Love Yourself: Hair Mask Edition
Welcome to Friday! I’m pretty excited to share something with you today. Taking extra time for myself is something I have struggled with for a long time. Lately I’ve actually be scheduling time for myself in my planner so that I am sure to give myself some attention too. Today I’m sharing one of the things that I do for myself. A DIY hair mask. A little over two years ago for whatever reason I decided to cut my long hair to shoulder length. At first it looked very cute actually but during my pregnancy my hair became very brittle and broke off a lot. Yay kids…..Since then I’ve been trying very hard to grow my hair back out and make it much healthier.
I’ve done a bunch of searching and testing of different mixtures and different oils to see what makes my hair the happiest. While I’m sure there are a ton more options that will work and make my hair feel great I’m going to share with you my most used hair mask. And also why I use what I use.
I’m going to start by saying that I have extremely thin hair so three of the four oils I add to my mask are ones that help to strengthen/ thicken hair. I do believe that using the hair masks have helped, I just need to be more consistent with doing them to get the maximum benefits. I am going to try every two weeks. Maybe in a couple months I will do a hair update with all my thickening routine and products, and see if there has been an improvements.
Alright so let’s begin. The base that I use for my hair mask is coconut oil. Coconut oil is wonderful for a great many reasons. It has a ton of health benefits and it also help nourish your scalp, hair and make it feel very soft. It is also believed that the fatty acids that coconut oil is made up of can help encourage hair growth. Next I add Castor Oil. This is another one that is known to help with hair growth, because of its high amount of healthy fatty acids. I also add Pomegranate oil. Pom oil is made from the seeds of the pomegranate, it is full of antioxidants that can help increase blood flow to the scalp. This can help stimulate hair growth and revitalize dry or dull hair. The last thing I usually add is Tea Tree oil. Tea tree oil does not smell very good but it’s very effective in getting rid of dandruff and other scalp build up. Also as an added bonus Tea tree oil naturally repels lice, which is always a good thing. I often will rub a little on myself and my boys scalps before we go to parks or birthday parties.
Once you have the ingredients its easy enough to mix together. I use two bowls one smaller inside the other. I put some hot water into the bigger bowl the oils in the smaller bowl. This helps make the oils easier to mix. And also feels great. I don’t leave the oil in the hot water bath for too long because I don’t want the oil to be hot, just warm. Also if the coconut oil completely melts if can be a bigger than necessary mess to put on your hair. I think I’m going to try and get a few things to up my hair mask game. Such as one of those hair dye bowl and brush applicator combos. A hair towel , the ones that are a bit smaller and are made to perfectly wrap up your hair, and a new shower cap.
You should always make sure your hair is detangled before you start. When applying the oil to my hair I currently use a spoon to plop it onto my head and then I work it into my scalp and hair. Then repeat until the hair is completely saturated, there should be no dry hair. Once you’re sure its all good and oiled up massage your scalp for 3-5 minuets. I don’t really time this… but if I did that’s what I’d go with. Before I massage my scalp I usually wet a small towel, currently I use an old baby towel, wring out the extra water and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This seems to make it the perfect warmth after massaging the scalp. Don’t wait until after massaging your scalp to heat the towel it will most likely be too hot. Wrapping the hair in a warm towel to let it sit helps to open up the hair follicles to better absorb the oils and also draws blood flow to the scalp which is very important for hair growth. The shower cap also helps to trap in the heat. The oil should sit on your hair for at least one hour or more if you have that kind of time… I almost never do an hour is my limit.
When you’re ready to wash your hair just jump in the shower I find this to be the easiest method. Before you shampoo, massage the scalp a bit vigorously while having your hair under the water. Do not use your nails! Pads of the fingers only. Probably another 3-5 minutes, to feel like you’ve scrubbed your whole scalp. I usually shampoo twice the first time I let it sit while I take care of some shower business. The second time I just work it in the rinse it out almost immediately. I use a small amount of conditioner but only on the ends of my hair, or from the chin down. My hair is extremely prone to tangling so a little bit of conditioner is needed. While the conditioner sits is usually when I scrub my body. Especially my face neck and back. The extra oil may be good for your hair but it can clog your pores and make you break out so make sure you exfoliate well.
After its all washed out I use a wide toothed comb to GENTALLY and SLOWLY brush out my hair. Working bottom to top. I don’t put any products in my hair after a mask and I don’t blow dry or straighten it. If I’m being honest my hair is sometimes slightly greasy the same day I do the mask. I have a boar bristle brush, something that I believe to be essential to anyone with thin/ greasy prone hair. The bristles help to distribute the oils from the roots of the hair to the ends. This is usually enough that my hair doesn’t look too greasy.
There you have it! A hair mask to spoil your hair. Which is very important, because hair is a huge part of having confidence in yourself. That’s how I feel anyway. Do any of you do hair masks? Do you use store bought or make your own? Would you be interested in a Recipe for thick hair? Please let me know what you think! And give my blog a follow so you can stay up to date, on this fun and crazy ride!
I’ve done a bunch of searching and testing of different mixtures and different oils to see what makes my hair the happiest. While I’m sure there are a ton more options that will work and make my hair feel great I’m going to share with you my most used hair mask. And also why I use what I use.
I’m going to start by saying that I have extremely thin hair so three of the four oils I add to my mask are ones that help to strengthen/ thicken hair. I do believe that using the hair masks have helped, I just need to be more consistent with doing them to get the maximum benefits. I am going to try every two weeks. Maybe in a couple months I will do a hair update with all my thickening routine and products, and see if there has been an improvements.
Alright so let’s begin. The base that I use for my hair mask is coconut oil. Coconut oil is wonderful for a great many reasons. It has a ton of health benefits and it also help nourish your scalp, hair and make it feel very soft. It is also believed that the fatty acids that coconut oil is made up of can help encourage hair growth. Next I add Castor Oil. This is another one that is known to help with hair growth, because of its high amount of healthy fatty acids. I also add Pomegranate oil. Pom oil is made from the seeds of the pomegranate, it is full of antioxidants that can help increase blood flow to the scalp. This can help stimulate hair growth and revitalize dry or dull hair. The last thing I usually add is Tea Tree oil. Tea tree oil does not smell very good but it’s very effective in getting rid of dandruff and other scalp build up. Also as an added bonus Tea tree oil naturally repels lice, which is always a good thing. I often will rub a little on myself and my boys scalps before we go to parks or birthday parties.
Once you have the ingredients its easy enough to mix together. I use two bowls one smaller inside the other. I put some hot water into the bigger bowl the oils in the smaller bowl. This helps make the oils easier to mix. And also feels great. I don’t leave the oil in the hot water bath for too long because I don’t want the oil to be hot, just warm. Also if the coconut oil completely melts if can be a bigger than necessary mess to put on your hair. I think I’m going to try and get a few things to up my hair mask game. Such as one of those hair dye bowl and brush applicator combos. A hair towel , the ones that are a bit smaller and are made to perfectly wrap up your hair, and a new shower cap.
When you’re ready to wash your hair just jump in the shower I find this to be the easiest method. Before you shampoo, massage the scalp a bit vigorously while having your hair under the water. Do not use your nails! Pads of the fingers only. Probably another 3-5 minutes, to feel like you’ve scrubbed your whole scalp. I usually shampoo twice the first time I let it sit while I take care of some shower business. The second time I just work it in the rinse it out almost immediately. I use a small amount of conditioner but only on the ends of my hair, or from the chin down. My hair is extremely prone to tangling so a little bit of conditioner is needed. While the conditioner sits is usually when I scrub my body. Especially my face neck and back. The extra oil may be good for your hair but it can clog your pores and make you break out so make sure you exfoliate well.
After its all washed out I use a wide toothed comb to GENTALLY and SLOWLY brush out my hair. Working bottom to top. I don’t put any products in my hair after a mask and I don’t blow dry or straighten it. If I’m being honest my hair is sometimes slightly greasy the same day I do the mask. I have a boar bristle brush, something that I believe to be essential to anyone with thin/ greasy prone hair. The bristles help to distribute the oils from the roots of the hair to the ends. This is usually enough that my hair doesn’t look too greasy.
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| Early 2015 |
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| After the hair mask |
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