I’ve been natural for about 10 years now and have definitely tried my fair share of natural hair products. While I love my trips to the hair care aisle trying to find which product I’m going to try out next, I also absolutely love all things DIY. When I first went natural there were not many options when it came to natural hair products so I had to improvise and in doing so I found some amazing diy recipes that really helped restore and reboot my natural curls. Whether your hair is heat damaged, color damaged, or you simply need a good conditioning treatment, these recipes are sure to have your curls bouncing back in no time. Here are 3 of my all time favorite pre-poos.
1. Mayo Protein Treatment
Protein treatments are great for restoring protein in dry and damaged hair.This particular protein treatment is amazing because most people have all of the ingredients at home. I remember once a month when I was a little girl my mom would do protein treatments in my hair. This protein treatment consist of mayonnaise, olive oil, and 1 egg. You can also add honey to the recipe.
Ingredients:
Hefty scoop of mayonnaise
1 egg
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp honey*
Combine all ingredients, add to damp hair,cover hair with a plastic bag, allow mixture to stay in hair for 30 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water then shampoo and condition hair.
2. Avocado and Coconut Protein Treatment
Another great protein treatment might require a trip to the health food store but it is definitely worth it. This protein treatment is great at restoring limp lackluster or dry curls. Your curls will bounce back in no time.
Ingredients:
3-5 chunks of raw shea butter
1 egg
1 soft avocado
5 tbsp castor oil
1 tbsp of organic raw honey
2-3 tbsp of raw unrefined cold pressed organic coconut oil
Heat shea butter for one minute, heat coconut oil for 30 seconds then combine all ingredients and add to your hair. Allow it to sit between 30 minutes to an hour before rinsing, washing and conditioning.
Growing up hot oil treatments were a bi-weekly condition. An oil was heated, usually olive oil and added to my damp hair followed by a plastic cap. Hot oil treatments soothe and smooth dry, damaged hair while the essential oils help to promote growth and circulation.For this recipe you can use any carrier oil you choose, some of my favorite are; jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, olive oil, apricot oil.
3. Hot oil treatment
Ingredients:
3-5 drops rosemary essential oil
5-7 tbs carrier oil
2-3 drops peppermint essential oil
Heat the carrier oil in a microwave safe bowl until warm, add the essential oils then apply to hair. Add a plastic cap to hair to lock in the oil. This treatment can be left on anywhere from 10 minutes to overnight. Once you are ready to take treatment out, rinse then shampoo and condition hair.
Will these pre-poo treatments can be great for hair, they also can be damaging if overdone. Be sure to space these treatments out as much as possible. Once a month is great, two weeks is fine if your hair is damaged and needs some extra loving and weekly hot oil treatments is doable if needed. Remember avoid heat as much as possible for the beautiful, bouncy curls.
What’s your favorite pre-poo for natural hair?
