Hair Matters

Sometimes, shampooing and conditioning your hair simply isn't enough. A weekly Conditioning Masque can drastically improve the quality of your hair. For anyone with dry or damaged hair, whether it is naturally occurring or if it is a result of chemical processing, a conditioning masque is a must! If you're hair care regime has been falling short on results, give a conditioning masque a try.

Nearly everything we do can cause damage to our hair. The obvious and most common causes of hair damage are coloring/dying your hair, perming your hair, chemically straightening your hair, blow-drying your hair and using heat styling tools (curling irons, flat irons, etc). Other causes of hair damage that many people tend to over-look include pollution, over exposure to the sun (UV rays), over exposure to pools (chlorine), and brushing your hair.

Many people already know that the two basic steps in hair care are shampooing and conditioning the hair. For some people, this is enough, but for others, their hair needs a bit more help. A weekly conditioning masque can help people repair their damaged hair, cut down on frizz or poof, add volume, and restore your hair to a naturally healthy state. The great thing about hair conditioning masques is that they come in a wide variety of types and costs. You can find something affordable, or get all-out luxury; either way you're going to get results!

Conditioning masques are also relatively easy to use. For the simplest ones, all you have to do is shampoo and condition your hair as usual, then apply the conditioning masque evenly throughout the hair (a wide toothed comb is best for this, but you can use your fingers), and let it sit on your hair for the recommended time. Then you rinse it out and continue styling your hair. There are more complicated forms of a conditioning masque that allow  you to mix and match different additives/boosters to completely customize the conditioning masque for your hair's needs. These tend to cost a little bit more, but are worth it if you have combination hair (ex: fine and dry, dull and damaged).

With any type of conditioning masque, you can increase your results by adding heat to the process. The best way to do this is with a Professional Heat Cap. After applying the masque, put a Processing Cap on your head, making sure all of the hair is inside it. Then, just follow the instructions for the heat cap (you basically put it on on top of the processing cap and turn it on). Leave the heat and the masque on for the recommend time as listed on the conditioning masque's bottle/jar. When the time is up, you take off the caps and rinse your hair. The heat helps the product to go further into the hair shaft, allowing for a deeper healing of the hair. Heat makes things rise and expand. The heat helps open up the outer layer of the hair (cuticle) so that the product has an easier time getting into the hair shaft. When your hair cools down, the cuticle shrinks, trapping the product inside your hair. For this reason, we recommend waiting until your hair is completely cool before rinsing. (Some folks want to remove the heat a minute or two before the processing  time is up to allow for this cool down period, but  it is better for your hair to process for the full time specified, then to allow additional cooling time before rinsing.)

Conditioning Masques can be relatively easy to pick for your hair type. There are Moisture Masques, Color Safe Masques, Damage Repair Masques...etc. Try a small size, if possible, before committing to a large amount of product to make sure it works for your hair type. Conditioning Masques should be used about once a week for most hair. As you continue to use the masque regularly, you should notice that the quality of your hair will improve and the effects of the masque will last longer. For people who don't have severely damaged  hair and/or don't chemically process their hair, they can probably get by with using the masque once a month or once every two weeks. Just pay attention to how healthy your hair is looking and experiment with how often you use the masque. We do not recommend using a conditioning masque more than once a week.