5 Great DIY Treatments For Improving Relaxed Hair

Back when I first started my healthy relaxed hair journey, DIY hair products were pretty popular. I would see blog posts with recipes for DIY deep conditioners, hot oil treatments, and protein treatments, just to name a few. Some hair influencers swore by only using products on their hair that they made using ingredients from their kitchen.

While I’ve done a few DIY hair treatments myself I never fully jumped on the DIY hair product bandwagon. However, I do recognize that sometimes DIYing can be a better option than store-bought products but you have to know the ingredients you’re using.

Making hair products and treatments using ingredients already in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets can be a good way to save a little money on your hair care.

Mixing up a DIY treatment for relaxed hair.

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The DIY hair treatments I’ve made used items from the kitchen like natural oils, tea, and even apple cider vinegar. Ingredients I haven’t used in my treatments are things like hair masks using things like butter, avocado, egg, or rice water.

Here are some DIY hair treatments I’ve done on my relaxed hair or would try on my hair if I felt they could help improve my hair.

Hot oil treatment

A hot oil treatment is when you coat your hair with hot (not boiling hot, typically more on the warmer side) oil or a mixture of oils. Women have been doing this type of treatment for years. I remember having a few done at the salon when I was a child.

While the benefits of a hot oil treatment can vary due to the oil(s) being used typically these types of treatments are done to help with

Strengthening the hair
Reducing dryness
Helping with scalp issues
Smoothing frizz and split ends

Related read: Natural Oils That You Can Use On Your Relaxed Hair

How to make a hot oil treatment

1. Gather the oils you want to use
Typically I only use 2-4 oils, with one sometimes being an essential oil. Some oils I’ve used for my hot oil treatments are sunflower oil, olive oil, coconut oil, castor/Jamaican Black Castor oil, grapeseed oil, and tea tree oil.

2. Mix together the oils you want to use
There isn’t a specific formula I used but doing one teaspoon of each oil with the exception of the essential oil, which should only be a few drops is a good starting point. From there you can customize the measurements based on your hair length and density.

3. Heat up the oils
There is a bit of debate online about the best way to do this. I’ve used a few different methods but the best one I found was putting the oil mix into an applicator bottle and then letting that bottle sit in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.

4. Apply the hot oil treatment
Using the applicator bottle allows you to get the hot oil treatment onto your scalp and your hair. Massage the oils onto your scalp and really work them through your strands.

5. Let it sit then rinse
Put on a plastic cap and let the treatment sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing it out.

Pre-poo

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ve probably heard me speak about pre-poo treatments which is short for pre-shampoo treatment. This is a conditioning treatment that is applied before you wash or shampoo your hair. The purpose of the treatment is to help condition the hair while giving it some protection so the hair isn’t completely stripped of moisture when it’s washed.

You can now buy pre-poo treatments in the store but I like to make my own. All you need are a few good ingredients in your kitchen or bathroom, some you don’t even need to mix together

Sometimes I just take coconut oil, slather my hair, and leave it on for 10-30 minutes before I rinse it out and shampoo my hair.

If coconut oil isn’t an oil your hair likes, don’t worry you’re not alone, you can use another oil like sunflower oil or olive oil.

Aloe vera gel is another popular singular product that makes good prepoos

Another option is to take a conditioner you have lying around that your hair doesn’t out and out hate and mix in some natural oils or even honey

Tea rinse

A tea rinse is simply that, rinsing your hair with brewed herbal tea. The benefits of doing a tea rinse on your hair can vary depending on the tea used but here are some of the overall benefits that are typically looked for and talked about when it comes to tea rinses

Scalp health
Healthier-looking and feeling hair
Reduced hair loss
Change in hair color

I share more about tea rinses and how I do them in my post Why I Do Tea Rinses On My Relaxed Hair.

Apple cider vinegar rinse

Yep, another hair rinse. I like doing them because there are so many great benefits they provide with minimal effort. Like tea rinses, an apple cider vinegar rinse is rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar which not only can help your hair but also your scalp.

Apple cider vinegar has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory benefits which are perfect for helping to alleviate scalp issues. It can also help balance the pH of the hair and smooth out frizz.

One thing to keep in mind with apple cider vinegar rinses is you can’t just pour it straight from the bottle onto your hair. It’s really acidic and can disrupt the pH balance of your hair if it’s not diluted first. I share more about how to do these types of rinses in my post Why I Rinse My Hair With Apple Cider Vinegar.

Aloe vera hair mask

This is a DIY hair treatment I’ve never done but I’ve watched a lot of videos of others making aloe vera hair masks. Aloe vera gel has several wonderful benefits for relaxed hair. It is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial. It also contains lots of vitamins and amino acids.

Using an aloe vera mask on your hair can help with

Inflammation and bacteria on the scalp
Maintaining the pH balance of the hair
Hydrating and nourishing the hair

There are a couple of ways you can make an aloe vera hair mask - using store-bought aloe gel which you may have somewhere in the house or extracting the gel from your aloe plant.

You can apply the aloe vera straight to your hair or mix it with other oils for some added benefits. Aloe vera masks can be used as a pre-poo or as a deep conditioning treatment. Hair influencer

Brianna Rashay shows how she makes her aloe vera pre-poo treatment in this video.

Related read: My Current Moisturizing And Sealing Routine

Rose water rinse

After learning more about rose water hair rinses I’m really intrigued and would like to try one in the future. I’ve used some hair products with rose water as an ingredient and they made my hair smell heavenly so I can only imagine how nice my hair would smell using rose water as a rinse.

Rose water rinses are great for those with oily hair and/or scalp issues because it’s a mild astringent and has anti-inflammatory properties. I’ve also seen that many use it to help reduce frizz and increase shine.

While you can buy rose water from the store, it’s pretty easy to make yourself.

Gather some organic rose petals either from your garden or a friend's garden
Pull the petals from the stem and rinse them well
After rinsing put them in a bowl of cool water, swirl them around, and rinse again. This is to make sure they are thoroughly clean from dirt and bugs
Put the petals in a pot on the stove and add just enough water to cover the petals
Let them simmer in the covered pot for about 15 minutes or until the petals have lost their color
Let the water cool, remove the petals and your rinse is ready to use

If you’re going to store your rinse you’ll want to keep it in the fridge so it stays fresh.

What DIY hair treatments have you used on your relaxed hair?