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 can have potentially nasty ingredients. Here I cover how to moisturize hair at home and include natural hair products you can make from everyday items in your pantry to save you money.
What This Contains
- 4 Reasons To DIY Home Hair Conditioning
- Homemade Moisturizing Conditioners For Dry Hair
- DIY Treatments for Oily Hair
- DIY Herbal Oil Treatment for Different Hair Types
4 Reasons To DIY Home Hair Treatments
- After using chemical products, hairdryers, and hair straighteners on a day-to-day basis, your hair needs something to deal with that loss of moisture. You need moisture in hair for that shiny, healthy look!
- 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, but they are also simple and cost effective.
- Putting that moisture back into 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…
DIY Hair Conditioning Treatments
The following list of natural hair moisturizers includes ones that will suit any hair type.
Olive Oil As A DIY Hair Moisturizer
An oil treatment works well on dry hair as a DIY hair moisturizer.
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
How To Use Olive Oil To Add Moisture To Hair That’s Dry
How to treat dry hair? For a DIY, grab that olive oil from the pantry. Pour enough oil to coat the ends of your hair (about a tablespoon or two). Leave it to soak in for 30 minutes to a few hours or overnight (just make sure to place a towel on your pillow so as not to stain it). Then, just wash and style as normal.
If it works for you as it does for me, you’ll find your hair is soft and lustrous.
Coconut Oil As A Hair Moisturizer DIY
Coconut oil provides 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 as a homemade
Coconut oil, like olive oil, penetrates the hair shaft, as it is about 90% saturated fat ¹. Also, it provides natural conditioning for hair as it has a high affinity for hair proteins since 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
What’s a good final rinse for dry hair? For a moisturizing final hair rinse, dilute 1 part coconut vinegar with 2 parts coconut water. This will help repair damaged hair give you a fuller and shinier head of hair. This rinse works by sealing the hair cuticles to lock in moisture and stop the hair from drying out.
You can also buy coconut vinegar online at Amazon — See details.
A Cool Water Final Rinse
Another of my hair care tips…is this simple trick.
After shampooing, as a final rinse, use cool to cold water.
Why does this work? Using cool water as a final rinse helps to close the outer hair sheath cells so they lie flat. The result is a smooth shiny finish to your hair.
This simple action amazingly helps (if you can remember to do it). It is a simple DIY hair treatment that works towards saving you dollars at the hair salon or on commercial products.
Egg Protein Moisturizing Hair Mask DIY
You can use egg as a homemade deep conditioner for dry hair. It is possibly the best moisturizer for dry hair and scalp in terms of a
Using an egg moisture hair mask provides a great protein fix to make your hair look fuller, with a bouncy shine. This makes a good homemade conditioner, especially as a dry hair treatment.
How to Make A Moisturizer For Natural Hair Using Eggs
For a moisturizing natural hair conditioner for hair that’s dry, try the following.
Take three eggs. Whisk these together with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of apple cider vinegar and apply to damp hair. Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse off in cold water.4
Spoiler alert: The mix of 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.
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
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.
Recipe For Hair Moisturizer Homemade With Rosemary
Use it as a final rinse. Get hold of 3-4 sprigs of rosemary from your garden or supermarket. Steep these in a jug (about 2-3 cups) of boiling water for about an hour. Strain the herbal water and use it
Herbal Oil Treatment
Make your own herbal oil. Just add 6 drops of essential oil to 30 ml (about 2 tablespoons) of almond oil.4 You could also use sunflower oil. Choose the essential oil suited to your hair type.
| Type | Essential Oil For Treatment |
|---|---|
| Dry hair | sage |
| Oily hair | lavender or peppermint |
| Anti-dandruff | camomile, rosemary, or thyme |
How to use:
Simply massage the oil mixture into your hair and scalp. Then use a hot towel to wrap around your head. Leave for 30 minutes with heat. Then shampoo and rinse.
Tip: Place a plastic covering over the towel to keep the heat in. A DIY plastic covering can be made from plastic food wrap or by using a plastic bag cut to fit over your hair. Alternatively, you’ll need to replace heated towels.
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 for 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. See also my list of
Mary-Anne
PS: See also my article on water as a natural face moisturizer.
Information sources
- 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 updated review of its phytochemistry and biological activity. Future Science OA, 4(4), FSO283. https://doi.org/10.4155/fsoa-2017-0124
- Costantino, M. 2009. Living Green. Flame Tree Publishing.
- Arrowsmith, N. 2009. Essential Herbal Wisdom: A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs. Llewelyn Publications.
- Miller L., Miller, B. 1998. Ayurveda and
Aromatheraphy : The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing
Read Also
Gavazzoni Dias M. F. (2015). Hair cosmetics: an overview. International journal of trichology, 7(1), 2-15. See here.