3 MUST-HAVE DEEP CONDITIONING TREATMENTS FOR MOISTURE

Hey all– I’m so sorry for the delay! I’ve been super busy and haven’t been able to spend a lot of time on the blog, but I’m here I just wanted to drop in and share my favorite deep conditioning treatments with you all especially because winter weather wreaks havoc on our delicate curls!

Moisture is extremely important for our hair especially with the changes in the temperature. Cold air outside, and heated air indoors, adds to the dryness of our already naturally dry hair, causing unnecessary damage including breakage. It is important to keep hair moisturized and this starts with a great deep conditioning treatment! Here are my favorite treatments (in price order, not by order of favorite =P):

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask Product Description: This intensive moisture treatment rescues even the most dehydrated hair strands. Use this restorative mask each week for effective treatment of extra dry or over-processed hair. So powerful, just a small amount is enough to restore dried out strands to be soft, lustrous and shining in minutes.

Ingredients: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Behenyl Alcohol, Meadowfoam Seed Oil (limnanthes alba), Cyclohexasiloxane, Olive Fruit Oil (olea europaea), Sweet Almond Oil (prunus amygdalus dulcis)*, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentrimonium Methylsulfate, Amodimethicone, Panthenol, Glycol Stearate, Ceteth 2, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Fragrance.

For about $6.99 at a CVS, Target, etc., this treatment packs a punch! The highlighted ingredients are

• conditioners– “cationics”(stay on hair even after a final rinse), make hair easier to comb to avoid breakage and further damage (curlynikki.com)

• sealants– help hair stay moisturized for days at a time by locking in moisture (curlynikki.com)

• fatty alcohols– “emollients” (help give a smooth, soft feeling to the hair shaft by helping the cuticle lay flat to the surface of the hair) (naturallycurly.com)

Aside from the highlighted ingredients, the Olive Oil penetrates to the center of the strand (the medulla), Meadowfoam Seed Oil helps moisturize the middle (the cortex), and Sweet Almond Oil wraps the surface (the cuticle). *The Sweet Almond Oil can also be referred to as a sealant! It wraps the surface of the hair locking in the goodies within the other layers.

Why Is It a Favorite?: I honestly cannot remember how long I’ve been using the Triple Moisture Hair Mask, but it has never done me wrong! I brought it over to join me in my natural hair journey, but I have been using it since my texlax days. It is seriously a wonderful conditioning treatment. My hair is always incredibly soft, moisturized, shiny, and smells wonderful after using it!

The jar holds 170 grams worth of product, but a little goes a looong way! It has a lightweight consistency, but holds so many great ingredients that benefit our hair. You cannot go wrong with the Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask!

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment Product Description: A wonderfully rich, yet lightweight moisturizing treatment for your hair made from a 98% natural/naturally derived cocktail of Aloe, herbs, and healing butters & oils to rejuvenate and restore your precious curls! This versatile product can also be used as a leave-in conditioner for dry or frizzy curls and coils (curljunkie.com).

Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Yucca Leaf Extract, Rosa Mosqueta (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Vanilla Planifolia oil, Cananga Odorata oil, Lecithin, Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate, Citric Acid.

Although the Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and Neutrogena Mask jars are close in size, the Curl Junkie price is 3 times that of the Neutrogena treatment and sells for $20. It can be found on the curljunkie.com site, curlmart.com and in Ricky’s NYC stores. Once again, I have highlighted some of the key ingredients with the same color scheme as before.

When I first purchased the Curl Junkie treatment, I was looking for a DC that was a little heavier than the Neutrogena mask. I scoured the curlmart.com and found some of Curly Nikki’s favorite products and decided to give it a try. I absolutely loved it– not because Curly Nikki did (although that was a plus), but I found my own reasons right off the bat.

Why Is It a Favorite?: For one, the Curl Junkie treatment has amazing slip! As most of you know, slip is the amount of slipperiness a conditioner has that allows combs, and fingers, to pass through without tangling or causing further damage. In other words, the more slip.. the better! It also has an amazing smell (it comes in 2 scents– I buy the Coconut Gardenia one. Thank me later!). I love great smelling products, but not if it’s too overpowering. I have to be able to tolerate the scent in order to use it. The Coconut Gardenia scent is light, but refreshing! And like the Neutrogena Mask, a little goes a long way with this product. The consistency is a little heavier than the Neutrogena treatment, but not much. It honestly reminds me of yogurt! If you do have a couple of extra dollars, I would definitely recommend trying this product. You won’t be disappointed!

Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask Product Description: This deeply repairing treatment nourishes your hair from the root to ends to undo unwanted damage and prevent it in the future.

Strengthening your hair is the only way to lengthen it so you can do whatever you want with it. To really fortify fine, fragile, or chemically treated hair requires major nourishment found in the Monoi Repairing Hair Mask. Added to the rejuvenating Monoi Oil – a repairing Tahitian blend of the Tiare Gardenia Flower and Coprah Coconut Oil – is rebuilding Bamboo Water and protective Hydrolyzed Silk.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Dimethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oiol, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Oil, Phyllostachis Bambusoides Juice, Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccaride, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Centrimonium Chloride, Centrimonium Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethiconol, Octyldodecanol, Ceteareth-20, Quarternium-91, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone

The Monoi Repairing Hair Mask is the priciest of my favorite conditioners coming in at $32 in a 7oz jar. It’s gone up $3 since the last time I used it. Unfortunately, the jar size hasn’t. It can be found at the Carol’s Daughter store, Macy’s, Ricky’s NYC, and curlmart.com.

The Monoi Hair Mask is loaded with ingredients that make it apparent why this would be a favorite conditioner. Unlike the Neutrogena and Curl Junkie treatments, the Monoi Mask has hydrolyzed ingredients. This means that the “protein has been made small enough to fit in the spaces between your hair’s cuticles and absorb into the cortex” (curlynikki.com). These proteins help strengthen the hair from the inside out!

• Monoi Oil gently conditions your hair all over

• Bamboo Water, the strongest plant on our planet, helps reinforce your hair’s structure

• Hydrolyzed Silk helps fortify your hair against future damage

Why Is It a Favorite?: When I purchase the Monoi Mask, it’s a treat to myself (that price is no joke). However, my hair benefits greatly from using it. Aside from being soft after use, I notice that I have less breakage when I detangle. It could be from the strengthening, but it could also be from the slip and we all know that slip. is . life! My comb glides through my hair easily with no snags or bumps in the road. My hair is bouncy, soft and shiny– the way moisturized hair should be!

At $29-32, it is best to use the Monoi treatment wisely– if your hair is in dire need! I alternate between my treatments and will use the Monoi treatment for very special occasions. It has a light consistency, much like the Neutrogena TM Deep Recovery Hair Mask and it is easy to distribute the product throughout your hair. I think I’ll have to treat myself since the holidays are coming up

It is important to invest in great moisturizing treatments and products especially during the winter season. If hair is not moisturized and/or cared for properly, your delicate strands can and will suffer. Start by protecting your hair with a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment that works for you— your hair and budget. Always remember– great moisture starts with a great deep conditioning treatment!

For more help, visit CurlyNikki.com’s article for tips to Find Your Perfect Deep Conditioner and NaturallyCurly.com to learn about Healthy Alcohols.

Until next time, Ashley, xo.

Do you have a favorite moisturizing deep conditioning treatment? Share with us below!