1. Heighten your shine with tea.
Some of us need tea to get the day started and bring us back to life, and as it just so happens, it can have the same effect on your hair. If you’ve noticed your hair has been looking a bit dull lately, black tea is a great way to add a revitalized shine to your locks, according to Lifealth. If you’re already a tea drinker then this at-home remedy is going to be super simple to add in to your routine. And even if you’re not, it’s still pretty darn easy. Bonus: black tea has also been known to help with curl loss.
To use: Brew some black tea and let it sit until it’s cooled off. Pour the tea onto your hair and let it sit for 10 minutes. Wash the tea out and enjoy your shiny hair.
2. Add moisture with butter.
We all know butter is rich and creamy, but as it turns out, it can add some softness and moisture to your hair as well. The treatment is inspired by a long-standing similar practice in Ethiopia where people use butter to moisturize their hair and protect it from sun damage, according to the Daily Mail. For those with curly hair, using butter is a great way to enhance your natural texture while adding moisture and shine, according to Naturally Curly.
To use: take a few spoonfuls of room-temperature butter and rub it into your hair. Cover your head with a shower cap and let it sit for up to an hour. Then wash your hair as you normally would.
3. Revitalize your hair with bananas.
It’s no secret that bananas are good for us — they’re nutrient packed and high in potassium, which helps regulate our bodies. And all of those great benefits help make bananas an amazing choice for hair masks. According to Healthline, bananas contain the mineral silica, which helps your body to synthesize collagen, which can make your hair stronger and thicker. A banana hair mask can also reportedly moisturize your hair and help relieve a dry, itchy scalp.
To use: Blend together two ripe bananas and half a cup of coconut milk. Coat your hair in the mixture and let it sit for 30 minutes, then wash the mask out of your hair.
4. Repair dry hair with apple cider vinegar.
Use this shine-enhancing hair mask from Tata Harper, the founder of Tata Harper Skincare, to repair dry and dull hair during the winter months. The apple cider vinegar helps to remove product buildup that dulls hair and vitamin E-rich argan oil nourishes and softens unruly strands. Apple cider vinegar helps to de-frizz hair, according to Natural Club, making this a great choice for those with more texture.
To use: In a blender, combine 1/2 avocado, 2 Tbsp argan oil, 10 drops of rosemary essential oil, and 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar, and pulse together. Work the mask through dry hair from roots to tips (if your hair’s oily, skip your scalp). Clip hair in place and let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and cleanse with shampoo. Do this at least once a month.
Transform all hair types with eggs.
“The [raw] egg is really the best of all worlds,” says Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty at Home. The yolk, rich in fats and proteins, is naturally moisturizing, while the white, which contains bacteria-eating enzymes, removes unwanted oils, she explains.
To use: For normal hair, use the entire egg to condition hair; use egg whites only to treat oily hair; use egg yolks only to moisturize dry, brittle hair, Cox says. Blend about 1/2 cup of whichever egg mixture is appropriate for you and apply to clean, damp hair. If there isn’t enough egg to coat scalp and hair, use more as needed. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse with cool water (to prevent egg from “cooking”) and shampoo hair. Whole egg and yolks-only treatments can be applied once a month, while whites-only treatment can be applied every two weeks, Cox says.
