March 2, 2022

Why You Should Use Heat with Your Hair Masks! Turn Your Hair Mask Into a Deep Conditioning Treatment

If you're looking to give your dry hair a big moisture kick, your everyday conditioner may not cut it and thats where a good deep conditioning treatment comes into play. It provides the hair exactly what it needs in order to absorb as much as it can to promote maximum health. It's recommended to deep condition with a hair mask and heat regularly or as your hair needs it. For some it's once to twice a week, and for others maybe once a month is enough. Best part, you can do it easily at home! Finding a good conditioning hair mask is essential but more importantly, adding heat will transform the benefits and unlock a whole new world of restoring your hair.

Why Heat is Important:

Traditionally, applying a hair mask without heat only allows your hair to absorb so much. Naturally, our hair cuticles are not very porous. In other words, they are closed meaning your hair mask is only working on the surface of your hair shaft mending little dryness and damage. BUT, when you apply mild heat gradually, your hair shaft starts to open allowing the product to penetrate deeper providing nourishment from the inside out. This results in happier, more elastic, healthier looking hair thats no longer dry, dull, or poor in texture. Therefore, heat essentially enhances your hair mask providing a DIY deep conditioning treatment!

What Kind of Heat to Use:

When adding heat, it's easy to think of how it could damage your hair. But, there are different ways to add heat to your hair without the risk of damage. For example, using a steamer creates warm moisture, has little to no risk of damaging hair, while still providing heat to allow your mask to better penetrate your hair. If you have a clothing steamer where you're able to adjust the temperature and output setting, this could be used. ALWAYS start on the lowest setting, and gradually work your way up to a good level.

Another way is to use a blow dryer after wrapping your head with a disposable processing cap. These caps are affordable, allow for heat and moisture to build inside, and also protect your hair from the constant air of the blowdryer. Remove the blow dryer concentrator, start with a low speed and medium heat setting, then move the dryer back and forth to not over concentrate in one area. The only downside of this alternative is having to carry a blowdryer for minutes which can start to feel heavy quickly.

How Long Should I Deep Condition for?

When using a hair mask without heat, you might need to leave it on for an hour, sometimes two. But when you use heat, that time can be reduced in half! Again, heat enhances your hair mask allowing it to penetrate into your hair more effectively and efficiently meaning less time in your hair AND better results. Generally speaking, 15-30 minutes should be sufficient. Coarse hair is larger in diameter meaning there is more to it compared to fine hair. Therefore, if you have coarse hair perhaps you may need more time, up to 30 minutes, for good results while someone with fine hair may be able to achieve the same results with less time. In addition, the amount of hair that you have (thick vs. thin) also needs to be considered. Overall, start with 15-30 minutes once a week and increase if necessary. Like with everything, there's always a balance so don't overdo it!

Our Favorite masks:

L'Oreal Professionnel Inforcer Mask