When I was younger, I thought my hair would be healthy forever. I didn’t take into account the entire decade of flat ironing and stress that would take a toll on the health of my hair. Fighting damaged and unhealthy hair has been a constant struggle. Most products didn’t help at all, so I was stuck having to chop it off frequently or risk sporting split ends and frizz.
Since I straightened my natural curls every day, I thought the heat was the only thing damaging my hair and discouraging growth. I didn’t realize, until I got to college, that mental stress could destroy your hair too. I used to have incredibly thick hair, but it was getting noticeably thin. That signaled that it was time to try something drastic, so I started researching about hair masks.
Olive Oil Hair Mask
There were numerous DIY face masks out there that promised great results, but not all worked the same. I was most interested in hair growth, so I first tried an olive oil hair mask. It supposedly helped repair dry, brittle and damaged hair, which would, in turn, promote hair growth. On top of that, it claimed to make your locks look smooth and shiny. I was intrigued. The first recipe I made called for a mixture of honey, extra virgin olive oil and a vitamin E capsule. I didn’t have the vitamin E capsule, so I went without it. I wasn’t sure how big of a difference it’d make. Once the mixture was done, I began applying from my scalp to the tips of my hair. I wrapped my hair into a shower cap and waited approximately 30 minutes before washing out the mask.
Results: Once I finished washing the mask out, I let my hair air dry before doing my normal heat styling routine. After my locks were completely straight, I saw the effects of the treatment. The results were horrifying. The olive oil had turned my hair incredibly greasy. No matter how many times I thoroughly washed it and tried to absorb it in a towel, it wouldn’t come out. For an entire week, I had to go around with stringy, oily hair. The recipe was a complete disaster. Although it didn’t work for my hair, that doesn’t mean it can’t do wonders with your locks, but there are better DIY hair masks out there—trust me.
Castor Oil Hair Mask
When I learned about castor oil, I was impressed. So many people claimed it would help grow and thicken your hair. It’s also rich in Vitamin E and minerals, and it works great as a moisturizer for hair. People have used it everywhere from their eyelashes and scalp, to even their skin. Clearly, it’s a multitasking oil. Despite all the glowing reviews about its effects, I also learned there’s not enough evidence to prove that castor oil can grow hair. In fact, some people could be allergic to the oil. Yikes. Although I was a little wary about how my skin would react to castor oil, I went ahead and bought some. There are generally two kinds of castor oil people use for their hair—organic cold pressed castor oil, and Jamaican black castor oil. The bottle I purchased was 100% pure Jamaican Black Castor Oil. After getting the oil, I found an incredibly simple recipe that called for only two ingredients: three tablespoons of castor oil and one tablespoon of jojoba oil or argan oil. This recipe is good for over five uses depending on your hair type and length. Generally, you’ll want to use the mixture sparingly per treatment.
When I first made the mask, I used argan oil since I already had some on hand. Once the oils were mixed together, I poured a little onto my fingers and then applied all across my scalp. I used the remaining drops to cover my ends, but most of the mixture should coat the scalp. Since the mask was going to set in overnight, I wrapped my hair up and slept. Since castor oil is fairly thick, I used an egg to help remove any residue while washing. Eggs are commonly used in DIY hair treatments, but the egg yolk and egg white have different effects on your hair. This means that if your hair is oily, egg whites are best. If it’s dry and brittle (like mine), then use egg yolks. Once I massaged the egg into my scalp the next morning, I washed it out. I repeated this process once a week.
Results: After the first week, there wasn’t a notable difference in the health of my hair, but it did look less frizzy. Once I used it a second time, I could already tell the ends of my hair were looking better. There were also fewer strands of hair in my brush, signifying that any thinning of my hair was slowing down. Now that I’ve been doing the mask diligently for the past three months, I can say with assurance that it’s totally worked for me.
Not only is this the healthiest my hair’s looked in years, but it’s also slowly getting thicker again. If you’re experiencing similar issues with your hair, try a castor oil mask. If it works as well for you as it does for me, then you’ll have fabulous looking hair in no time.