A woman’s hair is her crowning glory. It’s one of the first things you notice when you look at a woman. And every woman I know wishes for healthy, smooth, shiny, luscious, silky hair. Long or medium or short, straight or curly, blonde or auburn or brunette, having silky smooth hair boosts your confidence. However, very few people possess naturally silky hair. And the environment we live in doesn’t help any either.
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Let’s take a look at all the causes for dull, dry, and damaged hair:
- Overexposure to pollution, free radicals, and UV rays
- Excessive use of hair care products
- Use of wrong hair care products
- Excessive use of hair care equipment like straighteners, curling irons, and blow dryers
- Minerals and chlorine present in water
- Aging, nutritional deficiencies, and stress
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These factors cause loss of moisture and shine, leaving your hair dry, dull, and unhealthy to boot. The hair has natural oils that keep it healthy and moisturized for a long time. However, the above factors contribute to the loss and/or damage of this layer, making your hair dry, dull, and brittle.
While many women opt for branded shampoos and conditioners to get smooth, shiny, and silky hair, there’s no doubt that it’s always the natural remedies that are long lasting, without any side effects. So, instead of using harmful hair care products that might damage your hair further in the long run, opt for safe, natural alternatives – home remedies for silky hair, to be precise – to get permanently smooth, healthy, and silky hair.
Home remedies for silky hair
1. Coconut oil
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One of the most neglected yet simplest home remedies for silky hair is to use coconut oil. Apply coconut oil regularly on your hair to retain the moisture and add shine to dull, dry hair.
Remedy: Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and a handful of curry leaves into a pan and heat it till it’s hot to the touch. Allow the concoction to sit for a bit, till you can touch it without burning your fingers. Take a cotton ball and apply this heated oil onto your scalp and hair generously. Cover the oiled hair with a warm towel or a shower cap, and leave it for about 30 minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water, with a normal shampoo.
Pro tip: Use this at least once a week for best results. Coconut oil can be replaced with olive oil, castor oil, or even almond oil.
2. Eggs
Pretty much every home stocks eggs these days. Even if you don’t consume it, you can buy it easily because it is one of the best ingredients out there that provides amazing nourishment and shine to your damaged and dull hair. Eggs are a powerhouse of proteins, fatty acids, and lecithin, that help make your hair strong and thick.
Remedies: (1) Take one egg white, one tablespoon of olive oil, and one tablespoon of honey and mix them well, till you get a smooth paste. Apply this to your damp hair strands and the scalp. Cover your hair with a shower cap so that there are no drips, and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Then wash your hair off with a mild shampoo in lukewarm water.
(2) Beat two eggs – yolks and whites – till you get a foamy texture. To this, add 2 tablespoons of almond oil and half a cup of yogurt. Mix well and apply this to your hair and scalp. Cover with a shower cap and leave it on for 30-40 minutes and shampoo your hair with lukewarm water.
Pro tip: When you’ve put on an egg hair mask, don’t rinse it with hot water. This tends to clot the egg, making it difficult to get all of the egg off your hair.
3. Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise contains proteins and antioxidants, because it’s made from eggs, vinegar, lemon juice, and oil. This makes your hair soft, strong, healthy, and shiny.
Remedy: Apply about half a cup to one full cup of mayonnaise to your hair, depending on its length. Make sure that you apply this on just-washed, damp hair. Then cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Next, wash your hair with a mild shampoo in lukewarm water.
Pro tip: Use this remedy at least once a week for best results.
4. Beer
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There’s a reason why Park Avenue came out with its own line of beer shampoos – beer is an excellent hair tonic. The proteins in beer are excellent in repairing damaged hair cuticles and provide nourishment to hair follicles. Once these are looked after, it’s a matter of time before you can enjoy lustrous, shiny hair.
Remedy: After washing your hair, apply flat beer from the roots to the tips. Use a cotton ball if it eases the application. Gently massage this beer into your scalp using your fingertips in circular motions. Leave it on for about five minutes, before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
Pro tip: For best results, use this home remedy once in two weeks.
5. Gelatin
You can buy gelatin at supermarkets. It’s basically hydrolyzed protein that helps treat damaged hair. Regular use of gelatin has shown incredible improvement in making hair shiny, smooth, and silky.
Remedy: Add 1 tablespoon of gelatin in a cup of warm water and dissolve it. Now add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, along with a few drops of lavender oil, which is an essential oil. Now apply this mixture to your hair, focusing mainly on your scalp. Leave it on for about ten minutes, before rinsing it with lukewarm water.
6. Apple cider vinegar
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Apple cider vinegar is a godsend in terms of hair care and skin care remedies. It’s amazing for your hair because it’s a natural hair conditioner that will leave your hair soft, smooth, shiny, and silky. Not only does it help treat hair conditions like dandruff and itchy scalp, it also helps remove dirt/residue buildup.
Remedies: (1) Take apple cider vinegar and water in equal parts and mix them. Once you’ve shampooed your hair, wash your hair with this solution and gently massage this into your scalp. Leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
(2) Take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and mix it with the juice of one lemon and one cup of water. Use this solution after shampooing, as a final hair rinse.
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7. Bananas
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Bananas are not just tasty fruits, they have tons of nutrients that are essential for your health as well as your hair and skin. These same nutrients help keep your hair nourished and moisturized by soothing the irritated, itchy, flaky scalp, and remedy dry hair.
Remedy: Mash a ripe banana and add 2 teaspoons of yogurt to it. Mix it well with your fingers or blend it, whichever suits you best, and apply the paste all over your hair and scalp. Make sure that your hair is covered in this paste from roots to the tips. Leave it on for about 30-40 minutes before rinsing it off with a mild shampoo.
8. Avocado
Avocado is a superfood, and rightly so. Not only is it beneficial to consume it, it’s extremely valuable for your skin and hair both. It nourishes and moisturizes your hair, while also remedying your dry, damaged, and dull hair.
Remedies: (1) Mash a ripe avocado and mix it with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then, apply this mixture on your damp hair, from roots to tips. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for 30 minutes. Wash it off with your regular shampoo.
(2) Mash together one ripe banana with a ripe avocado, with half a tablespoon of almond oil mixed in. Use a blender to get an even mixture out of this, and massage this paste on to your scalp and all over your hair. Wash it off with lukewarm water and a mild shampoo after about 30 minutes.
Pro tip: Both of these remedies can be used at least once or twice a week.
9. Honey
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If you want smooth and shiny hair, then honey is one of the best home remedies for that. It helps retain moisture in your hair and thereby keeps it smooth and shiny.
Remedies: (1) Instead of your usual hair conditioner, use honey in your hair once or twice a week to get smooth and soft hair.
(2) Take 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 cups of warm water and mix them well. Once you’ve washed your hair with shampoo, spray this solution all over your hair and gently massage it into your scalp with your fingertips for about five minutes. Then, leave it on for as long as 15 minutes, before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
10. Aloe vera
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Aloe vera is good for your skin, hair, and your health because it contains loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and other compounds. Aloe vera is also known to reduce dandruff, while also help reduce frizz.
Remedies: (1) Take 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 3 tablespoons of yogurt, and mix them well till it’s a paste. Now apply this on your damp hair and leave it on for about half an hour. Rinse it out with lukewarm water to get soft, shiny, and silky hair.
(2) Grind a few hibiscus flowers into a thick paste, to which mix half a cup of aloe vera gel and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Apply this mixture on your hair and leave it on for about 20-30 minutes. Then, wash it off with your regular shampoo as usual.
11. Black tea
This black tea home remedy will not only put an end to your dull, damaged hair, it will also reduce hair loss. Black tea also naturally darkens your hair if you have light colored hair, so be careful of this fact.
Remedy: Take 2-3 teabags or teaspoons of black tea leaves and add it to 2 cups of boiled water, leaving the concoction like that for a few hours. Then, strain the solution and pour it on your freshly washed hair for a few minutes. Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for about 20-30 minutes, before rinsing it with plain water and conditioner to get silky locks.
12. Yogurt
Yogurt is one of the best home remedies for silky hair since it works as a great conditioner.
Remedy: Take about a cup of plain yogurt and apply it generously all over you hair and scalp. Cover your hair with a shower cap and let it be for about half a hour. Finally rinse it off with lukewarm water and followed by a mild shampoo wash.
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13. Hibiscus leaves
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Hibiscus leaves make for a great natural conditioner and works wonders on dull, damaged, and dry hair.
Remedy: Pluck about 15-20 hibiscus leaves and soak them in water for around ten minutes. Grind these leaves in a blender to get a gooey paste, that you can apply on your scalp and hair generously. Cover your hair with a shower cap for about 30-40 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water followed by a mild shampoo wash, to get shiny, soft, and silky hair.
There you have it – all the amazing and easy home remedies that will get you silky hair in no time at all. So instead of opting for chemical-laced products available in the market, choose natural and safe remedies to make your hair as silky and soft as you’d like.
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