How to Condition Hair With a Hot Towel

After months -- or even years -- of daily shampooing, brushing, blow-drying and curling, your otherwise beautiful hair may be in desperate need of some attention. At-home deep-conditioning or hot oil treatments are convenient ways to rejuvenate your dry, damaged hair. Applying supplemental heat by wrapping your head with a hot, damp towel is an effective way to help these treatments further infiltrate your hair's follicles.

Relax while you deep-condition your hair with a hot towel treatment. (Image: Christopher Robbins/Photodisc/Getty Images)

Step 1

Cleanse your hair with a preferred shampoo. After the shampoo is completely washed out, rinse your hair a final time with hot water.

Step 2

Brush out your hair with a wide-toothed comb before covering every strand with a deep-conditioner or hot oil treatment, paying attention to concentrate the product on your ends. Dampen a bath towel with hot water and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Step 3

Wrap your hair with the hot towel. If the towel won't stay put, keep it in place by slipping a shower cap over your toweled head. The shower cap also helps lock in the heat and moisture.

Step 4

Slide your finger under the shower cap and check the temperature of the towel every three to five minutes. Once it begins to cool, remove the cap and the towel and resoak the towel in hot water. Squeeze out the excess water before rewrapping your hair with the towel. Slip on the shower cap.

Step 5

Continue to soak the towel in hot water and rewrap your hair until 30 minutes have passed. Rinse out the deep-conditioner or hot oil treatment with lukewarm water. You might need to shampoo your hair to remove the hot oil treatment. Towel-dry your hair before brushing and styling as usual.

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo

• Wide-toothed comb

• Deep-conditioning or hot-oil treatment

• Towel

• Shower cap

Tip

For a deeper conditioning treatment, keep your hair wrapped inside the hot towel for up to two hours.