DIY Banana Hair Mask/Conditioner

In an older post of mine (How to keep your hair strong), I mentioned that marketed conditioners are full of chemicals and make the hair weak thus contributing to hair fall.

So I stopped using conditioners and observed some decrease in the hair fall.

But as all of you must be able to relate, we love the silky and smooth texture after we use conditioners. I also missed my smoother and more manageable hair. So I looked for herbal, home-made alternatives. I tried this banana hair mask and found it to be as good as any marketed conditioner. Since it is effective, I have to share this with all you lovely ladies.

What you need

Bananas:

You will need 2 bananas if you have medium-long hair. 1 banana will be enough for short hair.

Curd:

You will need a little of curd to adjust the consistency.

Apple Cider Vinegar:

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has several benefits for hair which I have already discussed in my previous post (Beauty benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar).

If you don’t have ACV, you can add juice of half lemon. But I would strongly suggest you to get an ACV bottle today and start using it for your hair and skin. Read the previous post on ACV for more information about the various uses and benefits of ACV.

How to make

1. Take 2 bananas and 1-2 tablespoon of curd in a blender and blend properly. Be careful that the paste should be thick. Add curd carefully; add more curd only if you feel that paste is too thick.

2. Strain the paste through a soup strainer (not the tea strainer). You will need a spoon to help paste pass through the sieve.

3. The paste should be of consistency of a conditioner. If the paste has become too thin, you can add a little multani mitti to correct the consistency. If it is too thick, wait for the next step.

4. Add 1-2 tablespoon (depending on the length of the hair) of ACV to this paste and mix properly. Be very careful with the quantity of ACV. Do not overdo it. Please read precautions carefully in the post Beauty Benefits of ACV.

5. If you still feel that paste is too thick, you can adjust the consistency with curd.

How to apply

There can be two ways:

As Hair Mask

Apply this paste as a hair mask 2 hours before the head wash. it will be good if you sprinkle some water on your hair to dampen them before applying this hair mask, because the absorption is better when the surface is hydrated. I have discussed this concept in another post (Face Mask Hacks). There I have talked in context of skin, but the same principles apply to hair and scalp also.

After 2 hours, wash your hair the usual way. And do not apply any conditioner afterwards. Even without using any marketed conditioner, you will have smooth soft hair.

As Conditioner

You can also apply this paste as a conditioner. After shampooing, apply all over your hair, keep it for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse it off with water.

But if you are going to use it as conditioner, DO NOT add curd at all, because curd has fats and it will make your hair sticky. Use water instead to manage the consistency.

RESULT

The result will same as a good marketed Conditioner, but without chemicals and without increasing your hair fall. It will in fact improve the over all health of your hair and scalp.

Please Note:

• People who have oily hair should not use it as conditioner. They can however use it as hair mask.
• When used as conditioner, it might not leave your hair with a very clean and silky look, but hair will be manageable and healthy. (I use it as conditioner when I do not have any special occasion to attend, and use it as hair mask when I want my hair to be more aesthetically appealing).
• People with dry and frizzy hair should definitely give it a try as conditioner. It will leave your hair frizz free and manageable. People having normal hair should better use it as Hair Mask.
• The only problem with this DIY hair mask is that after wash, it leaves fibers of banana entangled in your wet hair. But they fall off when your hair are dry, and few fibers which are left are removed when you comb your hair. It is not a problem, but you cannot step out of home before your hair are completely dry and you comb your hair thoroughly.

Important:

We usually have a habit of using a lot of shampoo and removing oil from our hair entirely. While this might be okay for oily hair, it is a mistake for normal hair and a big mistake for dry hair. I too had this habit, but once I was in hurry and mistakenly left a little oil in the hair; and my hair were totally transformed after that wash. They were so smooth and frizz free (and not oily at all). You should not deliberately remove all the oil. Especially when you are not going to use a marketed conditioner, you should leave a little moisture in your hair in form of oil.

Follow this tip and use home-made hair masks, and you will be able to solve most of your hair problems.

Also Read: Best Home Remedy for Hair Fall and Best Anti-ageing Home Remedies