DIY HAIR TREATMENTS (Part 1 of 5): Dry, Damaged or Frizzy Hair

Nobody wants their hair to feel dry or brittle.

The internet (especially Pinterest) has TONS of do-it-yourself home remedies. But do those things actually help the hair? Or are we just wasting our time and our money on them?

In this series, I’ll weigh in on some of the popular ingredients used in DIY hair treatments and let you decide which ones are worth trying at home.

1. Avocado, Coconut or Olive Oils

Oils are popular in beauty. Every beauty brand has an oil-based product. So of course, the home remedy equivalent in many hair recipes is an oil that you normally use in your kitchen.

Common kitchen oils are not going to penetrate into the hair to actually repair or moisturize anything, but that doesn’t mean they won’t help you. Oils sit on the surface of the hair and can make it feel good to the touch. When you shampoo, they’ll wash off. But if you like the slip and softness an oily coat gives to your hair, you can get that for a day or two by using an oil treatment.

I would caution you to be careful with coconut oil. Although a very popular home treatment right now, it can build up on the hair, attract dirt, and be hard to remove; more difficult than other oils in my experience. I do lots of clarifying treatments for clients who thought slathering coconut oil on their hair would be a good idea. What it mostly does is interfere with their color service. So don’t be heavy handed with oils just because they are “natural.”

2. Egg Yolks

Eggs are often used as a hair treatment to add protein and strength to the strands. As far as I’ve read, there is no actual evidence that putting eggs on your hair will help with anything. But since it’s generally not going to hurt your hair, go ahead and crack some eggs in the shower if you feel inclined. I do not recommend rinsing them out with hot water, though. That can quickly become a big, scrambled mess.

3. Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is basically eggs and oil (see above). It coats the hair. If you don’t mind how that feels or how that smells, it’s not going to hurt your hair.

4. Lemon & Honey

Honey. I don’t see how this would moisturize the hair and it seems tricky getting honey out of the hair, so I personally would never use this. If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes.

Lemon. Lemon is an astringent. So yes, it can clean the hair. And it probably smells fresher than some of the other ingredients above. If you want to use lemon to clean your hair, go for it. One thing I don’t recommend is using lemon and sun to try to lighten your hair. That could be a disaster. But as a natural cleanser, lemon is fine.

5. Bananas

I like the smell of bananas, but I don’t think spreading them on your hair will do anything. If you want to increase your potassium intake to help your hair, you’re better off eating bananas. Lots of them. It takes quite a few to get the recommended daily dose.

Just remember, all of these ingredients might make your hair feel good for a moment, but once you shampoo, those effects will be washed down the drain; they won’t give you any long-term benefits. You would have more long-term results for your hair by ingesting most of these items rather than using them topically. But will they harm your hair? Generally, no. So if you want to try a hair mask and one of those DIY recipes speaks to you, go for it.