My Favorite 2C/3A Curly Hair Deep Treatment

Lush, buoyant, effortless – curly hair at its best, the way we all want it to be.

I get my best 2c/3a curly hair results after doing this strengthening and deep conditioning treatment routine. My curls feel so soft, strong, and light every time.

This curly hair routine makes for a great Sunday treat. You can do it once per week if you think your hair needs strength or moisture. Ideally, I try to treat my hair with this method once every 4-6 weeks when it lines up with my shampooing schedule.

The strengthening treatment I use and recommend works for all hair types. However, this routine is optimized for 2c/3a hair, since that is my personal experience.

My genetic background is southeastern European, Middle Eastern, and Caucasian. I have medium-to-fine 2c/3a hair with low to medium porosity. My curls start near my roots and loop in coils about an inch in diameter. The basis of all my curly hair knowledge comes from the natural hair movement led by Black women. To read more, you can check out my favorite curly hair products and my best tips for 2c/3a curls.

Check out my updated 2023 curly hair routine here.

As a disclaimer, this post includes affiliate links, which means I could get a small commission if you buy any products through this page. This doesn’t affect the products I review or the price you pay. I only recommend my favorite products that I personally love and use!

About This Hair Strengthening + Conditioning Deep Treatment

The effect of the full treatment below is like a soothing balm for my hair and an anti-inflammatory for frizz. My ends feel quenched of their thirst and the entire hair shaft tightens up. This combined strengthening and conditioning treatment saved my hair when I pushed 14 months between haircuts in 2020. The whole treatment takes just an hour and a half to complete.

To complete this treatment, you’ll need just 4 types of hair products:

1. A chelating shampoo – I recommend the Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo
2. A protein bond deep strengthening treatment – The Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector
3. A gentle cleansing shampoo – My favorite is the Bounce Curl Enzyme Gentle Clarifying Shampoo, it’s so gentle and leaves my hair squeaky clean with a delightful scent.
4. A deep conditioner – The Matrix Biolage HydraSource Condition Balm (Generic) is a heavy-duty moisturizer that you can use daily in the shower or as a deep conditioning treatment.

I also recommend having a reusable thermal heat cap or shower cap for the best results. Heat and steam encourage your hair follicle to open, allowing more of the product to penetrate. For curly hair, remember to always use a wide-tooth comb, and only comb when your hair is wet.

Each step plays an important role in the deep treatment process, but the star of this show is the Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector. Olaplex’s No. 3 is a salon-quality home treatment that repairs and rebuilds the actual protein bonds that make up your hair. These bonds break naturally with age and take greater damage when you put your hair through chemical processes or heat styling.

The more damaged your hair, the weaker and less elastic it gets. That means limp, straw-like strands – not lush curls. The Olaplex No. 3 formula has essential proteins that replace the ones your strands of hair have lost. The result? Your hair becomes stronger and easier to style, with excellent slip that detangles and lets you slide your fingers effortlessly through your wet strands.

But watch out – Olaplex No. 3 is a protein-based treatment, not a moisturizing formula. If you fail to moisturize your hair after using it, your strands can get dry and brittle and snap. This is where a deep conditioner comes in – it’s a crucial part of the process that you cannot skip.

Step 1: Strip All the Buildup Out of Your Hair

You want your hair to get the most out of your deep treatment. That means you don’t want any buildup of product, oils, or minerals to get in between your hair and the treatment itself.

To do this, you need a chelating shampoo, which is different than a clarifying shampoo.

• Clarifying shampoos remove product and oil buildup by exfoliating your hair cuticle and breaking down any deposits in your hair to be rinsed away.
• Chelating shampoos work to strip metals, minerals, and chlorine from your hair which can build up over time from the water in your shower.

For a greater breakdown of how I understand my products, check out this post.

Chelating shampoos make for a much deeper clean. You may have to use them more often if you live somewhere with hard water or if you swim in chlorinated pools. I use a chelating shampoo in place of my clarifying shampoo once every 4-6 weeks. On those days, I try to do this deep treatment if I have the time.

My favorite chelating shampoo is the popular Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo. It will make your hair squeaky clean without being too harsh or drying out your strands.

To Use: Take a dollop and “activate” the product by rubbing it between your palms and mixing in a little bit of water to get a good foam. Work the product evenly into your roots while gently massaging your scalp. Rinse out completely through your ends.

Step 2: Protein Bond Deep Strengthening Treatment

The Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector is a protein bond deep strengthening treatment that repairs broken disulfide bonds within the strands of your hair. Whether your hair has a lot of damage or not, your strands are bound to get stronger after this treatment.

The only problem? Too much protein without enough moisture can cause your hair to get too brittle and snap. You should definitely treat your hair to a deep condition after using Olaplex No. 3. That way you’re covered on both fronts – strength and moisture.

To Use: See video above! First, section out your hair. You want to make sure the product gets on every part of your hair. I split my long hair into four sections with hair clips.

Squeeze a dollop of Olaplex No. 3 into your palm then rub your hands together to “activate” or warm up the product. I use a large coin-sized dollop per section of hair. Section by section, run your palms over and fingers through your strands to coat them generously from your roots to your ends. Repeat until all your hair is covered with product, then gather it all into a single clip. Cover your head with a thermal heat cap or shower cap for at least 1 hour up to overnight.

This video by a salon professional is also a great resource on how to use Olaplex No. 3!

Step 3: Gentle Cleanse

Once you’re finished with the Olaplex treatment, it’s time to cleanse it out of your hair!

We already did a chelating shampoo so there’s no need to strip your hair twice. This time you only need a gentle cleansing shampoo to get out the Olaplex treatment.

My favorite gentle cleansing shampoo works great in this instance – the Bounce Curl Enzyme Gentle Clarifying Shampoo. It’ll leave your hair soft and squeaky clean without stripping any more of your natural oils. I regularly use this shampoo in my weekly routine.

To Use: The same method as in step 1 above. Take a dollop and “activate” the product by rubbing it between your palms and mixing in a little bit of water to get a good foam. Work the product evenly into your roots while gently massaging your scalp. Rinse out completely through your ends.

Step 4: Deep Conditioning Treatment

Conditioner is a critical part of this deep treatment! It’s important not to skip conditioning your hair. When you use a hair protein bond strengthener, you must moisturize after.

The Matrix Biolage HydraSource Condition Balm (and its generic version) is a heavy-duty conditioner that you can also use as a deep conditioning treatment.

For my 2c/3a hair, this conditioner is heavily moisturizing. This is great because my hair needs the moisture. But my hair also gets weighed down easily. This conditioner is so strong that if I keep it in my hair any longer than 20 minutes, I’ll be guaranteed a head full of limp strands until the next time I shampoo. Your mileage may vary! If your hair is heartier than mine, you might be able to tolerate a longer deep treatment.

To Use: Section off your hair again. Take a generous dollop of conditioner and “activate” the product by rubbing it between your palms. Section by section, starting halfway down your strands and focusing on your ends, saturate your hair with product. Once you’ve finished every section, twist your hair up altogether and cover with a cap for up to 20 minutes.

Step 5: Rinse, Style, and Dry

Hop in the shower for one more rinse and you’re done! Style and dry as you usually would.

Sometimes I use the Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner but recently I tend to go without any leave-in products. I usually let my hair air dry, which happens quickly in arid California. If you’re in a hurry you can blow dry with a diffuser on high.

While you’re here, check out my top tips for the best 2c/3a curly hair. You can also read more about my favorite 2c/3a curly hair products and how I put together my weekly routine. Check out my most recently updated curly hair routine here.

Got any deep treatments you love? Let me know in the comments!