Your ends feel like straw, the tangles win every morning, and a video says the answer is already in your kitchen. Some of it is true and some of it can hurt. This guide to diy hair care gives you 12 remedies, from the gentlest to the ones to skip, so start at number one tonight.
1. Gather your kit and patch test first
Set out a bowl, a spoon, a shower cap and an old towel before you open a single ingredient. Then dab a pea sized bit of each new mix on the inside of your elbow and wait a full day. Redness, itching or a rash means that ingredient is not for you. Never skip this, even for something as gentle as honey. Keep a clip nearby to hold your hair back, and a timer so you do not leave a mask on for an hour. Wash the bowl straight after, because dried mask is hard work to scrub off.
2. Decide if these remedies suit your hair
Kitchen masks work best on dry, rough, tangle prone hair that is not too fine. Thick and curly hair usually drinks them up happily. Fine, flat hair gets weighed down fast, so halve the oil and rinse longer. If your hair has been bleached or relaxed, keep every mix mild and do not leave it on past twenty minutes. Oily roots do not need any of this near the scalp, so keep the mask on your lengths and ends. Think of these as a soft treat for the hair you already have, not a way to change its texture.
3. Start with the avocado and olive oil mask
Mash half a ripe avocado with a tablespoon of olive oil until there are no lumps. This is the gentlest mix on the list, rich and creamy and very forgiving. Smooth it through damp hair from the mid lengths to the ends, tie it up under a shower cap and wait twenty minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water until the water runs clear, because stray green bits are a pain to comb out. Eat the other half with your lunch. Your hair should feel soft and slightly heavy afterwards. Avocado is oily, so shampoo once with a mild shampoo if it still feels slick.
4. Try honey and coconut oil for dry ends
Warm one tablespoon of honey with one tablespoon of coconut oil until runny, not hot. Smooth it over damp ends, wrap your hair in a warm towel and leave it for twenty minutes. Honey draws moisture toward the hair and the oil keeps it from escaping. It rinses out sticky at first, so use lukewarm water and shampoo only once. If your hair is very fine, use half the oil. Coconut oil can feel too heavy on some heads, so watch how your hair behaves the next day. If it feels waxy, use a lighter oil next time.
5. Blend a banana and yogurt softener
Blend one ripe banana with three tablespoons of plain yogurt until it is completely smooth. Lumps are the whole problem here, so use a blender or push the mix through a sieve. Apply it to damp hair, cover it and leave it for fifteen minutes. The yogurt feels cool and creamy, and tangles loosen as you rinse. Use plain yogurt with no sugar or flavor, and rinse with cool water so the mix does not turn stringy. It is a lovely mask for hair that feels rough and brittle. Expect a sweet, fruity smell that fades once the hair is dry.
6. Rinse with rice water
Soak half a cup of rice in two cups of water for thirty minutes, then strain the cloudy water. Pour it over clean, damp hair as a last rinse, massage for two minutes and rinse once more with plain water. It leaves hair feeling smoother and a little stronger. Do it once a week, not every wash, or your hair can go stiff. Use the water the same day, because it turns sour in a warm kitchen. A sour smell means throw it out and start again. Rice water has a faint starchy smell, and a last splash of plain water clears it.
7. Smooth on fresh aloe gel
Scoop the clear gel from a fresh aloe leaf and spread a thin layer over damp lengths. Leave it for fifteen minutes, then rinse with cool water. Aloe is light and cooling, so it suits fine hair and itchy, tight scalps best. Scrape off the yellow layer next to the leaf skin before you use it, because it can irritate. Keep leftover gel in the fridge for up to three days. Patch test it first, since some people react even to this. Your hair will feel soft and slippery, never greasy. If it feels tacky, you used too much, so use half next time.
8. Use the egg and oil mask only now and then
Whisk one egg with a teaspoon of olive oil and spread it over dry, rough ends. Leave it for ten minutes, no longer, and rinse with cool water only. Hot water cooks the egg into scrambled bits in your hair, and that is a nightmare to pick out. Use this one once a month at most, because egg is rich and can leave hair stiff when overdone. It works best when your ends feel limp and tired. Always wash your hands and the bowl straight afterwards. If your hair feels dry the next day, skip this mask and stay with the avocado one.
9. Finish with a weak vinegar rinse
Stir one tablespoon of vinegar into two cups of cool water and pour it over clean hair. Wait one minute and rinse with plain water. It can leave strands shinier and a little smoother. Never use it stronger than this, because neat vinegar dries the hair and stings the scalp. Once every two weeks is plenty. The smell fades as your hair dries. If you color your hair, skip this one to protect the shade. Rinse until your hair stops smelling sharp. Pour it slowly from the back of your head forward, so none runs into your eyes.
10. Keep it fresh and keep it occasional
Make each mask on the day you use it and throw away what is left. Fresh fruit, egg and yogurt spoil quickly, and a spoiled mask on your scalp is a bad idea. Treat yourself to one mask a week, not three. Too many treatments leave hair limp, greasy or coated. If your hair starts to feel heavy or dull, give it two weeks off. Write the date on a calendar so you can see how often you are really doing this. Piling on too many diy hair care treatments in one week is how good intentions end in heavy, dull hair.
11. Skip lemon, baking soda and neat essential oils
Keep lemon juice, baking soda and undiluted essential oils far away from your hair and scalp. Lemon is very acidic and can dry strands and leave your scalp sore in the sun. Baking soda is harsh and strips natural oils until hair feels like straw. Neat essential oils can burn the skin. If a tip tells you to leave any of these on, close the tab. Gentle and slow wins every time. If you already tried one and your scalp feels raw, rest it with plain water for a week. Wash with a mild shampoo only and keep your hair loose. Your scalp usually settles within a few days once the irritation stops.
12. Know what you will likely notice
Expect softer, smoother hair that tangles less, not a brand new head of hair. The first mask leaves hair feeling fuller and easier to comb for a day or two. After three or four weeks of one mask a week, ends look shinier and feel less rough. Damage that is already there does not disappear, so trim split ends when you can. If your scalp stays red, sore or very itchy for days, see your doctor. Keep a short note of what you tried and how your hair felt. After a month you will know which mask your hair loves and which one to drop.
Complete the Routine: DIY Hair Care You Can Start Tonight
Pick one mask from numbers 3 to 5 and patch test it today. When you want more ideas, read about curly hair care and castor oil for hair growth.
