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Hydrate & Soothe This Season With A DIY Hair Mask
The dry, cool air might feel refreshing after a hot summer season, but the lack of moisture tends to be harsh on hair, often causing it to become dry and brittle.
To keep hair growing thick and strong, all through the cooler season, turn to everyone's favorite seasonal flavor: pumpkin spice.
These all-natural, simple homemade pumpkin spice hair masks are perfectly adjusted for your hair needs. Just look for the one best suited for you.
For thick, curly, or dry hair.
This mineral-rich treatment made with molasses deeply nourishes the scalp while the antioxidants in the fresh pumpkin promote hair growth and strengthen hair.
Makes 1 treatment
Ingredients
½ cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon mixed nutmeg, cinnamon, clove spices
(In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well blended)
Method
Apply the mixture to your hair, cover with a shower cap, and allow the mixture to penetrate your scalp for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
For fine hair.
Thin hair is easily weighed down by thick moisturizers. This treatment keeps fine hair strong by starting at the roots, to strengthen hair.
Makes 1 treatment
Ingredients
½ cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon mixed nutmeg, cinnamon, clove spices
(In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well-blended)
Method
Apply the mixture to your hair, cover with a shower cap, and allow the mixture to penetrate your scalp for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
For oily hair.
This moisturizing hair treatment, specially formulated for oily hair, hydrates and adds shine to the hair without weighing it down. The addition of apple cider vinegar, a powerful clarifier, works to balance pH levels.
Makes 1 treatment
Ingredients
½ cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon mixed nutmeg, cinnamon, clove spices
(In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well-blended)
Method
Apply the mixture to your hair, cover with a shower cap, and allow the mixture to penetrate your scalp for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
What makes it work.
Blackstrap molasses is high in anti-aging minerals such as manganese, zinc, and selenium that work together to reduce free radicals in the hair. Molasses also contains copper, which helps the body produce melanin, responsible for hair color, that can help keep those grays away.
Pumpkin, high in beta-carotene (an antioxidant), gets converted into vitamin A by the body, protecting cells from the damaging effects of harmful free radicals.
Warming spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves stimulate circulation to the scalp and improve nutrient-rich blood flow.
No need to worry about hard-to-understand ingredients you can't pronounce; these ingredients are all natural, even edible (but we can't promise they'll taste good!).
Jules Aron is an author living in New York City. She’s written four books: Zen and Tonic: Savory and Fresh Cocktails for the Enlightened Drinker, Vegan Cheese: Simple, Delicious, Plant-based Cheese Recipes, Fresh & Pure: Beauty Balms and Cleaners, and Nourish & Glow: Naturally Beautifying Foods & Elixirs. She holds a master's in publishing from New York University and is a health and nutrition coach certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Aron is also a certified yoga instructor and qigong and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. She has been featured in the New York Post, BuzzFeed, and Well Good, has appeared on The Today Show, NBC, and ABC News, and is a regular contributor to Woman's World and Thrive magazines, among others.