Many of us who spend a lot of time and effort on our hair find that it is dry and frizzy. This is often a result of overprocessing and too much heat styling. Perms, coloring, curling or straightening, and blow drying can all have a devastating effect on our hair. And even if you rarely do any of these things, your hair may just have a tendency toward dryness. That is true of my hair, which is just naturally coarse, curly and dry, even though I don’t use hairdryers and the like. 
We often seek to repair our dry and damaged hair with more chemicals or salon treatments. But did you know that there are some simple, natural home remedies that are often just as effective? You can add moisture and bounce to your tresses without buying expensive prepackaged products. Here’s how.
Natural Home Remedies for Dry Hair
* Make sure you’re getting enough essential fatty acids in your diet. These are crucial to the body’s oil production, and not getting enough of them can result in dry hair even if you do not use heat or chemicals in styling. Foods that contain essential fatty acids include nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Eat grass fed, pastured animal products – they have a much healthier fat profile.
* Massage your scalp gently with your fingertips. This stimulates the scalp’s oil glands, increasing natural oil production. Doing this each time you shampoo will make it easier to remember. The old fashioned advice to brush your hair every day also helps distribute the oils through from your scalp to the hair strands.
* Minimize exposure to heat and chemicals. Let your hair air dry, consider styling with foam rollers instead of a curling iron, and space chemical treatments several weeks apart. Use natural non toxic hair color instead of conventional products because these can be very drying.
* Make a healthy hair mask. Mash up a brown banana with a rotten avocado to make an effective and great-smelling hair mask. Apply it to your hair and let it set for up to an hour, then rinse it out with warm water.
* Another natural hair recipe: Beat up two or three eggs, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of vinegar. Apply it to your hair before shampooing, cover it with a shower cap, and leave it on for a half hour. Wash it out and condition as usual.
* Make your own hot oil treatment. Mix equal parts coconut oil and lavender oil, warm it up a bit, and massage it on your scalp and into your hair. Cover, leave it on overnight, and rinse or shampoo in the morning. Olive oil also works well for this purpose. My sister who has thick, coarse naturally curly hair swears by this.
* Goop it up: Put plain, full fat yogurt or mayonnaise (regular, not light) on your hair. Leave it on for half an hour and rinse thoroughly.
Treating dry hair doesn’t have to be an expensive treatment done in a salon. We can find everything we need to do it ourselves in the grocery or health food store, or even in our kitchen. These all natural remedies will banish the frizzies and leave your hair soft, smooth, and manageable.
photo credit: Kevin N. Murphy
