Deep Condish on dry hair....

[long_hair1day]

So, I've seen quite a few mentions about deep conditioning on dry. I want to try it tonight but I don't know exactly how, so I need a little help.

Should this be step 1? Meaning, do I apply the DC before I even wash/co-wash my hair?

~Or

Do I wash/co-wash first, let air dry, and then apply the DC?

 

[The Princess]

It's no set way on the way to do it. I seen it done multiple ways. I think it depends the person hair and the condition. For me I tried DC on try hair and it didn't work. However when I tried it after washing my hair, perfect.
Try it both ways and see way work for you best

 

[sunnieb]

I do all of my protein dc's on dry, un-washed hair. My hair loves it. After I dc, I shampoo with Nexxus Therappe, set, and air dry as usual.

 

[long_hair1day]

sunnieb - thanks, what kind of protein dc do you use?

 

[sunnieb]

@sunnieb - thanks, what kind of protein dc do you use?

long_hair1day - I use Motions CPR. It's a light protein, so I'm able to use it once a week.

 

[divachyk]

I reserve dry DCing on those days where my hair and scalp doesn't have much product buildup. I don't dry DC often but when I do, I apply conditioner to dry hair and rinse it out with water only.

 

[LaidBak]

I have done this, but only when my hair wasn't "dirty" to start off with. So like if I was trying to recover from protein overload let's say, I would just put my moisture DC right onto dry hair. In that particular case wetting my hair first would just make it worse anyway, because my wet hair tangles when its had too much protein.
So I applied the mix to dry hair, rinsed, and styled as usual.

 

[Nix08]

I always dry DC...I don't use any styling products nor any products with cones/mineral oil etc....I dampen my hair with Aloe and maybe rosewater and SAA (mixed) and then apply my DC, oils etc. I then either bun till I wash/co wash or steam or use a cap. I dry DC with protein and/or moisture.

 

[NappyNelle]

I apply protein conditioners on dry hair. I don't get a lot of build up because I only use natural products. I wash, then do a moisture conditioning. I do both treatments with a steamer.

 

[Bublin]

I do all of my protein dc's on dry, un-washed hair. My hair loves it. After I dc, I shampoo with Nexxus Therappe, set, and air dry as usual.

I've read this before, that you should apply protein condish to dry hair/before you wash and moisturising ones on damp/towel dried hair.

eta Oops - just realised NappyNelle said what i just said

 

[Nonie]

@long_hair1day I suppose if my hair were filthy, I'd want it clean before doing my DC so I might wash it first before doing DC on dry. But I do not use products on my hair, and I shampoo my hair twice a week. I also wear head wraps a lot. So my hair is rarely filthy. So I apply before I shampoo. I particularly do this because my DC of choice says that's the way to do it. I'm a stickler for rules. I don't Dry DC with anything but Aubrey Organics GPB and Honeysuckle Rose (the directions say that is how to use it if using it as a DC).

Emergencee, my other reconstructor, says to apply after shampooing so that's what I do when using it. I do not DC on dry when I use Emergencee. The directions don't recommend it and it's pretty viscous and would be difficult to apply. I also believe that the reason some product say to apply after shampooing without stating that you are to towel-dry the hair first is because the moisture plays a role in the product working properly. I go by what the ones who made the product say to do. It's never failed me to follow rules.

 

[toinette]

Nonie, if you dont mind me asking, why do you shampoo twice a week? especially if you wear head wraps all the time and find that your hair is rarely dirty?

 

[frizzy]

I only DC on dry hair when my hair doesn't have any silicone products on it to block the moisture. I like the idea of DCing on dry hair so that the hair strand is soaking up all the moisture from the conditioner instead of the hair being filled with water and not accepting as much of the conditioner.

I do henna like this too, but I spritz my hair to not quite damp. I feel like more of the henna will penetrate the hair strand this way.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie, if you dont mind me asking, why do you shampoo twice a week? especially if you wear head wraps all the time and find that your hair is rarely dirty?

@toinette Mostly out of habit. I have never felt comfortable with the idea of wetting my hair w/o getting it clean...so I'd either never wet my hair, or I'd wet it and then shampoo it and that's from way back when I knew nothing about hair. Unless I shampooed my hair, I didn't feel clean. In later years, shampooing my hair has become the highlight of my hair journey because I love the massages I give myself when I shampoo my hair. Shampoo is the only product I love to get on my scalp and I love the squeaky clean feeling I get when I rinse it out. My scalp feels so fresh and alive!

Before 2001, I used to shampoo my hair every two weeks. Then I came across a new idea of water being a moisturizer and that washing more often was not drying as I thought but would actually be moisturizing. I was getting this info from Brenda's report (www.blackwomenrejoice.com). Perhaps it's because while reading it, I thought of how white people wash their hair more often and it doesn't fall off but actually seems to thrive (Yeah, I know their hair gets oily and needs to be washed more often) that I mistakenly assumed Brenda was saying not to use moisturizers at all and be like those whites who was condition and call it a day. I did see her suggestion to leave conditioner in hair and tried this with Humectress which is both a rinse out and leave-in and so felt safer to test out. But I didn't care for it. So I just went with no product option as I thought that was the only alternative suggested.

Brenda's theory was if your hair felt dry, it was time to wash it. So I started off just listening to my hair. I wasn't using any product as a leave-in but I was baggying and so my hair felt soft and moisturized for a few days after a wash. But then it'd start to feel dry, so I'd take that as a cue to wash. Brenda did mention CWing so I did it sometimes, but over time, the massages and the squeaky clean tingly scalp became the thing I looked forward to...so shampoo became a must on my washes.

For a few weeks after I started that regimen, I just played it by ear. Waited till my hair felt dry then washed it. In time it turned out that twice a week washes were about all it took to keep my hair moisturized.

So I wash twice for the moisture. I shampoo each time because I love to keep my scalp squeaky clean and love the massages I get and it doesn't hurt me to do this. I also love the idea of conditioning hair that is free of any products so that there's nothing in the way of absorption.

I could never do a no-poo regimen because I believe conditioner has no business on my scalp and can't imagine wetting my hair and not cleaning my scalp. (LOL I just realized I'm grimacing as I imagine and type this. I am imagining a smell I know of wet sweaty heads as of someone who's been doing a hard job outdoors then it started raining and you're stuck with them in an elevator and it almost feels as if fumes are emanating from their head and going to envelope everyone. ) Nah, I love how clean shampoo makes me feel. I love that the smell one can smell in my hair is conditioner because pure unadulterated conditioner was applied to clean hair. Rather than dry my hair, shampoos actually clear my scalp for sebum production to be free and unrestricted--which is probably why my baggying leaves my hair feeling soft because with subsequent baggying, more sebum produced (...with nothing in the way to block production) and recycled moisture from my wash bathe my strands. I also wash because with my baggying, there's got to be sweating--even though you'd never guess it if you were to smell my hair. So yeah, I like to wash that off too.

 

[whiteoleander91]

@Nonie that really is food for thought! I had been thinking of shampooing twice a week because I hate for my scalp to feel dirty. And I HATE when conditioner gets on my scalp too! I was deep conditioning last night and a small blob got on my scalp at the crown of my head and I cringed lol I just hate how easy it can build up. Imagine if you sweat that day, then you have gunky sweat-laced conditioner on your scalp. And that's just nasty :3

 

[IDareT'sHair]

I've never tried it but I'm enjoying all of your Posts! Something to think about though.

 

[lilyofthenile]

I prefer it on dry hair just because I don't want wet or damp hair that is dripping etc. I have done it on wet/damp hair before but I haven't noticed a difference.

 

[Wanderland]

Both. When I dc on dry hair I throw on a baggy and dc overnight. When I'm ready for the rinse my hair feels wet and all of the product is absorbed. I also only rinse with water and don't wash because I dont want to wash out the protein molecules. I wash my hair 2x's per week though and have cg friendly products.

 

[MaraWithLove]

I only DC on dry hair if it's an overnight thing-like I'm doing right now. On a completely random note, I wonder why my curls pop so beautifully while my deep conditioner sits in it, yet when it's washed out it's a whole other story. *le sigh*

 

[Nonie]

I only DC on dry hair if it's an overnight thing-like I'm doing right now. On a completely random note, I wonder why my curls pop so beautifully while my deep conditioner sits in it, yet when it's washed out it's a whole other story. *le sigh*

@MaraWithLove it could be your water. If you don't have a water filter or softener, you perhaps rinse off with water that leaves your hair less acidic than it was when you were conditioning.

Have you seen the threads on ACV rinses as a final rinse? You should check those threads out. Maybe that's the missing piece. Be sure to pay attention to the point about diluting your solution A LOT as too strong a solution could damage your hair.

IIRC, I didn't even know my hair had coils before 2004 when I first discovered ACV rinsing.

 

[C@ssandr@]

I DC on dry hair mostly. Its more convenient. BUT I water down my conditioner a little bit in an applicator bottle. I don't use cones or mineral oil often, so I can get away with this. But for the times where I use cones, petroleum, etc, I must shampoo my hair first. This is basically how I determine when, or when not to dc on dry hair.

 

[MaraWithLove]

@MaraWithLove it could be your water. If you don't have a water filter or softener, you perhaps rinse off with water that leaves your hair less acidic than it was when you were conditioning.

Have you seen the threads on ACV rinses as a final rinse? You should check those threads out. Maybe that's the missing piece. Be sure to pay attention to the point about diluting your solution A LOT as too strong a solution could damage your hair.

IIRC, I didn't even know my hair had coils before 2004 when I first discovered ACV rinsing.

Thanks Nonie! I'm to buy a water filter soon actually!

You know I even looked at the ACV in my house this morning, BUT I decided against using it blindly, mainly because I have low porosity hair!

 

[Nonie]

Thanks Nonie! I'm to buy a water filter soon actually!

You know I even looked at the ACV in my house this morning, BUT I decided against using it blindly, mainly because I have low porosity hair!

MaraWithLove, in the meantime, you could buy distilled water and make that your final rinse. If you do a search, you can find gallons of it at 50 cents each, and you could perhaps use two to rinse out your conditioner. It does sound wasteful but I'm sure you would not think twice about spending $1.50 on candy or some other crap so I say spending that on water for your final rinse may be a good investment.