtioner. I’ve notice the difference in the texture of my hair and the reduction in sheading. What I find most interesting is that as a child coconut was used on my hair and DC was applied for 20 mins. or so, my dad brushed my hair with water and oil and it was thick, and long. As I got older and took on my own hair people would say don’t put water on your hair. I stopped and started purchsing grease with mineral oil and conditioned according to whatever the bottle said needless to say my hair suffered. My point is scientist,advertisement, and yes others will push their beliefs/studies on you but you are the best to determine what works. For me maby it’s the additional water that my hair likes, the essential oils, or coconut oil. It’s not broke so i’m not going to fix it,at the end of the day my hair is stronger and healthy than it’s been in a long time so never again will I allow anyone to tell or sale me on what’s best for my hair.
i think deep conditioning is important to keep our tight coils soft and curly.
I don’t relate dc to the time spent anyway. Its more about the product itself. A rinse out conditioner has the same ingredients, but less concentrated and does not penetrate the shaft as deeply because of this lesser concentration. The deep one is stronger(as are homemade ones with food, etc.). If you want to leave it on for 5-10 minutes only, go ahead! I hope it works, but I don’t mind leaving it on for 2 hours(or more). It may not help your hair more, but it doesn’t hurt it either, right? I like knowing I can walk around and do other things while my hair is being taken care of. So, do what you want! Do you!
This is the deep conditioner that I use. It has conditioner and oil, so I don’t have to worry. Check it out if you think it will help. It is home made and nearly 100% natural.