Hot Oil Treatments & Triple Conditioning

 Since adding color to my relaxed hair I have adopted a Summer Regimen for Damaged Hair in an attempt to keep my strands moisturized and ultimately free from the breakage and damaged that double processed hair is known for. The new regimen has been working well and my hair is free of damage thus far (Yay!!) but as you all know I take my hair game very seriously so rather than wait for damage to rear it's ugly head I like to take a proactive approach.

This weekend I took the opportunity to pamper my tresses and revisit some habits I picked up last Summer while struggling with dry strands, a little something I like to call Triple Conditioning. It is a fairly simple concept that basically involves conditioning the strands in three different ways (as opposed to my usual 1-2). Here is how it works:

Protein Pre-Poo

Start out with a light protein conditioner on dry strands. Section the hair into four and apply a nickle sized amount of your protein of choice to the ends of your hair then work up any excess up the hair shaft. Detangle and release any shed hairs before donning a plastic cap and allowing the conditioner to sit for at least 5 minutes. Rinse the conditioner and shampoo as normal.

Quick Condition

Once hair is thoroughly shampooed ring any excess water from the strands and apply a moisturizing conditioner of your choice. The conditioner should be considered an "instant" conditioner - one that only needs to be left on the hair for 1-2 minutes to be effective. Rinse with luke warm water and t-shirt dry for a few minutes to remove excess water.

Hot Oil Treatment

Take 1/4 cup of the oil of your choice and place it in a heat safe container. In a separate bowl or container heat 1/2 cup of water until boiling, place the oil into the container and let sit until melted. Working in sections of four apply the warm oil to strands starting and the ends and working up the hair shaft, being sure to coat and massage the scalp. Once the hair is covered with the oil apply a plastic cap and warm towel for 15-30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and style as normal.

I opted to use Coconut Oil as my hot oil due to it's strengthening and moisturizing abilities. The end results of triple conditioning is always consistent: soft, moisturized, smooth and strong strands. 

I am extremely paranoid about damage due to my hair being both relaxed and colored so I plan to incorporate hot oil treatments into my regimen more often to combat the drying affects of color and to keep my hair moisturized. 

When was your last hot oil treatment?