DIY Hair Treatments: What Should You Be Doing At Home

Unless advised by a hair care professional, you don’t need to take matters into your own hands. Being proactive is a great approach, but before you rummage through your pantry for “do it yourself” hair treatments, let’s discuss your hair goals and the result of covering your head in kitchen ingredients.

Now, we are not talking about the hair treatments you buy through a salon. We’re focusing on the endless “quick fix” hair masks recipes filling the internet. During this 2020 year, we’ve seen a surge in DIY videos suggesting we all cover our heads in coconut oil or an avocado mash. The goal behind these at-home remedies is a convenient, inexpensive way to make hair instantly healthier. An overnight hair change appeals to all, whether you’re looking to add strength or add moisture to your locks.

The result from these “miracle” treatments can make achieving your hair goals more challenging than before. Each scenario is different, and each head of hair has a scalp below it. When addressing your damaged ends, you must get to the root of the problem. Are your follicle ends fried from overheating? Are they dry and prone to breakage more so than usual? Or have you always tried to tame this damaged look for years?

These questions can help us narrow down the causes of dry, damaged hair. Your hair needs moisture, but that doesn’t mean you need an oily hair mask created in your kitchen. You can find a long list of natural moisture-boosting ingredients on the internet, but an overnight to 15-minute soak will not produce long-term moisture. Not to mention, many of those ingredients may create buildup and might not benefit your specific scalp.

The scalp does not get the recognition it deserves. Your scalp is doing a lot more than you know and is the key to achieving healthy hair. If you’re looking for stronger, healthier hair, you should feed the body first before covering the scalp. Your hair, skin, and nails are a part of the largest living organ in the human body. We must not forget the skin and hair on your head are living! Both require adequate blood flow and nutrients. As with all living things, the hair, skin, and nails go through a cycle of growth and deterioration.

The lifecycle of your hair can be affected by environmental factors of heat or cleanliness. It can also be affected by changes in hormones. So we must remember stress is playing a role in healthy hair. And lastly, we must never forget the importance of feeding our living hair and skin proper nutrients.

Consult your hair care professional. Everyone’s scalp is different. You might consider adding nutrients or vitamins to your diet instead of applying these natural ingredients to your scalp. You may find yourself wanting to try a DIY hair mask, but this on-the-surface solution isn’t the best approach. Save those avocados for guacamole! Keep the honey and coconut oil in the cabinet for later. You want healthy hair for the long haul, not just a few days. So skip the DIY treatments unless otherwise suggested by your stylist.