Whether it’s damage, dryness, flakes, frizz, or fading, we all have had hair issues over the years. And while there are a ton of great treatment masks on the market, another option to explore are homemade hair masks. You’d be surprised how everyday kitchen staples can transform the look and feel of your hair in just a few weeks. Here’s a rundown of hair mask recipes for growth, repair, frizz, dandruff, and more.
First, proceed with caution. There are a lot of ingredients that can make hair drier and more brittle and irritate the scalp, which you would obviously want to avoid. So don’t just start grabbing stuff off the pantry shelf and pouring it over your head. Be mindful of your ingredients and read the labels. But for the most part, coconut oil will not do you wrong.
Coconut oil can penetrate the hair shaft and prevent protein loss, split ends, frizz, and breakage. If you have dry hair, simply warm a tablespoon of coconut oil in the microwave before bed, then massage it into damp hair, avoiding the roots. Tie strands into a bun, then cover with a shower cap or hair wrap and shampoo in the morning.
For dry and damaged hair, there’s avocado, honey, and olive oil. Many factors can cause hair damage, such as hot styling tools, hair color, air quality, and even hard water. These ingredients work to counteract those factors. Plus, an avocado-based mask also helps moisturize the scalp. Take half an avocado, a tablespoon of honey, and a tablespoon of olive oil, and stir everything together until fully combined. Then apply to wet hair with your fingertips, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the roots. Don a shower cap and blow dry your cap-covered hair for 10 minutes to activate those ingredients. Let it sit for another 20 and then shampoo. You can also add a few drops of your preferred essential oil to counterbalance the salad scent of this mask.
Avocado is also great for helping hydrate and protect curly hair, which is prone to dryness. Take a cup of white rice and soak it in water. Then drain the rice but save the water. Mash the avocado, then add the rice water, apply to hair, and rinse after 20-25 minutes. This combination helps repair damage while retaining curls. Plus, while you wait to rinse, you can cook the rice for a summer stir fry.
Dryness may not be your issue. If, instead, you are prone to greasy hair, an egg-based mask contains protein enzymes to help remove excess oil. Combine one egg white and juice from half a lemon, smooth over hair from roots to ends, and leave on for 30 minutes or longer. Rinse with lukewarm water, not hot. This is great to do once or twice a week, especially if you don’t wash your hair every day.
If you’re hoping to keep frizzy hair at bay, you’ll need to seal the hair’s cuticle with an emollient ingredient like castor oil. Comprised mainly of fatty acid, castor oil coats, and conditions to improve smoothness. Just rub dab a bit of oil between your hands and then glide a very thin layer over frizzy-prone areas on dry hair. I like to use this on days I let my hair air-dry.
Castor oil blended with rosemary oil also aids in hair growth. Apply the combined oils to dry hair, such as scalp oil, and massage it in. You can save your fingers by using a scalp massage brush to really stimulate the scalp to open the hair cuticle to encourage growth.
If you’re happy with the length of your hair but not so much with some unwelcome visitors like dandruff, then your scalp may need a sweet touch of sugar, coconut oil, and essential oils. Take two tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil, four teaspoons of raw sugar, and a few drops of peppermint or tea tree oil, depending on your preference, and mix in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a hair color brush, apply directly to two-inch sections of clean, damp hair in the shower. Once evenly applied, gently massage and let it set for 1-3 minutes before rinsing. Bonus on this recipe: It can also be used as a facial scrub.
Lastly, look to bananas, honey, and eggs to rehab thin hair. The rich protein and amino acids found in these ingredients will help plump strands for an immediate result that should last until your next shampoo. Blend two egg yolks, two peeled ripe bananas, 2-3 tablespoons of honey, half a cup of conditioner, and two tablespoons of olive oil until fully pureed. Completely coat your hair with this treatment and let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
These are just a few DIY hair remedies that you may want to explore if you’re in need of hair repair. Or you can just whip up some hair masks to clear space in your pantry or if your bananas are about to turn.
