Homemade Hair Rinses & Hair Masks
from http://beauty.about.com/

Organic, natural recipes created for dry hair, oily hair and normal hair

One of the hottest trends in hair care is natural hair mask and hair rinses that you can make from basic ingredients found in most kitchens. The apple cider vinegar rinse recipe below is great for removing product build-up on hair. Included are quite a few recipes for hydrating hair masks and an amazing 2-punch system for fighting dandruff without the harsh chemicals found in dandruff shampoos.

Banana & Avocado Deep Conditioning Treatment for Dry Hair

My friend Stephanie is a health food nut who refuses to put anything chemical on her body or her hair. So when I asked her how she keeps her naturally curly hair so glossy she gave me the recipe for this deep conditioning treatment she uses about once a month. She also loves it because it's a great way to get rid of ripe bananas and avocados.

• 1 ripe banana
  
• 1 ripe avocado
  
• 1 tbsp of wheatgerm oil (I said to Stephanie, "Wheatgerm oil? Who has wheatgerm oil hanging around the house?" and she looked at me as if was the only person she knew who doesn't use wheatgerm oil on a regular basis). You can substitute olive oil if you, like me, don't have wheatgerm oil or time to run to your health food store for some.
  
• A few drops of essential oils, such as lavender, rose, sweet orange, or jasmine. Stephanie uses essential oils to mask the smell of the wheatgerm oil.

Mash all of the ingredients in a bowl or better yet, use a blender.

Shampoo hair, comb it out and towel-dry. Apply mask to hair, including the scalp if you want. Or you can just deep condition the ends.

Put hair in a shower cap or wrap it in Saran Wrap and let it sit for about 15 minutes, longer if you prefer.

Rinse mask out in the shower. Place a heavy duty paper towel over the drain to catch the avocado and banana bits.

Sunflower Oil Treatment for Dry Hair

Sunflower oil is a wonderful natural moisturizer for dry hair. Instead of investing in expensive lotions and potions that can add chemicals and residue to your hair, use this simple sunflower oil remedy to make your dry hair silky smooth and manageable. Sunflower oil has smoothing properties and is considered noncomedogenic.

• Sunflower oil (you can also use extra virgin coconut oil or safflower oil)
  
• A comb
  
• A warm, wet towel.

Wet hair in the shower. Apply a quarter-size amount of sunflower oil to your scalp (more or less as needed). Massage it into the scalp. Comb the oil through to the ends of your hair. Wrap hair in a hot wet towel for up to an hour. If you don't have that much time, I recommend wrapping hair in Saran Wrap for 20 minutes. Shampoo hair thoroughly.

Maple Syrup Mask for Dry Hair

Maple syrup is actually super hydrating for dry, coarse or damaged hair. Use this recipe once a week and your formerly brittle hair will come to life. But beware, maple syrup is messy, so keep this in mind.

• Pure maple syrup
  
• Lard (you can nix this if you don't have any on hand)
  
• Honey
  
• Wide-toothed comb
  
• A shower cap or Saran Wrap

Mix 3 tbsp. pure maple syrup, 2 tbsp lard (if you don't have this, simply use more maple syrup instead), and 1 tsp honey in a bowl.

Microwave for 15 seconds or until mixture is melted enough to stir together.

Let cool enough to touch. Apply mixture to hair, combing through to ends using a wide-toothed comb. Put hair in a plastic shower cap (or Saran Wrap).

Find something to do for 20 minutes that involves not leaving your house.

Rinse in the shower and shampoo.

Not recommended for oily hair (duh), unless you are trying to look oily and bedraggled for Halloween.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse for Product Build-up

My new friend Martha swears by her weekly apple cider vinegar rinse. She simply mixes a concoction of apple cider vinegar and water up in a spray bottle and she sprays it on her hair after she shampoos and conditions. (Get the recipe here).

Apparently the acetic acid found in the vinegar helps wash away shampoo/conditioner build-up and vinegar is a natural dandruff fighter. If you do try this, make sure to rinse hair thoroughly after the vinegar rinse. Martha swears she doesn't have to wash her hair again for several days. (And yes, there is a slight vinegar odor for a day or so, she reports).

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this rinse for colored hair. The acid can strip away your pricey investment.

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (you can substitute distilled white vinegar or lemon juice for this rinse).
  
• 2 cups distilled water.
  
• A spray bottle.

Mix one cup of apple cider vinegar and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray on hair after you shampoo and condition. Rinse thoroughly. Do not use more than once or twice a week and do not use on colored hair.

Dandruff Remedies: How to Treat Dandruff Naturally

Homemade dandruff remedies are much better for your hair and scalp than the chemicals typically found in dandruff shampoos. This homemade dandruff recipe is a two-punch system. First, you use flaxseed oil, then you follow with apple cider vinegar which is great at fighting yeast and bacteria.

I love the addition of the sugar to the oil because it acts as a natural exfoliator for dry flakes, but some women prefer to leave the sugar out.

• Flaxseed oil (olive oil works if you don't have flaxseed oil)
  
• Finely granulated white sugar or brown suger
  
• Apple cider vinegar (preferred) or white wine vinegar
  
• Hydrogen peroxide

Mix a tablespoon or two of flaxseed oil and a teaspoon of sugar into a bowl. If you don't have liquid flaxseed oil, you can puncture 3-5 flaxseed oil capsules.

Apply the mixture to the scalp and massage in.

Wrap hair up in a hot wet towel and let the flaxseed oils soak in for about 20 minutes. You can also put hair up in a shower cap. Of course if you are short on time, you can skip this 20-minute let-the-oils-soak-in step.

While you're letting the flaxseed work on your dry scalp, mix up 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp hydrogen peroxid and 2 cups lukewarm water. For best results, put it in a spray bottle.

Get in the shower and rinse out the flaxseed oil from the scalp using a small amount of shampoo. Rinse thoroughly.

Turn off the water and separating your hair into sections, spray the scalp thoroughly with the vinegar/hydrogen peroxide/water mixture. Note: AVOID GETTING MIXTURE IN EYES.

Massage the vinegar into the scalp.

Wrap hair again in a hot wet towel or in a shower cap (less messy). Let the vinegar mixture soak into your scalp for 20 minutes to an hour. (Yes, you can skip the marinating if you are short on time, but do let it sit on your scalp for at least a minute).

Rinse thoroughly.