I decided to try a few home hair treatments that I could make with natural ingredients, ideally things that might already be in the kitchen cupboard. My hair is long, dry and in a bad shape with lots of split ends. I found some great ideas for ingredients to use in homemade hair masks, and I picked a few to test over the next weeks. First in the series: coconut milk.
I love coconut milk in cooking, so this one caught my attention immediately. I have used coconut oil in my hair, but I had never tried coconut milk for hair. It seems that it is especially good for dry, frizzy or damaged hair.
How To Do a Coconut Milk Treatment for Dry Hair
This must be one of the easiest natural hair treatments. All you need is
- up to half a cup of coconut milk
And that’s it. Coconut milk is widely available, but try to get natural 100% coconut milk with no artificial additives. If you keep it in the fridge, it will be solid, and if you keep it in room temperature it will be liquid. I kept mine in room temperature so it was liquid, and I simply poured some coconut milk in a bowl and combed it through my hair. I stood over a sink because it does get a bit messy. You can also apply the milk to the scalp using cotton wool to sponge it on. If your scalp is oily, avoid the roots and the scalp, and only apply the milk to about 3/4 of your hair.
I wrapped my hair inside an old bath towel, and left the milk on for 20-30 minutes (although you could keep it on longer). Then I rinsed my hair and washed it as usual. My hair felt a lot easier to comb through than it normally does, so I might continue with this treatment for a while.
Even if you’ve bought a small packet or a can of coconut milk, you probably won’t need all of it for one treatment. Here’s what you can do with the leftover:
- use it for an Indian or Thai-style curry
- make a smoothie: put some fresh fruits and the coconut milk through a blender. Use a banana or two; they go well together with coconut milk, as does pineapple
- try it as a natural face cleanser: use cotton wool to wipe your face with coconut milk
- or add it to your evening bath – coconut milk is also great for the skin!
Photo: S Sepp
