If you love the idea of being able to shop the produce section of your grocery store for food and hair care products, then I’ve got a treat for you! Today I’m sharing four awesome, natural DIY conditioners that can help restore shine, strength and softness to natural hair – actually all types of hair, for that matter! Plus, as an added bonus, all of the following DIY conditioners can be easily found in either the produce or dressing aisle of your local market. So after you’re done feeding your hair with these awesome treatments, feel free to use any leftovers to whip up a yummy smoothie or salad to feed your tummy. *wink*
DIY conditioner for natural hair:
1. Papaya Hair Mask – Use for deep conditioning and restoring shine
Papaya is world-famous for its many beauty benefits, including its ability to naturally exfoliate the skin, moisturize and revive dull tresses, and even naturally lighten hair. Hello, sexy highlights!
Recipe: 1/2 ripe papaya (skinned and seeded), 1 beaten egg white, and 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Apply mask to hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse hair thoroughly and style as usual.
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2. Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse – Use for detangling, restoring pH balance and shine
Countless natural-haired women like myself love using apple cider vinegar hair rinses to help condition and restore the pH balance of our hair, and for those who don’t know, here’s the quick and dirty on apple cider vinegar, pH balancing and hair health: Apple cider vinegar is naturally acidic, which means that it has a pH that is more in tune with the normal pH of human hair, which is around pH 5.
That understood, as a general rule, you don’t want to tinker too much with your hair’s pH balance (which many hair care products can do) because such imbalances in your hair’s pH can lead to dullness, tangling, and damage.
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This is a very important hair care tip that I share in my bestselling haircare guide, If You Love It, It Will Grow, and simply put, maintaining the pH balance of your hair can mean all the difference between having a dry, tangled mess on top of your head, or having soft, shiny, healthy natural hair that literally feels like butter!
Recipe: Mix 3 cups of water with ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and then use this dilution to rinse your hair as the final step before you exit the shower.
3. Aloe Vera Juice – Use for daily moisturizing
You know how you feel when someone mists you with a bottle of cucumber-infused Evian water on a hot summer day? Well, that’s exactly how your hair feels when you give it a spritz of aloe vera juice!
And just like apple cider vinegar, aloe vera juice also has an acidic pH and works well at moisturizing and protecting hair. End result: More softness, more shine and very happy hair.
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4. Coconut Oil – Use for moisturizing, conditioning, and as a heat protectant
In the most basic sense, hair care can be broken down into three steps: cleanse, moisturize/condition and seal. Usually, it’s a good thing when you can find hair care products that do more than one step at a time – like coconut oil!
Now what makes coconut oil so cool is that it possesses both conditioning and sealing capabilities.
In other words, unlike regular hair oils that simply “sit on hair” to seal in moisture, coconut oil can actually penetrate the hair shaft to condition the hair, as well as seal in moisture on the surface.
So with coconut oil, you get two for the price of one! Plus, you get the added bonus of hair that smells incredibly yummy. Win-win!
Dr. Phoenyx Austin, M.D. is a certified Sports Medicine Specialist, bestselling author, and the creator of women’s FitBeauty products for Healthy Hair and Fit Body. Find Dr. Phoenyx on her website, YouTube channel, and follow her TeamFitBeauty Instagram page for natural hair and healthy living inspiration.
