Hair treatments help keep your hair looking shiny, healthy, and clean. A natural homemade product is better where it has fewer additives than many over-the-counter hair care products that in most cases have potentially nasty ingredients. Here are five natural hair products you can make from everyday items in your pantry.
Why Use DIY Home Hair Treatments?
After using chemical products, hair dryers and hair straighteners on a day-to-day basis, your hair needs something to deal with that loss of moisture.
Perhaps you can’t make it to the hair salon for a hair beauty appointment or just don’t have the dollars right now.
A home treatment will give your hair a lift when you need that quick fix. Not only will DIY deep hair conditioner treatments at home rid that lackluster look and make you feel better, they are simple and cost effective.
Putting that moisture back into to the hair shaft is essential for hair beauty but we can’t always make it to the hair salon. Here’s how to make your own hair moisturizer at home with natural products…
#1. Olive Oil Treatment
How to treat dry hair? An oil treatment works well on dry hair. For a homemade natural moisturizer for hair that’s dry, try the following.
Grab that oil from the pantry.
I use Virgin olive oil. I find it works great as a natural hair moisturizing treatment for my fine hair when it starts to dry out, especially during winter or after being in the summer sun.
Olive oil is high in monosaturated fats. Oils with a high loading of saturated or monosaturated fats, like olive oil, diffuse into the hair shaft and work much better than polyunsaturated types for treating your hair.1
Here’s how I do It:
I pour enough olive oil to coat the ends of my hair (about a tablespoon or two) and I let it soak in. I leave it in for 30 minutes to a few hours, or sometimes overnight like a leave-in conditioner (I just make sure I place a towel on my pillow so as not to stain it). Then, I just wash and style as normal.
If it works for you like it does for me, you’ll find your hair is soft and lustrous.
#2. A Cool Water Final Rinse
Next in my hair care tips…is this simple trick.
As a final rinse, I use cool to cold water.
Why this works: A cool water final rinse helps close the hair cuticles to seal in moisture. It will make your hair shine.
This simple action amazingly helps (if you can remember to do it). It is a simple diy hair treatment that will save you dollars at the hair salon or on commercial products.
#3. Coconut Oil Treatment
Coconut oil provides another homemade leave in hair moisturizer product. This is another natural moisturizer for dry hair.
In place of olive oil, you might find that coconut oil works for you as a deep natural hair conditioner. Apply the same method as stated for olive oil.
Tip: If you use coconut oil you may need to warm it first. Be careful not to overheat it. You could also use other oils, for example, virgin sesame oil, coconut oil or grape-seed oil.
Coconut oil, like olive oil, penetrates the hair shaft, as it is about 90% saturated fat ¹. Also, it has a high affinity for hair proteins because it is a triglyceride of lauric acid and so works well as a homemade deep conditioner for damaged hair. As a treatment before or after you shampoo it is known to reduce hair protein loss ².
How to Make Natural Hair Moisturizer Using Coconut Vinegar
For a final hair rinse, you can try diluting 1 part coconut vinegar with 2 parts coconut water for a fuller and shinier head of hair and to help repair damaged hair. As a natural conditioning for hair this rinse works by sealing the hair cuticles, locking in moisture and stopping them from drying out.
You can also buy coconut vinegar online at Amazon — See details.
#4. Egg Protein Treatment
Here’s a homemade deep conditioner for dry hair.
Spoiler alert: The raw egg and apple cider vinegar in this homemade hair moisturizer does give off an odor, but if you can handle this for 15 minutes, you are on your way to shinier, healthier hair.
This is a great protein fix to make your hair look fuller, with a bouncy shine and is a good homemade conditioner, especially as a dry hair treatment.
It is possibly the best moisturizer for dry hair and scalp in terms of a diy hair mask.
How to Make A Moisturizer For Natural Hair Using Eggs
Take three eggs. Whisk these together with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and apply to damp hair. Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse off in cold water.
#5. Rosemary Herbal Final Rinse
This is a treatment for hair that is normal to oily. It will leave your hair feeling glossy, clean, and soft. You can also use it to treat dandruff or an itchy scalp. Like lavender, rosemary contains terpenic compounds that are useful in the treatment of dandruff ³.
Rosemary has a reputation for stimulating hair growth as it helps with blood circulation of the scalp. So, it aids in preventing hair loss 4. It also helps (especially combined with sage) to treat premature graying 4 5.
Rosemary essential oil is also great for dealing with everyday stress as it helps with our cognitive processing and contains powerful antioxidants that protect us from the effects of stress and toxins 3.
How To Make Natural Hair Moisturizer Using Rosemary
Use it as a final rinse. Get hold of 3-4 sprigs of rosemary from your garden or supermarket. Steep these in about 2-3 cups of boiling water for about an hour. Strain the herbal water and use in your final rinse as a leave-in treatment. Whallah!
Final Thoughts
This list of hair treatments covers some natural hair care ideas for adding moisture, shine, and fullness. Choose a homemade hair treatment to add moisture to dry hair, shine to oily hair, or to natural hair growth.
Use these recipes for you and your family. Or, you could, with a bit of thought about packaging, turn these into awesome gifts for that special someone who prefers natural products. I hope this has helped.
Mary-Anne
PS: See also my article on water as a natural face moisturizer.
Resources
- Robbins, CR. (2013). Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair. 4th ed. New York: Springer; 2013.
- Rele, AS, Mohile, RB. (2003). Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. J Cosmet Sci. 54:175–92.
- Andrade, J. M., Faustino, C., Garcia, C., Ladeiras, D., Reis, C. P., & Rijo, P. (2018). Rosmarinus officinalis L.: an update review of its phytochemistry and biological activity. Future Science OA, 4(4), FSO283. http://doi.org/10.4155/fsoa-2017-0124
Read Also
Gavazzoni Dias M. F. (2015). Hair cosmetics: an overview. International journal of trichology, 7(1), 2-15. See here.
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Hi, I’m Mary-Anne. Apart from a PhD in Earth and Life Sciences, I have a whole heap of other life experiences. I am a believer in wellness through wildness. This is about connecting with the nature within and the nature around to keep fit and healthy in body, mind, and spirit. I enjoy researching and writing about natural things that support our wellbeing and then sharing the benefits I discover.