Why Deep Conditioning for Relaxed Hair is an Essential Aftercare Process
Written by Jane Schlosser
Updated on
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Hair relaxing is a convenient way to wear your hair permanently straight without frizz when you feel overwhelmed by your curls.
But the treatment is pretty invasive and can potentially cause adverse effects like:
- Damage
- Breakage
- Brittle hair
- And dry hair
That’s why deep conditioning is essential for relaxed hair to nurture your strands back to a healthy state. A deep conditioner effectively replenishes nutrients into the hair fibers to give them a boost, lock in moisture, and fortify the inner structures to make them more resilient.
To help with this process, we’ve hand-picked a few of the best deep conditioning treatments that have excellent reviews on Amazon.
Top-Rated Deep Conditioners for Relaxed Hair
Ingredients can make or break the effectiveness of a deep conditioner.
When you’re looking to restore your hair from post-relaxing stress, the best products to pick are those that have fewer chemicals.
A cleaner product will cause less irritation to your already fragile and delicate hair. Plus, you also need to consider that your scalp may also feel sensitive after the treatment.
You need to pick products that contain less alcohol and irritants.
So here the ones you should use:
1. ORS Hair Mayonnaise
This product is an absolute miracle worker for relaxed hair.
Scrolling through the reviews on Amazon, you’ll see many women who’ve had relaxed hair gave good ratings for the ORS HAIRestore Hair Mayonnaise.
Here are the benefits they described for this product:
- Soft and smooth hair after use
- Less need to top up their relaxing treatments
- Hair felt silky with less frizz
- And no harsh chemicals
That last bit is crucial because adding harsh chemicals to already frail and chemically-treated hair will leave you with results that are worse than what you began with.
The ORS Hair Mayonnaise soaks each strand of your hair into a replenishing vitamin and protein treatment, strengthening weakened and damaged areas.
And the best part?
It doesn’t carry a hefty price tag. It’s one of the cheapest hair protein treatments around.
It’s packed with whole eggs, olive oil, Vitamin B5, organic amino acids, and botanical extracts. Everything your hair needs in one big jar!
ORS Hair Mayonnaise
2. Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Masque
This product is genuinely such a well-made mask that it delivers on everything it claims to do.
Shea Moisture is a great line of products with natural and healthy ingredients and provides a lot of moisture, given the name. The blend of oils and proteins in this mask is intensely repairing.
It’s made specifically for chemically treated hair that’s damaged or weakened. The nourishing ingredients in this hair mask penetrate each strand to restore protein and nutrients.
The reviews are promising, with an overall 4.5 stars out of over 4,000 customers reporting the results they’ve experienced.
Another excellent product from the ever-so-reliable Shea Moisture brand.
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Masque
3. Doo Gro Deep Down Intense Penetrating Conditioner
The Doo Gro Intense conditioner mask is a moisture restoration product for those struggling with severely dehydrated locks. It does exactly what it says on the jar – it penetrates the hair strands to infuse moisture.
It’s an excellent product to incorporate into your hair regimen if your relaxed hair is in desperate need of moisture.
It contains vital nutritional ingredients formulated to strengthen the hair from the inside out.
Doo Gro Deep Down Intense Penetrating Conditioner
How To Use a Deep Conditioning Mask
When you apply a deep conditioner, you’d think that the longer you leave it in, the better the effects of the mask, right?
Wrong!
Leaving a conditioning mask, especially an intense one, on for too long can cause more problems since there is a limit to how much hydration your hair can take. If it can absorb its maximum moisture in 30 minutes, but you decide to leave it on for hours and hours, your locks won’t be absorbing any more moisture. Instead, they will be overwhelmed, causing the fibers to become brittle with protein overload.
Let me explain …
For example, an 8 oz glass of water can only hold… you guessed it, 8 ounces!
If you hold the glass of water under the tap until it’s full, then you will get a whole cup of water in about 5 seconds.
But if you take that same glass and decide to leave it under the faucet for 1 hour, it will still only be able to hold the same 8 ounces of water. Leaving it under the running tap will only waste your time and create a big mess.
The same thing applies to the hair. But this time, instead of a water mess, your hair will end up with hygral fatigue, which means overhydration.
Just like you can overwater a plant, you can over-moisturize your hair as well. Recurring swelling and unswelling of the hair shafts as you add moisture can weaken and damage them.
So don’t overdo it. Always follow the instructions on the product label.
The instructions for how long you need to leave a product on may vary due to its intensity, but most say to apply then wait to rinse for 30 minutes-1 hour.
A shower cap can be beneficial by trapping heat produced from your scalp, letting the mask work its way through the cuticles.
With each of these deep conditioners, usage depends on your hair’s condition. If it’s severely damaged, once a week use will be best. If you are looking to maintain your hair’s hydration, 2-3 times a month should be enough.
How Does a Conditioner Mask Work On Damaged Hair?
Applying a deep conditioner mask is pretty straightforward.
Apply, wait, rinse, and watch it transform desiccated dry hair into smooth and healthy-looking hair.
But have you ever stopped to wonder how it works?
Deep conditioners contain something called humectants that draw moisture from the ingredients into your hair shaft to restore the deficiencies.
Even if you don’t suffer from hair damage, such products are beneficial to add to your hair routine at least once a month.
For example, you can swap coconut oil for a deep conditioning treatment instead. It’s less hassle, and these products can even rinse out without shampoos compared to heavy oils.
Final Thoughts
The journey to perfect hair is never a one-step process.
If you’ve committed yourself to transform your afro into straight, smooth, and silky-looking hair, you must follow up with proper aftercare to support your hair through the process.
Deep conditioning is an indispensable aftercare process for maintaining healthy relaxed hair.
Ignore it at your peril!
ORS Hair Mayonnaise
About the Author
Jane SchlosserJane is a freelance writer who occasionally writes for us.