Our relationship with our hair is often complicated. For some of us, whether a day is going to be good or bad can be determined by whether we are having a "good" or "bad" hair day—whatever that means. Even those of us who claim not to care all that much about our hair can admit to the power of a good haircut. Certainly, we can all at least agree that we would love to have the healthiest hair possible. It would also be nice to have the healthiest hair possible at the lowest price and thanks to many hidden hair care ingredients from the kitchen it is totally possible.
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Listen, there is nothing wrong with buying yourself expensive hair care products with great ingredients in them if you want to and can afford to. But, there is also nothing wrong with using the things you already have in your kitchen to give your hair some love. Especially, these days when we're all spending so much time at home. It's a great way to not waste items in our kitchen while pampering our tresses. Check out our list of items you probably already have in your kitchen that you can use to get your hair as healthy as possible.
Egg yolks are full of fantastic nutrition for your hair.
If you ever make meringue cookies and don’t know what to do with the unused egg yolks, use them to give yourself a DIY hair mask. Egg yolks are full of vitamins and protein that can nourish and strengthen hair. It is a bit messy to apply just egg yolk directly to your hair, so feel free to mix it with avocado or banana to create more of a paste. Apply the mixture to your hair, let it sit for an hour, then rinse it out.
Peanut oil is great for curly, coarse, or dry hair.
Peanut oil has vitamins A, D, and E in it, which are all great and for strong and healthy hair. It’s especially great for coarse hair, curly hair, or dry and damaged hair. You can apply it directly to your hair as a conditioning treatment or use it as a hot oil treatment.
Lemon juice can be used for hair lightening.
A lot of people apply lemon to their hair and then sit out in the sun in the hopes that the combo of the lemon and sun will lighten the color of their hair without the need to use bleach. Some people swear by it. But lemon can be drying, so we wouldn't recommend do this too often.
Chamomile tea can also be used to lighten hair.
Chamomile, like lemon, is also used to lighten hair naturally. It’s gentler than lemon so it is also more gradual. Keep in mind that if you have naturally black or dark brown hair, it probably won’t do much to lighten your hair. It’s more for people who are already prone to getting blondish highlights from the sun. All you have to do is rinse your hair with chamomile tea and go out into the sun. If nothing else, your hair will smell great.
Extra virgin olive oil for deep conditioning.
Olive oil has been used in many parts of the world for hair care and skin care for centuries. If you want to use it to help moisturize your hair, be sure to go for the extra virgin olive oil because that means it's unrefined and isn't treated with chemicals. You can add olive oil to a deep conditioner for added moisture.
Bananas can be used in a hair mask.
Normally, I save my overripe bananas to make banana bread, but I might start putting one aside to make a hair mask instead. Mashed banana mixed with yogurt or an oil are an excellent source of nutrients for dry, damaged hair.
Avocados aren't just for guacamole.
My mother, who is a cosmetologist, has always told me that avocado is great for your hair. You can make your own avocado hair mask that you leave in for about 20 minutes and gives you gorgeous tresses.
Baking soda can be used to "wash" your hair.
Lots of folks have joined the #nopoo movement and stopped using shampoo. Many use baking soda to "wash" their hair. It's super easy: Just take about 2 tablespoons of baking soda and disolve it in warm water in a large plastic cup while in the shower. Then pour the mixture onto your scalp, massage your scalp with your fingers and rinse it out.
Apple cider vinegar keeps hair from drying out after using baking soda.
If you do use baking soda to cleanse your hair, consider following up with an apple cider vinegar rinse. Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar diluted in a large plastic cup with warm water. The apple cider vinegar helps keep hair from drying out and acts as a great conditioner. Rinse it off with water and no, your hair will not smell like vinegar.
Coconut oil applied before you shampoo acts as a conditioner.
Coconut oil makes for a great pre-shampoo conditioning treatment or a leave-in conditioner. Just work a small amount of it into you hair and scalp leave it in for a few minutes and then wash out. Or you could leave it in overnight and wash out the next morning.
Honey helps keep hair hydrated.
Honey helps your hair retain water, keeping it moisturized. You can use it all by itself as a conditioning mask or mix it with other ingredients like avocado or banana.
Yogurt is a good source of biotin.
Biotin is good for your hair. Yogurt not only has biotin, but also protein to help strengthen your tresses. You could mix it with coconut oil or honey and make a great mask for your hair. Leave it in for a few minutes then wash it out.
Mayonnaise has a bunch of protein.
I'm sure you've heard of slathering your hair with mayonnaise as a hair treatment. I know my abuela and mom have always been big on it. It does have a lot of protein in it and your hair will dig it. Use it as a hair mask and then wash it out.
Beer has moisturizing properties.
Beer is rich in proteins and vitamins, which help keep hair moisturized. I'm assuming you don't want to go around smelling like stale beer though, so what you can do is take a flat beer and pour it on your hair while you're in the shower, let it sit for about four minutes and then rinse it out. Cheers to beautiful hair!
Garlic helps prevent hair loss.
Did you know that garlic can help fight hair loss? Some people rub garlic directly on the scalp and hair line, then follow with an olive oil massage and leave the treatment on overnight.
