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Curly Nikki

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

By January 27th, 202123 Comments
15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

Below, you’ll find a compilation of homemade mixes that I’ve used, as well as others that CN community members love, and shared for all of us to enjoy!




CLEANSERS & RINSES

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Ingredients:
2 cups of water
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Combine the water and ACV into a bowl or cup. Slowly pour over hair, scrubbing scalp and hair to remove buildup. To smooth the cuticles and restore PH balance, you can also use this rinse as your final step after washing, conditioning and detangling.
A good ACV rinse can remove product buildup, restore the pH balance of the scalp and hair, promote blood circulation in the scalp–which can stimulate new hair growth–and give the hair a soft, healthy sheen.

Baking Soda Rinse

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
½ cup baking soda

Directions:
Allow to dissolve, and apply to scalp and hair. Massage. Can be used after regular shampooing or in place of it. The consistency shouldn’t be gritty, it should be smooth and easy to apply.

SuperCoils ‘Marshmallow Rinse’ for Detangling Ease


Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
4 teaspoons shredded marshmallow root

Directions:
Put the marshmallow root in a cup, then add the hot water and allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, as if you were making tea. Strain the marshmallow out, and use the “tea” as a rinse for your hair.

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

 

 Herbal Hair Rinses

Ingredients (pick the ones that you need):
Catnip: Promotes healthy hair growth–many women on longhaircommunity swear by this stuff for long, strong hair.
Chamomile: Softens hair, soothes the scalp, lighten and conditions (people use it with honey to bring out natural highlights). Chamomile is also known to stimulate growth.
Horsetail: Helps brittle hair due to its high silica content.
Lavender: Stimulates hair growth
Nettle: conditions, improves texture, helps with dandruff, irritated scalp, and dry scalp
Parsley: enriches hair color and gives a nice luster
Plantain: great for dry, irritated scalp, dandruff, and seborrhea
Peppermint: stimulates the scalp
Rosemary: Acts as a tonic and conditioner, one of the best herbs to use, gives luster and body, stimulates growth, helps with dandruff, and brings out dark highlights in the hair.
Sage: Very effective in restoring color to graying hair, excellent for weak brittle hair
Saw Palmetto: good for thinning hair and hair loss
Thyme: good for oily hair and dandruff
Witch Hazel: cleanses hair

Directions:
After you’ve decided which herb(s) will get the job done, follow the steps below:

  1. Place the herb(s) in a pitcher (glass is ideal).
  2. Pour boiling water over the herb(s), cover, and steep for 10-20 minutes.
  3. Strain the mixture and allow the liquid to cool.
  4. Pour over your head after your regular shampoo, condition, and detangling session. Do not rinse.

You can buy your herbs in bulk from one of the following:

Bulk Herb Store
Mountain Rose Herbs
Herbco.com

DEEP CONDITIONERS

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

 Honey Deep Conditioner

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions:

Mix honey with olive oil. Heat in microwave oven to melt and apply to hair, then cover head with a plastic cap for 15-30 minutes. To ramp up the moisturizing benefits, sit under a hooded dryer or don a micro heat cap. 

Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mask

Ingredients :
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado (pitted)
1/3 cup sour cream

Directions:
Blend and apply mask to hair. Cover hair with shower cap for a half hour, then rinse with cold water for a soothed scalp and moisturized hair follicles.

Pumped up DT

Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite Deep Conditioner
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of olive or coconut oil

Directions:

Mix and apply to hair in sections. Cover with a shower cap and sit under a bonnet dryer for 15-30 minutes. Rinse, and style as usual.

MOISTURIZING LEAVE-INS

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

Curl Defining Leave-In with Aloe Vera Juice

Ingredients:
8oz Light conditioner (Suave, Tresseme, V05)
5oz Distilled water
3oz Aloe vera juice
1-2 oz Coconut oil

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bottle, shake, and apply to damp hair. This mix provides moisture, definition, and shine.

Sheenalashay’s Moisturizing Hair Mist

Ingredients:
8oz bottle
Water – Distilled Water is best (Fill the bottle 3/5th of the way)
Vegetable Glycerin – Purchased at my local Wholefoods Grocery Store and/or Amazon.com (Fill the bottle 1/5th of the way)
Olive Oil – Purchased at any grocery store (Add about 1 tablespoon)
Essential Oils – Purchased at my local Wholefoods Grocery Store and/or Drugstore.com (Add as much or little as you want)
Rose Water – Purchased at my local Wholefoods Grocery Store (Add about 1 tablespoon)

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a bottle, shake to emulsify and apply to damp or wet hair.

Shake’s Whipped Shea Butter

Ingredients:
8oz pure yellow unrefined shea butter
can of coconut milk
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Vegetable Glycerin

Directions
:
Use a hand mixer
Put all of the shea butter in a large plastic bowl
Add a few large spoonfuls of coconut milk and whip until smooth.
Add more and more, bit by bit, mixing after each addition until it’s light and fluffy.
Add a spoonful or so of each oil and mix again.
Add a healthy squeeze of glycerin, and voila!

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

KurlyBella’s Marshmallow and Burdock Detangler

Ingredients:  
15- 20 dried organic hibiscus flowers
3 tablespoons organic dried marshmallow root
3 tablespoons organic dried burdock root
hot water

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a low simmer. Add the dried hibiscus flowers.
Simmer the flowers for about 5 minutes making sure your water does not boil.
Remove from heat and remove flowers.
Add organic dried marshmallow root and organic dried burdock root and stir them into the hot water.
Cover and let the herbs infuse for 15 minutes.
Strain and pour the liquid into a squirt or squeeze bottle (I like to use an old water bottle with the pop out top).
Use this mixture on freshly washed and clean hair and do not rinse out. Comb through your hair and style as usual.


STYLERS

Curl Defining Spritz

Ingredients:

9 oz of conditioner (VO5 Extra body, Suave Bio Basics, or Suave Naturals)
3 oz of setting lotion (use lotta body for extra body)
1 oz of glycerine (optional!)
1-2 oz of sweet almond oil/coconut oil/olive oil, etc. (I used 2 oz of coconut oil)

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a bottle and shake to blend…
Add water until the consistency is to your liking.


This concoction results in a light styling lotion that would leave my hair soft, crunch free, defined, and moisturized. I used it to Wash & Go with great success– curls popping everywhere!
My Aunty still uses this recipe from time to time. 

Sav8Sol’s Moisturizing Spritz

Ingredients:
2 tbsp leave-in conditioner (your choice)
4 tbsp aloe vera juice
4 tbsp distilled water
3 tsp avocado oil (or) 2 tsp jojoba oil
2 tsp evoo oil
5 drops rosemary oil
** you can also substitute this spritzer as a creamy hair milk by substituting the (4 tbsp) aloe vera JUICE with (3tbsp) aloe vera GEL and eliminating the (4 tbsp) distilled water.

Directions:
Mix together in an 8oz spray bottle.

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

Flax seed Gel

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tbsp flax seeds
(optional) coconut oil

Directions:
Bring water and flax seeds to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Strain and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Some people add other things, EO, Aloe, etc. But I just use the above recipe. Add a pinch of citric acid as a preservative

This will de-frizz, provide hold, shine, and definition.

**************************************

Homemade spritzes and butters are very popular on the hair boards, and can be incredibly beneficial. If you’re a mixtress, please heed this warning, and make sure you’re adding preservatives to your concoctions, and/or keeping them refrigerated. Tonya McKay of Naturallycurly.com suggests the following:

  • Make up a small amount of solution daily or every other day.
  • Make up enough solution to last for one week and store it in the refrigerator when not in use.
  • Make up enough solution to use for 1-2 weeks and add either natural or synthetic preservative drops to it in an amount specified in the literature.

When whipping up your mix, she directs us to use boiling water, clean hands, and a sterilized container. You can purchase grapefruit seed extract (a popular natural preservative) from many health food stores. Even your properly preserved mixtures should be placed in the fridge for safe storage. To read more from this article, click HERE.

Got fav recipes? Share them in the comment section below!

This article was originally published in 2010 and was recently updated for grammar and clarity.

23 Comments

  • mureille says:

    maybe you should stop perming her hair??
    that may help A LOT.

  • Brittany says:

    never mind i just saw the links below the herb list

  • Brittany says:

    where can i buy the herbs?

  • Keej says:

    I am excited to try some rinses, and that hair perfume, and hair mask and deep conditioners.. I think my hair is getting excited as well..lol

  • Lauren says:

    Deep conditionerMayonnaise
    Olive Oil
    Coconut Oil
    Honey

    If your hair needs protein, replace the mayonnaise with one egg.Heat it up in the microwave or sit under a dryer for at least 20 minutes. I don't measurements. I just wing it lol

  • anna says:

    HELP NEEDED!!! My daughter's hair seems to break when it gets to a certain length (which is between ears and nape of neck). I have absolutely NO IDEA why her hair continues to break. I know diet and such are important, but i feel the biggest factor is what is used in her hair. Her hair is coarse and naturally dry….also she is ALWAYS scratching her scalp, yet it doesnt appear dry nor do i see any dandruff (but she does have eczema on her arms and legs)/ She gets her hair permed maybe every 3 months. At her beauticians advice, she uses mizani hair moisterizer and a lttle pure olive oil mixed together…..at least twice a week she puts on a plastic cap for 10 min after moisterizing. She wraps her hair in a silk scarf whenever at home and at night. Right now im not as concerned about growth as i am health/strength. I'm thinking i need a good treatment recipe and a good leave in conditioner – im not always able to afford to get her to the beautician as often as she need to go. ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE MORE THAN WELCOMED! Sorry so lengthy, I just wanted to provide as much info as possible. (Also, please pardon my ignorance, but how exactly do you use a rinse.)

  • Rachel Obamette says:

    cant wait to try these.

  • DeVanneJuiceeJeniceChinn says:

    im giving aloe vera juice a whirl… got sum from Walmart for less than $5.

  • stacky20 says:

    I am loving all these recipes. Looks like I'll be making a Whole Foods run.

  • Anonymous says:

    i've been searching high and low for products or even natural oils to use on my extremely dry scalp…any suggestions?

  • pheomenalmosaic says:

    hair custard/gel

    aloe vera gel
    extra virgin coconut oil
    vegetable glycerin
    mango butter and shea butter
    xanthan gum
    essential oil of preference

    melt shea butter and mango butter but leave just a little that is unmelted. Add evco to aloe vera gel and add vegetable glycerin to mix. Mix well with blender then slowly add shea butter and mango butter add a small amount of the xanthan gum

    should be a constancy of a custard
    love and enjoy

  • Anointed Misfit says:

    With the curl defining spritz and the moisturizing spritz, do you have to use to veggie glycerin? If so, what can you do to cut the smell.

  • Anonymous says:

    Ohk I want to grow my hair back naturally. I recently cut it off and got it relaxed. its been about two months, and I can see some growth but I not on my edges? I want to cut it again so it can be even with the back… Im in such a mess nd dnt know what to do.??? please help with healthy growing tips… my hair is fine and breaks off easily..

  • Rugged Flowers says:

    I came across this site from you tube, and let me tell you, TY,TY,TY,TY!!!!!! (thank you). i started my hair journey on 2/1/12, from browsing vids on you tube. And i must say that this site is the most informative thus far. This is overwhelming to m but i'm determined to see this through. I have mde the BCO, GLY Spritz, and i have also purchased several EO's. But i nee toknow what is the best gentle shampoo to use sincei'm hearing that this is one of the 1st critical steps next to moisturizing & Deep conditioning. I'm oerwhelmed right now with th excitemnet of the natural and i'm in need of support and guidance. I'm o happy tht i have found your forum

  • Anonymous says:

    I am so happy to have found this forum. I have very coarse natural hair and on top of it i have sebhorreic dermatitis. my scapl gets so itchy and flaky that it sometimes get irritated and lumpy. I've tried everything on the shelves. nothing works. I find that the more oil i use, the more it itches. yet, my scalp gets so dry that my hair breaks. i went to the doctor, he prescribed me an oil to put on my scalp at night with a shower cap and wash it in the morning. As a black woman with coarse hair, i can't do that everyday. I like the honey and olive oil suggestion from this list. i'm gonna try that today and i'll let you gals know how it works out…thank you!

  • Anonymous says:

    @juspat- do you mix the oils together or is it pick one or buy the mixture of those certain oils?
    Also, you said a jar of gel. How much gel do I use? How much peppermint oil also? I am trying to treat my much damaged hair and grow it out long and healthy. Thanks!- ahowellmom@yahoo.com Please feel free to email me

  • kazi.ayeni says:

    @juspat- Is the line on ylang ylang/avocado/aloe vera juice a "pick one to use" or was that to include all three in the recipe?

  • juspat says:

    Pat's Skrunch leave-in conditioner
    1 jar of gel (one that doesn't flake)
    2 tblsp shea butter
    2 tblsp coconut oil
    2 tblsp ya lang ya lang oil,avocado oil, aloe vera juice, (if you can find a bottle of oil mixtures, get it). Optional: peppermint oil for growth

    Melt oils in microwave and mix (Blend) all ingredients together, it should form a pudding. My results: hair has grown 5 inches in 4 months.

  • Naturally Blessed says:

    @Zoe- I know you asked this long ago, but in case some one comes along wondering the same thing, here is what I'm currently using:

    1oz Jojoba Oil
    1oz Vitamin E Oil
    .25 oz Tea Tree Oil
    .25 Olive Oil

    I mixed these up on a color applicator bottle from Sally's. I apply every other night, lightly. Massage it in. So far this oil and my weekly Apple Cider Vinegar cleansing has been helpful. Previously my scalp was sooo dandruff-y and dry, I'd get a cascade of flakes just by touching my hair-NOT a good look. I'm convinced I'm dealing with more than just a dry scalp. It's probably fungal. I've ramped up my cleansing to every 3/4 days versus waiting a week and have switched to a sulfate free shampoo alternating with cowashing. I plan to add Rosemary oil once I get my hands on some.

    HTH!

  • Anonymous says:

    1 cup of shampoo
    1/2 cup conditioner
    1/4 cup olive EVOO
    5 drops of tea tree oil

    great as a daily, leave-in moisturizer!!

  • Zoe says:

    Do you have any recipes for a remedy for chronic dandruff/dry scalp? I've tried tea tree oil in the past, but to no avail.

  • Sade' says:

    umm you should try s spoonfuls of mayo 2 eggs and like a tablespoon of hoey it smells horrible to me but its a great deep conditioner lol!

  • Unknown says:

    This is a great list! I came back specifically for the curl defining spritz and discovered a gold mine. Thanks!

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