Is it just me, or am I noticing less and less relaxed haired ladies i.e. on Hairlista.com, Instagram, etc. ?

Hair Question:

"Can hot oil treatments be used in place of deep conditioners. Do I still need to deep condition after a hot oil treatment or is it basically the same?"

My Advice:

I came across this question on Hairlista.com and I thought I would answer it, here on my blog, in detail. I think this is a great question as both methods are equally important in any hair care regimen. 

Hot Oil Treatments, especially with penetrating oils, are perfect for providing the hair with strength, thickness and softness. Oils like Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, and Avocado oil are great as they actually penetrate into the hair cortex helping to repair damage, prevent protein loss and provide the hair with elasticity. Oils help to lubricate the hair thus providing softness and shine. Oil treatments also help to minimize frizz.

Deep Conditioning is important, with frequent use, it helps to improve the overall health of the hair. Deep treatments infuse moisture and strength into the hair, increase detangling abilities while adding softness and smoothness. Most deep conditioners have a low pH which helps to add shine and smooth the cuticles helping to lock in moisture. Also, conditioning the hair helps to decrease fly-aways and frizz. Deep conditioners are designed to penetrate the hair shaft to prevent/repair damage. Treatments with "Hydrolyzed Proteins" in the ingredients are small enough to penetrate into the hair cortex offering strength, moisture and thickness. 

Can hot oil treatments be used instead of deep conditioners? I would say no, they are both eqaully important but one should not replace the other. They are different, both providing unique benefits to the hair. If anything, they should be used simulantoeously in one's regimen. For example, I add oils into my deep conditioners that way I'm giving my hair a deep treatment and hot oil treatment at the same time. I highly believe in using oils that actually penetrate and nourish the hair.

Overall, hot oil treatments and deep conditioning can be done separately or together. You do not have to do a deep condition after a hot oil treatment. 

We've always been told to avoid the hot tools i.e. blow driers and flat irons as air drying is the best thing we can do for our hair! Well, after some research, it may not be the best thing...

It has been hypothesized that since air drying takes much longer for the hair to dry completely, some internal components of the Cell Membrane Complex (CMC) are exposed to water; therefore, causing damage. For those of you who do not know, the CMC layer is made up of proteins, lipids and fatty acids. Essentially, it's the glue that binds the cuticles together.

Air drying wet hair, for long periods of time, can cause the CMC layer to become dislodged which can then lead to rough damaged hair, splitting and breakage. It's the over exposure to water that creates the damage in the CMC.  It is said that removing water from the hair quickly prevents the CMC layer from becoming damaged, as very long drying times can cause undetected damage.

Although blow drying at hot temperatures would be the next best thing, to remove water from the hair quickly, the heat can cause more damage. Overall, it is best to minimize drying time and minimize the temperature i.e. blow drying on cool air setting. Using a hair dryer 6 inches away from the hair, with continuous motion, could cause less damage than air drying.

I've been blow drying my hair on the cool setting for years (5 years to be exact)! It's one of my "go-to" methods for drying my hair. I usually t-shirt dry for 15-20 mins then I proceed to blow dry on cool while smoothing my hair out with my hands. It gives me consistent results i.e. smooth soft moisturized hair and it's fast! When I'm done, I feel as though all of my cuticles lay flat and my hair dries much more uniform. I love it!!

Source

Hair Tips:

• Air dry using ceramides (i.e. grape seed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil etc.) to reinforce the cell membrane complex (CMC).
• Do not air dry while the hair is sopping wet. First t-shirt dry your hair for 10-15 minutes allowing the t-shirt to absorb most of the water.
• Blow dry your hair on Cool to remove most of the water and to protect the CMC layer of your strands.