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10 Easy Homemade Hair Masks for Damaged Hair

Hair is a significant part of our body, and we all want it to look healthy, shiny, and voluminous. However, with the frequent use of styling tools, exposure to pollution, and regular coloring, hair damage has become a common issue. To mitigate the harmful effects of these factors, hair masks are a popular solution. 

Commercial hair masks can provide hydration to your hair, they often contain harsh ingredients that can actually end up causing more damage. Homemade hair masks, on the other hand, are easy on the wallet and work wonders in fortifying your hair without any harmful side effects. Read on as we share with you all the steps involved in making effective DIY hair masks!  

Benefits of natural hair masks

Natural hair masks offer a multitude of benefits for hair health and appearance. They are typically free of harsh chemicals and artificial additives, making them gentle on the hair and scalp. These masks provide deep hydration, repair damaged strands, and nourish the hair with essential vitamins and minerals. They can strengthen hair, reduce breakage, and improve overall hair texture, leaving it soft, smooth, and manageable. Additionally, many natural ingredients in these masks, such as aloe vera, coconut oil, and honey, have soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate scalp issues and promote a healthy environment for hair growth. 

By using natural hair masks regularly, you can achieve luscious, revitalized locks while avoiding the potential negative effects of chemical-laden products.

10 DIY Hair Masks for Damaged Hair

Avocado and Honey Hair Mask:

  • Ingredients: Ripe avocado is rich in healthy fats and vitamins. Honey is a natural humectant.
  • Process: Mash one ripe avocado and mix it with 1 tablespoon of honey until you have a smooth paste. Apply to damp hair, concentrating on damaged areas.
  • How it works: Avocado moisturizes and strengthens hair, while honey adds moisture and shine. Together, they repair and protect damaged strands.

Banana and Yogurt Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Bananas contain potassium and vitamins. Yogurt provides protein and lactic acid.
  • Process: Mash one ripe banana and mix it with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt until creamy. Apply to damp hair, ensuring even coverage.
  • How it works: Bananas fortify hair, reducing breakage, while yogurt conditions and adds shine, leaving your hair soft and manageable.

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Coconut oil is packed with fatty acids.
  • Process: Warm 1/4 cup of coconut oil until it’s liquid. Apply it from roots to tips on damp hair.
  • How it works: Coconut oil deeply moisturizes and repairs damaged hair, leaving it soft, silky, and less prone to breakage.

Olive Oil and Egg Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Eggs contain protein and biotin.
  • Process: Mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil with one beaten egg. Apply to damp hair.
  • How it works: Olive oil strengthens hair and minimizes damage, while eggs provide protein for healthier, more resilient locks.

Aloe Vera Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Aloe vera gel is a natural conditioner.
  • Process: Extract the gel from a fresh aloe vera leaf and apply it to damp hair.
  • How it works: Aloe vera hydrates, reduces scalp irritation, and strengthens hair from the roots, resulting in smoother, shinier hair.

Mayonnaise Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Mayonnaise contains oils and egg yolks that hydrate hair.
  • Process: Apply 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to your hair, ensuring even coverage.
  • How it works: Mayonnaise’s fatty acids and proteins repair and nourish hair, leaving it soft and less prone to damage.

Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Honey is a natural humectant, while apple cider vinegar balances pH levels.
  • Process: Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Apply to damp hair.
  • How it works: Honey adds moisture and shine, while apple cider vinegar clarifies and conditions, resulting in smoother, shinier hair.

Green Tea Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Green tea is rich in antioxidants.
  • Process: Brew a cup of green tea and let it cool. Apply the cooled tea to your hair.
  • How it works: Green tea’s antioxidants strengthen hair and promote healthy growth, reducing breakage and damage.

Oatmeal Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Oatmeal soothes the scalp.
  • Process: Grind 1/2 cup of oatmeal into a fine powder. Mix with enough water to form a paste. Apply to damp hair.
  • How it works: Oatmeal’s soothing properties calm an irritated scalp, and it gently exfoliates to remove buildup.

Yogurt Hair Mask

  • Ingredients: Yogurt contains protein and lactic acid.
  • Process: Apply 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to your hair, ensuring even coverage.
  • How it works: Yogurt strengthens and hydrates hair, leaving it soft and manageable.

Tips for using DIY hair masks

  • Choose the right ingredients for your hair type. If you have dry hair, you may want to use ingredients like avocado, banana, and coconut oil. If you have oily hair, you may want to use ingredients like aloe vera and lemon juice. If you have damaged hair, you may want to use ingredients like honey and egg.
  • Prepare your hair before applying the mask. Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo and towel-dry it until it is damp but not dripping wet. Detangle your hair with a wide-tooth comb or brush to prevent the mask from getting tangled in your hair.
  • Apply the mask evenly to your hair from root to tip. Pay special attention to the ends of your hair, as they are often the driest and most damaged.
  • Cover your hair with a shower cap or plastic wrap. This will help the mask to retain heat and penetrate your hair more deeply.
  • Leave the mask on for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. The longer you leave the mask on, the more time it has to work its magic.
  • Rinse the mask out thoroughly with water. You may need to use a shampoo to remove all of the mask from your hair.
  • Condition your hair as usual. This will help to seal in the benefits of the hair mask and leave your hair feeling soft, smooth, and shiny.

Final Takeaway

Using a hair mask for damaged hair is an excellent way to restore your hair’s health and shine. By following the tips and advice mentioned in this article, you can choose the right hair mask for your hair type and concerns and use it effectively to achieve maximum benefits. Remember to be consistent in your usage and check the ingredients to ensure that it caters to your hair’s needs. With regular use, a hair mask can help you achieve healthy, shiny, and voluminous hair.

So, if you’re struggling with damaged hair, don’t fret! Invest in a high-quality hair mask, and see the difference for yourself. Say goodbye to dull, lifeless hair and hello to beautiful, healthy hair.

DIY LAVENDER SALVE: A SOOTHING BALM FOR SKIN AND MIND

Lavender salve is a versatile and effective topical remedy that can be easily made at home. It offers a range of benefits, including: Skin healing: Soothes irritation, moisturizes dry skin, and can help heal acne, scrapes, and eczema; Stress relief: The calming aroma of lavender is scientifically proven to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.

Making lavender salve is surprisingly simple. If you’ve followed along with our previous tutorials on calendula or cannabis salve, you’ll find many familiar steps. However, lavender offers its own unique set of benefits. Let’s get started on creating your own soothing lavender salve!

What is Lavender Salve?

Not familiar with salve? Simply put, a salve is a healing solution applied to the skin, which can take the form of creams, ointments, or balms. Typically, salves are thick, shelf-stable, and contain nourishing oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, or sweet almond oil.

In addition to a base oil (or a blend of them), salves usually incorporate natural waxes or butters to help bind the ingredients and give them a semi-solid consistency at room temperature. Beeswax is a popular binding agent due to its availability, ease of use (especially in pastille form), and ability to create smooth, cohesive results.

If you prefer a vegan alternative to beeswax, check the ingredient list below for recommended substitutions. When you incorporate lavender-infused oil (or lavender essential oil) into a salve recipe, you create a delightful lavender salve, enriched with the medicinal benefits of lavender.

Lavender-infused oil vs. lavender essential oils

When you glance at the concise ingredient list below, you’ll notice our preference for a blend of homemade lavender-infused oil and a dash of lavender essential oil in our lavender salve recipe.

But what’s the difference? Lavender-infused oil is made by steeping dried lavender flowers in a carrier oil of your choice for a period of time. This process allows the natural essential oils from the lavender to be drawn out and infused into the carrier oil, which is then strained. In contrast, lavender essential oils, often found in small bottles, are produced through a distillation extraction process, which is typically done on a large industrial scale. While some hobbyists use small distillation stills at home, it’s not the most common method for making essential oils.

We love using lavender-infused oil because it utilizes our homegrown lavender and adds a personal touch along with an extra boost of natural lavender scent to the salve. However, if you prefer, you can also create lavender salve using plain oil and essential oils. If you’d like to make lavender-infused oil for this salve recipe, check out our instructions for preparing homemade lavender oil, and then return to the recipe once it’s ready!

The Health Benefits of Lavender

  • The soothing yet cheerful aroma of lavender is both calming and uplifting, making it a favorite for promoting relaxation. Scientific studies have shown that lavender can effectively reduce anxiety, stress, depression, and insomnia, helping individuals find peace in their daily lives.
  • Beyond its calming effects, lavender boasts powerful anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties, making it a versatile ingredient in natural remedies. It is well-known for deterring pest insects such as mosquitoes and flies, which is why many natural insect repellents include lavender in their formulations.
  • Additionally, lavender has remarkable healing capabilities. It can relieve pain and itching while promoting new cell growth, aiding in the repair of damaged skin tissue and healing wounds. In her book Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, Rosemary Gladstar highlights lavender’s effectiveness in treating a variety of infections, including staph, strep, colds, flus, ringworm, and yeast infections. She also notes its ability to ease headaches and migraines, further showcasing its extensive benefits.
  • With its multitude of uses, lavender is not just a delightful fragrance; it’s a powerful ally in both physical and emotional well-being.

What can lavender salve be used for?

While lavender is often utilized in culinary and medicinal applications, its true gift lies in its ability to soothe our skin and nerves. You may have noticed that lavender features prominently in many natural skincare products, and it’s not just for its delightful fragrance! When applied topically, lavender can alleviate, heal, or treat a wide range of skin issues. Enter homemade lavender salve!

This versatile salve can be applied to irritated skin to reduce swelling, redness, and discomfort. It effectively addresses conditions such as rashes, bug bites, burns (including sunburn), acne, scrapes, eczema, stings, scars, and psoriasis. I find it particularly soothing after shaving, helping to prevent or treat razor burn, and it also calms the small rashes I sometimes get from brushing against certain plants in the garden.

Beyond treating ailments, homemade lavender salve is an excellent remedy for everyday issues like chapped lips, rough elbows and feet, or dry hands, providing essential moisture. After a long day of gardening, I love applying it to my dry, cracked cuticles!

If you’re looking for a natural way to unwind, simply dab some lavender salve on your temples, neck, wrists, and under your nose, then take a few deep breaths. The calming aromatherapy properties of lavender can help you relax, enhance your meditation or yoga practice, or prepare for a restful night’s sleep. I keep a tin on my bedside nightstand and often reach for it in the middle of the night when my mind is racing.

Lavender oil is generally safe for children and babies, making homemade lavender salve ideal for addressing issues like diaper rash or cradle cap. In fact, one study even found that lavender oil may help alleviate colic! Just remember never to use undiluted essential oils directly on the skin, and always double-check the safety of your other salve ingredients for use with infants.

Finally, lavender salve can also assist in shrinking skin ulcers, softening the appearance of scars, and reducing the swelling and discomfort associated with varicose veins.

If you’re skeptical, take a look at these testimonials from our satisfied customers who have experienced remarkable results with our Homestead and Chill organic lavender salve. People have found relief from various skin issues, including cystic acne and persistent large rashes that resisted other treatments. I am genuinely delighted and humbled by this positive feedback. It reinforces my commitment to helping individuals lead their most naturally healthy lives—this is the very reason I started this journey!

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the process of making your very own lavender salve! Here’s a simple guide to creating a soothing, effective salve at home.

HOMEMADE LAVENDER SALVE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS FOR LAVENDER SALVE

Lavender-Infused Oil: 1 cup (8 ounces)

  • OR 1 cup of your preferred carrier oil (like jojoba, olive, sweet almond, sunflower, or coconut oil) with additional lavender essential oils. To help you choose, check out our article on lavender oils, which details the unique benefits of various carrier oils.

Beeswax Pastilles: 3 to 4 tablespoons (approximately 1 ounce if using shaved, block, or other forms of beeswax)

  • Note: If you decide to add shea butter, you can use only 3 level tablespoons of beeswax. If you skip the shea butter, use 4 tablespoons of beeswax.
  • Vegan Alternatives: Consider soy wax or candelilla wax.

Lavender Essential Oils (EOs):

  • When using lavender-infused oil as your base, add about 20-25 drops of organic lavender essential oil per cup of oil for a delightful scent that isn’t overpowering.
  • If you’re using only essential oils, you can add up to 12 drops of lavender EOs per fluid ounce of carrier oil (up to 96 drops per cup). This is the maximum recommended amount based on a safe dilution ratio of 2%. It’s best to start with half that amount and adjust according to your scent preference.

Optional Ingredients:

  • Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter: 2 tablespoons
    • This adds rich moisture and essential nutrients to your salve.
  • Other Essential Oils: Add a few drops of complementary essential oils, such as chamomile, rose, pink grapefruit, lemon, rosemary, sweet orange, ylang ylang, bergamot, geranium, or sandalwood. Experiment with different blends to create a custom scent, each with its unique benefits.

    These ingredients come together to create a soothing and healing lavender salve perfect for various skin needs!

    Other Supplies Needed

    Double Boiler:

    • You can use a traditional double boiler or create a makeshift version. For example, place a smaller pot or a glass Pyrex or stainless steel bowl on top of a saucepan filled with water.
    • Using a double boiler is crucial to prevent overheating the volatile lavender essential oils, which can diminish their healing properties.

    Storage Containers:

    • Small glass jars or salve tins are needed for storing your finished product.
    • Common choices include 2-ounce amber glass jars for personal use or gifts, and larger 4-ounce jars. For easy shipping, consider using 2-ounce salve tins.

      Recipe Yield

      • The quantities provided will yield just over 1 cup of finished salve (approximately 10 ounces, or five 2-ounce tins).
      • Feel free to scale the recipe up or down as needed. A general guideline for salve is to use about 1 part beeswax/butter to approximately 4-7 parts oil. A higher beeswax-to-oil ratio results in a firmer salve, while using less beeswax creates a softer consistency.

      Note on Quality Ingredients

      • When making salve, herbal oils, or other homemade body care products, it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients. Opting for certified organic options is even better.
      • Aim to create a healing medicinal product. For instance, use virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed oils whenever possible. Avoid lesser-quality oils that are extracted with solvents, which can introduce contaminants like hexane—known to be a neurological toxin.
      • Be cautious with non-organic essential oils; as the natural oils in the plant become concentrated in essential oils, so do any pesticides or contaminants present on the plant.

      Using high-quality, organic ingredients ensures that your lavender salve is not only effective but also safe for your skin. Enjoy the process of creating a natural remedy that promotes healing and well-being!

      INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING LAVENDER SALVE

      Prepare Storage Containers:

      • Have your salve tins, glass jars, or any storage containers ready for the lavender salve.

      Set Up Double Boiler:

      • In the top portion of a double boiler (or a makeshift double boiler), combine 1 cup of lavender-infused oil (or your chosen carrier oil) and 3 to 4 level tablespoons of beeswax (refer to the sliding scale notes above).
      • If you’re using it, also add 2 tablespoons of shea butter at this point.

      Add Water:

      • Fill the bottom portion of the double boiler with enough water so that the top bowl or pot is resting in the water. This helps create a gentle heat for melting.

      Heat the Mixture:

      • Place the double boiler on the stovetop and heat it over medium-low heat. It’s important to avoid overheating the lavender oil more than necessary to melt the beeswax.

      Melt and Combine:

      • Monitor the mixture closely and stir it routinely until the beeswax (and shea butter, if added) is completely melted. Once fully melted, stir to combine thoroughly.

      Remove from Heat:

      • Immediately take the mixture off the heat once everything is melted and well combined.

      Add Essential Oils:

      • After removing the salve from heat, add the lavender essential oils. Essential oils are volatile and dissipate quickly when exposed to high temperatures, so it’s important to add them at this stage. Whisk the mixture to ensure even distribution.

      Pour into Containers:

      • While the mixture is still hot, carefully pour the liquid lavender salve into your prepared containers. If it starts to solidify while you’re filling the containers, place it back on medium-low heat until it liquifies again.

      Cool and Harden:

      • Set the filled lavender salve containers aside with the lids off, allowing them to fully cool and harden.

      Enjoy Your Salve:

        • Once cooled and set, enjoy your homemade lavender salve for healthy, moisturized skin! Use clean fingers or a salve spoon to collect a small amount and apply as needed. Remember, a little goes a long way!

        Feel free to customize your salve with different essential oils or carrier oils to suit your personal preferences. Happy crafting!

        CONCLUSION

        I hope you’re feeling inspired and ready to create your own healing homemade lavender salve! It’s a personal favorite of ours and makes for a thoughtful gift for loved ones, whether for a special occasion or just because. For storage, keep your salve containers in a cool, dark place. I like to keep one accessible for daily use while storing the others in a cabinet. Homemade lavender salve can last for several years, although its medicinal potency may gradually diminish over time. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below! And once you’ve made your own, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share this post with others. Thank you for reading!