We spend a small fortune on our hair, but a few days in the sun can create a downhill spiral with all the sweat, salt, and sand. Fortunately, you can create your own DIY hair masks using healthy ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Hair masks are quick yet highly potent, effective ways to provide your hair with tons of health benefits in less than 20 minutes. Think of hair masks like high powered hair conditioners, giving your hair benefits like softening and hydrating, a boost to grow, adding shine, and even fighting off infections.
Make the switch to natural hair care products that are nourishing and don’t strip your hair’s natural oils. And if you’re swimming in a pool, remember to wet your hair before diving in. Then aim for a weekly homemade hair treatment to address your hair issue: Dry? Frizzy? Split ends? Oily? Don’t worry-there’s a mask for that. While some hair salons offer expensive hair treatments that yield similar results, we've decided to go straight to Mother Nature for our hair masks. This collection of hair masks only require a few, all-natural ingredients each, which can all be found in your fridge or cupboard and come straight from the Earth.
Here’s a shopping list of the all-natural ingredients that will be included in the concoctions we’re going to share with you.
The Luxe Hair Mask Base makes creating your own hair mask easy! It was formulated by Marie of Humblebee and Me. In this video, Marie shows you how to customize the base depending on your hair type. For dry hair, we recommend adding an oil-based extract, while fine/oily hair may prefer a water-based extract. All three recipes produce a batch of 100 grams, which is the perfect amount to test. In the "Instruction" tab, you'll find the three recipes for dry, oily/fine, and curly hair types. Then, pick out how you'd like to package your hair mask! We have plenty of packaging options to choose from.
Equipment Prep: Disinfect your utensils by dipping them in a 5% bleach water solution and allowing to dry. This includes mixing containers, your stick blender, and any spoons or spatulas that may come in contact with your hair mask.
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Note: You can mix ingredients into the Luxe Hair Mask Base unheated, or you can gently heat the base to create a thinner texture. The thinner texture can make incorporating certain ingredients easier. Package hair mask in the packaging of your choice. To use, apply to clean, wet hair in the shower for 5-10 minutes and rinse out. For extremely dry hair, you can use the mask as a treatment mask - apply to dry hair and wrap in a warm towel for 15-20 minutes.
Here are some recipes using the Luxe Hair Mask Base for different hair types, with the amounts given in grams:
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize-which will help prevent split ends, frizz, and breakage. If your regular conditioner isn't cutting it, opt for an intensive overnight treatment with coconut oil. "It can penetrate the hair shaft" to repair hair.
Before bed, warm coconut oil in the microwave, then massage into damp hair, avoiding the roots. (Tie strands into a bun and/or cover with a shower cap or hair wrap if desired.) Shampoo in the morning.
Various factors can cause strand damage: styling tool overuse, hair color, chemical treatments, and more. Help counteract it with an avocado and olive oil hair mask. "Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, this treatment helps add shine". An avocado-based mask also "helps to rejuvenate and moisturize the scalp".
Read also: Customizing Your Hair Oil Blend
Stir ingredients together until fully combined, then apply to wet hair with your fingertips, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Warren suggests wrapping your hair into a bun and covering with a shower cap. To help activate the ingredients, blow dry your shower cap-covered hair for 10 minutes. Let it sit for another 20 minutes, then shampoo. A DYI Avocado Banana Hair Mask offers a variety of healthy benefits that earn it the number one spot on our list. Not only is it incredibly refreshing and hydrating for your hair, but it can also strengthen your strands and give them a beautiful, natural shine. Avocados, bananas and eggs are well-known for their nourishing and hydrating effects on hair.
Frizz can be caused by damage, the environment or both-and some types of hair are inherently more prone to it. Keep fuzz at bay by laying down and sealing hair's cuticle, or outer layer, with an emollient ingredient like castor oil, which "acts as a protectant and can help fortify strands". Derived from the castor plant's seeds and "comprised mainly of the fatty acid ricinoleic acid, it coats and conditions to improve smoothness".
Rub a dab of castor oil between hands and glide a very thin layer over frizz-prone areas on dry hair.
"Try a blend of castor oil and rosemary oil-I like the combination of these two ingredients for hair growth".
Blend these two ingredients together and apply to dry hair as a scalp oil and massage in. Use a scalp massager to stimulate the scalp and open the hair cuticle to invigorate growth.
Read also: Achieve Voluminous Hair
Note: The effects of this hair mask aren’t proven, and the Beauty Lab recommends seeking out FDA-approved drugs like minoxidil for hair growth.
Curly hair is prone to dryness and damage and can always use a little extra hydration. Dr. Garshick suggests using a mask that has rice water, "as it contains inositol which helps to repair damaged hair and in doing so, can help to retain curls." The avocado in the mask adds instant nourishment.
Soak the rice in water, then use a sieve to eliminate the rice grains from the water. Mash the avocado then add to rice water. Apply to hair and rinse after 20-25 minutes.
Color-treated hair can always use more hydration, especially bleached strands. "Make sure to use ingredients that won't compromise the color". "This mask helps to enhance moisture without affecting your shade".
Blend ingredients together and then apply to hair for 15 minutes and rinse.
A protein treatment can help plump strands, whether they are naturally fine or losing fullness. Make a banana protein smoothie for hair with amino acid-rich bananas and eggs. "Results are immediate and will last until your next shampoo".
Blend all ingredients until pureed. Fully coat hair with the treatment, leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
If flakes start to appear on your scalp when the temperature is dropping, it may be because the heat in your home is higher and is drying out your skin. Your scalp is no exception. This exfoliating treatment helps remove flakes and (bonus!) doubles as a great facial scrub. The coconut oil is rich in fatty acids and has anti-inflammatory benefits; the peppermint oil helps promote circulation to the scalp; and tea tree oil is anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial.
In a small bowl, mix ingredients together. Using your fingers or a hair color brush, apply the mixture directly to two-inch sections of clean, damp hair in the shower. Once evenly applied, gently massage for 1-3 minutes and then clip your hair up and let it sit for the duration of your shower.
"If you suffer from dry scalp, almond or coconut oil is a key ingredient as either can help to keep the skin barrier strong and hydrated". "People often mix with mayonnaise and yogurt or honey as each have anti-inflammatory properties." Bonus: yogurt can also reel in flyaways.
Mix all ingredients well in a bowl and apply to the scalp. Leave for 15-30 minutes and rinse out.
If you are prone to greasy hair, an egg mask can work wonders. Stick with just the whites, which have protein enzymes that help remove excess oil. Lemon is best for those with an oily scalp, as lemon juice has the capabilities of absorbing excess oil and grease in the scalp. Lemon is high in Vitamin C, which leads to strong hair, and its acidic nature will help clean your hair from any deposited products and dust. Lemon also contains a compound called Limonene, which adds bounce and shine to dull, lifeless hair. Lemon juice is also great for fighting Dandruff, as it has anti-fungal properties.
Smooth over hair from roots to ends and leave on for 30 minutes to an hour-longer is better. Rinse with lukewarm water, not hot!
Between haircare and styling products, it's easy to accumulate layers of residue. Buildup can lead to strands that look and feel greasy along with flatness and even dandruff-like flakes. Cut through excess oil and buildup with this clarifying "baking soda power cleanse".
Combine shampoo with baking soda, stir well, and pour over wet hair. Gently massage the mixture into the scalp and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
Keeping hair moisturized and healthy always makes your hair look better. When strands start to lose their luster, apply a treatment made with apple cider vinegar, which clarifies and smooths hair's outer layer, to boost shine. An apple cider vinegar rinse smoothes out the hair cuticle, creating lots of shine, and balances the pH of your scalp and hair.
Work the blend through damp hair and leave on for at least 20 minutes, then shampoo it out. It’s great for all hair types and helps lock in color as well.
While green tea has a laundry list of health benefits, you can also add "scalp soother" to the list. A tonic that combines antioxidant green tea and peppermint oil can help soothe dry, irritated scalp skin. Similar to how they benefit the skin, the caffeine, antioxidants, and catechins found in green tea encourage blood flow and circulation to hair follicles, reduce inflammation, and help to protect hair from sun damage. Apple cider vinegar is known for having antibacterial and antifungal properties which help with flaky and itchy scalps. It also cleanses the hair without stripping natural oils and helps retain the moisture in your hair for better conditioning.
Mix well, massage into scalp, and let sit for at least five minutes before rinsing.
Give lifeless strands an energizing boost with a protein-rich oatmeal, milk, and almond oil hair treatment. Apply to damp (not soaking wet) hair for the best results.
Mix ingredients well. Smooth the mask all over hair and leave it on for 20 to 40 minutes, then shampoo.
"My favorite DIY mask is using three superfood oils to deeply heal the hair after it’s bleached or has a lot of breakage". Coconut oil can help hair grow healthier, thicker, and longer, thanks to the vitamins and fatty acids that nourish the scalp. It also smooths the cuticle on split ends, controls frizz in humid weather, and helps heal breakage. Argan oil is a top moisturizer due to its fatty acids and vitamin E and helps to improve elasticity, reduce breakage, and add shine. Almond oil is a softening agent for the hair follicles and is also anti-inflammatory. It’s nourishing, locks in moisture, and keeps hair and scalp hydrated, preventing dryness and flakiness.
Combine equal parts of the oils in a small bowl. Adjust the quantity based on your hair length and thickness. Apply the oil mixture to dry hair so the hair can absorb the treatment to its maximum. Start from the scalp and work your way to the ends, massaging it gently into your scalp and hair. Note: You can also apply it to damp hair after washing if you are worried that the mask will be too heavy for your hair. Leave the oil mixture on your hair for at least 15-20 minutes. Wash your hair thoroughly with a gentle shampoo to remove the oil. You may need to shampoo twice to ensure all the oil is washed out.
