It's so easy to find thousands of makeup reviews online. What drives me crazy is trying to find hair product reviews! Seriously, it is impossible for me to decide whether the general consensus is positive or negative about a product. Everyone's hair type is different. It's not like skin, where you fall into common categories. Hair varies so much from person to person, and we each need our own personalized regime to get our locks to do what we want them to. Some of us are low maintenance. Personally, I love being able to create different styles and therefore I'm always searching for products that can help me out there.
Recently, my focus has been more on repairing and growing out my hair. I've been from platinum blonde to black 3 times in 2 years. Miraculously, my hair hasn't melted off or become a cotton candy nest my head. I thank the hair gods because I think it's genetic...my hair has always been pretty resilient. Anyways...
WORDS OF DEEP CONDITIONER WISDOM: The truth about 90% of negative deep conditioner reviews you will find online is the people writing them did not buy the mask specifically for their hair type. Not all treatments are created equal. There are protein treatments, deep conditioners with protein, and deep conditioners with minimal protein. People make the mistake of getting a moisturizing treatment, then wonder why they still have breakage. Some get a protein containing mask and are disgusted by how brittle and rough their hair becomes when what it needs is moisture.
IF YOUR HAIR IS PROCESSED AND BRITTLE: If you dye or chemically treat your hair and use heat tools, you will need a deep conditioner with protein in it. My favorite is Redken's Extreme Rescue Force ($17). Either the squeeze tube, or the seperate packets for more concentrated hair SOS. Whenever using anything with protein in your hair, it is important to follow up with something moisturizing to balance things out. So make sure you condition afterwards, even if it's just your regular conditioner.
IF YOUR HAIR IS OVERPROCESSED: If you dye or chemically straighten your hair and use heat tools, doing both frequently, and you've found yourself with brittle, breakage-prone strands, you're gunna need something that packs more punch. Before I recommend anything, I want to say something. I know you've heard and dont want to hear this again, but I'm going to say it anyway: The Only Way To Get Rid Of Damaged Hair Is To Cut It Off. That being said, this is what I suggest for extremely damaged hair: monthly hardcore protein treatments (Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment Packet [$2.99], Redken Extreme Cat Protein Treatment [$16]), weekly protein conditioners (Joico K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor [$25], Giovanni Protein Hair Infusion [$8], 2 beaten eggs mixed with some honey and olive oil), and importantly, a mask specifically for deep moisturizing. My favorite is Redken Heavy Cream ($17), or Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask ($7).
IF YOUR HAIR IS DRY: If your biggest problem is dry, crunchy hair, your current hair mask could actually be contributing to the problem. Stay away from deep conditioners that promise to "reconstruct" or "rebuild" your hair. If course, if you actually need this, refer to the above rec's for hair repairing AND moisturizing. But if your hair is not too processed, and dryness is the main issue, look for deep conditioners that are made to restore moisture without any kind of "rebuilding". My favorite moisturzing masks are the aforementioned ones, Redken Heavy Cream ($17), or Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask ($7). I love home remedy's for dry hair more than anything. I spent years trying to get the measurements of the hair mask recipes I'd find perfect, but in the end what's worked better than ANY recipe is just eyeballin' it and creating a concoction of all the moisturizing ingredients I have around (things that one would put in a hair mask, of course. I wish vaseline could cure dry hair). My favorite moisturizing hair mask is a bowl of olive oil, mashed avacado, honey, mayo, maybe coconut oil if I have it around. I'll definitely create a post of my favorite homemade hair masks. They really do work.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Processed hair needs protein treatments, overprocessed needs super protein treatments, dry hair needs to stay away from the protein. And all 3 need moisturizing.
I could go on and on, and trust me I will. But being as this is a post dedicated to deep conditioners, I'll cut myself off here.
Recently, my focus has been more on repairing and growing out my hair. I've been from platinum blonde to black 3 times in 2 years. Miraculously, my hair hasn't melted off or become a cotton candy nest my head. I thank the hair gods because I think it's genetic...my hair has always been pretty resilient. Anyways...
WORDS OF DEEP CONDITIONER WISDOM: The truth about 90% of negative deep conditioner reviews you will find online is the people writing them did not buy the mask specifically for their hair type. Not all treatments are created equal. There are protein treatments, deep conditioners with protein, and deep conditioners with minimal protein. People make the mistake of getting a moisturizing treatment, then wonder why they still have breakage. Some get a protein containing mask and are disgusted by how brittle and rough their hair becomes when what it needs is moisture.
IF YOUR HAIR IS PROCESSED AND BRITTLE: If you dye or chemically treat your hair and use heat tools, you will need a deep conditioner with protein in it. My favorite is Redken's Extreme Rescue Force ($17). Either the squeeze tube, or the seperate packets for more concentrated hair SOS. Whenever using anything with protein in your hair, it is important to follow up with something moisturizing to balance things out. So make sure you condition afterwards, even if it's just your regular conditioner.
IF YOUR HAIR IS OVERPROCESSED: If you dye or chemically straighten your hair and use heat tools, doing both frequently, and you've found yourself with brittle, breakage-prone strands, you're gunna need something that packs more punch. Before I recommend anything, I want to say something. I know you've heard and dont want to hear this again, but I'm going to say it anyway: The Only Way To Get Rid Of Damaged Hair Is To Cut It Off. That being said, this is what I suggest for extremely damaged hair: monthly hardcore protein treatments (Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment Packet [$2.99], Redken Extreme Cat Protein Treatment [$16]), weekly protein conditioners (Joico K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor [$25], Giovanni Protein Hair Infusion [$8], 2 beaten eggs mixed with some honey and olive oil), and importantly, a mask specifically for deep moisturizing. My favorite is Redken Heavy Cream ($17), or Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask ($7).
IF YOUR HAIR IS DRY: If your biggest problem is dry, crunchy hair, your current hair mask could actually be contributing to the problem. Stay away from deep conditioners that promise to "reconstruct" or "rebuild" your hair. If course, if you actually need this, refer to the above rec's for hair repairing AND moisturizing. But if your hair is not too processed, and dryness is the main issue, look for deep conditioners that are made to restore moisture without any kind of "rebuilding". My favorite moisturzing masks are the aforementioned ones, Redken Heavy Cream ($17), or Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask ($7). I love home remedy's for dry hair more than anything. I spent years trying to get the measurements of the hair mask recipes I'd find perfect, but in the end what's worked better than ANY recipe is just eyeballin' it and creating a concoction of all the moisturizing ingredients I have around (things that one would put in a hair mask, of course. I wish vaseline could cure dry hair). My favorite moisturizing hair mask is a bowl of olive oil, mashed avacado, honey, mayo, maybe coconut oil if I have it around. I'll definitely create a post of my favorite homemade hair masks. They really do work.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Processed hair needs protein treatments, overprocessed needs super protein treatments, dry hair needs to stay away from the protein. And all 3 need moisturizing.
I could go on and on, and trust me I will. But being as this is a post dedicated to deep conditioners, I'll cut myself off here.
