Right now, running to the store to pick up your favorite hair products or even a speedy delivery of your monthly beauty hauls may not be possible. But not to worry! There are so many beneficial items in your kitchen that you can mix together to create moisturizing and nourishing hair masks for your specific hair type and needs — dry, oily, itchy, damaged, thin...whatever it may!
Natural foods are powerful and have tons of vitamins, acids and antioxidants. Using these everyday items to create your perfect homemade mask is easy, affordable, and most importantly great for your scalp and hair. Below are three of our favorite recipes:
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR + HONEY + COCONUT OIL (SCALP ISSUES & DAMAGED HAIR)
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a powerful ingredient to help balance your scalp. Its low pH is a perfect match to treat scalp issues. “Apple cider vinegar has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which makes it pretty effective in killing and preventing dandruff-causing yeast on the scalp,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a dermatologist at the Yale School of Medicine. It’s also filled with AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) malic acid, which is a gentle, natural exfoliator. Perfect for rebalancing your scalp!
Honey has both emollient and humectant properties, making it a great hair moisturizer. It helps smooth your hair cuticles and adds shine to dull hair. It’s also rich in antioxidants that prevents damage and strengthens your hair follicles.
Coconut oil needs no introduction to its IMMENSE benefits for hair health. The list is long, which includes preventing hair breakage due to its high penetration capabilities, resulting in soft, flexible hair. You can read more about it in this article.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon ACV- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Directions:
Step 1: Heat up coconut oil in the microwave Step 2: Mix all 3 ingredients together
Step 3: Massage into scalp and hair, top to bottom
Step 4: Let it soak in for at least 20-30 minutes
Step 5: Wash out
BANANA + YOGURT + HONEY/OLIVE OIL (ALL HAIR)
Bananas are secret wonders for hair conditioning. They are wonderful for all hair types, especially if you’re looking to soften and moisturize. They are full of natural oils, potassium, carbohydrates, and vitamins, which all help lock in moisturize and eliminate any frizz. We do want to stress again that we are bananas for bananas in any hair mask and for any hair type!
Yogurt has high levels of lactic acid, which helps treat dull and damaged hair. You might recognize lactic acid as a great way to exfoliate and reset your face, and your scalp is no different!
Honey or Olive oil are both great additions to this hair mask recipe. As we mentioned above, honey has great benefits for bringing moisture to your hair. You can also swap it out for olive oil. Olive oil is a great plant oil that penetrates your hair strands, similar to coconut oil, and softens and strengthens them. You can read more about it in this article.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 of a banana- 1 tablespoon of yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of honey or olive oil
Directions:
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients in a blender until it's smooth. Or you can manually mash up the banana and mix in all the ingredients until it’s blended smoothly together.Step 2: Massage the mask into your scalp and hair, top to bottom
Step 3: Let it soak in for 30-45 minutes
Step 4: Wash out
GHEE + OLIVE OIL (DRY, FRIZZY OR CURLY HAIR)
Ghee is clarified butter and every Indian’s must-have kitchen ingredient. It’s made up of healthy fatty oils that contain vitamins A, E, and K. These goodies help nourish the scalp and hair follicles. It’s also a popular ingredient to improve texture to your hair.
Olive oil is mentioned in the recipe above and really brings that moisturizing effect to your strands and helps smooth those hair cuticles.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of ghee- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Directions:
Step 1: Heat up both ingredients in the microwave and mix togetherStep 2: Massage the mask into your scalp and hair, top to bottom
Step 3: Comb your hair so the mask can distribute evenly and will be easier to manage afterwards
Step 4: Let it soak in for 30-45 minutes
Step 5: Wash out
Added bonus: adding a few drops of tea tree oil or squeezing in half a lemon are both great additions for scalp health. Whether you have dry, itchy, or oily scalp, these two ingredients will help balance and reset your hair follicles and clean and build up.
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash