If you shampoo and condition your hair with natural products and avoid prolonged sun exposure and heated styling tools as much as possible, you might wonder what else you could possibly do to improve how your hair looks. While many people have heard of facial masks to nourish the skin of the face, fewer of us are familiar with hair masks and why they’re worth trying out. Here are some hair mask tips and recipes to try to give your hair natural boost.
Why Use a Hair Mask?
Hair masks are often intended to be intense conditioning treatments to soothe dry hair and improve shine and manageability. There are plenty of commercial products available that you can buy and apply to your hair. However, you likely have many DIY hair mask ingredients already in your kitchen, such as egg yolks, yogurt, olive oil, honey, bananas, and avocado.
Benefits of using a hair mask include getting more moisture in your strands, having less frizz, strengthening your hair, and adding more moisture to your haircare routine. Hair masks can also promote a healthy scalp and reduce breakage and damage caused by hair products and tools.
How to Use a Hair Mask
Hair masks can be a bit messy, so they’re best to apply in the bathroom before you take a shower and with a few towels nearby. You can apply hair masks to either dry or damp hair, but they work best when you divide your hair into sections first so that you don’t miss any spots.
Start at the roots and work your way down to the tips by using a wide-toothed comb. Depending on the hair mask recipe you try, you can leave the mixture on your hair for 10 minutes up to an hour. Especially dry, long, and thick hair benefits from leaving it on there for a bit longer. It’s important to thoroughly wash the mask mixture out of your hair after your done though so that no residue lingers behind.
DIY Hair Mask Recipes
Here are a few easy hair mask recipes to try based on your hair type.
Damaged, Dry and Frizzy Hair Mask
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp. organic honey
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix the two ingredients together and heat up on a saucepan on the stove
- Stir until mixed thoroughly, allow it to cool, and apply to hair
- Let the mixture sit on hair for up to 30 minutes and then wash out
Exfoliating Hair Mask
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix ingredients together and apply to hair without heating
- Allow the mask to sit on hair for 15 minutes
- Rinse out and wash with shampoo and conditioner
Shine-Boosting Hair Mask
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 egg
- 1 avocado
- 1 tbsp. jojoba oil
- 5 drops of rosemary essential oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix all ingredients without heating and apply to hair
- Cover hair with a shower cap and allow to sit for 30 minutes
- Rinse and wash as you normally would