You’ve Got Food In Your Hair: Hair Masks

Did you know that approximately 80% of whatever you put on your body, that means skin, hair and even the sprays you use such as perfume and hair spray get absorbed into your bloodstream and taken around to all the cells of your body? That means that if you are using commercial, chemical-laden products, this is what is taken around your body to each and every cell.

Each of our hairs is covered by a protective cuticle made of layers of overlapping scales. When these scales sit smoothly over each other, unbroken and overlapping in the same direction, you have smooth, shiny, tangle-free hair. If, however, the cuticles are not snugly packed together, light cannot shine off them and give you that magical glow.

Quite a few people have been asking me what to do about their dry hair lately. The harsh winter elements combined with indoor heating can lead to bad hair days – frizz, fly-away, dull, dry hair. The more synthetic products you use on it, the worse this will become over time. Here are some 100% natural alternatives to make sure you help nourish your hair with what it needs. Our hair is our crowning glory, our beautiful mane. Banish bad hair days with products from Mama Naturelle herself!

Although hair masks can be applied to dry hair, more benefit will be gained from applying them to damp hair as warm water opens the hair cuticles, allowing oils and other moisturising ingredients to penetrate more effectively. Rinsing your hair with cool/cold water following a hair mask (before washing as usual) will help to seal in the moisture from the mask.

Here are 5 hair masks that you can do at home with everyday ingredients from your kitchen cupboard

Eggy Head: Egg is brilliant for moisturising and strengthening the hair (no need for chemical ‘protein rich’ shampoos). It also makes your crowning glory hair lovely and shiny. Whip up 1-2 eggs according to your hair volume. Apply to dry hair. Leave on for 15 minutes then rinse out. A word of caution: the first time I tried this I was around 14. I rinsed my hair in the shower as normal. Have you guessed what happened already? I cooked the egg. In my hair. At the time it was one of the worst days of my life, much to everyone else’s amusement. I spent hours and quite a few washes picking and washing it out. Don’t be put off trying this nutrient rich hair mask. Just use cold/cool water. Only.

Oil’love Your Silky Hair: Massage your full head of dry or damp hair with olive oil. Leave in for 15 minutes to over night (wrap your hair in a warm towel or plastic and make sure you use a pillow case that isn’t your favourite). Rinse out and wash your hair as usual. You most likely won’t need to condition after these hair masks. Give it a go. You can make this a divine hot oil treatment by heating the olive oil in a bain-marie (fill a bowl with boiling water. place the olive oil in another bowl, inside the first bowl. this will heat the oil gently).

Coconut Conditioning: Coconut oil has long been used to wash, condition and treat hair in many parts of Asia and its use is still popular today. Coconut oil nourishes and strengthens your hair whilst helping it to grow faster (woop woop!), helps to prevent graying, dandruff and hair loss (it’s also great for cradle cap). Massage coconut oil into your scalp and the lengths of your hair. Leave on for as long as possible or overnight. Rinse out and wash hair as usual.

Avocado Condition: For smooth, shiny, soft hair – 1 avocado, 1 T lemon juice, 1 T honey, 1 egg yolk (optional) In a bowl, mash all the ingredients into a guacamole type paste with a fork (you could always make a little extra to dip raw vegetable sticks into to munch on whilst you wait for the mask to do its magic). Apply and wrap in a warm towel or plastic. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with COOL / COLD water (if you use egg). Wash hair as usual. You can also do this one with just avocado and honey, just use more honey.

Banana Boost:For a deep conditioning treatment – 1 banana, 1 egg or 3 T mayonnaise, 2-3 T honey (according to hair length), 5-7 T olive oil (according to hair length) Mash the banana, blend in the rest of the ingredients. Apply. Leave on for up to 30 mins. Wash your hair as usual.

Tune in next week for 5 hair rinses to give your hair colour and shine an extra little va-va-voom!