beauty

DIY Hair Masks

Watch the video

X Watch the video on youtube

Generality

A DIY hair mask is a cheap beauty product, simple to make and affordable for everyone, which allows you to revitalize and restore, with satisfactory results, dry hair, greasy hair, brittle hair and sun-damaged hair .

DIY hair masks are an interesting alternative to those expensive hair products made specifically for the lab, for scalp health.

The preparation of a DIY hair mask involves the use of very common ingredients on our tables, such as fruit, vegetables, yogurt, eggs, olive oil, honey, etc.

What's this?

A DIY hair mask is an affordable beauty treatment for everyone, which can be very useful in restoring greasy or dry hair and restoring vigor, strength and shine to visibly weakened and stressed by smog, UV rays. or invasive colors.

To prepare a do-it-yourself hair mask, simply take a look inside the pantry in the kitchen or in the refrigerator shelf typically reserved for fruit and vegetables: here, in fact, surprisingly beneficial ingredients for the hair are hidden.

Benefits of a DIY hair mask

DIY hair masks are an effective treatment, easy to prepare, inexpensive and based on easily available ingredients.

Therefore, to revitalize and restore dry / greasy, fragile or sun-damaged hair, it is not always necessary to buy expensive products specifically designed for this purpose.

Economic remedy but not only ...

A DIY hair mask is not only an inexpensive cosmetic remedy available to most people, it is also a simple, hasty solution to prepare and, as could be guessed from the origin of the ingredients, natural.

General conditions of preparation

To prepare a good DIY hair mask, the basic condition is to know the type of hair on which the user will apply the final product. This is due to the fact that, for each type of hair, there are more or less indicated ingredients, where by indicated we mean benefits.

Just to mention a few examples, without giving too many anticipations, oily hair does not appreciate a do-it-yourself hair mask based on olive oil (excellent for dry hair instead); in the same way, dry hair does not like a recipe based on nettle and green tea (excellent ingredients against hair that tend to fall out).

Key point for the preparation of a good DIY hair mask

Each type of hair requires a specific treatment. Dry hair does not benefit from the same hair masks that are beneficial to greasy hair etc.

Ingredients

For making a DIY hair mask, the most used ingredients are:

  • Olive oil . It moisturizes the hair and, in relation to the latter, acts as a natural conditioner. Olive oil has been used for a long time in scalp beauty treatments. It is useful in the presence of brittle, dry and damaged hair ; in fact, it has a rejuvenating effect on these and gives them a glow.
  • Whole egg / egg white / yolk . As part of the care and health of the scalp, the egg with its components (yolk and egg white) is an ancient natural remedy, which still today is particularly in vogue against dry hair .
  • Essential oils of rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, birch, etc. They are used for their antiseptic (or disinfectant), purifying, astringent and microcirculation stimulating properties.
  • Yogurt . During the preparation of a DIY hair mask, it is the ideal way to disperse essential oils in the preparation.

    Furthermore, it is rich in nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins, calcium and proteins, all of which can help healthy hair.

  • Sweet almond oil, jojoba liquid wax and shea butter . They are suitable for making DIY hair masks, nourishing and strengthening for dry, damaged and damaged hair.
  • Vinegar . It serves to make the hair shine.
  • Crushed or pureed fruit . It is used for its vitaminizing action. "Important" fruits for hair health are: strawberries, bananas, avocados, lemons, etc.
  • Milk . Represents an excellent hair softener.
  • Coconut oil . It is an excellent natural conditioner for hair, which, thanks to its use, tends to be soft and shiny.
  • Honey . It is an excellent moisturizer for hair, ideal for dry, opaque and lacking in vitality.

    Thanks to its use, the hair regains shine and vigor.

  • Apple cider vinegar . Allows you to remove oils and fats from your hair. It also helps eliminate itching and irritation in the scalp when present.
  • Other . In this category there are psyllium seeds, birch leaves, wheat germ oil, nettle, cane sugar, chilli pepper etc.

For dry hair

General information on dry hair: dry, dry and dehydrated hair requires nourishing and intensive treatments.

Regarding their cleaning, experts recommend using mild shampoos and avoiding too frequent washing.

An excessively crisp, dry and visibly dehydrated hair needs keratin- based lotions and oral supplements, as these have the ability to strengthen and thicken the hair.

There are several DIY hair masks that can improve the appearance of dry hair; among the most important preparations, we note:

  • The DIY mask for dry hair is the result of the association between olive oil, sweet almond oil and banana pulp (vitaminizing action).

    Once the composition has been completed, the user must apply the preparation on the scalp, using a wide-toothed comb to achieve uniform distribution of the product; after which you will have to rest for 10 minutes and, after the set time, proceed as usual with shampoo and conditioner suitable for dry hair.

  • The DIY mask for dry hair deriving from the combination of birch leaf powder, psyllium seed powder and water enough to form a creamy and dense compound.

    Birch powder is used in the production of homemade hair masks, thanks to its astringent properties; psyllium powder, on the other hand, is useful because it is rich in mucilage, which make the colloidal and plastic preparation.

    After the correct laying time, the user can proceed with the normal washing of the hair with suitable shampoo and conditioner.

  • The DIY mask for dry hair resulting from the union of egg, yogurt and lemon juice. As anticipated, egg-based preparations are ancient remedies, indicated to improve the appearance of dry and damaged hair, restoring their shine and vitality after just a couple of applications.

    To make the hair shine further, simply add a few drops of vinegar to the previously obtained natural mixture.

    At the end of the appropriate laying time, the user can proceed with washing the hair, followed by drying and styling.

  • The DIY mask for dry hair deriving from the combination of banana pulp (1-2 fruits), coconut oil (a spoon), olive oil (a spoon) and honey (a spoon).

    Such a composition has surprising moisturizing properties; the hydration of dry hair involves strengthening it, protecting it from breakage and improving elasticity.

    After the laying time (usually 5 minutes), it is possible to rinse the hair with or without shampoo.

  • The DIY mask for dry hair based on avocado. In addition to being rich in vitamins, avocado has moisturizing properties.

    In a composition of this kind, in addition to the avocado (a small ripe fruit is sufficient), they serve olive oil or almond oil (a spoon) and milk (a quarter of a cup).

    The indicated shutter speed is at least 15 minutes; after that, it is possible to wash the scalp with or without shampoo.

Two important notes: watch out for the lemon and ...

Pay attention to the doses of lemon used in the preparation of a DIY hair mask, as this citrus fruit tends to lighten the hair.

To avoid lightening the hair using lemon, the advice is to dilute the latter with water in a 1: 2 ratio, ie at a certain dose of lemon add a double dose of water.

... what are the properties of the banana?

A common fruit like the banana is used in the preparation of DIY hair masks, because it contains:

  • Potassium, ideal for restoring dry and damaged hair;
  • Vitamin A, an agent that strengthens hair follicles and a nutrient lacking too dry hair;
  • Vitamin E, a fundamental nutrient for general hair health;
  • Vitamin C, a regulator of sebaceous production in the scalp.

For greasy hair

General information on oily hair: oily hair depends on the excessive production of sebum, on the part of the sebaceous glands present on the head of the human being. Greasy hair has some peculiarities: they look oily and opaque, they tend to get dirty easily, they are difficult to style and tend to emanate.

they smell bad.

Because of its marked ability to get dirty, the fat hair requires a daily wash, using delicate shampoos. The use of delicate shampoos is important, because the use of shampoo with stronger action, associated with a daily wash, would result in excessive removal of sebum from the hair; in the right quantities, the sebum is protective against the scalp, so the latter needs it.

The preparation of DIY masks for oily hair often includes the use of essential oils of thyme, lemon, bergamot, oregano, rosemary, sage, anise and ivy, as well as the use of ingredients, such as yogurt, honey, etc.

The most common examples of masks intended for oily hair include:

  • The DIY mask for greasy hair resulting from the combination of yogurt, honey and a few drops of sage essential oil or, alternatively, of ivy or thyme; these essential oils are ideal for reducing sebum production, as they have astringent and vasoconstrictor properties.

    The compound requires energetic processing; after processing, the application must take place on damp hair. Once the application has been carried out, the user will have to leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes and, only after this time has passed, he can switch to washing with a mild shampoo (as is customary for oily hair).

    The nourishing properties of yogurt, associated with the softening properties of honey and astringent-vasoconstrictor of the aforementioned essential oils, can visibly and surprisingly improve the appearance of the foliage.

  • The DIY mask for greasy hair based on clay, mixed with rose water (generally three tablespoons) and essential anise oil (usually two drops).

    The clay has detoxifying, disinfectant and purifying properties, which are ideal for improving the appearance of fat hair; rose water has an astringent action; finally, the essential oil of anise has disinfectant and microcirculation stimulating properties.

    With the above ingredients, the result is a DIY hair mask with amazing abilities.

  • The DIY mask for greasy hair resulting from the combination of yogurt (half a cup), apple cider vinegar (a spoon) and honey (a spoon).

    A combination of this kind allows to disperse, in a satisfactory manner, the excess fat present in the hair.

    According to some experts, two other ingredients that could be useful in such a hair mask are bananas and strawberries.

    Generally, the minimum shutter speed is around 15 minutes; after that, you can wash your hair, preferably with warm water and special shampoos.

  • The DIY mask for greasy hair based on strawberries (about 7 for medium length hair), coconut oil (a spoon) and honey (a spoon).

    The main ingredient of this composition is the strawberry, with its huge quantity of vitamin C, which allows to "clean up" the excess fat from the hair; moreover, the use of strawberries on the hair gives them an unusual shine and seems to regulate their pH.

    As for the application of the mask in question, it is advisable to use the latter on already damp hair, leaving it on for about ten minutes; after that, you can rinse your hair with or without shampoo.

Important note

In the presence of greasy hair, the drying operation with the hair dryer requires particular attention: to prevent this operation from fluidizing the sebum present on the hair, thus negating the effect of the DIY mask, it is necessary to keep the instrument for drying at a distance of at least 30-35 centimeters from the head.

For fragile hair

DIY hair mask with reinforcing / restructuring properties

The active principle of professional hair masks with a strengthening-restructuring action is keratin; keratin is a protein, made up of long amino acid chains and representing the most important constituent of hair, hair and nails.

Although not having the same therapeutic-like action as keratin, some products from the plant world can be used, with more than satisfactory results, in the preparation of do-it-yourself hair masks with a strengthening and restructuring action. The best known examples of these plant products are: jojoba oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil and vegetable oils in general. These newly named are all extremely useful ingredients in the case of damaged, brittle and brittle hair that needs to be nourished in depth.

Products of the vegetable world apart, they stand out for their reinforcing, nourishing and restructuring action, also (and once again) for yoghurt and egg white, especially if combined together.

  • Example of a DIY hair mask with reinforcing and restructuring properties.

    You can prepare a good DIY hair mask with nourishing and restructuring action with:

    • 5 tablespoons of yogurt;
    • 1 egg white;
    • Juice from half a lemon.

Once the above ingredients have been combined, it is necessary to mix them vigorously until a perfectly blended dough is obtained; as soon as the dough is ready, apply it to wet hair and leave it on for 15 minutes, taking care to wrap the hair in a damp towel.

At the end of the minutes of laying the hair mask, it is possible to wash the hair; washing must take place with a specific shampoo.

Why are eggs beneficial to hair?

Eggs contain lots of nutrients - including vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, iron, potassium, etc. - and they are very rich in high quality proteins.

All these precious elements present in the eggs have a beneficial effect on the hair. Here in detail what this beneficial action consists of:

  • Proteins → are nourishment to the hair roots; they also encourage its growth;
  • Fatty acids → give shine to the scalp;
  • Potassium → care for hair when it is dry or damaged;
  • Vitamin A → prevents hair breakage;
  • Vitamin D → fights hair loss and baldness;
  • Calcium → promotes hair growth and promotes the absorption of vitamin D.

fall Protection

DIY hair mask with anti-hair loss properties

In combating hair loss, DIY masks cannot do miracles, but they can be helpful in some way and support more powerful medical / herbal treatments, designed specifically to prevent hair loss.

The preparation of DIY hair masks with anti-hair loss action is based on the use of specific functional ingredients, capable of stimulating the microcirculation of the scalp.

Among the ingredients with this capacity are the rubefacient substances such as chilli ; in chilli, capsaicin is contained, a substance that induces vasodilation ; if applied to the scalp, capsaicin increases the flow of local blood and this causes the hair follicles to have more nutrients and oxygen available, all fundamental elements for the health of the hair.

Chili pepper aside, other substances indicated for the preparation of DIY hair masks with anti-hair loss are rosemary extract, coffee (in some experimental models the caffeine sprinkled on the hair has produced excellent anti-hair loss effects) and fruit extracts (which are rich in vitamins, mineral salts and antioxidant substances).

  • Example of a DIY hair mask with anti-hair loss action.

    One of the most classic DIY hair masks with anti-fall action contains:

    • Nettle (mineralizing property);
    • Lemon juice / strawberry pulp / apple pulp (vitaminizing properties);
    • Pepper essence (vasodilatory properties);
    • Rosemary essence;
    • Yogurt to mix the ingredients.

Before applying the above composition to the hair, it is good that the user texts it on a small area of ​​the forearm, to see if it creates redness or some irritation.

Only in the absence of post-test redness and irritation on the forearm, it is possible to extend the application of the DIY hair mask in question to the scalp as well.