Bouncy, moisturized, defined curls are the goal of almost every natural woman that I know. Unfortunately, being natural is no cakewalk and our hair can become damaged by something as simple as improper styling to full blown heat damage.
The first thing these problems affect is our beloved curl patterns! It can make our hair limp, frizzy, dry, and tangled—and most importantly, it puts a damper on our ability to style our hair like we want to.
Luckily this DIY sweet almond and hempseed curl repair mask works amazingly to put the life back into your kinks, curls, and coils!
You Will Need:
- 1 Tsp. Sweet Almond Oil*
- 1 Tsp. Tea Tree Oil*
- 1 Tsp. Hempseed Oil
- 4 Tbsp. Bentonite Clay
- 1/2 to 1 cup of Aloe Vera Juice*
- 2 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil* (optional)
- Plastic Bowl
- Wooden Mixing Spoon
Directions:
- Pour 4 tablespoons of Bentonite Clay into a plastic mixing bowl. Add in the 1/2 to 1 cup of aloe vera juice to the mix.
- Depending on how thick or runny you want the consistency to be, you’ll need to experiment with the amount of aloe vera juice. If you want it to be thicker, use half a cup or less.
- If you want to pay attention to one specific spot (i.e. roots or ends of hair) you can apply a thicker paste to that area and spread the thinner paste elsewhere.
- If you don’t like aloe vera juice*, apple cider vinegar* or regular water will work just as good.
- After you’ve created a paste, add in 1 teaspoon of sweet almond oil*, hempseed oil, and tea tree oil*. Stir everything together until all ingredients are completely blended.
- If you want to add in an essential oil, go for it! I personally really love to use peppermint oil because it improves scalp circulation which ultimately benefits hair growth in the long run. The smell also really makes me feel clean and cleansed!
- Apply the clay mixture to dry or damp hair, making sure you coat everything from root to tip. Leave the mixture on for 3-5 minutes, wash out with warm water, and then rinse with cold water to close your scalp pores and seal in moisture.
- For easier application, section off your hair into 2 or 4 parts.
- Dry, moisturize, seal, and style your hair as usual. If you want your hair to breathe, let it air dry instead of immediately applying heat.
Alternatives: If you feel like your hair can handle it, try working the mix out of your hair without a hot oil treatment before you completely wash it. It can serve as a sort of pre-poo and further moisturize your kinks and curls.
Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and argan oil are all light enough to use for a test run. Stay away from thicker oils like castor or olive oil.
You can also replace Bentonite clay with Rhassoul clay. Rhassoul clay will soften and moisturize your hair while Bentonite will cleanse and add more definition to your hair.You can use either one, just make sure your additives include what it’s missing (i.e. if one clay moisturizes, then add in something that strengthens).