What’s your major hair issue? Is it hair fall, damage due to pollutants, dryness and frizz, or flaky dandruff? A popular and easy solution to most hair issues is hiding in your kitchen. Yes, we are talking DIY hair masks made out of natural ingredients.
While a good diet plays a huge role in achieving healthy hair, you can always shower some topical nutrition on your precious mane for that extra kick of moisture, lustre and strength. So, let’s find out some quick recipes for homemade hair masks, besides understanding how and when you should use them.
Highlights:
What Is A Hair Mask?
A hair mask is a mixture of various nourishing ingredients, generally in a paste form. On application, it penetrates your hair cuticle to infuse moisture and nutrients. It deeply hydrates the scalp and repairs damage, resulting in smoother, shiny and frizz-free hair.
Some blends of hair masks also strengthen the hair roots and work on conditions like dandruff and grey hair. They can be bought from a beauty store or you can visit a salon for a hair mask treatment. However, most hair masks available in the market are laden with chemicals, which can be detrimental for your hair in the long run.
In this article, we will focus on natural hair masks that you can easily make at home.
What Are The Benefits Of A Hair Mask?
1. A hair mask acts as a DHT blocker to help prevent follicle miniaturization and hair loss.
2. Counteracts damaging factors to rejuvenate your tired and over-processed strands.
3. Volumizes your hair by reloading the proteins and nutrients your hair loses as you age.
4. Conditions your hair strands to protect them from entangling and breakage.
5. Restores the overall health condition of your hair and boosts scalp immunity.
6. Deeply hydrates your hair to prevent dryness, frizziness, grease, and dandruff.
7. Makes hair look lustrous with a smooth and shiny finish.
8. Soothes your hair after an intense hair color treatment and brings out the radiance of your colored hair.
A strand of hair is surprisingly stronger than a copper wire with the same diameter.
Which Hair Mask Is Best For Hair Growth?
According to Ayurveda, an imbalance of the fundamental bio-energies in your body alters your hair characteristics. Therefore herbal hair masks are designed with different combinations of natural materials to incorporate properties suitable to every individual's hair profile.
Here are some of the best herbal hair masks you can try at home:
Hibiscus-Aloe Vera Hair Mask For Hair Growth
How To Use:
1. Take a bunch of hibiscus leaves and flowers. Grind them using raw milk.
2. Aloe vera is already in a gel form, and you can use it directly on your hair.
3. Thoroughly mix the hibiscus paste with aloe vera gel.
4. Apply the hair mask like you apply henna.
5. Leave it on your hair for an hour. Wash it off with cold water.
Benefits:
1. Hibiscus is the best ingredient to feed your scalp for stimulating hair growth.
2. Aloe vera is a natural hair conditioner that repairs dead skin cells on your scalp to protect your cuticle from damage. [1]
Vedix Tip: Use a blend of soaked fenugreek seeds as a hair mask. It unclogs your hair follicles to support thicker hair growth. It is suitable for all hair types.
Avocado-Egg-Honey Hair Mask For Frizzy Hair
How To Use:
1. Smash one Avocado and mix it with two eggs, one spoon of honey and coconut oil.
2. Adding egg yolk is your choice.
3. Apply the paste on your scalp and hair from root to tip.
4. Leave the hair mask for 30 minutes. Rinse with plain water.
Benefits:
1. Avocado is rich in biotin that supports healthy hair growth and seals moisture in cuticle cells to make your hair smoother.
2. Egg is rich in protein that can build strong hair strands. It boosts hair growth by strengthening your hair follicles.
3. Honey smooths hair follicles, moisturizes and adds shine to your dry hair.
4. Coconut oil moisturizes your hair strands to prevent breakage and split ends. [2]
Vedix Tip: Add a few drops of essential oils like peppermint oil and lavender oil to the hair mask to repair your damaged hair.
Banana-Cinnamon Hair Mask For Hair Fall Prevention
How To Use:
1.Take one or two ripe bananas enough for your hair length and smash them into a smooth paste.
2. Ground half to one-inch cinnamon into a fine powder.
3. Use one spoon coconut oil to mix both the ingredients.
4. Apply the paste all over your scalp like you apply henna.
5. Leave it for 30-45 minutes and rinse it off with cold water.
Benefits:
1. Banana is rich in natural oils that protect the elasticity of your hair strands.
2. Cinnamon improves blood circulation in your scalp and stimulates hair growth. [3]
Vedix Tip: A hair mask can be made easily using just one ingredient like amla puree, aloe vera gel, green tea decoction, or strawberry mush.
Apple Cider Vinegar-Honey Hair Mask For Dandruff
How To Use:
1. Take one tablespoon each of apple cider vinegar and honey.
2. Mix them with one tablespoon of curd and two drops of lemon.
3. Pour the liquid onto your scalp and spread it all over.
4. Leave it for 10 minutes and wash it away.
Benefits:
1. Apple Cider Vinegar can remove excess oil produced by your sebaceous glands. Its astringent properties can cure dandruff.
2. Honey reserves moisture in your hair and protects your scalp from infections. Also, it soothes the affected area on your scalp.
3. Lemon and curd can get rid of dandruff flakes from your scalp.
Word Of Caution
Neither apply lemon-honey directly to your hair, nor leave them on your hair for more than 10 minutes. Regular use is also not recommended. Although it is not harmful, lemon and honey tend to fade your hair color.
How To Apply/Use A Hair Mask?
1. Cleanse your hair with a herbal shampoo and gently squeeze out excess water.
2. Pat dry your hair with a muslin cloth. Avoid using a hairdryer.
3. Gently remove tangles with a wide-toothed comb.
4. Divide your hair into four sections and separate each one correctly by using hair pluckers.
5. Take one portion at a time by removing the plucker and holding your hair upright.
6. Spread the hair mask blend from root to tip with your fingers and wrap it up.
7. Repeat it for the remaining segments of your hair.
8. Leave it for 20-40 minutes on average. Wrap up a hot towel for the best results.
9. Rinse it off with plain lukewarm water.
10.Wash your hair with herbal shampoo to retain the impact of the hair mask on your scalp.
How Often Should You Use A Hair Mask?
A hair mask is like a nutritious feast to your scalp. You can feed it often, depending on the following factors:
1. If your hair is healthy, make a habit of using a hair mask once a week to maintain its condition.
2. If you are frequently exposed to pollution, it's better to apply a hair mask thrice a week.
3. If you recently had a hair color treatment or hair rebonding treatment, use a hair mask every alternative day.
4. If your hormones are imbalanced by any specific cause, a hair mask can protect your scalp from excess hair loss. Therefore, it is better to use it at least thrice a week or before every hair wash.
5. If your hair is damaged, dry, frizzy, greasy, oily, or prone to dandruff, then apply a hair mask on every alternative day. Choose a hair mask that you can wash off without using shampoo every time.
How Long Should You Leave A Hair Mask On Your Hair?
We have heard of the consequences of leaving a hair conditioner on your hair for more than 2-3 minutes. If the chemical penetrates your hair cuticle, it leads to excess hair fall.
Therefore you can leave a store bought hair mask on your scalp for 20-30 minutes. Moreover, you can leave a herbal hair mask for one hour as it is prepared out of natural extracts. [4]
The Last Word
Modern Ayurvedic hair care methods not only beautify your hair naturally, but also require lesser time. A herbal hair mask is a great source to maintain healthy, soft and voluminous hair in your busy schedule.
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