Overview:
Your hair is your crown. Hair thickness, shine, length, and overall health largely depend on how you keep your mane. But it also depends on the scalp's health which is often ignored due to busy life schedules, work commitments and/or dietary habits. These practices lead to various hair-related problems such as hair fall, dryness, dandruff, frizziness and thin hair. These problems can easily be tackled by doing the proper hair treatment with the right products. The types of products that can be used in hair treatments range from hair oils, shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, serums, etc.
In this blog, we will discuss some of the important DIY hair treatments which you can do easily at home and reap their benefits with the ease of not going to salons.
1. Oil or Hot Oil Treatment:
When it comes to nourishing and hydrating your dry and brittle hair, hair oiling is the perfect option. Hair oiling is a popular practice of pouring oil onto your hair and massaging it into the scalp to hydrate the dry dull hair, moisturize the rough texture and make hair shiny and smooth.
An oil or hot oil treatment involves using a (1) heated oil to provide nourishment from roots to the tresses, of course you can use a normal room temperature oil howerver, heated oil makes the oiling more effective because your hair strands absorb the essential nutrients and vitamins 30-40% up to more as compared to a dry application without heat. Alternatively, using an oil under a heated cap with hair either damp or in a wet damp state provides the same result. This is because heat helps to refine the oil making the molecules finer and allowing them to penetrate deeper into the hair strand.
Fouther more, warm oil seals the cuticle by adding more moisture to the hair follicle, which helps in repairing your hair texture and preventing split ends.
Benefits of an oil or hot oil treatment:
Oiling plays a very important role in protecting your hair from regular wear and tear. Let's see how;
Moisturizes scalp – Frequently washing your hair, using too many hot tools, environmental pollutants and sun damage can leave your scalp dry. This dryness not only leads to dandruff but also stunted hair growth. Using an oil/hot oil once or twice a week provides intense moisture to your scalp which helps in increasing hair strength and preventing dandruff except for excess oily scalp.
Reduces frizz – Dryness and frizz make your hair extremely dull, damaged and honestly this is super annoying. Hot oil massage is a quick at-home treatment to provide you instant hydration that helps in reducing frizz and dry hair.
Promotes hair growth – When you massage your scalp with hot oil, it helps in stimulating dormant hair follicles plus the nutrients in the oil helps in strengthening the hair follicles. As a result, your hair starts to grow healthier and stronger.
Eliminates dandruff – Scalp dryness is the major cause of dandruff. Hot oil massage fights against the dry, itchy, and flaky skin by providing moisture and hydration that makes your scalp healthy and nourished for a longer period.
Improves blood circulation – Lack of blood supply to the scalp leads to a lot of hair problems including hair fall and stunted hair g
rowth. Blood carries vital nutrients to your scalp which helps in promoting hair growth. Hot oil massage not only improves blood circulation throughout the scalp but also transfers a wide range of nutrients to your scalp to promote stronger and healthier hair.
Reduces hair damage – Split ends and weak hair are not the only signs of hair damage, but they also affect the overall texture of your hair. This is because the hair follicles absorb a large amount of water and gets swelled up which can be a contributing factor for hair damage. Applying hot oil to your hair helps penetrate deeper and reduces the amount of water absorbed while minimizing the damage.
What are the best hot oils to apply?
There are so many essential oils and carrier oils that are considered suitable for treating different hair concerns, but we have enlisted some of the best oils for a hot oil treatment below for your convenience.
Coconut oil
Avocado oil
Olive oil
Peppermint oil
Argan oil
Hemp seed oil
Almond oil
Lavender oil
Rosemary oil
Grapeseed oil: this oil is super thin and can be used to thin-out or loosen thicker oils and give them a light weight consistent.
How to do a hot oil treatment at home?
You can pamper yourself by getting a hot oil massage both in-salon and at-home. Here we’re giving you a rundown of how to apply hot oil treatment easily at home.
Step # 1: Wash your hair – To achieve the maximum benefit, it is important to begin with a clean scalp and hair so always wash your hair and let it dry halfway before applying the oil.
Step # 2: Heat your oil – Take an appropriate amount of your favorite carrier oil and heat it in a pan for a maximum of 30 seconds, or boil water and place the oil in hot water. Make sure oil is warm enough but not too hot as it can badly burn your scalp. You can even add 2-3 drops of any essential oils of your choice to this mixture for fragrance and added benefit.
Step # 3: Prep your hair – Gently comb your hair to get rid of any knots so that it remains frizz-free.
Step # 4: Apply your oil – Divide your hair into sections and apply the oil either using your fingers or a dropper. Massage gently so that the it spreads evenly and is absorbed into the scalp properly.
Step # 5: Turn up the heat – To increase the heat factor, put on a shower cap. This feels good on your scalp.
Step # 6: Let the product sit – Leave this oil for about 30 minutes to an hour and then wash it off with lukewarm water not hot with your regular shampoo and conditioner.
Step # 7: Repeat as needed – Depending on how much care your hair needs, you can repeat this treatment once a week or once every two weeks but do not make this routine or too frequent.
2. Deep Conditioning Treatment:
Sometimes, despite following all the hair care routines, your hair may still look dull and feel rough and even dehydrated. This is because your hairs are constantly exposed to harmful aggressors, environmental pollutants, heat styling tools, and whatnot. To combat all these issues, a deep conditioning treatment can be a savior for your hair.
Deep conditioning is a hair care treatment in which your hair is introduced to nourishing products that coats the hair. As a result, it moisturizes your hair, strengthens elasticity, and reduces the damage caused by chemicals and other styling products. Now, you must be wondering whether a deep conditioner is the same as your regular conditioner?
Let us explain this.
Deep conditioners are more intense as compared to your regular conditioner and leave a more lasting effect than a regular conditioner. Tipically, you leave your regular conditioner for about 2-3 minutes, but deep conditioners stay on for around 30 minutes to achieve the best possible results.
Now let's have a look at the ingredients of a deep conditioner that makes it different from a regular conditioner. All conditioners contain a couple of key ingredients.
Emollients – These are the moisturizing substances that soften hair and reduce moisture loss by creating a waterproof protective barrier around the hair strands.
Humectants – These are the substances that bind to water and add moisture to the hair.
In deep conditioners, the concentration of these two ingredients is quite high compared to regular conditioner and they have a more thick and heavy texture.
Benefits of deep conditioning treatment:
Deep conditioning leaves plenty of benefits to your hair and is highly effective for almost everyone with any hair type.
Hydrates hair – Your hair needs hydration just like your skin to maintain its overall health and integrity. Deep conditioning helps provide moisture to your hair leaving it soft and prevents breakage.
Reduces damage – Regular deep conditioning keeps your hair healthy and hydrated. It provides all the essential nutrients to your hair that are known to add moisture even to the driest hair hence making it more resilient and less prone to damage.
Improves shine – Your hair loses its natural shine when it lacks moisture. A deep conditioner helps close open hair cuticles and penetrate your hair shaft which results in hair smoothness and that enhances the natural shine.
Adds strength – Dry and damaged hair is more prone to breakage and hair fall but deep conditioners have certain moisturizing, repairing, and fortifying ingredients that help restore the nourishment and reduce breakage of hair.
Nourishes color-treated hair – Coloring your hair can take a huge toll on your overall hair health. After all, you’re exposing your hair to different chemicals that alter your hair structure resulting in weak roots and dry texture. Deep conditioning for color-treated hair is highly important to reverse the harmful effects and make your hair strong and healthy.
Are there any homemade recipes for deep conditioners?
Well, you can go to a store and find a wide variety of deep conditioners but that's nothing new. If you want to be more creative and experimental, then why not try these two best recommended DIY deep conditioning hair masks. We can vouch for these.
1. Banana + Yogurt + Honey Mask:
Bananas are enriched with potassium and vitamins that provide rich moisturizing benefits to your dry strands and also helps to reduce frizz. Yogurt contains lactic acid that repairs the hair damage very well and honey makes your hair super soft and conditioned for a longer time.
How to use:
Mash one small banana, add two tablespoons of yogurt and one tablespoon of honey together, and mix it to make a thick paste. You can also blend them together using a blender.
Apply the mask on damp hair from root to tip and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Rinse it with a gentle shampoo followed by your regular conditioner.