1
This DIY Mask for Hair Growth
Listen, as much as I’d love to tell you that a single at-home hair mask can help grow your hair longer and faster, but it’s just not the truth (only your DNA can do that). Still, you can help create a healthier environment on your scalp to encourage hair growth by loading up on moisturizing, soothing, and stimulating ingredients, like the four all-stars in this DIY mask.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- Strain the mixture to get rid of the flecks of rosemary and aloe vera before applying it to your hair (or, say screw it, and just deal with some flecks in your shower afterward).
- Pour the mixture into a mason jar or small bowl and add a few scoops of your favorite deep conditioner to thicken it.
- Mix well, then rake the mask through your clean hair and clip it up.
- Let it sit for 30 minutes before shampooing and conditioning like normal.
2
This DIY Mask for Damaged and Brittle Hair
If you’ve been loading up on moisture and your hair is still feeling dry or brittle, you may be in desperate need of a protein treatment. Enter: this DIY mask that uses protein-rich eggs and avocado to help restore strength, along with moisturizing olive oil to increase elasticity.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Add all of the ingredients into your blender or bowl to mash until totally smooth (no clumps, no chunks).
- Fill a spray bottle with water and use it to wet your hair before you apply the mask.
- Scoop up the mask and smooth it through sections of hair until it’s totally saturated, then clip it up and move on to the next section. If you’re working with type-4 hair, skip the clip and detangle your hair first, then braid it down before moving on.
- Secure your hair by putting in a bun or cover with shower cap before letting it sit for about an hour.
- Jump in the shower and shampoo and condition like usual.
3
This DIY Mask for Added Shine
Uh, this DIY hair mask has almost 2 million views, making it one of the most popular tutorials on YouTube—and for good reason: It uses a mix of virtually every single MVP mask ingredient, from eggs to honey to coconut oil, to leave your hair soft and shiny after you rinse.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
- 1 banana, cut up
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons mayo (or avocado)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon juice)
✨ The steps: ✨
- Get out your blender (yup, you’ll need to blend this one, or you’ll get chunks of banana in your hair), and add in all of the ingredients.
- Blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- Smooth the mixture through your hair. If you want the mess-free version, fill up a hair-color applicator bottle with the mask to easily disperse it throughout your hair. Or, if you don’t mind getting a lil messy, pour the mixture in a bowl and dip sections of your hair into it until your hair is fully saturated.
- Clip or tie up your hair, cover it with a shower cap or grocery bag, let it sit for an hour.
- Hop in the shower and shampoo and condition like usual.
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4
This DIY Hot Oil Treatment for Dry Hair
If your hair has been feeling incredibly dry to the point where no store-bought masks or conditioners have helped, try this DIY hot oil treatment, which uses only shea butter and coconut oil to make your hair hella soft and smooth before showering. Yup, this one is rich and heavy, but don’t be scared—you’ll be washing it out at the end.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Combine oils in a microwave-safe bowl or container.
- Microwave microwave-safe container for about 30 seconds or until fully melted.
- Gently detangle hair.
- While the mixture is still warm, distribute the warm mixture through your hair—avoiding the roots, if you have fine, naturally oily hair—and let it sit for an hour or more (ideally in braids, under a bonnet, or under a straight-up grocery bag).
- Shampoo and condition as usual to get the excess oil out. If your hair is fine and easily weighed down, try slathering your hair with conditioner first (it can help dissolve the oil better than shampoo, as weird as it sounds), then shampoo and condition again.
5
This DIY Mask for Damaged Hair
If your hair is damaged (usually a guarantee after you bleach it, relax it, or just perpetually use flat irons and heat tools), your hair routine should be filled with some maaajor deep-conditioning masks that give you a bit of cuticle-repairing proteins, and a lot of strand-smoothing moisture. And if you’re not ready to drop some $$ on store-brand formulas, I highly recommend trying this moisture-packed mask that uses, yup, mayo (trust the process).
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
- 1/2 cup of mayo
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive or argan oil)
- 1 teaspoon honey
✨ The steps: ✨
- Start with clean, freshly shampooed hair so the mask can better penetrate your strands.
- While your hair is still damp (you can do this in the shower, if you’re ~nakey~ and want to rinse your body off afterward), rake the mask through your mid-lengths to ends, avoiding your roots.
- Let the mask sit for up to an hour. Either hang out in your shower for 10 minutes before rinsing, or clip your hair up, throw on a towel, and chill for an hour.
- Rinse the mask out, shampooing again (use a sulfate-free shampoo to avoid stripping your hair), then follow with conditioner.
6
This DIY Mask for Bleached Hair
If you just bleached your hair or color-treated it (and you better not have bleached your hair at home, right?), then you’re definitely in need of some TLC right now. Lightening your hair damages the hair cuticle to some extent, no matter how good your stylist is, which means your post-bleach hair will need a ton of moisture and protein (hi, coconut oil and bananas).
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Dump all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy (yup, you really will want to blend this one or deal with banana chunks in your hair).
- Rake the mixture through your damp hair, then clip it up and off your neck.
- Wrap your hair in sheets of plastic cling wrap, then cover the wrap with a hot damp towel.
- To keep it all from sliding off, slip a shower cap on top. It sounds like a lot, but the goal here is to trap in heat and moisture to help the oils and moisture penetrate your strands better.
- Let it all sit for 30 mins to an hour (really, longer is better), then take it all off and rinse in the shower (pro tip: Use a purple shampoo to keep your blonde hair bright and brass-free).
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7
This DIY Mask for Frizzy, Curly Hair
As someone with curly hair, I want to say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with frizz or flyaways, and they 100 percent do not need to be “tamed.” That being said, frizzy curls can be a major sign of dryness, in which case you need a moisturizing hair mask fast. The easiest and most beloved hair mask for curls? Pure oil. Both olive and coconut oil are the heaviest of the oils, but they’re also the best at locking in hydration, so try this mask once a week for max definition and moisture.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Warm a half cup of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl until liquified (or, just pour half a cup of olive oil in bowl).
- Dip your fingers in the bowl and slowly coat your dry curls from roots to tips with oil, working in sections until fully saturated.
- Clip your hair up, cover it with a shower cap, and leave it on for at least an hour before rinsing and shampooing your hair. If your hair is incredibly dry and/or damaged, leave it on overnight and rinse in the morning.
8
This DIY Mask for Dull Hair
This DIY mask is truly magical for hydration. It’s made with avocado, which is filled with fatty acids that coat your hair cuticle in moisture, and honey, which acts as a humectant (an ingredient that draws moisture from the air and into the strand). If you’re not sure which oil to choose, pick olive oil for thicker, coarser, and/or color-treated hair, and argan oil for finer hair types that are easily weighed down.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon of argan oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/8 cup coconut milk (or almond milk, if you’re in a pinch)
✨ The steps: ✨
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender (or, use a hand mixer, or, if you’re supremely lazy, just mix that sh*t by hand with a fork and whisk, but be prepared for clumps).
- Smooth the mixture throughout your dry hair, from roots to tips, then wrap and clip your hair up.
- Leave on for at least 30 minutes, then shampoo and condition as usual.
9
This DIY Mask for Flakes and Dandruff
Okay, so this is the closest tutorial I could find that matches my own DIY dandruff mask. But, instead of the lavender essential oil in the video (too irritating), I use aspirin. It’s. Freaking. Magical. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, a natural dandruff killer and flake soother, while apple cider vinegar is MVP at changing the acidity on your scalp to disrupt yeast growth (too much yeast = dandruff). As for tea tree oil? It’s an antibacterial and antifungal, so it helps stop dandruff and itch on contact.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Mix equal parts water and apple cider vinegar in a clean spray bottle.
- Add the tea tree oil, swirling until mixed.
- Crush the aspirin (I use the bottom of a cup to smash them up), pour the powder in the bottle, and swirl it around until dissolved.
- Saturate your scalp with the spray, letting it sit for 30 minutes before shampooing and conditioning like normal. Don’t worry—the scent will be gone.
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10
This DIY Mask for Oily, Greasy Hair
Okay, technically, nothing but your genetics and hormones can really curb your oil production (blame your DNA), but a grease-dissolving DIY mask also can’t exactly hurt. Enter: This aloe-based recipe, which uses honey (a natural antibacterial), lemon (a natural astringent that’s usually a major no-no for your face—it’s too acidic—so keep it on your hair), and aloe (a lightweight hydrator) to cut grease without stripping your hair.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
- 1 squeeze of a lemon wedge (only have lemon juice? Try half a teaspoon)
✨ The steps: ✨
- Combine all three ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed.
- Rake it through your damp hair, focusing on your scalp.
- Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing (you don’t need to shampoo after, but you can).
11
This DIY Mask for Itchy, Dry Hair
Apple cider vinegar is the MVP of curly-hair ingredients, and for good reason: It gently dissolves product buildup, soothes itchiness, and balances out your scalp’s pH (sounds fake, but it’s legit helpful). Mix that with soothing honey and moisturizing coconut oil, and you’ve got an incredibly good, scalp-calming DIY hair mask for straight hair and curls.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Add the coconut oil to a bowl (though the tutorial doesn’t call for it, I recommend microwaving the oil for 45 seconds to make it easier to work with).
- Mix the honey and apple cider vinegar in with the oil.
- Work the mixture through your dry roots, making sure to fully saturate your scalp before moving to your ends.
- Leave on for 30 minutes before shampooing.
12
This DIY Scalp Scrub and Hair Mask
Okay, so technically, this isn’t just a DIY hair mask—it’s a scalp scrub, too, using moisturizing oils and antibacterial honey to soothe irritated or dry scalps, along with raw sugar to exfoliate flakes and cut through product buildup. Though you can apply this scrub to damp or dry hair, this YouTuber recommends dry hair, finding that the sugar granules tend to dissolve too quickly with water to get a good exfoliation.
✨ DIY hair mask ingredients: ✨
✨ The steps: ✨
- Add all the ingredients to a small bowl, stirring until completely mixed.
- Scoop up a dollop of scrub and massage it along your part and hairline.
- Work section by section, lifting a row of hair, tossing it to the other side, and massaging the scrub into your scalp until your scalp is fully covered and exfoliated.
- Leave it on for five minutes, then shampoo and condition.
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Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Chloe Metzger is the former deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan with nearly 10 years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair stories, like hair types and the best diffusers for curly hair. She’s been working with her own 2b/3a curly hair her entire life, which has made her an expert in curly hair products. She’s constantly testing new curly hair gels, mousses, and creams for efficacy, and worked with the industry’s top hairstylists and cosmetic chemists to assess new formulas and brands.
Chaise Sanders is Associate Editor at Cosmopolitan with experience researching and writing a range of beauty stories, including helping you find the best electric razors and shaving kits or highlighting the best facial cleansing brushes on the internet. She regularly researches and analyzes DIY hair masks for efficacy, while working with some of the industry’s top dermatologists and estheticians to assess ingredients and recipes.
Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.
Chaise Sanders is an Associate Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers anything from lifestyle and beauty to entertainment and style. Wanna upgrade your skincare game? She’s got you covered with the best facial cleansing brushes. Or maybe you’re in need of a new true crime show to binge? Got that covered too! Prior to joining the Cosmo team, Chaise was an editor at Country Living (also part of the Hearst fam) where she interviewed celebs like Dolly Parton, LeAnn Rimes and even Martha Stewart. Now, as one of the Big Apple’s newest residents, there’s a good chance that you can catch her checking out an Insta-worthy cafe or spending way to much $$$ in vintage stores.
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