Find out how to soften kinky and curly hair with this all natural treatment
The original caramel treatment is a product by a company called E’tae which promises to restore moisture and softness to afro textured hair. It helps people who relax their hair to ‘stretch’ their relaxer for longer periods and helps people with natural hair by softening its texture for easier detangling and manageability.
But that’s not what we are talking about today, today we want to look at making our own version of the caramel treatment, hacking it if you will. Most of the ingredients in the product can be found in many average kitchens so making your own caramel treatment should be a quick, easy and fun project.
By understanding the purpose of each ingredient, you can adjust the recipe every time you make it depending on your hair’s needs. Now, let’s look at the ingredients individually.
Honey – An excellent humectant, good for moisture.
Olive Oil* – For lubrication and helps with moisture retention.
Bananas – Good for moisture and some protein benefits as well.
Molasses also known as Treacle – Another excellent humectant with some protein benefits.
Water – The best natural moisturizer. Nuff said.
Apple Cider Vinegar* – It imparts great shine to the hair by helping close cuticles.
Cornstarch – For thickening purposes.
Wheat germ oil* – For added strength and lubrication.
Now here is a simple recipe based on the aforementioned ingredients that you can use to make your own caramel treatment.
- Honey – 6 tablespoons
- Olive Oil* – 6 tablespoons
- Bananas – 2-3 overripe and very soft
- Molasses – 3 tablespoons
- Water – 4-6 tablespoons
- Apple Cider Vinegar* – 1 tablespoon
- Cornstarch – 1-2 tablespoons depending on how thick you want the mixture to be
- Wheat germ oil* – 1 teaspoon – This can be substituted for any other natural ceramide containing oil of your choice
And heres how to make it:
- Place all the ingredients except for the water into a blender* and process until smooth. You may need to add the water bit by bit if it looks too dry.
- To ensure that there are no bits of lumpy banana in the mixture, pass it through a fine sieve.
- Pour the mixture into a saucepan and put it on a medium heat while stirring constantly. You are not trying to ‘cook’ the mixture but you want the cornstarch to cause it to thicken which will make the treatment easier to apply to your hair. This should take just moments after it heats up. You may need to add more water to thin it down if it gets too thick or add a bit more cornstarch if it is still too runny. You want to end up with a caramel coloured mixture that is the consistency of a thick batter. If the mixture is too thin it will start dripping from your hair as soon as you apply it.
- Pour the mixture into a container, depending on the length of your hair it will likely be enough for two applications.
And finally, here’s how to apply it to your hair…
To apply, divide your hair into 3-4 sections and clip. Starting with 1 section, part your hair and apply on the roots generously rubbing in with your fingers. Once applied on the roots of the section, apply the mixture all the way to the ends. Complete all sections in this manner and once done, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Let the mixture sit in your hair for 1-2 hours or overnight for really dry hair.
Wash your hair with a sulfate free shampoo, deep condition and style as usual. You can freeze the remainder until you are ready to use it again. The treatment is suitable for both natural and relaxed hair.
The results of the caramel treatment are not permanent; they last for up to 4 weeks so should be reapplied monthly for continued benefits. Some people report ‘loosening’ of hair texture as well as less shrinkage after the treatment but this is likely due to the added weight of the product as well as the increased moisture levels in the hair.
For this reason, the caramel treatment is excellent for helping to straighten natural hair as it takes less heat to get smoother results and leads to better moisture retention.
Is it exactly like the original caramel treatment? Nope, not at all. But what it is, is an excellent moisturizing treatment that will do the job just as well.
Also see the article about The Coconut And Lime Treatment For Natural Black Hair
The Real Person!
I've been asked this question a couple of times and I would like to confirm that it is perfectly safe to use the caramel treatment on relaxed hair. If you look at the hair forums, you will see that quite a few women use this treatment among other things to help them stretch their relaxers!
Hello , Isit okay to just use the etae carmelizer when trying to straighten natural hair or do you have to use the whole straigtening line…basically is there steps before using the carmelizer or can i just use that and im fine, i.e im just trying to straigten my curly strands because im getting a sew in
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I mean The Caramel Treatment – A Natural Hair Softener is kinda plain.
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could make your posts a little bit more interesting.
Are the bananas necessary? Can they be substituted with something else? Also, does it have to be blended then cooked? Can I just mix it well then cook it? I’m away at college and I don’t have a blender
The Real Person!
You can use baby banana food which is already blended. I can’t promise you will get the right texture unless you thicken it by cooking.
I always use Baby Bananas. It comes in regular and organic. There was another recipe requiring bananas. I felt using the banana itself is just too time consuming if you want it rich and smooth.
Thanks for sharing this.
My hair is so dry, after I was ill and was too weak to keep it moisturised.
A friend suggested I try this out, and I’m looking forward to the result I’ll achieve.
Hi..I have natural curly hair and I decided to put a caramel treatment in it for the first time yesterday. The treatment ended up getting rid of almost all of my natural curl and now it’s really bushy! I have a baby fro! Is it ok to put a texturizer over it to bring some kind of wave back to my hair?
If you apply a testuriser to your hair, then your hair wouldn’t be natural anymore. #simpletruth
I’m not worried about that part of it all. I just started growing my hair back recently and I only have about 2 inches so worst case scenario I can cut the texturizer out once I get more length. But I can’t get any kind of style out of it right now. So, will my hair fall out from the texturizer of I just did a caramel treatment?
Why don’t you thry the Cherrylola Caramel treatment prescrivbed under Maximum Hydration Method (MHM).
BHM also wrote about it.
It would get your curls popping again.
Do let me know how it turned out.
Cheers
I’m going to try this!
Me tooo
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Banananas naturally loosen curl patterns. I use it in EVERY deep conditioning treatment and I have noticed my curls are more elongated and shrink up less. But, I embrace my shrinkage so I am switching to using bananas just once a month.
Bananas natural stretch and loosen curl patterns.
If you use this product is there a chance you might still get heat damage?