Hair, Hair Products (DIY)

Can You Make A Plastic Cap Look Cute? I Certainly Can’t!

I tried though, I really tried. It’s just like those sexy satin scarves we wear to bed, so-not-that-cute but completely essential. We are invested in our journey so a few hours with your eyes closed in the dark not looking like a supermodel are well worthwhile. That is not me saying that I look like a supermodel but you get me. The last few weeks I have been learning the amazing benefits of deep conditioning using the gorgeous plastic caps you can see me modelling and it really does make a difference.

I’ve spent my life with neglected, dry hair. I thought it was just the way my hair was. But no, it doesn’t have to be that way. You need to moisturise daily *check*, co-wash *check* and deep condition *check, check, check*. Deep conditioning is a way of imparting moisture into those locks that we are coming to love, it keeps your hair healthy and less prone to breakage. And the best thing is, it can be so simple. Yo can go out and buy DCs but when looking at DIY products, this is probably the easiest to make apart from creating your oil mix which is just pouring stuff into a bottle. So it’s easy!

The deep conditioner of choice for me has been a Honey and Olive Oil mix which you can find recipes for all over the internet, on various blogs like the one I’ve linked to and on places like CurlyNikki.com, YouTube, Pinterest etc. I have given it a try and I love it. The recipes I’ve found and are using as my reference say to use equal amounts honey to oil. One quarter cup of each was the amount in one of the recipes but have you seen how much hair I have? I’m currently using a teaspoon of each and even that may be a bit too much! At least it means it’s practically costing me nothing to complete this essential hair care step. As you continue to read my blog, you’ll discover I am a cheapskate and if I can do it on a budget, I will most certainly try.

Now if you’ve read some of my other posts you will know that I recently discovered that my hair is more likely than not low porosity hair. I’m not an expert and the tests I used are not 100% accurate but I’m pretty convinced my results are right. It turns out Olive Oil is now off the table and it has been dropped for Grapeseed Oil or Flaxseed Oil. However, be careful how long you leave it in the microwave and that you use the appropriate equipment to warm the honey and oil, unlike me, or you will get a hole in your bowl. A complete rookie mistake, it’s not like I have been using a microwave for years without incident. After getting over that and actually using a bowl that will not go up in flames in the microwave it is a worthwhile endeavour. Make your own!

Honey is a wonder ingredient that I don’t think I had really ever come across before. I didn’t really eat it until recently, it’s great in low fat yogurt which I have been eating for my diet even though I think that adding honey sort of negates it’s positive aspects. Anyway, honey is a humectant. That’s a science word! It attracts moisture and that is what you want, what your hair needs. It has other great properties for skin and hair which I will explore in the future, especially now I know how good it is and let’s face it, it tastes lush!

I’m not using any special honey or special oil. I should probably be using Premium Organic Manuka Honey farmed by blind Tibetan monks on a Hawaiian paradise island from bees that have union representation. But I am not, it’s just the supermarket value brand and I’m happy with it. The oil is just supermarket own brand oil and I can’t see any reason to break the bank with anything else at the moment…but maybe I’m wrong! This is possibly the reason my hair has never really been past my shoulders! But I honestly don’t think you need to pay more to get good results.

I did have another nightmare after “melted-bowl-gate” one Saturday a couple of weeks ago. I warmed it up, slathered it on, wrapped my hair up and decided to go about my business for a couple of hours until I washed it out. Most sources say there is no benefit from having a deep conditioner on for longer than 30 minutes but people have been leaving deep conditioners in overnight for decades so I’m not too worried about leaving it in for too long. I will try not to make a habit out of it though.

So there I was, tidying up, washing dishes etc and then my husband reminds me that we needed to go out to an appointment. Well that would be fine, it would just mean a couple more hours with it in my hair. So I wrapped my silk scarf round my head and was ready to go. Then after the appointment, he was like, our friends only live round the corner so why don’t we stop in. Ok, now I was worried. I literally went to scratch my neck and realised it was all gooey from the honey that was running down me. I am a mother of 3 young children, meaning I have baby wipes coming out of my ear holes, so baby wipes were immediately deployed. After a few hours of awkwardly adjusting my scarf, plastic cap and the woolly hat I was wearing, I just decided to take them all  off, we were with friends, they wouldn’t care if I was a little sticky. After cleaning myself up, I was surprised that my actual hair was not sticky, it felt incredibly soft. I didn’t want to or feel the need to wash it out. And even when I did, the softness remained. No more hiding my hair away for the day which I went on to enjoy with good company and gloriously moisturised hair.

I was considering buying a hooded dryer or steaming cap to help with adding heat to the deep conditioning treatment but honestly I don’t think I need to. Some people wrap a warm towel around their plastic cap, some just use the plastic cap. I personally add the product, wear a beautifully stylish plastic cap as pictured above, wrap with a scarf and a wooly hat over the top. It gets warm up there but that’s what you want. I am definitely noticing the difference from using a deep conditioner and will make sure that this is done at least once a week for the rest of my life, no excuses!

Let’s keep growing (and deep conditioning)!

xx Lee xx

Comments welcome below. Do you deep condition? What do you use?

Hey, why not follow this blog! There should be some follow buttons somewhere on this page if you’re in a browser or you can go to my subscribe page. Find Woeful To FroFull all over social media! And if you’re on WordPress, you know how it easy is! And if you’re into a bit of creative writing, come join me at Woeful Writes xx

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *