The BEST Science-Based DIY Hair Mask For Dry, Brittle Hair (Day 5)

#30dayglowup - Day 5

Use this easy at home mask to make dry, frizzy hair healthier and shinier and to increase your hair growth...

In my many various pursuits in researching how to improve my hair health as much as possible I can happily say I now know a concerning amount about a very niche topic. From scouring haircare forums to spending hours on YouTube deep dives I know about everything from protein overload to humectants and surfactants to rice water rinses. This hair mask I’m about to share with you combines various sources of information to produce the absolute best hair mask to moisture your hair and leave it soft and shiny. I also discuss a bit of the science behind it and what exactly about the individual ingredients makes this mask so effective. I really cannot recommend it enough for people with dry, brittle hair which needs a bit of TLC, and it has made a significant positive impact on my overall hair health and texture.

What you’ll need

• Aloe Vera gel
• Honey
• Your regular conditioner/ deep conditioning mask
• An oil (I use coconut or castor but you can switch it up)

How to do it

1. Mix together the conditioner, aloe gel and honey in a ballpark 4:1:1 ratio
2. Warm the mixture (I stick them in the microwave for about 30 seconds)
3. Apply to damp, unwashed hair
4. Leave to soak in for around half an hour
5. Coat your hair in the oil of your choosing
6. Leave for as long as possible (I often do overnight)

Why it works

Honey and aloe vera gel are both humectants which means they draw in moisture from their environments around them and bind them to a structure. When these humectants attract the moisture some of it can pass into the hair shaft – making less dry and straw-like and instead adding back in some of the suppleness of the strand. Since this makes the hair more flexible it reduces overall breakage and increases the integrity of the hair, and by applying them to damp hair it gives more of an aqueous environment around the hair shaft, allowing more water to diffuse into the strand.

In fact when there’s high humidity it means there is a greater proportion of water molecules in the air around you and the process of these penetrating the hair shaft is what changes the shape of the hair strand, causing more waviness or curliness, which is why hair can look ‘frizzy’ in humid conditioners. In terms of moisturising though, this is what we’re looking to increase.

As far as the oils go, these are hydrophobic which means that water is unable to penetrate through them. In this hair mask you first let the moisturising products soak in, and then you effectively seal them in by coating them with a hydrophobic substance. This allows the oils to smooth down the hair shaft giving it a smoother, shinier appearance overall whilst still allowing the moisture to penetrate the hair shaft, returning its flexibility. 

 

Tips

Use a heat cap

This will increase the rate of diffusion of the water molecules to be able to bind to your hair shaft by giving them more kinetic energy and therefore an increased movement across a concentration gradient. This effectively means that more moisture is being ‘sucked’ into your hair strand – preventing brittleness and decreasing the amount of breakage. However, be aware that this will allow any exposed moisture to evaporate so ensure that it’s very thoroughly coated in oil before applying heat.

 

Wash with conditioner before shampoo

Since oil is hydrophobic, how are you supposed to break it down by rinsing in the shower? Well if your regular shampoo is unable to effectively cleanse all of the oil out (Which can be the case with thicker oils such as castor oil) then I recommend trying out co washing as a precursor to shampoo. This is where you apply conditioner all over your head including your scalp and massage it in. Since many conditioners contains oils which are better able to break down the oil in your mask, this is a good option to remove some of the oil layer before shampooing.

 

Add scalp stimulation

Adding in a scalp massage or using the inversion method in combination with this hair mask is a great way to increase circulation to the scalp and ultimately help to grow hair faster. Additionally, using a shampoo brush as part of your wash routine will help to thoroughly cleanse your scalp and can help remove some of that more stubborn oil.

 

Put a t-shirt over your pillow

This one is more of a practical tip but if you’re planning on wearing the mask overnight, covering your pillow with a cotton t shirt will protect your pillowcase and also won’t cause as much damage as a regular towel would from the friction against you hair.

 

Leave it in a protective hairstyle

With your hair still damp and covered in mask it can be very uncomfortable to leave it for long periods of time, especially overnight. Additionally, you don’t want to compromise the integrity of your hair by unnecessarily tangling or damaging it, especially when it’s wet. Put in into loose braids or a bun using non-damaging accessories such as a head scarf, bonnet or a silk scarf.

 
Product recommendations 

Shea moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask

This is my favourite product to use as the ‘conditioner’ element of the mask. Since this brand is targeted at girls blessed with beautiful curly hair it uses deeply nourishing ingredients which won’t cause damage in the long run (Ahem – silicones) since curly hair typically needs a lot more moisture. This mask isn’t too expensive, it smells good and it’s effective at adding a lot of moisture into my hair. What’s not to like?

 

Black castor oil

Now this baby is very thick compared to other oils and it’s also sticky, making it pretty difficult to get out of your hair. But, I do love it. Super nourishing and incredible at coating your hair – I use the Jamaican Mango and Lime castor oil from Boots and it works perfectly and isn’t too expensive either. I do also like coconut oil for hair as it is a bit less thick – I sometimes do whip up a concoction of both but they are pretty messy and tedious when they get everywhere, but if you’re willing to give it a go your hair will thank you.

 

As for aloe vera and honey I really don’t have much preference and I don’t think it matters too much. Don’t spend too much on these as they all basically do the same thing and the quality of the other components are more important.

 

How I discovered this mask

I’ve been on the longhaircommunity forum for a long time now and by far the most common mask recommendation is the SMT - 4:1:1 ratio of conditioner to honey to aloe gel, heated up and applied to damp hair. It’s the best thing I learnt from that website - it leaves hair soft, smooth and moisturised.

As well as the SMT I also really enjoy pre-shampoo oil treatments, I almost always used to oil my ends an hour or two before washing my hair. However, I found doing my whole head such a faff even though that was the best way alongside a massage to stimulate the scalp. Even with co washing before shampooing to break down the oil, I found it so annoying to get out of my hair, but I loved the results. I thought that combining this with the SMT would be so inefficient as it would prevent moisture penetrating the hair shaft as due to the hydrophobic nature of oils. Then seeing YouTuber Isabella Demarko’s ‘2 months of the curly girl method’ video a couple of months ago her idea to let the mask soak before applying the oil clicked with me as it combined together my two favourite favourite hair treatments - and voila, it works! I’ve been doing it pretty much every week before I wash my hair and I can honestly say it’s improved my hair health so much.

Looking into the science being this method interested me as well as I’m a student in the STEM field so I’m always interested to know what goes actually goes on when you use these kind of beauty treatments. If you have anything else you want me to look into along the same vein please let me know, I’m always happy to have an excuse to go on a deep dive. 

 

In conclusion

Thank you for reading this very long-winded article about a very specific thing. If you enjoyed the more science-based approach let me know because it is a bit different from my normal approach. My hair and its growth are an important part of my glow up journey for me because having shiny, healthy hair is a goal of mine. Additionally I’m looking to grow it out as quickly as possible so anything that prevents breakage and improves the overall integrity of my hair gets the green-light from me.