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Are you tired of managing your dry and damaged locks? But you really do not need to give up on them yet. There are some simple yet potent ways to treat hair fibers that not only make them healthy but also enliven them. No matter how fried and frizzy your locks are, you can always tackle it successfully by using DIY hair masks that offer deep conditioning. They will nourish your strands from inside, hydrate them, keep them healthy, and restore their lost luster. So, just check out these 6 homemade deep conditioning hair mask recipes and revive your hair in no time.
What are Hair Masks?
Hair masks are basically hair conditioning packs, which have now become a part of our regular haircare routine. But what they actually are? Well, hair masks are certain hair treatments that are designed to nurture hair fibers in a comprehensive way. Unlike traditional hair care products like shampoos and conditioners, these masks offer intensive nourishment while conditioning hair thoroughly. They are quick fixes for almost all hair problems and can give awesome long-term benefits for our locks. These days, readymade hair masks are easily available in the market and all you need to do is choose the perfect one based on your unique hair concern(s).
Hair masks are suitable for all types of hair including dry, oily, frizzy, dull, straight, curly, coarse, and so on. If you have dandruff or thinning hair, you can still use them. It is vital to check the ingredients of hair masks to ensure that they can truly address your specific hair concerns.
Read Also – Overnight Homemade Hair Masks are Pure Love! Pamper Your Locks with These 6 Options
Why Condition Your Hair?
Your hair goes through a lot on a daily basis. When you opt for hair styling tools (blow dryers, straighteners, curling irons, etc.), chemical hair treatments (coloring, perming, straightening, etc.), or commercial chemical-laden hair products, you end up exposing your hair to huge stress. It gets even amplified by environmental factors like harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, extreme weather conditions, air pollution, etc. Constant exposure to these not only damages the internal health of hair shafts but also takes a toll on their appearance. Hence, hair conditioning is considered one of the most crucial steps for a healthy hair regimen, and here comes the importance of good hair masks.
How Do Hair Masks Help?
Being formulated with rich and very potent ingredients (mainly emollients), they act like super effective hair conditioners, providing stressed hair with tons of health benefits in a fast and efficient manner. Hair masks help in healing damaged hair by hydrating and softening it. They have also been found to fight against scalp infections, reduce frizz, make hair more manageable, boost hair growth, and add a natural shine to it. (1)
As hair is a non-living tissue, repairing the damage of hair shafts can never be fully. However, including proper conditioning techniques, i.e. hair masks in your regular hair care routine can improve the health of hair and increase its resilience over time.
Benefits of Deep Conditioning Hair Masks
While conditioning hair is good, deep conditioning it is even better. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, most regular hair conditioners that come packed with proteins are beneficial for dry and damaged hair. Intensive conditioning hair masks are particularly beneficial for treating severely damaged hair (2). Following are the ways how deep conditioning masks can benefit your hair:
- Treats severely damaged hair, thereby transforming parched hair, split hair, broken hair, etc. over time
- Offers deeper hydration by coating wet hair with a higher concentration of conditioning agents
- Ensures the optimum secretion of sebum by controlling the activity of sebaceous glands
- Makes hair easy to detangle and more manageable, which leads to less damage
- The perfect formula to suit each hair type and fix almost all hair woes
- Has a thick and rich texture for the right kind of TLC that your hair deserves
- Allows you to style your hair the way you wish
Read Also – Make Your Own Hydrating Avocado Hair Masks at Home
6 Homemade Deep Conditioning Hair Mask Recipes
There are luxurious salon treatments as well as expensive commercial products to give your hair that much-desired deep conditioning effects. But you should always choose DIY hair masks made of a few all-natural ingredients to help nourish, protect, and moisturize your hair the best possible way. Here are the best recipes for you:
1. Plain Yogurt Mask
Yogurt comes loaded with lactic acid, which is incredibly good for gentle exfoliation of the scalp. In people with an oily scalp, it tightens hair follicles and controls sebum production too. It also eradicates dandruff and itch while helping you get rid of frizz and split ends. Moreover, it adds shine and luster to dull and damaged hair. (3).
Ingredient:
- Plain yogurt – 1 cup
Method:
Just whip up the fresh plain yogurt nicely and apply it along the length of your hair (from the roots to the tips) including the scalp. Keep it for 20 to 30 minutes by covering the head with a shower cap. Then, wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat it twice every week to condition your lifeless strands deeply and make it smooth, strong, and shiny.
2. Banana and Milk Mask
When it comes to conditioning hair intensively with easy home remedies, banana tops the list. Being rich in natural oils, vitamins, carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, and silicon (4) (5), banana locks moisture in hair and smoothes down frizz. If you blend some milk with it, the hair becomes healthy, soft, and shiny. It also keeps dandruff and scalp infections away with its strong antimicrobial properties.
Ingredients:
- Ripe banana – 1 medium-sized
- Raw milk – 1 tablespoon
Method:
Make small pieces of the ripe banana and blend them in a blender. The pulp should be completely chunk-free. Add raw milk to make the mixture thinner and apply it all over the damp hair including the scalp and the roots. Wrap up the hair with a shower cap and wash it off after 30 minutes. You must use this hair mask at least once a week to get impressive outcomes.
3. Honey and Olive Oil Mask
Honey is a natural humectant as well as an emollient that helps retain moisture in the hair while providing it with an extra dose of hydration (6). This turns dry and damaged hair smooth, nourished, and manageable while repairing split ends and giving extra shine. On the other hand, olive oil conditions dry and damaged hair thoroughly without weighing it down. It also aids in preventing breakage, split ends, and fly-aways.
Ingredients:
- Pure organic honey – 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
Method:
Blend raw organic honey with olive oil and create an even concoction. Apply it thoroughly to your damp locks and wrap with a plastic conditioning cap or a warm cotton towel. Rinse it away after 30 minutes by using a gentle shampoo and lukewarm water. However, do not practice it more than once a week or the natural bleaching properties of honey will add highlights to your locks.
4. Coconut Oil and Olive Oil Mask
The awesome healing properties of coconut oil make it a magical ingredient for hair masks. It has lots of fatty acids, which penetrate the hair shafts deeply and replenish them from the inside (7). When combined with the goodness of olive oil, it increases hair volume through deep nourishment, provides long-lasting shine to hair, and boosts hair growth.
Ingredients:
- Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Method:
Mix two types of oil properly and apply the mixture to your dry and thirsty hair focusing on the ends. Make a high bun and wrap it up with a shower or plastic conditioning cap. After half an hour, wash the hair off with plain water. It will moisturize your hair deeply without weighing it down.
5. Honey and Banana Mask
We have already discussed how honey and banana benefits our hair when included in hair masks. So, just combine them in this recipe and enjoy the results.
Ingredients:
- Pure organic honey – 1 tablespoon
- Ripe banana – 1 medium-sized
Method:
Take the banana as riper as possible, cut it into small pieces, and blend them smoothly in a blender. Pour raw honey into it and mix well so that no lump is there. Now, apply it all over your damaged hair. Wrap it up for 20 minutes and then, rinse it out with plain water. It will make hair stronger and nourished without making it limp.
6. Avocado and Egg Yolk Mask
Avocado is known to be one of the best natural hair conditioners because of its high fatty oil content. It nourishes dry, damaged, and lusterless hair to make it smooth and shiny. Conversely, egg yolk is full of proteins, vitamins (A, d, and E), and fatty acids, which help in restoring the moisture, health, and shine of hair fibers easily.
Ingredients:
- Ripe avocado – 1 small
- Egg yolk – 1
Method:
Deseed the avocado and mash it well in a blender. Add the egg yolk to it and combine well to come up with a smooth paste. Apply it up to the ends of your hair starting from the scalp, cover with a shower cap, and wash off with plain water after 15 to 20 minutes. The proteins, fats, and moisture of the ingredients will revitalize your damaged locks.
Also Read – 7 Onion Masks To Treat Dandruff, Dry & Itchy Scalp
Tips for Using Deep Conditioning Hair Masks
Finally, here are some simple tips that will not only help you deep condition your hair the right way but also make your hair masking experience an enjoyable one every time:
- Make sure that you apply a deep conditioning hair mask at least once every week.
- Shampoo or steam your hair before applying the mask to open up the cuticles and facilitate absorption.
- While applying the mask, always focus on the dried and fried ends of your hair.
- Do not ever leave the mask on your hair for more than the recommended period of time.
- Never use hair masks overnight as leave-in treatments.
Summary:
Your hair goes through a lot on a daily basis. Hair conditioning is considered one of the most crucial steps for a healthy hair regimen, and here comes the importance of good hair masks. Hair masks are basically hair conditioning treatments that offer quick fixes for almost all hair woes and provide long-term hair benefits. These are designed to nurture hair by delivering intensive nourishment and conditioning it thoroughly. Being formulated with rich and potent ingredients, these masks act like super effective hair conditioners. They help in healing damaged hair by hydrating and softening it. They also fight against scalp infections, reduce frizz, make hair more manageable, boost hair growth, and add a natural shine to it. Hair masks are suitable for all types of hair and you need to check their ingredients before buying to address your specific hair concern(s). While readymade hair masks are easily available in the market, it is always good to opt for DIY homemade deep conditioning hair masks with all-natural ingredients. For this, plain yogurt, banana and milk, honey and olive oil, coconut oil and olive oil, honey and banana, avocado and egg yolk, etc. are known to be the best options. Make sure that you apply deep conditioning hair masks at least once every week to get the best results out of them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Goes First – Hair Mask or Conditioner?
Always start with shampooing your hair, follow it by the hair mask, and finish it with your go-to conditioner. This will allow your hair to absorb the maximum hydration and nourishment from the mask.
Can You Leave a Hair Mask on Too Long?
No. Leaving a mask on the hair for too long will deliver too much moisture to the hair fibers and weaken their roots, leading to more hair fall over time.
Do You Shampoo After a Hair Mask?
Doing shampoo after a hair mask will wash off all the nutrients from the hair. Hence, your effort will produce no results.
Can I Deep Condition Overnight?
Never ever deep condition your hair overnight as it might damage your hair even more and cause you tremendous hair loss.
What Happens If You Don’t Rinse Out Conditioner?
If you do not rinse out your conditioner, the pores on your scalp as well as hair roots will get clogged. As a result, you will end up experiencing more build-ups, breakage, split ends, and so on.
References:
- “Which Hair Conditioning Packs Are Best for Your Hair?“, Healthline.com
- “Safe Hair Care Spares Hair, Johns Hopkins Dermatologists Report“, HopkinsMedicine.org
- “The Magic of Yogurt For Cooking and Beauty – by John Davidson“, books.Google.co.in
- “Banana“, NHB.gov.in
- “The Comparative Absorption of Silicon from Different Foods and Food Supplements“, NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
- “Honey in Dermatology and Skin Care: A Review“, PubMed.NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
- “Hair Cosmetics: An Overview“, NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
