Steaming your hair at home

Currently, times are lean for many, but your hair still needs to be treated right. Deep conditioning is a must in your hair routine and this may not be possible if you don’t have a hair dryer/steamer.

You may wonder why it is important to steam the hair. Steaming offers you healthy hair. It balances the moisture content in your hair, leaving it moisturized. It also repairs damaged hair, promotes growth while preventing dandruff and stops split ends.

The steamers used in salons are popular because you simply fill the machine with water, connect it to power and you get a steady stream of steam.

Steaming the hair while wearing a hair conditioner offers you soft, nourished and stronger hair. It makes it easier for the conditioner to penetrate the cuticles and prevent breakage. It opens up the hair follicles to receive all the benefits of the deep conditioner.

Heat is an important element of conditioning because it lifts the cuticles, allowing the conditioner to penetrate the hair shaft. You, however, don’t need a steamer to achieve these. There is an affordable, creative, yet classy solution for heating your hair during deep conditioning sessions without a dryer.

1. Towel method:

 Place a face towel in the microwave for half a minute. Wear a shower cap on your head (ensure your hair is fresh from washing) and place the steaming towel on top of it to seal in the heat. Now, put another shower cap on top of the towel. Remember to put another towel around your neck so that the dripping water does not scald you.

The towel can stay hot for about 10 minutes. You can still wrap another bath towel on top of the second shower cap for better results. Leave these on for half an hour. Your hair will be deep-conditioned after this. You can now rinse it with cold water.

2. Cling film method:

Apply the conditioner on clean hair then place a shower cap on your head. Wrap three sheets of cling film over the shower cap -- it sticks automatically. In the meantime, boil two cups of water. Let it to stand for 15 minutes then pour the water into a bowl that is a non-conductor of heat (ceramic or glass). Wear some gloves (dish washing) to protect your hands from the hot water. Dip a towel in the water then wring it out.

Let it cool for a minute before placing it on your head. Ensure it covers the entire head. Now put the shower cap on top of the towel. Allow hair to steam for half an hour before removing and rinsing with cold water.

Rinsing the hair with cold water at the end seals hair cuticles and locks in the goodness the steaming treatment has infused in your hair.