How to get the most out of deep conditioning?

[Leslieslsa]

Yesterday, I thought my hair need a clarifying treatment so I used one of those little packets I had from Sally's. Then I used some conditioner and a protein based leave in (haven't had protein in a while) It feels really smooth and I really don't see split ends. But my hair seems to have no bounce or spring back. And the ends tangle a lot. Today I am getting a deep conditioner in the mail. It is Nexxus humectress. I have heard this is a really good one. I don't plan on shampooing, just the deep conditioner. What can I do to get the most moisture out of this? Do I try to find a shower cap? How long should I leave it in? Is there anything I can put on afterwards as well? I have some leave ins and some coconut oil. I know everything is trial and error but what should I do??

[Rowdy]

Well, for me, what has made the biggest difference is not how long I leave it on, but instead how well I "smooth" the conditioner/deep treatment into my hair. I go over small sections for a couple minutes each, throughly working the treatment in. But I have high porosity hair so that might be why this works so well for me.

[Anje]

You might get something more out of it if your hair is dry or just slightly damp, so the treatment isn't diluted. On the other hand, you'll go through a ton of it if you use it on dry hair, so it's worth finding a balance.

In general, you get diminishing returns after about 30 minutes or so of treatment, but you get better results if you keep it a bit warm. (Page with journal links that pretty much says this. Also happens to be a pretty fantastic blog.) So wrap it up in a warm towel or stick a hat on, let it soak for a half hour, then rinse it out and call it good.