Homemade Spa Treatments for Hair

If your hair is ...

dry, brittle, or damaged

• Banana Mask :: Mash 1 banana with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix in blender or food processor to make paste. Apply to dry hair, cover with a shower cap, and wait 15-30 minutes. Rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual.
• Milk & Honey Mask :: Warm 2 cups whole milk (for very fine hair use skim or low-fat milk) and add 1 teaspoon honey. Mix well until honey is dissolved. Pour over dry hair and wait 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Shampoo and condition as usual.
• Dry, flaky scalp remedy :: Massage scalp with 1/4 cup olive oil. Comb lightly and shampoo. How this works - the oil softens scales and locks in moisture to prevent future flakes.
• Protein-Vitamin Mask :: Mash a peeled avacado. Beat in 1 egg. Apply to dry hair. Leave on 10-15 minutes. Shampoo out.

dull and heavy

• Sea Salt Rinse (gets rid of excess oil and product build-up) :: Dissolve 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or Epsom salt in a cup of warm water. Pour over hair. Leave on for 5 minutes. Rinse out. Follow with a mild shampoo and moisturizing conditioner. Use this treatment no more than once or twice a month. Overuse will irritate the scalp or dry out the hair.
• Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (strips hair of build-up that take away shine, restores natural shine to hair) :: Use 2 tablespoons warmed vinegar as a rinse after shampooing and conditioning. You can also use a diluted white vinegar solution - 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 cup water.

color-treated

• For dark hair brew 2 cups strong coffee or tea (6-8 tea bags). Shampoo and condition, then pour cooled liquid over hair and leave in until the next shampoo.
• For red hair cut 2 large carrots into 5 or 6 pieces. Boil in 2 cups water. Reduce heat and summer for 15 minutes or until the water has turned orange. Cool. Remove carrots and pour water over dry hair. Put on shower cap and wait 20 minutes. Rinse. Then use a mild shampoo and conditioner as usual.
• For blond hair add 1 cup lemon juice to 3 cups cooled chamomile tea. Pour over dry hair, then sit in the sun for an hour OR wear a shower cap and apply heat with a blow-dryer until the hair begins to dry. Rinse out. Wash with mild shampoo and make sure to use a moisturizing conditioner to prevent dryness.