Take charge of your hair's healthy and beauty, and your wallet, by using foods to make homemade hair remedies. Dry hair, oily hair or damaged hair can be treated with concoctions made of natural ingredients found in your pantry or local grocery store. Some ingredients used in homemade hair remedies have proven benefits, such as honey, although most are folk and anecdotal recipes used to provide temporary relief for various hair conditions or as a supplement to commercial hair care products. If you are concerned about the condition of your hair, speak to your doctor or dermatologist.
Dry Hair
Step 1
Peel one avocado with a knife. Remove the pit. Cut the avocado in half.
Step 2
Pour one small jar of mayonnaise, full fat, into a blender. Add half of the avocado. Mix and mash the ingredients until the entire substance is a thick consistency and a light green color.
Step 3
Apply the mixture to your hair. Use gloves if you feel uncomfortable having the mixture touch your skin. Pay extra attention to the ends of your hair, which are usually the driest, since hair's natural oils are produced at the scalp and usually settle on the hair shaft closest to the head, as noted in "Milady's Standard Cosmetology."
Step 4
Pile your hair onto your head and cover with a plastic shower cap. Allow the mixture to sit on your hair for approximately 20 minutes. Enhance the mixture's penetration power by wrapping a warm towel around the shower cap.
Step 5
Rinse your hair using cool water. Scrub gently with your fingers to remove any residual mixture from your scalp.
Oily Hair
Step 1
Combine 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, one egg white and a tsp. of apple cider vinegar.
Step 2
Wet your hair thoroughly. According to "Milady's Standard Cosmetology," this provides a bit of extra protection to your hair, ensuring the harsh acidic ingredients don't absorb into the hair shaft and damage your hair.
Step 3
Apply the mixture of egg white, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to your hair, working it through your locks as you would a shampoo.
Step 4
Heat 1 oz. coconut, vegetable or olive oil. Test the oil's temperature--it should be at or slightly above room temperature.
Step 5
Apply the oil to your hair, working from the ends upward. This restores moisture that may have been lost during the shampoo wash, according to the "Herbal Cosmetic Handbook." Rinse using cool water to seal the oil into your hair.
Damaged Hair
Step 1
Mix one banana and 1/2 of a peeled, pitted avocado. These fruits both contain protein and potassium, and have been used as folk remedies to restore damaged hair to a healthier condition, although there is no evidence to support this.
Step 2
Add 2 tsp. of yogurt and a tbsp. of honey to the fruits. Blend the ingredients to ensure an even texture. Honey and yogurt both provide moisture. Yogurt tones the hair using lactic acid, according to herbalist and raw food expert Brigitte Mars in "Beauty By Nature."
Step 3
Apply the mixture to your hair, concentrating on the ends and the most damaged areas first.
Step 4
Wrap your hair in a warm towel, allowing the mixture to sink into the hair shaft.
Step 5
Rinse the mixture from your hair with a 75:25 solution of cool water and lemon or orange juice. The acids from the juices restore shine by closing the hair's cuticle, as noted in "The Natural Beauty Recipe Book."
Tips and Warnings
- Not all homemade hair remedies made from food have a pleasant smell. If you can't stand the smell of a hair remedy, mix in two to three drops of an essential oil in a scent you can stand. Use caution, though. If you're allergic to the plant, you may be allergic to the essential oil.
Things You'll Need
- Avocado
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Egg white
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coconut, vegetable or olive oil
- Banana
- Honey
- Yogurt
- Lemon or orange juice
- Knife
- Blender
- Plastic shower cap
- Towel
- Gloves (optional)
References
- "Herbal Cosmetics Handbook"; H. Panda; 2000
- "Milady's Standard Cosmetology"; Milady Publishing Company; 2002
- "Beauty by Nature"; Brigitte Mars; 2006
- "Natural Beauty Recipe Book"; Gill Farrer-Halls; 2006
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