DIY Hair Repair Remedies

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When long healthy hair is so highly regarded as reflecting youth and beauty, it's no wonder we all want to get in on it. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who are naturally blessed with gorgeous locks, but for the rest of us it can take time and effort. I personally have hair that not only grows at a snails pace, but what I do have is so wispy and fine it doesn't exactly stand up well to being abused with hair dyes, bleach and heat styling tools (which you'll know I clearly can't leave alone if you've read any of my past posts!) I recently spoke about some of my favourite repairing hair products, but you don't always have to resort to expensive treatments. There are so many home remedies with excellent repairing properties that you probably have in your kitchen or fruit bowl right now! Here are some of my favourites, and how they benefit the hair.

Eggs
Rich in fats and protein, eggs are great for applying to the hair once a month to strengthen and nourish the strands. While it's the yolk that contains most of the beneficial properties, the whites have bacteria eating enzymes that are great for gently removing oils from the hair and scalp. A protein hair treatment like this should always be followed up with a deep conditioner to stop hair from going brittle- and only use once a month as loading it up with too much protein is actually damaging. Whisk them up in a bowl and carefully apply the mixture to towel dried hair- don't go randomly cracking eggs onto your head, as hilarious as that would probably be I'm pretty sure most of the mixture would end up everywhere other than your hair.

Bananas and Avocados
These are both incredibly healthy fruits with amazing vitamins and healthy fat content, which are not only beneficial when eaten but deliver a huge moisture boost to the hair when applied as a mask too. Because of the soft texture of these they're easy to mash up to form the base of your DIY mask, just be sure to get the mixture as smooth as possible for the best effect (take it from me, washing lumpy bits of fruit out of your hair is horrendous and takes forever!)

Honey
Honey is one of natures miracle ingredients. Anti bacterial, anti fungal, has healing properties and even acts as a 'humectant' which attracts moisture- perfect when it comes to using on the hair. It nourishes and enriches the hair, and mixed with some of the other ingredients you don't need much of it to reap great benefits.

Natural Oils
Some natural oils that are particularly beneficial for the hair are coconut oil, olive oil and sweet almond oil as they're able to penetrate through the shaft of the hair in order to provide moisture (unlike other oils that will only sit on top of the hair strands). They condition and moisturise, promote scalp health and fight off fungi and bacteria among other things, it's no wonder women around the world have been using these on their hair for centuries.

 Vinegar: 
This might seem like a bit of an odd one, but vinegar can be really beneficial for the hair. It's a great clarifier which can help remove product build up, dirt, oils and pollution. I honestly cant stand the smell of vinegar, but as I do a lot of intense deep conditioning treatments I find it's handy to have in the kitchen for when my hair starts to feel a bit weighed down and so try to grin and bear it. Simply rinse all the way through your hair once a month, and follow up with your regular shampoo and conditioner. A great, gentle alternative to expensive clarifying shampoos!

Once you've decided on the ingredients you want to use, you're ready to make your DIY hair mask! Carefully mash or blend any solid ingredients to a smooth paste, and mix in your oils or liquids to form your mask. Run it through damp towel dried hair and generously wrap some cling film around it, which will stop you from making a mess (plus the heat from your head will speed up the conditioning process). Then all that's left to do is wait for it to work it's magic for twenty minutes. Read a magazine, play a game of online bingo or just pop on a face mask and relax! Rinse it out and enjoy the benefits of smoother and more manageable hair.

What are your favourite DIY hair mask ingredients?