4 At-Home Recipes for Dry Hair Repair

If your summer looked anything like mine, your hair has waged a fierce battle against chlorine, sun and salt. Constantly shampooing out sand and rinsing out pool water can take a toll on your hair.

Chlorine strips oil from the hair, which can leave hair feeling extra dry and appear frizzy. In addition, frequent washing of hair can also lead to dry scalp and ends. But the battle can be won, and you can get a handle on your locks with homemade hair treatments!

4 Dry Hair Repair Recipes

These all-natural dry hair repair recipes will have your hair looking smooth, shiny and back to life in no time. And chances are you already have the recipe ingredients around your house. 

1. DIY Anti-Frizz Spray

Supplies needed

• distilled water
• 1 teaspoon jojoba oil
• 1 teaspoon glycerin
• 5-10 drops lavender essential oil – great for all hair types
• 2 tablespoons aloe gel
• spray bottle
• whisk
• bowl

Whisk in a bowl the jojoba oil, glycerin and aloe gel until they are well blended. Add the lavender essential oil. If you have extremely dry hair, you can substitute geranium essential oil for lavender.

Pour mixture into a spray bottle (be sure it’s a good-quality pump) and then add the distilled water until you are pleased with the consistency. You will want to refrigerate the mixture and shake well before each use.

The spray will smooth down unruly frizz and hydrate the hair shaft. Dark, glass bottles are recommended for liquids with essential oil to keep the ingredients potent and fresh.

2. Clarifying Hair Spritzer

First, to help remove buildup and clarify your hair, I love making what I like to call the hair spritzer. It’s really the best solution for a deep cleanse to remove buildup and the recipe couldn’t be any simpler!

Ensuring that hair is free of buildup is a really simple way to improve both scalp and hair health. Buildup is often the source of a lot of issues such as itchy scalp and can even prevent hair growth. A lot of us don’t even realize that we have hair buildup until it’s too late when our hair is already screaming for help!

Product buildup happens slowly over time, and basically, it’s just an accumulation of product that hasn’t been rinsed out properly, whether that’s a conditioner, hair spray, oils – anything. Common ingredients that may cause buildup include silicones, so if you’re noticing it’s a common issue, check the ingredients lists on your hair products – you might be surprised how many of them contain silicones!

Buildup can affect your hair in several different ways. Some of the most common symptoms:

1. Your hair is suddenly difficult to style

2. Your hair always seems weighed down

3. Your hair might feel sticky

4. You have dandruff (and you didn’t previously)

If you’re ticking the box on any of these things, you might be in need of this hair spritzer! To ensure that buildup doesn’t come back, you can use it once a week as regular maintenance.

Supplies needed

• 1/2 cup of sparkling water
• 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
• Lemon juice (1 tablespoon)

Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and apply to dry hair from roots to ends until fully saturated. Lightly massage you’re for a couple of minutes, allowing the spritzer to absorb. Rinse thoroughly.

Follow with a wash using a cleansing shampoo – something with an oil base like Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil or peppermint based like Malin + Goetz shampoo are my favorites.

3. Banana & Honey Hair Repair Mask

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon honey
• shower cap (optional)

In a blender, combine the banana and honey, blending until all the banana pieces are pureed and you are left with a smooth mixture. Apply the mask to your hair, taking extra time to apply on the ends.

The shower cap is optional, but heat allows for extra penetration, and a shower cap is great for keeping the heat in. Wait 20 minutes after application and then rinse thoroughly, shampoo and condition as usual.

Use once a week until your hair is repaired. Be sure you wear an old t-shirt and avoid your best towels when using this hair mask since bananas can stain. 

4. Hydrating Honey + Oil Hair Mask

Another at home remedy I love is a raw honey hair mask for extra conditioning. Raw honey is naturally moisturizing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory and conducive to healing.

As a humectant, it’s an amazing moisturizing ingredient for hair from root to tip, smoothing down the cuticle for super soft hair. Make sure that any honey you buy is 100% real, unfiltered honey, without any sugar added – otherwise it’ll be no better than putting high fructose corn syrup in your hair!

This mask is super hydrating for the scalp and hair, so it’s a great option when the source of your dandruff is an overly dry, irritated scalp. Add an oil from the pantry, like coconut, avocado or almond oil for deep hair conditioning.

The protein in avocado and almonds helps to strengthen the hair. You can tailor this mask completely to your preferences depending on the oil that you choose, but coconut, avocado, and almond are the ones I recommend.

All three of them are able to penetrate the hair shaft and condition hair, smoothing over any damaged and dry ends. Over time, they’re also fantastic for helping to prevent dryness and split ends, so this is a perfect mask to use to repair damage and maintain healthy hair.

How to make a Dry Hair Mask

• 2 tablespoons carrier oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

Mix two tablespoons oil with 1 tablespoon honey and heat in the microwave for a few seconds until warm enough to spread easily. Massage the mixture onto your scalp, then cover with a shower cap for 30 minutes to an hour. Rinse well, and enjoy not just a soothed, flake-free scalp, but gorgeously soft, shiny hair as a result.

The Top Knot Trick

While you are applying a mask to your hair (either one of the above treatments), a quick fix for extra dry hair is to leave the mask in for as long as you can and put it up in a top knot. It’s a cute way to make sure that your hair is getting the most out of your treatment! Plus, if you need to go out, everyone’s none the wiser that you actually have a hair treatment in your hair.

Flip head over and twist hair into a knot/bun shape. Secure with a clip. For shorter hair, create a side twist. Leave your hair in a knot for 20 to 30 minutes. You can leave this mask in your top knot while you go to the gym or run a few errands.

Or even better, turn your hair mask into a hot oil treatment by spending a few minutes out in the sun. The sun’s warmth opens up the hair cuticle so the moisturizing oils can better penetrate your strands.

When you come home, release the knot and continue with your normal hair routine in the shower. Repeat the top-knot mask twice a week, and you’ll have soft, hydrated tresses in two weeks.

Some key tips for getting the most out of this is to not twist your hair too tightly – overall it should be secure, but you don’t want to be pulling hard on your hair. Doing this damages it at the root, making the hair more likely to fall out. Over long periods of time, this is called traction alopecia – hair loss caused by buns and ponytails that are too tight!

Another tip: don’t use a regular hair tie! If your hair is feeling very dry and vulnerable, it’s best to put them aside anyway as they could cause hair to snap if tied too tightly.

If you really need something that’s like a hair tie but better for your hair, opt for a silk scrunchie or spiral hair tie. They effectively hold your hair in place without creating damaging tension along the hair shaft.

Other tips for repairing dry hair and fighting frizz:

Try reducing the number of times you wash hair. For dry hair and scalp, twice weekly is recommended. 

Read your ingredient labels. Chemicals can often have adverse effects on our hair.

Choose moisturizing and hydrating shampoos and conditioners. Here are some of our favorite natural hair care brands.

Ditch the gels and products with alcohol as these can be drying. 

Switch to a silk pillowcase which will help retain moisture, smooth hair, and prevent follicle damage from tossing and turning on a regular pillowcase. Silk also keeps cool so you are less likely to sweat which can cause frizz. 

Drink plenty of water. Never underestimate the power of internal hydration. 

Add biotin to your daily vitamin regimen. It is often used for thinning hair and brittle nails, but I find it’s a wonderful addition for overall skin, hair and nail health. 

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