Homemade Hair Masks to Try Right Now
Nobody’s born with perfect hair. Okay, maybe Béyonce – but even Bey gives her hair a little TLC to keep it looking fine. You deserve the queen bee treatment, too – and quick DIY homemade hair masks are the best at-home hair care treatments you can do to moisturize, protect, and lavish love on your hair.
Choosing ingredients from your own kitchen cuts down on expenses, and it’s also a great way to use all-natural solutions for common problems. (Because we all need fewer chemicals in our lives!)
Here are 5 hair masks you need to try right now – plus, a quick primer on how to decode common hair mask ingredients:
1. For Natural Hair
1/2 Sliced Avocado
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp. Honey
Transitioning away from straightened hair or already rocking that ‘fro? Your hair is probably begging for extra moisture.
We love this great mask recipe from BuzzFeed – it’s chock-full of healthy fats that will deep-condition your locks and boost hair repair if you’re suffering from breakage. Honey, a natural humectant, will help seal in moisture.
Pulse all ingredients together in a blender and apply to damp hair. Cover hair with a shower cap or towel for 30 minutes, then wash with shampoo and conditioner. Use this homemade hair mask once per week for best results.
Via: Buzzfeed
2. To Beat Frizz
2 Tbsp. Yogurt
1 Tbsp. Honey
(Add 1 ripe banana or a ¼ tsp of coconut oil for a moisture boost)
Sure, these ingredients sound like the beginning of a breakfast smoothie recipe, but yogurt will help you gently remove product build-up and seal your hair cuticles, while banana and honey offer an extra shot of moisture and prevent breakage. Switch out the banana for coconut oil if you’re in need of more moisturizing power.
Blend in a small bowl, or use blender if adding banana. Cover hair with a shower cap or towel for 30 minutes, then wash with shampoo and conditioner. Rinse well. Use mask once per week for best results.
Via: Bustle
3. To Combat Oily Strands
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
Yes, women suffering from greasy strands can benefit from a moisturizing mask, too. In fact, too much oil is a great reason to whip one up!
Apple cider vinegar is a perfect natural exfoliant, and can help remove excess dirt, oil, and product build-up. With all that gunk out of the way, moisturizing honey and coconut oil can go to work.
Coconut oil is generally light enough that it shouldn’t send your hair into a greasy nose-dive. If you’re worried, start with a little less than the recipe calls for, and see how your hair reacts. Focus attention away from the roots and toward the shaft and ends of the hair.
Whisk apple cider vinegar, honey, and coconut oil together in a large bowl. Apply to damp hair and cover with a towel or shower cap for 30 minutes. Rinse well, then shampoo your hair as you normally would.
Via: Natural Living Ideas
4. To Zap Dandruff
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
(or 15 drops tea tree oil)
2 Tbsp. Water
Combatting dandruff is difficult, to say the least. While your scalp often feels dry and itchy, those white flakes can appear because of oil and product build-up, too.
Olive oil is gentle and protective, so it won’t further irritate your scalp, while the acidity of lemon will serve as a gentle exfoliant. Buh-bye, flakes! If you try this mask once and feel you’re in need of something a little stronger, try switching out lemon for tea tree oil.
Whisk olive oil and lemon (or tea tree oil) together in a large bowl. Apply to damp hair and cover with a towel or shower cap for 30 minutes. Rinse well, then shampoo your hair as you normally would.
Via: Bustle
5. For a Moisture Boost
1 Tbsp. Egg yolk
1 Tbsp. Avocado
¼ Cup Honey
All hair types can benefit from an occasional moisture boost. Plus, who doesn’t want super shiny, soft hair?
Don’t be nervous about this egg yolk – with protein and fatty acids, egg yolks help strengthen and protect hair. Avocado has plenty of rich, fatty acids and Omega-3s, which are great for deep conditioning, while honey locks all that moisture in.
Blend egg yolk, avocado, and honey. Apply to damp hair and cover with a towel or shower cap for 30 minutes. Rinse well, then shampoo your hair as you normally would.
Via: Woman’s Day
Decoding Common Ingredients in DIY Hair Masks
So, you’re on board with natural hair masks you can whip up in the kitchen, but you want to know more about what these ingredients actually do?
We’ve got you covered. Here are 8 of the most common hair mask ingredients you can find in your kitchen – and how they will make your hair shine, shine, shine:
- Coconut oil replenishes hair’s moisture, repairs breakage, and improves strength and flexibility. Unlike other oils, coconut oil is actually able to penetrate your hair shaft. That means once your hair absorbs the oil, it won’t wash away.
- Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture. Since it’s not a fat – like coconut oil – it’ll add shine to your hair without adding extra oil or weight.
- Olive oil is chock-full of Omega-3 fatty acids and oleic acids that protect hair from damage and prevent moisture from evaporating from starved strands.
- Mayonnaise isn’t just for sandwiches. Your hair can benefit from the proteins in its egg yolks and the fatty acids in its oils. According to StyleCraze, mayo can also help smooth and seal cuticles shut, upping your natural defenses against pollution and styling.
- Avocado, everyone’s fave trend fruit, is much richer than other oils and perfect for delivering Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamins directly to moisture-starved strands. Like coconut oil, avocado oil can penetrate the hair shaft to give you moisture where you need it most.
- Bananas offer multiple benefits, from preventing dandruff or breakage to adding moisture and shine. With plenty of potassium and natural oils, they’ll help bring elasticity back to tired, damaged hair.
- Yogurt contains natural lactic acids that act as a great cleaning agent and exfoliant. Massage yogurt into your hair, and these acids will help slough away dead skin, dirt, and product build-up. Plus, yogurt contains tons of protein, which is great for encouraging hair growth.
The next time your hair needs a little bit of help to go from blah to Béy, look no further than your kitchen cabinets. Chances are you have everything you need to whip up a hair mask and settle in for an at-home hair care spa day.
Add a mask to your hair routine to maintain moisture in your locks, prevent breakage, and sport shiny, soft hair all month long.