The first time I saw the comedian Kevin Hart’s “Laugh at My Pain” I almost died laughing at his now infamous line “See, the way my bank account is set up….”
If you haven’t seen it, Kevin uses this excuse for not spending money wildly on frivolous things like partying and yachts like his wealthy friends, not because he’s frugal but because he can’t afford it. Kevin explains that he stays in his financial lane because he respects his money while his wealthier friends don’t.
Well, I feel the same way about deep conditioning my hair. On most wash days, I feel like Kevin, “I’ll deep condition my hair, but the way my kids are set up I don’t have the time to do so”. But unlike Kevin, I’m not just talking smack. That’s really the case, deep conditioning my hair requires some creativity on my part because my time is really limited. If you have kids or the way you time is set up, you just don’t have the extra time to do deep condition, read on for some helpful tips for deep conditioning on a time budget:
Deep Condition Overnight
I wash my hair at night and apply deep conditioner, put my hair in 6 braids, cover with plastic caps (or bag) and a microfiber turban then head to bed. I usually use this method on warmer nights and only for my moisture deep conditioner not protein. The following morning while I shower, I wash the deep conditioner out and proceed to style. Remember to remove any excess water from your hair to prevent your pillow from getting wet.
Deep Condition in the Shower
Read the instructions on your deep conditioner, some products can be washed out immediately or in 5-10 minutes. If you are short on time and not comfortable sleeping with conditioner in your hair try this method.
Deep condition before washing your hair
Yes, technically this is a pre-poo. You can use your conditioner or natural oils to do this. I’ve found this method to be just as effective as deep conditioning my hair after washing it. I wouldn’t recommend doing this regularly, I only do it occasionally since the conditioners that I like are supposed to be used on clean hair.
Multitask while deep conditioning.
Need to run errands, take your kids to the playground or hang out? Add your deep conditioner to your hair and cover with a hat. If you see me out with a hat, a deep conditioning is probably brewing under there. It’s classic multitasking. You can even clean your bathroom or other house chores while you deep condition your hair.
My current favorite deep conditioners:
Every Strand Argan Oil Hydrating Mask with Macadamia
I have been using this conditioner for over a year and consistently achieve good results with it. It’s excellent for moisturizing my hair and makes it soft and easy to detangle.
Carols Daughter Black Vanilla
This conditioner has the same effect on my hair as Every Strand Argan Oil Hydrating Mask with Macadamia but it makes it very shiny, actually really shiny! It’s a bit pricey so I don’t use it as regularly but I think it’s worth the price since a little bit goes a long way. Since, my hair is color treated it’s important that I ensure that it doesn’t get dull and this product keeps my colored strands looking healthy.
Palmers Coconut Oil Protein Deep Conditioning Pack
I am very disciplined about doing a protein treatment, every 6 weeks and this is usually the conditioner that I use. I love how strong it makes my hair feel and it really defines my curl pattern. So much so that I love doing it before styling my hair in a wash and go. It’s also my favorite for reverting my curls after straightening my hair. The only thing that I dislike about this product is that it only comes in packets and my hair is really thick so I usually need to use 3 packets, it would much more convenient in a bottle.
How do you find the time to deep condition your hair? What are your favorite deep conditioners?
