DIY Hair Mask

Dull, dry hair? Join the club. Winter weather is wreaking havoc on everyone's ends, leaving them frizzy, split and lifeless. While we could definitely say f*ck it, head straight to our hairstylists and chop it all off, that one time we got bangs proved that drastic hair decisions are definitely not a good idea. You know what IS a good idea? Hitting your fridge or pantry (as opposed to that pricey AF spa) and DIY-ing a hair mask to revive those sad, sad ends of yours. Not only will you save some of your hard earned dough, but by mixing a mask at home, you'll know exactly what's going onto your hair and scalp. Keeping it all natural is the way to go, especially when experimenting with beauty treatments at home. No nasty chemicals or mystery ingredients means no weird side effects or regretful results (unlike the aforementioned bangs). While there are plenty of at-home hair mask recipes, this concoction remains one of our tried and true favorites. It requires nothing fancy, smells great, and works even better. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 1/8 cup of honey
• 1 egg yolk

Keep in mind that if your hair is especially long or thick (lucky you), you'll want to double your recipe. Start by adding coconut oil to a small bowl. If it's in a solid state, make it scoop-able by running the jar under warm water. In addition to making hair shiny and soft, the addition of coconut oil acts as a natural sunscreen and can help prevent dandruff. If you're finding it hard to incorporate the coconut oil and honey, drizzle and stir the honey in a bit at a time. Honey is a humectant (meaning it attracts and retains water), so all the moisture from this mask won't leave your hair once you wash it out. The antibacterial properties of honey make it a great scalp cleanser too. Separate an egg yolk from the white very carefully and add to your mixture (the white can be saved to eat or to use as a peel off face mask). The protein and lecithin in the egg yolk makes hair stronger, and the yolk also acts as an emulsifier, helping to bond all the other ingredients together into one smooth mixture. When you're done mixing, it should look like this: A little yellow, with the same consistency as frosting or a very thick hand cream. As there are no crazy chemicals or harmful ingredients in this mask, you can apply it directly to your hair with your hands. Make sure to concentrate on those dry ends and really work it into the pieces around your face where you tend to apply the most heat when curling and straightening. Now for the best part: sit and do nothing. Seriously. Your hair will be wet and a little sticky, so plop yourself into your favorite chair (stick a towel or old blanket behind your head in case you accidentally lean back), then grab a book, magazine or catch up on your Insta-feed. You can leave the mask in as long as you like, but we usually keep it at around 20 minutes. When you're ready to wash, blast the hot water and rinse more than you'd think (you want to be sure to get all of the oil out of your hair). Last, just style as usual and go out into the world with a killer new head of hair! *Some images provided courtesy of Gabi Haynie of Vanilla Fringe.