I can’t decide which season is most disastrous for my hair: winter (when heaters hydration and wind roughs up all my strands) or summer (salt water and super strong sun rays). Either way, the last few inches of my hair have gotten really rough- to the point where those inches air-dry fully about an hour before the rest of my hair.
Even though I have several conditioners I really love, I’ve had such success creating my own DIY body scrubs and face masks that I thought I needed to try a hair conditioning treatment next. I spent a few hours learning about ingredients and testing out different mask techniques and settled upon something just great: a homemade hydrating hair treatment blending just two simple ingredients!
Next time you need a deep-conditioning treatment, just grab:
– a small to medium ripe banana
– 1 tablespoon coconut oil
(This post isn’t going to be heavy on photos because, well, there’s no other way to say this: mashed banana just really isn’t all that pretty. But is IS effective!)
To make the mask, simply add half the banana and the coconut oil to a blender. Combine ingredients well (the heat will melt the coconut oil and incorporate it into the banana). If it doesn’t look like it will be enough to coat the bottom half of your hair, add a bit more banana until you have your desired amount. I wouldn’t add much more coconut oil though- all oils can be tough to wash out of your hair!
Dampen your hair slightly with water using a spray bottle (or start with wet hair) and apply the mixture to the bottom portion of your hair (from about your ears down). Stay away from your roots! Wrap up your hair if it’s long enough, then cover with a damp t-shirt or a shower cap and let penetrate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rinse, wash and condition as normal.
Important tips:
Definitely use a blender. On my first trial run with the mask I simply mashed the banana with a fork. HUGE MISTAKE, unless you like detangling clumps of banana from your hair and chasing them before too much can sneak down the drain.
Start with wet hair! Starting with dry hair will cause the banana mixture to harden in your hair, making it more difficult (but not impossible) to rinse out later.
The mask had an immediate effect on the dryness I was experiencing and didn’t make my hair slick or oily. I couldn’t believe I could get so much simple hydration out of so few items!
