In today’s The Curious Column, we have Mrinalini spill the beans on her favourite deep conditioners for curly hair you can whip up in your kitchen. She credits these easy to make DIY Hair Masks for the transformation you see in her curly hair in just two years!
Since January I’ve been trying to get my hair back to health. I’ve gone off heat completely, even the complimentary blow out with the hair cut is off limits now. I had contemplated colouring it again with a regular box dye at home (which I hear, doesn’t damage your hair as much as getting it done professionally does) but then decided against it too.
This was to be a complete detox. An attempt to rid my mane of past sins and get back my crowning glory. At the end of the year, maybe, we could even do
a ceremony to celebrate my revirginized hair. So much for dead protein. But hair is important. To me. It is not everything but it is important.
Regular deep treatment is the answer to hair’s health. I don’t like blowing too much money on it though and so I raid the kitchen to concoct these DIY hair masks. In my experience, even though this a slower and more arduous procedure in comparison with off-the-rack deep conditioners, there is less hair fall and more thickness. I usually rev up a cocktail of two or more of the following items:
- Eggs
- Bananas
- Honey
- Plain Yoghurt
- Coconut oil
- Castor Oil
- Olive oil
- Starch from boiled Tapioca Pearls (fancy name for Sabudana)
My favorite DIY Hair Masks are:
1-2 Bananas + 4-5 Tsp Honey + 1/2 Cup Sabudana Starch
- To make the starch, take half a cup of sabudana and boil it in a big glass of water.
- Keep stirring every now and then otherwise the sabudana starts sticking to the base of the sauce pan.
- Bring to a thick consistency and strain. This liquid is your gold. Let it sit and thicken further.
- To make sure bananas don’t leave residue in your hair, run them in the food processor. Then push the paste out of a strainer remove the small particles.
- This mask doesn’t necessarily need a shampoo after since it is not too oily and heavy so you can just rinse hair and style as usual.
1 Egg + 4-5 Tsp Coconut oil + 1-3 Tsp Castor Oil + 4-5 Tsp Honey
- This is when I need a protein fix. Protein from the egg can make hair a little stiff, so I add lots of honey to balance it out.
- You need to shampoo after this mask.
Pro Tip: Add a few drops of essential oil if the smell of the eggs is too much.
Honey + Plain Yogurt + Olive oil
- All three ingredients make hair oh-so-soft. I have to use a little more gel for styling later so my curls stay up, but it’s totally worth it.
3 Tsp Castor + 3 Tsp Olive + 3 Tsp Coconut Hot Oil Treatment
- Completely old school, nothing special here, except that you can apply castor oil to the roots first.
- Heat the oil mixture for a few seconds in the microwave & then apply to your hair.
- Castor oil is amazing for hair thickness and growth.
1/2 Cup Sabudana Starch + Palmful of Regular Conditioner + 2 Tsp Honey
- I use this very often because it is hassle-free and even if I just leave it on for ten minutes, results show.
Once you get into the groove, it’s pretty easy to go overboard with this stuff, so you can reserve deep conditioning days for the weekends. Once a week works well enough else twice a week if your hair is very dry.
Try it as you please, get your hands dirty and if you feel great after I’ll even have you come to the revirginized hair ceremony at the end of the year! Have fun!
Thank you Mrinalini for sharing! Guys, you can follow her on Instagram @mriglow. Check out her writing pieces paired with illustrations; they are brilliant.
Thank you for checking out the 2nd edition of The Curious Column! This space will see different curly hair girls talk about their routines, favourite products & tips for fellow curly peeps. If you think you have something to contribute, drop me a mail to pallavijuneja92@gmail.com.
If you haven’t already, make sure you’re following me on Instagram (@thecuriousjalebi), Facebook & Youtube to stay updated! Want more ideas? You can also check out my deep conditioning routine here.