Create Your Own Hair Masks and Scalp Scrubs

There are many benefits for using a hair mask and scalp scrubs on your hair. They are fantastic for removing product build-up, exfoliating the skin on the scalp to remove dead-skin and they help moisturize hair that has been heat damaged from using hair straighteners and other heated appliances.

Here are some common household items that can be used as hair masks:

• Bananas – Take a banana and mash it in a small bowl. Add an egg, 3 tsp of milk, 3 tsp of honey and 5 tsp of olive oil. Mix together and then massage onto the hair and scalp. Leave the mixture on your scalp for at least 30 minutes. When rinsing your hair, make sure you have a hair catcher installed over your drain to collect any mashed banana that rinses out.
• Avocado – Avocado is great for adding shine to your hair due to its rich amount of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Take an avocado and remove the avocado from the skin and seed. Place the avocado into a bowl and mash it up really good. Add a tsp of olive oil and a tsp of honey to it. Then massage into the hair and leave on the hair for 20 minutes.
• Almond oil – Almond oil is great for defrizzing hair. Get a small bowl and add ¼ cup of honey, ½ cup of yogurt and a tablespoon of almond oil. Mix together well then apply to the hair from root to the ends. Leave the mixture on for 2o minutes then rinse. Use this mask prior to shampooing your hair.
• Coconut oil – Coconut oil is great for adding shine and luster back into your hair. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so in order to use it, you will have to warm it a bit. The best way to warm it is to use either the double boiler method (take a pot and fill about 1/3 with water and then place a glass mixing bowl like Pyrex and place over the pot. Place a few tablespoons of the coconut oil in the glass bowl and heat until it melts) or by placing the oil in a small glass bowl and then placing the bowl in a shallow saucepan with some water; just enough water to cover about ¼ of the small glass bowl and heat until the oil inside of the bowl melts. Once the coconut oil has melted, pour the oil into a clean mixing bowl, and then add a few drops of an essential oil such as peppermint oil or lavender. While your hair is dry (you apply this to dry hair only) comb out any tangles and apply to the hair from roots to the ends. If you have a plastic shower cap, place over the hair and let sit for 15 minutes. If you do not have a plastic shower cap, have a friend help to at least wrap the ends of your hair gently in plastic wrap. If your hair is really dry and brittle, then you may want to leave this on for about 30 minutes.
• Brown Sugar – When you use a lot of product in your hair, you create a product build-up in your hair that clogs the hair follicles and can slow down hair growth. This brown sugar scrub helps remove product build-up from the scalp. Take 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Work the mixture all over the scalp, focusing on the scalp in particular. Rinse out after you have massaged it all over the scalp good.

The following video demonstrates how easy it is to create your own scalp scrubs.