Winter could be rather harsh to our hairs: heating systems dry the moisture out from our skin and hairs, and cold wind, and lack of vitamins and fatty acids in winter menu weaken natural hair protection. Our styling habits also don’t do any good: frequent washing and hot drying (plus tons of styling products) only make things worse.
But the good news is that we can help our hair to gain its beauty back with simple and 100% natural care, and I am happy to share with you my favorite homemade hair treatment recipes!
ALOE VERA TREATMENTS FOR DULL AND DRY HAIR
Aloe Vera is known for centuries for its incredible moisturizing and healing properties. Over the millions of years of evolution, aloe has developed a fantastic mechanism of moisture retention (it rains in the desert only a few times a year, so the plant has to retain moisture for months to survive), and this mechanism is beneficial for our skin and hair.
Aloe gel consists of almost seventy different components, which can retain moisture for a long time. When it rains, the leaves swell, trapping moisture inside, and then the plant “drinks” this water during periods of drought. Aloe leaf gel perfectly moisturizes both skin and hair, since its properties are close to the so-called Natural Moisturizing Factor of human skin and hair (NMF is responsible for binding and holding water molecules in our skin and hair).
In homemade hair care aloe provides:
- deep hydration (aloe vera components help to bind and retain moisture in the hair cortex)
- nutrition of bulbs with microelements and amino acids (strengthens bulbs, stops hair loss)
- scalp skin regeneration (relieves irritation, soothes, provides deep hydration)
- helps with psoriasis and eczema conditions (enhances local immunity, accelerates tissue regeneration)
HOMEMADE MASK WITH FRESH ALOE JUICE, COCONUT AND HONEY
This mask profoundly moisturizes your hair and nourishes your scalp, and it is so easy to make! All you need is a fresh aloe vera leaf (which you can typically find in any grocery store), coconut oil, and natural honey:
- 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed aloe juice
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- 3-5 drops of essential oils of your choice (I often use lavender, geranium, or ilang-ilang essential oils for irritated scalp skin and dry hairs)
As I leave in France, I use Aloe Arborescens (you can see it in the picture), aloe vera leaves are too expensive here. It is very close to aloe vera (well, it is from the same family), but it has smaller leaves, and it grows well in the apartment.
To make your mask, you need to combine all ingredients, stir it well, and apply to dry hair for 1 hour, then wash your hair as usual. You can make a course of 5-7 masks like this (use it every two days) to provide your hair with intensive care.
Please note that this mask has to be applied immediately and can not be stored for a long time.
LEAVE-ON HAIR CONDITIONER WITH ALOE AND JOJOBA
This conditioner will help you to get rid of dry and split hair ends, as it deeply moisturizes your hair and locks the moisture up (due to the exceptional protective properties of jojoba oil). I also like to add some lemon essential oil to it – it makes my hair so shiny!
- 2 tbsp of aloe vera gel (I use this aloe vera gel as it is more liquid than most of the other gels on the market, and it does not contain any synthetic components. It is actually a food supplement, but it works great in homemade cosmetics, too)
- 2 tbsp of distilled water or hydrosol
- 1 tsp of jojoba oil
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil
- glass spray bottle
Just combine all ingredients and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle – voila! Apply to wet hair (mostly on the ends) and don’t rinse. Please keep it in the refrigerator. If properly preserved, this conditioner can last about three months.
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