Nothing spells “bad hair days” more than dry and damaged hair. The good news is unless your parched crowning glory is beyond repair due to over-perming or using too many chemical-laden products, you can still restore it to its naturally soft and shiny state. Here are several natural remedies to turn your dry hair into bouncy, beautiful tresses.
Oiling Your Hair
Oils have been used for centuries to help protect, nourish, and improve the appearance of our hair. Oiling hair is also known to reduce dry hair as it protects the follicle by sealing the gap between cuticle cells. In Ayurvedic medicine, oils are often used to treat hair loss and heal scalp issues. Let’s look at some of the best oils to use for dry hair.
1. Coconut oil and other natural oils
A natural emollient, coconut oil helps fill the gaps in the strands of dry hair caused by heat or the sun. A 2005 study showed that coconut could effectively penetrate hair fibres to help with rehydrating and moisturising dry and damaged hair. Coconut oil aside, olive oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil are equally effective for parched locks.
- Place a few drops of coconut oil (or other alternative oils of your choice) on your palm and rub them together. Add more oil if required.
- Apply the oil to your hair in this order: the ends, the crown of your head and finally, the root of your hair. As dry ends are more prominent, working your way up ensures the oil is distributed optimally and prevents too much oil from getting to your roots. If you tend to have an oily scalp, you can just focus on applying the oil on the ends and skip the crown and root.
- Saturate your hair in coconut oil – just enough that it covers the dry parts.
- Leave the oil for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Rinse off the oil thoroughly with water or use a mild shampoo.
2. Essential oils
Essential oils can help tame dry, frizzy hair – with an added bonus: they smell great! However, they are very potent, so never use them neat or undiluted. Always pair essential oils with a carrier oil like olive oil, avocado, or jojoba. Here are some essential oils that are beneficial for dry hair:
- Peppermint is a refreshing essential oil with a distinct hot and cold feeling. It can be used for both dry and greasy hair because it helps balance oils on the scalp.
- Lavender balances oil in the scalp and can be used for all hair types: oily, dry, or flaky. For dry locks, it helps with conditioning the hair, leaving it soft and shiny.
- Ylang ylang is a floral and fruity essential oil known for improving growth, conditioning hair, and
balancing scalp oils. - Sandalwood seals in moisture in dry, damaged hair.
- Geranium oil balances the scalp’s oil production as well as naturally conditioning it.
- Studies show that rosemary can help relieve scalp itching and dryness while restoring moisture balance in the scalp and controlling frizzes in hair strands.
Caution
Not all essential oils are safe for pregnant ladies or nursing moms. Always consult your doctor before using any of these oils.
Follow these easy steps to use an essential oil mix for dry hair:
- Mix 5-7 drops of your selected essential oil with 1 tbsp of carrier oil. You can use a combination of oils or just one. However, don’t overdo it. It’s best to stick to 1 to 2 oils.
- Massage the mixture into the scalp for 2 to 3 minutes using your fingertips. Using circular strokes, work the oils into your hair, focusing on the ends. Apply gentle yet sufficient pressure to the different parts of the scalp.
- Leave it between 30 minutes to an hour.
- Wash it off with a mild shampoo.
Hair Masks Made from Everyday Food
Many types of healthy food can help give our hair a moisturising boost. For example, eggs and mayonnaise aren’t just reserved for salads and sandwiches –they can help restore moisture to dry or brittle hair; hence they make pretty effective hair masks! As these two types of food contain a high amount of protein, it aids in fortifying and strengthening the hair as well.
Other foods like avocado, bananas, and yoghurt make excellent hair masks, too, thanks to their nutritionally-rich content. Of course, it works even better when you incorporate these foods into your daily diet, so it will help nourish your health and hair inside out.
3. Eggs
You would need raw eggs for this mask, so it can get really sticky and slimy. Use gloves and ensure to clean up all your tools and surfaces properly after using this recipe to prevent cross-contamination.
- Mix three eggs with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix them thoroughly.
- Apply the mixture to the whole head – ends, crown and scalp.
- Use a biodegradable plastic or shower cap to cover your head. Leave for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Rinse hair with water and shampoo.
4. Mayonnaise
Cold mayonnaise is the best to give you a combination of smooth texture and cool sensation on your hair. The creamy consistency also spreads nicely across the hair.
- Use warm water to wet your hair thoroughly. Squeeze off excess water, so your hair is not dripping wet.
- Apply a thick layer of mayonnaise straight out from the jar to your hair and scalp.
- Use a biodegradable plastic or shower cap to cover your head. Leave for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Rinse hair with water and shampoo.
5. Avocado
Power-packed with vitamins A and E as well as saturated fats and minerals, avocado is easy to use and effective as a remedy for damaged and dry hair.
- Use a ripe, medium-sized avocado. Peel off the skin and mash it well into a paste. You can also add egg white to it if you want a thicker texture.
- Apply the paste to your wet hair
- Leave for 20 minutes. You can cover your head with a towel or shower cap.
- Rinse it off with water and shampoo. You might need to do this a few times to get all the paste off your hair.
6. Yoghurt
Fermented milk products are a popular traditional Middle Eastern hair growth treatment. Yoghurt, in particular, is a great ingredient to restore dry hair as it is believed the lactic acid in yoghurt can clean the scalp, clear away dead skin cells and helps with hair follicle growth. In addition, yoghurt hair masks can also rejuvenate damaged hair caused by UV rays, air pollution, styling tools, and hair products.
- Mix yoghurt and honey thoroughly.
- Apply to dry hair and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Honey can be sticky, so rinse off the hair mask with warm water. You can also use a mild shampoo to clean your hair.
7. Bananas
You may be surprised to learn that while bananas don’t contain much juice, it has high moisture content and are high in potassium too. It’s a convenient ingredient to soften dry hair, improve elasticity and prevent split ends.
- Use a just-ripe banana. Overripe ones are not recommended as they can get really messy.
- Peel the ban and mash the banana until it becomes a soft paste.
- Apply to your hair from the roots to the ends.
- Leave for up to an hour and rinse it off.
Reminder
Before trying any of the ingredients or oils recommended in these hair recipes, it’s important to do a skin patch test to ensure you are not allergic to any of them. Rub a tiny amount on your forearm and wait 30 minutes. Make sure you don’t experience any redness, stinging or itchiness (common allergic reaction symptoms).
8. Good Haircare Habits
Good haircare is key to preventing dry and damaged hair in the first place. Daily care will also ensure you can get your frizzes under control and minimise bad hair days. Here are a few steps to incorporate into your daily haircare routine:
- Wash your hair using mild shampoos. Restrict shampooing to your scalp, where oil tends to build up.
- As shampoos can remove your hair’s natural oils and moisture, limit washing your hair every other day.
- Conditioning dry hair is more important than over-washing it to prevent it from drying out.
- Detangle your hair when you apply conditioner. This will help prevent hair from breaking easily.
- Use natural hair masks like the ones suggested above once a week.
- For very frizzy hair, oil your hair an hour before you wash your hair with shampoo.
- Rinse your hair with cool or lukewarm water. Avoid using hot water as it can strip natural oils from your scalp.
- Stop using hair styling products that put too much heat on your hair or have chemicals that dry your hair out.
- Trim your hair regularly to keep your hair in good shape. A good trim also ensures neater, softer hair free from split ends.
- When you step outdoors, use an umbrella or wear a hat. This is to protect your hair from strong UV rays, which can be very damaging to your hair and skin.
