Please share your favorite "natural" hair mask

[Anisaa]

Hi EVERYONE, I have reached a "plateau" with my hair..It is below bra strap (WAIST length is my goal), I have not trimmed it in a year..SO, my hair is experiencing some type of "malfunctioning" (dry, brittle ends, not as soft and shiny etc..) I am looking for new treatments and masks to put in my hair until this awkard growing stage passes:mad:
I am not familiar with many hair recipes, all I pretty much do is use coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, and sulfate free shampoos and NOW THANKS to TLHC I was introduced to shea and cocoa butter...

Please, share any recipe, oils or ANY technique you do to help your hair stay strong, healthy and beautiful~ Thank you all for your help..PEACE and LOVE to you all:heartbeat

[little_cherry]

Hi :)
Have you tried clarifying your hair?

There's a wonderful treatment called SMT (Snowymoons' moisture treatment) which consists of 4 parts cone-free conditioner, 1 part honey (heated in the microwave for 1 minute in 10 second bursts) and one part pure aloe gel. Mix all ingredients, apply to damp hair and relax for a couple of hours. This works wonders! Many SMT users swap the honey for molasses or add oils to this. Also, I my post here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51998 has one of my whacky ideas!

[Cumulus]

Could I substitute the aloe gel with something else??

[VanillaTresses]

I like mashed up bananas with some honey and a dab of olive oil. It is very moisturizing.

[little_cherry]

Could I substitute the aloe gel with something else??
Sure...some people add oils instead of aloe...half as much as the aloe, though!

[LunarAurora]

I really like yogourt + honey
Very easy ^^ Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.

[twolunarspring]

Avocado, banana and honey all mashed up :)
I used to slather my hair in this, then wrap a towel around and leave it as long as possible before washing.

[Anisaa]

Excellent, simple, recipes!!! I tried honey and olive oil today and I must say I was really Impressed with the RESULTs :D

[Anisaa]

Excellent, simple, recipes!!! I tried honey and olive oil today and I must say I was really Impressed with the RESULTs

[LunarAurora]

I'm happy to read that !

[Ulvashi]

Sorry for hijacking the forum....but is hot oil treatments considered protein treatment or moisturizing treatment?...its so confusing

[jeanniet]

For those who use yogurt, I'm assuming you mean whole-fat yogurt? I eat nonfat yogurt because I like it better, so if whole-fat is better for hair I need to go out and buy some!

[LunarAurora]

Nonfat yogourt works too but is more moisturizing than nourishing. It depends on what your hair needs but personnaly, I haven't noticed any difference ^^

[ChloeDharma]

For those who use yogurt, I'm assuming you mean whole-fat yogurt? I eat nonfat yogurt because I like it better, so if whole-fat is better for hair I need to go out and buy some!

I generally use regular natural yogurt but i've not tried nonfat to be able to compare results.
Yogurt for me is my favourite natural treatment, though a fenugreek seed mask i also find very good.

[katha]

I mix cocos oil, olive oil, honey, and conditioner and got nice results.
Its important to put these things on dry hair. Wet hair is already soaked with water and won't accept much else.

[GRU]

I get "creative" in the kitchen, and have used various combinations of coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, frozen-thawed-mashed bananas, aloe vera gel, honey, and molasses.

Basically I throw whatever tickles my fancy into a bowl, mix it up, microwave it to warm it up, and slap it on my hair. Sometimes I'll throw in some store-bought conditioner of some sort, but if you don't use conditioner, if anything drips down your face you can wipe it with your finger and lick it off b/c it's all edible! :D

[Othala]

I have two offerings:

(1) Fenugreek and honey as a moisturising and de-tangling mask

(1) Aloe vera and crushed mint leaves as a scalp stimulating mask

[Aredhel77]

I have used mashed avocado on my hair with success as a prewash mask on dry hair. I left it in for about an hour and rinsed really well before washing. It left my hair very soft but was messy to wash out :-)

Good quality (real) mayonnaise can also be used in a similar way

[hmmm]

I love fenugreek and honey, but my favourite treatment is egg yolk and honey.
I also use henna as a conditioner, but my hair is too dark for it to matter. I put lots of other gunk in it, like bhringraj, brahmi, hibiscus... it's all good for you :p

[Elenna]

I found a solution for dry and brittle ends.

How about this mixture: heated coconut oil (2 tbsp), castor oil (1/2 to 1 tsp), glycerin (1 tsp), hemp oil or almond oil (1 tsp), and a conditioner (like Joe's Refresh Citrus Conditioner which doesn't have protein nor silicones). Leave on hair for at least an hour. It washes out fine with CO. Then damp bun.

Anisaa do you mix the oils or use them separately? You listed: coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, shea butter and cocoa butter.

I think that you need a humiditant like honey or glycerin. Your hair needs more moisture.

[Elenna]

Sorry for hijacking the forum....but is hot oil treatments considered protein treatment or moisturizing treatment?...its so confusing

Ulvashi, oil treatments are considered moisturizing. A protein treatment could be the addition of eggs, yogurt, hydrolyzed protein, etc.

[Aeren]

A mask that always works on my hair :
1 egg yolk
1 tbs of oil (my favorites are coconut and jojoba)
1/2 tbs of aloe vera
10 drops of B-panthene and/or hydrolyzed protein
10 drops of EO (geranium, grapefruit...)

I usually apply it on dry hair, wrap it in cellophane and rince it after 2 hours.

[Anje]

I find my hair needs humectants like honey or glycerin to keep it moisturized, and oils alone don't cut it. I'm a big fan of the SMT, or in various blends of oil and conditioner, for that reason.

Since you mentioned your length is somewhere between BSL and waist, I thought I'd ask whether you normally wear it hanging down (loose, ponytail, etc.) or up. Stalls at that location are really common, but it's worth considering that chairs often rub on hair below BSL, which can further contribute to lack of progress.

[Anisaa]

I use the oils separately, one week i'LL do coconut oil, the following week olive oil and so on! I never thought about putting glycerin on my hair, I didn't even knew you could use it for the hair! Thank you very much for the recipe I am excited to try it! A quick question, how do you use glycerin?

[Anisaa]

I use the oils separately, one week i'LL do coconut oil, the following week olive oil and so on! I never thought about putting glycerin on my hair, I didn't even knew you could use it for the hair! Thank you very much for the recipe I am excited to try it! A quick question, how do you use glycerin?

[McFearless]

Banana + honey

You have to put the banana in the blender first

[ghost]

I normally just wet my hair and work a can of coconut milk into my scalp and the length of my hair, then throw a shower cap on for at least half an hour and rinse it out.
I do this once a week or so, usually after I've gone out to my local Goth club and sweated, thrown my hair around and gotten other people's cigarette smoke in it...I figure a coconut milk soak will help my hair recover and it usually does the trick. My hair is always soft, shiny and more curly than wavy afterward.

If I think it even needs something more, I'll put the coconut milk in a blender with an avocado and a banana until it looks like really runny guacamole, then do my usual process of applying it to wet hair, leaving it under a cap, and washing out.

I also like this recipe from the Curly Girl book:

You will need:
3-4 medium potatoes
2 cups water
1 peach

Peel and wash potatoes, then cut into chunks. Add water and refrigerate overnight in a covered bowl. The next day, drain the water and save. (discard the potatoes, or cook for dinner)

Puree the peach, and mix well with the potato water.

Comb the mixture through your hair* and leave on for 20-30 minutes.

Rinse hair with water** and style as usual.



*I think it's easiest to apply it to wet hair
** I always CWC the mixture out, myself...how you rinse it out is up to you.

I like the above recipe because it's inexpensive, simple and the peaches make your hair smell great. The potato starch + the fruit are supposed to revitalize your hair, as well.
Honestly, my biggest issue is not eating the peach! I love peaches, and I would rather eat them than put them on my head :p

[Siv]

Can we revive this and talk a bit more about DIY hair masks that are NOT the SMT? I like the SMT just fine, but I'd like to try something new as well :)

I figured I might try a dash of oil + banana + oatmeal... Some fats, some humectants/sugars, and some mucilage for slip!

[Soj]

It might help if I knew what SMT was. I can say I don't do masks. I do rinses. Way easier on the plumbing. I have not yet identified a sprayer that will handle fenugreek - it is very thick and clogs the 360 sprayers I get from Sally Beauty, but then they choke on a lot of commercial products as well unless I water them down.

[Soj]

so apparently I can't edit my posts - I should add, I do well-strained rinses. Rinses are easier if you use whole-ish herbs but most of what I have are powders. I "cook" them in a cheap coffee maker and then strain through good quality flour sack cloth. I'm trying actual coffee filters next - I don't drink coffee, I only use the coffee maker for making hair rinses, LOL! So had no coffee filters on hand. Except for the fenugreek, I have those as seeds and that I strain through a strainer before trying to add it to my hair rinse. I make that separately.

[Siv]

It might help if I knew what SMT was. I can say I don't do masks. I do rinses. Way easier on the plumbing. I have not yet identified a sprayer that will handle fenugreek - it is very thick and clogs the 360 sprayers I get from Sally Beauty, but then they choke on a lot of commercial products as well unless I water them down.


so apparently I can't edit my posts - I should add, I do well-strained rinses. Rinses are easier if you use whole-ish herbs but most of what I have are powders. I "cook" them in a cheap coffee maker and then strain through good quality flour sack cloth. I'm trying actual coffee filters next - I don't drink coffee, I only use the coffee maker for making hair rinses, LOL! So had no coffee filters on hand. Except for the fenugreek, I have those as seeds and that I strain through a strainer before trying to add it to my hair rinse. I make that separately.

Here's the SMT-thread (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). And that's really clever to use the coffee maker! Speaking of straining, I'm slightly tempted to have a go at making flax seed gel again, last time was a disaster though...

[jane_marie]

Sometimes I put a mixture of honey, papaya, avocado, coconut cream, aloe vera pulp and goat milk yogurt in as a hair mask. I leave it on for about an hour. I think it makes my hair silkier, shinier and smoother.

[Liz_H]

I'm really curious about the oatmeal. Do you you cook it, or just grind and add to mask? What effect does it have on your hair?


Can we revive this and talk a bit more about DIY hair masks that are NOT the SMT? I like the SMT just fine, but I'd like to try something new as well :)

I figured I might try a dash of oil + banana + oatmeal... Some fats, some humectants/sugars, and some mucilage for slip!

[Siv]

I'm really curious about the oatmeal. Do you you cook it, or just grind and add to mask? What effect does it have on your hair?

Last time I did oatmeal from regular oats, let it cool down a bit and applied like conditioner. It was a real bother getting it out of the hair and it didn't moisturise much or give significant slip :/ It was really gooey and slippy when I held it in my hand but it didn't transfer to my hair properly/it all rinsed out. So I'd like to try oat flour instead and leave it in for longer - hopefully it washes out easier and absorbs a bit better. I've tried washing with barley flour as a "shampoo" and it rinsed out much easier (but barley doesn't give any slip like oat is supposed to do, because is doesn't have much mucilage).

[Prerna23]

I use a blend of curd, coconut oil, vitamin e oil and honey as a hair mask. It adds moisture and shine to my hair and tames frizz and split ends.

[Siv]

What's in curd, really? It's not something that's very common around here and I've only had it once or twice. I remember it as mostly as lemony and creamy.

[Soj]

What's in curd, really? It's not something that's very common around here and I've only had it once or twice. I remember it as mostly as lemony and creamy.

You are thinking of lemon curd which is more or less a dessert pudding.

This is just what they call yogurt in India.

[mary_whitney]

I like a good cassia hair mask. I mix the cassia with warm water until it's a very thick paste and then dilute it with conditioner/yoghurt/oil depending on what I'm feeling. I also like to just massage a castor/coconut oil mix into my roots through to the ends and leave overnight.

I don't do egg hair masks because I can't figure out how you all get them out. The one and only time I tried one, it COOKED in my hair when I was trying to rinse it out in the shower. Yuck.

[Siv]

You are thinking of lemon curd which is more or less a dessert pudding.

This is just what they call yogurt in India.

Oh okay


I like a good cassia hair mask. I mix the cassia with warm water until it's a very thick paste and then dilute it with conditioner/yoghurt/oil depending on what I'm feeling. I also like to just massage a castor/coconut oil mix into my roots through to the ends and leave overnight.

I don't do egg hair masks because I can't figure out how you all get them out. The one and only time I tried one, it COOKED in my hair when I was trying to rinse it out in the shower. Yuck.

I've done this too :lol: Rinse with cool water!! Egg protein coagulates (cooks) in even luke warm water and you end up with scrambled eggs in your hair!

[blackgothicdoll]

I really simple one is fenugreek powder, melted shea butter and conditioner of choice (suave coconut for me). Can add rose powered too. I stick it in a blender so it's nice and smooth, leave it on for at least half an hour then shampoo out.

Coconut milk, rose and hibiscus powder is another favorite.

Measurements are eyeballed until they are a consistency to apply without being super drippy.

[Siv]

I did a full on food-only wash today, for fun!

Shampoo: barley flower + water mixed with a stick blender into a watery consistency, applied with dressing bottle

Scalp tonic: instant coffee + water, applied with dressing bottle

Conditioner/masque: oat flour + half a banana + honey + coconut oil + water mixed with a stick blender into a paste, applied like regular conditioner, left on for 30 min

Rinse: black tea + chamomile tea, poured over lengths

My hair is currently air drying! I have flour in my ears and my hair smells like banana. Curious to see the results. Might have to wash my hair again tomorrow if worst comes to pass...

UPDATE: Shampoo and scalp tonic were okay, masque and tea rinse were a disaster.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I like a good cassia hair mask. I mix the cassia with warm water until it's a very thick paste and then dilute it with conditioner/yoghurt/oil depending on what I'm feeling. I also like to just massage a castor/coconut oil mix into my roots through to the ends and leave overnight.

I don't do egg hair masks because I can't figure out how you all get them out. The one and only time I tried one, it COOKED in my hair when I was trying to rinse it out in the shower. Yuck.

You rinse with cool water, not hot. Otherwise is does cook in your hair.

[Soj]

I did a full on food-only wash today, for fun!

Shampoo: barley flower + water mixed with a stick blender into a watery consistency, applied with dressing bottle

Scalp tonic: instant coffee + water, applied with dressing bottle

Conditioner/masque: oat flour + half a banana + honey + coconut oil + water mixed with a stick blender into a paste, applied like regular conditioner, left on for 30 min

Rinse: black tea + chamomile tea, poured over lengths

My hair is currently air drying! I have flour in my ears and my hair smells like banana. Curious to see the results. Might have to wash my hair again tomorrow if worst comes to pass...

UPDATE: Shampoo and scalp tonic were okay, masque and tea rinse were a disaster.

What kind of disaster? Black tea and chamomile infusions are both fairly acidic, between 6 & 7. Coffee is about 5.4 pH. Tea is typically rinsed out afterwards when used as a hair treatment, did you rinse them out? Also people usually deep condition after a tea rinse, whether real tea or herbal teas.

[Siv]

Nope. Did the shampoo, then scalp tonic, left the masque in for 30 min and then came back for the tea rinse. Rinsed it all out but still had masque chunks stuck in my hair (which was slightly surprising considering I blended everything very well) plus dryness from the tea. I'd hoped the chamomile's conditioning effects would balance the tea's drying effect but that didn't happen. And I had massive tangles because of the bits + dryness.

All in all the shampoo and coffee were a success, though. The shampoo actually cleansed really well. But I've still never found a home made masque or conditioner that actually does anything for me. Some are a disaster but e.g. chamomile on its own just doesn't do anything. Oh well. Guess I'll continue searching!

[AnyaWK]

My natural hair mask would contain just egg, I would put the egg, York and white in a cup, mix it with a vitamin E capsule and put in on my hair and keep it for half an hour, after which I would wash it off...

[tulirepo]

How does the mechanics in DIY natural hair masks work? Food particles are too big to enter the hair shaft so there must be some way they are working?

[Siv]

Coconut oil has been shown to enter the hair shaft somewhat (the lauric acid), a lot of other oils haven't been tested but e.g. olive oil has anecdotally "been known" to soak in even though it doesn't contain lauric acid. Also aloe vera enters the hair shaft.

But back to the oils. I'm guessing here, but since oils coat the hair shaft (which is protective, helps detangling etc.) I'm wondering if e.g. mashed up fruits have a similar effects since they too have fatty acids.

[SleepyTangles]

How does the mechanics in DIY natural hair masks work? Food particles are too big to enter the hair shaft so there must be some way they are working?

Masks, like conditioners, are a mix of hydrating ingredients to replenish moisture, and emollient fats to lock them in place.
Very little things can "penetrate" skin or hair. It´s mostly about restoring the hydrolipidic film balance and prevent dehydration.

My favorite DIY hair mask is plain full fat yogurt (as much as required to cover the hair) and 2 tablespoons of honey. If I feel like it, an extra tablespoon of aloe vera gel or juice.

[Katia_k]

I need to get back to my natural hair masks. A lovely mix of anxiety and depression and grad school has meant that my energy has been at a major low, so I havven't had the gumption to tinker in the kitchen like I used to. I also got tired of trying so many things that just didn't work. Everything everyone else's hair seems to love mine does not. Everything seems to be either much too heavy for my low porrosity hair, or on the flipside not moisturizing enough. It's like there's a sweet spot that my hair has not revealed after like 4 years of work. I'd like just one HG product that would give me consistently decent results... Herb washes were doing it for a while, but they stopped being great, and they can be a little drying as well.

I don't think I've tried yogurt though; that sounds easy. I think perhaps I'll give that and coconut milk a try. My hair does not like coconut oil, so the milk will probably tank for me, but worth a shot.

Does anyone have a natural mask or conditioner that they can batch-prep? I'm trying to think of things I don't have to mix up single-serve every time. I know this isn't easy to find in the natural world, but thought I'd ask just in case.

[EmbracetheHippy]

I swear by egg, olive oil and honey.

Two eggs
2 tbs of olive oil (although I suspect you can use any other oil you prefer)
2 tbs of honey

Whip up the eggs and olive oil first. Then add the honey. I have some really thick organic honey, so heating it first is a good idea. In fact, room temp eggs would probably be a good idea too. The coolness of cold eggs can seize the honey and make it difficult to combine.

You can put it in a squirt bottle and apply root to tip. Wrap in plastic or use a shower cap (I by them by the bag full for cheap at Target). Then let it sit for at least an hour. Rinse in cool water so you don't cook the eggs and wash like normal.

Absolutely brilliant and bouncy hair!