Recommended Products and Popular Picks

My bathroom shelf looks like a graveyard for half-used bottles. I can’t remember what half of them do. Volume-boosting conditioners, heat brushes, some random spray I bought at 2 a.m.—it’s chaos. But there are a few things I keep coming back to, especially when humidity turns my hair into a science experiment. Stylists hype certain products for a reason, I guess.

Best Deep Conditioners for Volume

So, Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask gets all this hype for volume, but honestly, I don’t get it. Shu Uemura’s Muroto Volume Conditioner? That one’s lightweight, doesn’t make my roots greasy, and somehow uses Himalayan crystal minerals. Sounds fake, but it’s not. Smells good, too. Vogue keeps listing it, so I’m not making this up.

Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Mask—wild card. I used it on my friend’s fried ends and her hair turned into marshmallow fluff overnight. Not just me; the Cosmo editors love it, so maybe it’s not all marketing.

Pantene Miracle Deep Conditioning Treatment? I rolled my eyes, but it works. Cheap, fast, doesn’t turn my hair into a pancake the next day. I keep a tube around for emergencies.

Stylist-Approved Tools and Accessories

Section clips. Why do I own twenty and can never find one? If your hair’s thick, get the ones with silicone grips. Worth it. Denman brush? It’s old-school, but the tension bars actually help spread conditioner. No tugging, no random globs. I didn’t believe it until I tried.

Microfiber towels for “micro-plopping”—yeah, that’s a thing. Supposedly speeds up absorption by 20%. I don’t measure, but my hair dries faster. Paddle brushes with heat-resistant bristles, ceramic round brushes for volume—salons are full of them. And diffusers? I used to think they were pointless until I tried air-drying and ended up with a sad, flat mess. Not doing that again.

Editor Favorites: What Works for Bounce and Shine

Bounce. It lasts about as long as my motivation to meal prep, but Davines Nounou Conditioner revives my limp hair every time. Editors claim “weightless hydration”—I don’t know what that means, but it doesn’t make my hair sticky.

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask—yeah, I know, it’s on every “best of” list since forever, but it’s actually good. Argan oil, B-vitamins, whatever—my hair moves again. Still need a trim, but it helps.

Also, stylists never admit this, but you don’t get runway volume from conditioner alone. Blowout sprays and a solid ionic dryer are the real MVPs. I side-eye most product hype, but Glamour’s picks actually match what I see in pro bathrooms. For once, not just sponsored nonsense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Heat’s blasting, scalp feels like sandpaper, and suddenly everyone wants volume again. Deep conditioning isn’t magic, but it changes texture and breakage, at least in my experience. Ads lie. It’s not just “lather, rinse, repeat.” Never is.

What are the key steps in a wash day routine for achieving hair growth?

Stylists argue about pre-shampoo oil or clarifying, but my dermatologist friend says scalp massage is the real secret. Five minutes? I last three, tops. Conditioner goes everywhere, including the nape—those hairs never cooperate.

Microfiber towels beat cotton, hands down. My frizz halved last winter. But when I skip scalp exfoliation, I find those little white bulbs on my comb. Nobody talks about shampoo residue clogging follicles, but it’s a thing.

Can you recommend a homemade deep conditioner that effectively treats damaged hair?

I once mashed up an avocado, yogurt, and honey—my kitchen smelled like a smoothie shop. The slip? Unreal. Hair felt like silk after 20 minutes. If you’re thinking coconut oil, be careful—if your hair hates protein, it’ll just get stiff. Learned that the hard way. My old boss added egg yolk, which is gross but works. Still, nothing beats an Olaplex treatment at the salon. Kitchen experiments are fun until they’re not.

How often should I do a deep conditioning treatment at home for the best results?

Once a week is not a myth. Stylists swear by it, unless your hair is falling apart—then two or three times, but don’t go wild. Over-conditioning is real. I watched a client use a mask daily; her hair turned to mush. I tossed her $60 mask and gave her a clarifier. Fixing frequency brought her volume back. Stylists actually say 2–3 times a week if things are dire.

What professional deep conditioning treatments do stylists recommend for maximum volume?

Silicone-free, always. Volume dies with buildup. Kérastase Resistance line gets a lot of love, but Olaplex No. 3 is the weird cult favorite. Is it protein? Is it moisture? Nobody agrees. In-salon treatments with bond-building tech actually last through washes. If your stylist uses a generic conditioner, just leave. Foam boosters, protein masks—they work, but only for a weekend.

What are the best practices for deep conditioning frizzy hair at home?

Few things are as annoying as spending an hour on a mask and still having frizz. I started using leave-in before air-drying, and honestly, switching to a satin pillowcase did more than any fancy product. Deep conditioner on soaking wet hair? Never worked for me—too diluted. Stylists say towel-blot first. Hot towel over hair? Some people swear by it. I tried rice water once. My hair smelled like sushi for days. Never again.

Are there any trusted techniques for a deep conditioning routine to achieve salon-style volume?

Okay, so, deep conditioning for volume—honestly, who even has this figured out? I mean, I keep hearing about wrapping your head in a towel straight from the dryer after slapping on conditioner. Supposedly, it’s “magic” for root lift. My colorist swears by it, but, like, is she just messing with me? I do it anyway. Sometimes. Then there’s the whole “flip your head upside down in the shower, massage your scalp with your fingers” thing. Not with your nails. Why is this still a debate? And why are people still dragging combs through conditioner? That feels criminal.

Mousse right after rinsing—yeah, I’ll admit, it actually helps, but only if I remembered to rinse out every trace of that silicone mask. Otherwise, it’s just… limp city. Oh, and the round brush plus a blast of cool air? I always forget. Then I spend the next five days whining about my flat roots, acting like “flat crown syndrome” is a crisis. (It’s not. Or is it? Whatever.)