How To: Coconut Oil Hair Mask (Protein Power!)

Ah, Saturday mornings: I can sleep in a little, soak in the morning sunshine and prepare my monthly hair mask. Sometimes my hair needs a little rehab. Over the years, I’ve put color in it, I’ve used chemical relaxers, and I’ve put heat on my hair. Sounds harsh! Even though I stopped dying my hair, and only use chemical relaxers once (max twice) a year, I need to restore the proteins that were lost from those harsh treatments; so I apply a monthly coconut oil hair mask. This treatment is great for all hair types because all of the ingredients I use are natural and do the same fundamental things for the hair shaft no matter what the hair type. If you get perms or relaxers regularly, or dye your hair often, you definitely need to consider some sort of “protein treatment” to apply to your hair. Chemical applications strip your hair of its proteins, and our hair is made up of approximately 91% protein! What are we doing to ourselves?! But what you can do is regularly and consistently put those proteins back into your hair to strengthen it, and my coconut oil mask recipe is great to apply as needed. Now I’m no scientist or dermatologist, but I know that if I’m going to put these chemical applications on my hair, I need to be knowledgeable about how to take care of it.

So let’s get started on this hair mask. I do this before I wash my hair. A mask is a hair application type where you mix ingredients together and let the mixture sit on your hair before washing it out. Having it sit on your hair allows the nutrients to completely penetrate and absorb into the hair shafts.

I apply this every month, maybe twice a month if I need to. One egg and pure, unrefined organic coconut oil is the basis for this recipe because they have maximum protein power! We all know that eggs are full of protein, but coconut oil strengthens, moisturizes and softens the hair, leaving it strong and beautiful. You will also need honey (for conditioning), tea tree oil (for anti-dandruff), jojopa oil (for conditioning and anti-bacterial properties), castor oil (for hair growth), and extra virgin olive oil (for moisturizing). All of these ingredients work wonders by themselves, but I like to mix them together for the perfect hair strengthener. You can find the links to these product below.

The first thing you’ll want to do is crack your egg in a bowl and beat it. Coconut oil has somewhat of a thick, stiff texture making it hard to apply right out of the jar. You’ll need to melt the oil over the stove. Take a pot and scoop out a teaspoon of coconut oil. Heat that on LOW heat only until the coconut oil melts to a liquid form.

Add the melted oil to the egg. Next, add in a small amount of tea tree oil, only about a cap full, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil. Believe me, a little bit goes a long way.

Add in your jojopa oil and castor oil. About a teaspoon of each. Let me just say, as you do this more often, you’ll know what your hair needs. Modify these amounts as you see fit. Maybe you struggle with a lot of dandruff; so add more tea tree oil. Maybe you’re struggling with hair growth; add more castor oil. Effective research on all these ingredients will be very beneficial.

Beat all of these ingredients together. Put on an old t-shirt, because this mixture is drippy! Comb your hair FIRST to detangle, and then apply it all over your hair with your hands. You’re going to apply it generously on your hair, making sure to get every part. Because you’re using egg in this mixture, I suggest not combing this through your hair. The egg will begin to harden, due to the protein in it; if you comb through it, you risk breaking your hair off. Don’t do it! Rub the mixture in your hands and apply it on your hair as if you would with any moisturizer or hair product.

Ok, so now it’s completely applied to your hair and it feels yucky. Perfectly normal. Wrap your hair up in a bun, off of your neck to allow it to set, and cover your hair with a shower cap. The shower cap will trap in the heat allowing all of these ingredients to absorb into the hair better. I leave my cap on for 30 mins. As the egg starts to dry it will harden. That means, it’s time to wash it out! Try to rinse it out with cooler water initially so the egg doesn’t cook! Believe me, I couldn’t take the cold water initially, so I washed with hot water and I paid for it! One time I had little bits of egg white on my hair when I came out of the shower. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was a pain to get out.

But that’s it! Doing this once or twice a month will strengthen your hair tremendously and give you soft, healthy hair! I have seen a huge difference in the health of my hair before doing the hair mask, to doing it consistently, minimum, once a month. It retains its length and it’s easier to manage. Not to mention, I cut down on how often I did chemical treatments and I don’t use heat on my hair as often. No matter your hair type, everyone needs healthy hair. Everyone needs strong, conditioned hair. Try this out and let me know how it works for you! Let’s get healthy, ladies!