Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Hair Help… Or Not. Pins to Try and to Avoid

While there are many things I pin on Pinterest and then never try, I’m most likely to actually try what I pin to my “hair help” board.

My hair is thick, coarse, and has some damage from coloring. I wear it long because the weight helps pull it down some. I’m always looking for ways to get it looking healthy, shiny, and/or straight. I’ve tried several of home recipes and here’s what I’ve found works… and what doesn’t.

home hair treatments

Coconut oil hair treatment: wash hair and then apply coconut oil to your hair. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, then shampoo. I tried this once and noticed a slight difference but I thought maybe I hadn’t used enough. On my next try, I applied liberally to my hair. But I somehow thought that I just needed to rinse instead of shampoo, which left me with one greasy head of hair. When I realized what I’d done, I shampooed my hair, which left me with extremely soft hair. I don’t know how often I’d really want to leave it on my hair for 24 hours in order to get those results, though.

Brown sugar hair straightening treatment: mix one cup of water with two tablespoon of brown sugar. Pour into a spray bottle and spray damp hair. Comb through and let air dry. Hair is supposed to dry straight. I’m convinced that someone just made this up and pinned it to see if anyone was gullible enough to try. I was, but you can save yourself the hassle.

Sea salt hair detox: this hair treatment is supposed to help get the build up out of your hair. Mix 3 parts sea salt with two parts mild shampoo. Shampoo with this mixture and rinse with cool water. I did feel like this removed some of the build up out of my hair though I’ve had similar result with a 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 cup water solution(an old tip from my hairdresser from the early 90s, when I aqua net-ed my hair to death to get big hair). This should only be done about once a month.

Hair repair recipe: 2 tbs honey, 1 tbs apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs olive oil. Mix together and apply to your hair. Rinse and shampoo after letting it sit on your hair for 30 minutes. I felt like the honey didn’t want to leave my hair(the salt hair detox helped) and yet that this was not enough to make any difference in my hair. Might work if you have thinner or shorter hair.

All natural scalp treatment: this is another that is supposed to remove build up plus relieve dry tight skin on your scalp and help with hair growth. I can’t attest to the hair growth, but this did relieve my dry scalp- it felt indulgent to do this treatment. This scalp treatment uses 4 tbs coconut oil, 2 tbs lemon juice and 1 tbs grapefruit juice. This one is a little more involved so I’ll just direct you to the pin for the full directions for this all natural scalp treatment.

Hair shine treatment: shampoo hair then massage 1 tbs apple cider vinegar into your scalp. Condition and rinse. No dramatic difference here but it’s better than spraying brown sugar in your hair.

Have you tried any natural hair remedies? What worked and what didn’t?

Comments

    • Nothing that was super amazing. Some decent results, but nothings was really the miracle cure that these sorts of things usually claim.

  3. The only DIY I’ve done for my hair is cornstarch or baby powder as a dry shampoo. I’m also in hair rehab from color and highlights. I’ve been washing my hair WAY less. Even going 3 days without shampooing to help give it a break. That actually helps so much. I use the cornstarch or baby powder on my scalp to keep it from being oily in between shampoos. 

    I’m SO happy you shared your results with us. Now I know which to NOT try! 😉

  4. I always thought “you” weren’t supposed to use vinegar and possible baking soda on color-treated hair. I’ve avoided a lot of these because of that ( I have highlights)! I do want to try the coconut oil and I think I saw something about avocado too. I burned my hair last year after repeated flat-iron use. Most of the damage has grown-out/been trimmed off, but I have a few parts that still get frizzy.. plus, in my “old” age, my hair has decided to get curly frizzy, but the top front is still really straight and just SITS there! UGH!

    • Mine is so frizzy. I’ve been tempted to do some chemical straightening treatments, but I think with the color, it’s just too much processing.

      I heard that a bit about vinegar- it didn’t seem to have any effect, but I only tried it once with each of those treatments.

  5. I live in a really dry climate. I’m always looking for ways to combat dry hair. I have heard that the baking soda and vinegar–used at different times can help hair.

    • Someone else mentioned having to watch with vinegar and dyed hair. I’ve heard that as well, so I’ve used it sparingly.

  6. I’ve always been afraid to try certain things because I never know what it’s going to do to my hair. This wasn’t intentional, but when I was younger I was hit with an egg on Mischief Night. My hair has never been that soft before, so I’m guessing that’s a natural remedy?

  7. I haven’t tried any– I have always thought about it but then am just too lazy in the end 🙂  And yes I am sure there are people that just make stuff up to try and create a pinnable post

    • I tried these over the course of several months and figured I could probably put them all together in one post.

  8. I love hair treatments! Thanks for the article 🙂

    I currently use pro naturals argan oil hair mask and occasionally coconut oil to make my hair soft and shiny.

  9. I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard that mayonnaise can help restore moisture to hair.  I’m in love with the store  bought conditioner I’ve been using, but I do want to try some natural treatments. Thanks for these!

    • I’ve heard that about mayo, too. I tried it back in high school, but don’t really remember the results.

      What store bought conditioner do you use?

    • Coconut oil seems to get the best results- alone or mixed with something else.

      I miss you, too! xo

  11. I haven’t tried these for fear of what it will do to my hair as well. I am avoiding dying my hair because the damage was just intense. I do use Moroccan oil treatments from Garnier and those are good for this curly/wavy/frizzy mess that sits on top of my head. But definitely thinking of giving the coconut oil a try…thanks for sharing! 

    • I tried Garnier’s straightening treatment and I really liked it. I should do that again.

  12. I have never tried a home remedy for hair – I’m just too lazy!  But if ever find the magic bullet, please share! My hair is naturally course and wavy so I am always on the lookout for the silk and the shine. 

    • I’m so tempted to try a straightening treatment in the salon- but they are so pricey and my hair is already damaged enough. Or maybe I’m just afraid I’ll love it so much that I’ll go broke keeping up with it!

  13. I love that you are trying these!!! (even though some didn’t work out)  I started in May switiching over my (and my husband’s) whole beauty routine   (hair care, toothcare, facewash, moisturizer and deodorant) to homemade/natural.  For hair I make my own shampoo (baking soda and water), conditioner (Apple Cider Vinegar and water), hair gel out of flaxseeds and hairspray from sugar and water.  I’ve definitely have had some major hits and misses during the transition but so far I’m really liking the results.  I am plan on blogging about it soon.  I’m still tweaking some of the recipes but for hair care I’m pretty settled with the homemade ones.  My hair is curly and frizzy and I think the homemade products have been helping it out.  (Plus its saving us some money 🙂 It definitely took a bit though to find what worked. 

  14. I have thought about trying some of these things…but never actually got my butt out of the chair, and put the effort into doing it. Which probably says a lot about my capacity for laziness.

    I need to do something to control the crazy frizz that descended on my hair a few years ago, with no signs of leaving.

    • It took me months to try this many and I finally got around to putting my results into a post.

      My hair is getting frizzier as i get older. :/

  15. I am convinced nothing will work with my unruly hair. I did laugh at your “Aqua-netted to death” comment. I was so there with you!

  16. I do no-pooing now. I just use conditioner – no shampoo. My hair is so much softer and not greasy at all like I thought it would be.

    I had to laugh at the brown sugar thing. That was just mean for someone to put that on there. I wonder if someone actually did that and liked how it felt? I can imagine it must have sticky.

    • I’ve heard a lot about no poo. My roots get so greasy, though. I’m nervous to try it.

      I’m betting someone had a laugh, making something up to see how many repins they could get!

  17. I’ve tried the apply olive oil all over your hair, then wrap it up like a turban for a few hours, then rinse. Supposed to keep hair shiny and black. It worked!

    The other one I’ve tried and liked is the baking soda/ vinegar treatment. Made my hair really clean and soft.