Cheapie conditioners don’t really work well on my hair. And when I say cheapie I mean the 1-2 dollar bottles like suave and vo5. They do okay, but it’s surely not anything to write home about or leave me impressed. Some naturals love these conditioners off the shelf, but they don’t really work that great for me out of the box so I have to amp them up to get the best punch. as a base however, these conditioners work great and can often be a great replacement for more expensive products that work at the same level once you mix in some goodies.
If you ever find yourself in a bind and need to grab a bottle of conditioner on the cheap though they don’t play friendly with your hair, go for suave humectant line or anything with moisture in the title or even conditioners designed for “dry and damaged hair” which means that they will more than likely have more moisture properties like shea and aloe.
To amp up your cheapie conditioner simply add two tablespoons of castor, coconut or sweet almond oil – or any other natural oil you prefer (though these are the most popular choices I’ve found and the ones that actually mix in with the conditioner the best!) and 1-2 tablespoons of honey to 8 oz of your conditioner and mix well. Apply as normal and rinse your hair clean. Doing this will give your conditioner a punch and will leave your hair less tangled and shiny.
Note: Be careful with your mix while applying as the oils can make your shower very slippery!
How do you amp up your cheapie conditioners and what is your favorite all time conditioner for 3 bucks or less?
Thank you!! I ran out of all of my conditioners, even the back up for straight days, and $15+ small bottles of conditioner are not in the budget.
Added 2 T of apricot oil and 2T of honey to Herbal Essence Hydralicious and it worked wonders! Clarified then did an avocado and coconut milk deep conditioner then co-washed with this, rinsed, added some more honey to the conditioner and left it in while i showered. Rinsed and added some more to leave in…. and my curls are loving me for it! Even my guy noticed 😉
Right before Daily Defense Tender Apple was discontinued, I bought every bottle I could find. EVERY ONE. That was like 5 years ago and I still have plenty. Those bottles were like $.88 a piece. I LOOOOOOVE that isht on my hair. Make it soft and manageable. That got me going on the cheap route, and now I refuse to pay more than $1 for anything for my hair. Not that I need to at this moment. The under sink is still FULL.
I recently used castor oil as an added bonus to some Yes to Cucumbers. It worked great. For a deep treatment, I will add oils and honey to a conditioner such as YTC for a cheap alternative to deep conditioners.
@modest-goddess,
I did. I used Patene's curly deep moisturizing conditioner for most of April and Tresemme naturals for march. It was fine. I didn't lose a ton of hair and my kinks and curls became really defined. It was also really smooth and soft and I really liked it. My hair also grew the same rate it did when I was wearing protective styles and I tried this method back in late Feb, all of March and most of April. Trust me, it's been cold out.
Once I actually detangled and twisted my hair I basically lost my definition and have to start over. I don't care though since I was ready for a new style (though I didn't like the twist I'm back to doing it again, but I would like to minitwist my hair one day so I don't think I'll get as defined as it was a couple weeks ago soon. I definitely plan on doing it again though
@Kai, heat up the honey in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before use. Let it cool abit then mix into conditioner. This way it won't be sticky
@modest-goddess, the only difference between leave-in and rinse-out conditioner is the weight of the molecules used. i.e. rinse-outs have a "heavier" compound. You can use them as a leave-in in small quantities BUT avoid the scalp. Also make sure you cleanse your hair well on wash day to avoid things like buildup
@modest-goddess i use that method works great for me. I use yes to cuccumbers.
Check out a great up and coming hair blog!
http://salonnaturelles.blogspot.com/
Has anyone here tried the conditioner only method where you use a regular conditioner as your leave in?
Oh wow…I just noticed the link to "K is for Kinky" lol. That is where I saw it =).
Okay…am I going crazy? I know for a fact that I read this exact article somewhere a few weeks ago and it had this exact photo accompanied with it =/
@kai: you could use all three if you cowash.
Step 1: wash with conditioner and rinse.
Step 2: deep condition for 15 min or longer and rinse.
Step 3: apply leave-in
Deep conditioning can also be done on dry hair before cowashing or shampooing.
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Also I am confused do you use a Leave in, Regular Conditioner and a deep conditoner all in one day?
Totally agree! The only thing I would add is that I only add goodies on a single use basis; I don't mix the entire bottle.
tiannamae.blogspot.com
Will the honey make it sticky
I love Herbal Essences Totally Twisted out of the bottle and it smells great!!
I like to mix olive oil, honey and castor oil in Suaves Shea and Almond for the best results. The PJ in my makes me continue to purchase more expensive conditioners but this mixture does the job perfectly every single time.
I do exactly what she does!