Deep Conditioning + Best Deep Conditioner for Natural Hair

The BEST Deep Conditioner for Natural Hair

Deep conditioning your hair is so important if you want it to thrive and look healthy. For many it’s an extra step, but for naturals, it’s something that’s almost required.

Some naturals can make do with just a regular conditioner after a wash. But adding a deep conditioner to the regimen completely changes the game.

I notice my hair thriving the most when I make sure this is something I’m incorporating into my regimen.

(Note: I will use “natural hair” and “naturally curly hair” interchangeably.)

What is a Hair Regimen, and where does Deep Conditioning fit?

A Hair Regimen is the process by which you care for and treat your hair. It has various and varying steps for everyone. For naturally curly girls, a great regimen to follow is:

Pre-poo
Shampoo
Condition
Oil Rinse
Deep Condition
Leave-in Conditioner

This is the regimen I follow, and have followed for years now. I’ve discovered this works best for my hair by trial and error. By being observant of how my hair looks, and how it feels when I leave out certain steps and/or add them in.

It takes time to find the best regimen for you, so be patient with yourself and patient with your hair.

I personally don’t focus on hair growth right now, just hair health.

As a wife and Mom to a toddler, I’ve been so busy just trying to keep my head above the water. So I decided to mainly keep my hair is protective styles for now. Check out my post on that here!

**DISCLOSURE: This post may contain ads or affiliate links. If you buy from a link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.**

What does deep conditioning your hair do?

It’s important to understand that naturally curly hair (and also processed hair) generally is more dry than straight hair.

If you’re interested in the science of why this is, definitely check out Kimmaytube on Youtube. She did a series on the structure of hair that breaks this all down in a way I never knew before I saw her videos.

Here’s a playlist she created that bundled them all together: Structure of Hair Series by Kimmaytube

Before even getting to the first step in your hair regimen, there are many things that affect the state of your hair.

Some of which are environmental factors, dietary deficiencies, too much or too little of a certain vitamin, sometimes medications affect the state of your hair, soo many things.

Things like this can cause dryness, brittleness, or even a bad environment on the scalp which can hinder the growth and vitality of your hair. So you can be fighting against a host of things for your healthy head of hair.

Keep that in mind on your hair journey. Again, be patient with yourself, and your hair as you work through figuring out your regimen.

Because of all these things, plus ingredients in shampoos, and the action of them cleaning your hair, shampoos generally strip your hair of some moisture in the shampoo process. Deep conditioning your hair infuses moisture back into it.

How often should you deep condition?

It’s not necessary to deep condition your hair every single day, that’s way too much. And if you’re wondering, yes, it’s possible to over moisturize your hair.

You want to make sure your hair is balanced.

In hair science language, there should be a balance between moisture and protein. Not too much moisture, not too much protein, just enough of both.

If you want to understand more about ph balance and protein, Kimmaytube actually talks a lot about it in the playlist. And also here’s a great article that talks about it as well!

Deep conditioning your hair once a week is probably the most practical way to incorporate this step, and it’s usually often enough.

How do you deep condition?

You deep condition your hair by applying your deep conditioner, and letting it sit for a good amount of time, or the time the product you’re using recommends.

You can apply a plastic cap and/or also sit under a dryer while you wait.

It’s completely up to you and what your life and time allows. If all you have time for is to apply it in the shower and let it sit a few minutes, there’s nothing wrong with that. You have to do what’s best for you.

However I’m 99.9% positive you get the best results from sitting under the dryer with a plastic cap while you let it sit. The heat helps to allow the conditioner to penetrate deeper, which in turn makes it work a lot better.

My #1 Favorite Deep Conditioner

Drumroll please, my favorite deep conditioner is: Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream.

This stuff makes my hair feel like butter every single time I use it. Yes, cholesterol is a protein, and protein tends to make your hair feel hard. However this conditioner has never left my hair feeling hard. Only well hydrated.

Sometimes I’ll mix olive oil into it before I apply it, sometimes I don’t. If you haven’t tried it, give it a go! Especially if your hair is on the dry side.

When I deep condition:

I use it as my pre-poo and apply it the night before. As I mentioned before, you have to do what’s best for you. If you don’t have time to let it sit after you wash it, maybe doing this step as your pre-poo, and letting it sit overnight will work better.
As I apply it I detangle my hair (I multi-task in my hair regimen) and put it in twists as I go along.
I slap on a plastic cap and a hat or scarf and go to bed. (The hat or scarf just keeps my plastic cap from making that crunching noise all night.)
The next day I rinse it out and continue with my regimen.

I believe this is definitely one of the keys to why my hair is healthy.

Yes, I buy the 5lb tub of this conditioner! I have worked my way through this thing and it’s the. Best.

Don’t let product hype fool you! Some things are just tried and true and give you a whole heap of bang for your buck. And this is one of those products!

No matter what other deep conditioners I’ve tried, I always come back to this one. This company and it’s products have been around since the 1930’s.

What’s your favorite deep conditioner? How long have you used it and how has it helped your hair? Let me know in the comments!