How to strengthen hair with a DIY hair mask

 

With exposure to things like the weather, less than great water, hair care products, and heat tools, your hair can take a beating.  I use plenty of homemade hair care products to keep my locks healthy, like this herbal hair rinse.  But this strengthening DIY hair mask is a great addition to any natural hair care regimen.

Why Use a DIY Hair Mask?

 Shampoo and conditioner may not be enough to counteract everything we put our hair through.  Even those who regularly consume nutrient-dense foods like collagen and bone broth might notice their hair needs some extra love.  A natural shampoo and conditioner keeps hair clean and moisturized, but a protein-rich hair mask adds strength and shine.

 While you can buy a hair mask, the kitchen is full of ingredients with properties that nourish and strengthen hair.  Why not just mix a little up when needed?  Bonus: You'll know exactly what's in your (100% natural) DIY hair mask!

 How a Hair Mask Works

 Before I delve into what's in this hair mask to strengthen hair, it helps to know why I'm recommending these ingredients.  The hair follicle and root are composed primarily of collagen.  This is why consuming collagen-rich foods and a high quality collagen powder helps so much with hair growth and health.  The hair itself is 91% protein, so coating it in protein gives it what it needs to rebuild.

Hair mask ingredients

 Here's what's in my hair mask and why I use each ingredient.  Use this hair mask right after you wash your hair with all-natural products (like my Wellness shampoo and conditioner!) as usual.

 Raw Free Range Egg

 The iconic egg shampoo was popular for a reason.  While the proteins found in an egg are too large to effectively bind with hair, they're chock full of other vitamins and minerals that nourish hair and scalp.  Eggs from less than healthy animals won't have as good of a nutritional profile, so free-range eggs are best.

Raw eggs contain:

•  Vitamins A, B-complex, D and E

•  Folate

•  Pantothenic acid

•  Calcium

•  Iron

•  Phosphorous

•  selenium

•  Zinc

•  Potassium

•  Cholesterol, healthy fats and omega-3s

 Gelatin

 This ingredient is really the star of the show here.  I love using gelatin for so many things, from homemade healthy marshmallows to vitamin-rich fruit snacks.  However, it's also fabulous for hair.  The proteins in gelatin bind to hair to repair damage and really help this hair mask to strengthen hair.  Twelve of the top thirteen amino acids that comprise our hair shafts are also found in gelatin.

raw honey

 Raw honey is another ingredient that goes into much of our food, DIY beauty tutorials, and natural health recipes.  This unique ingredient does everything from clearing blemished skin to soothing a sore throat.  While protein adds strength to the hair, too much can make it brittle.  Adding honey helps keep hair soft and flexible.

 Essential oils

 These are optional, but really help to amplify the benefits.  Plus they help hair smell amazing!  Lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, and ylang ylang are all good choices.  I give more details about my top essential oils for a healthy scalp and hair in this post.

 Horsetail herb

 This plant is also known as scouring rush, or shavegrass.  Because of its rigid nature, it used to be used as a scrubbing tool.  It's high in silica and other hair-healthy minerals like magnesium, potassium, and bioflavonoids that are best extracted in a water infusion.  The silica not only makes the plant strong but hair, teeth, and nails as well.