Aloe Vera Part 2: How to Use Aloe Vera On Natural Hair
Welcome to Part 2: How to Use Aloe Vera on Natural Hair. If you haven’t checked out the first part in the Aloe Vera Series, see Part 1: The Benefits of Aloe for Hair.
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There are so many benefits to using aloe vera for natural hair, and once you learn about them, you’re going to want to run out and get a bottle of pure aloe, so you can start using it for your natural hair recipes.
In this post, you’ll find out about different ways you can use aloe vera, and how to fit it into your natural hair regimen.
Use Aloe in Your Deep Conditioner
Are you making your deep conditioner from scratch? If so, you’re going to want to use aloe vera gel. Why? Because it hydrates hair and it has a lot more nutrition to offer than plain water.
Aloe Vera is a succulent plant, which means it retains water by nature. This is the ideal ingredient for you if you’re experiencing dry hair. It comes loaded with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and it’s ideal for retaining moisture on natural hair.
You can either cocktail aloe vera gel into your store-bought deep conditioners, or you can try this DIY aloe vera deep conditioner:
Easy Aloe Deep Conditioner for Natural Hair
Ingredients
- ¼ cup aloe vera gel
- ¼ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil for a few seconds in the microwave.
- Add aloe vera gel to the coconut oil.
- Whisk together until smooth.
- Use after shampooing and leave on hair 30-60 minutes.
- Rinse
Refresh with DIY Aloe Leave-In Conditioner Spray for Natural Hair
Distilled aloe vera juice makes a great mid-week refresher spray because it hydrates your hair while supplying nutrition and shine.
This spray is easy to make because it contains 2 tablespoons of your favorite conditioner, glycerin, and castor oil for lubricant.
Getting the amount of conditioner just right is tricky, because it comes down to personal preference and whether you want to be able to use the spray to detangle your hair. You’ll want to use less conditioner if you have low-porosity hair and are concerned about build-up.
Glycerin is optional. You’ll want to avoid glycerin if you live in a dry climate because it can make your hair too dry. If you live in a moderately humid city, glycerin should help draw in moisture and add slip.
Aloe itself does not contain enough slip to detangle hair, but your conditioner will help with this job.
Using distilled aloe vera juice means you can store your spray bottle on your bathroom counter instead of the fridge.
Aloe Vera Leave-In Conditioning Spray
Ingredients
- 1 cup distilled aloe vera juice
- 2 tablespoons favorite conditioner
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican Black Castor Oil
- 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin (optional)
- 5-15 drops lavender or eucalyptus essential oils
Instructions
- Pour the distilled aloe vera juice into a clean spray bottle
- Add your favorite conditioner and Jamaican Black Castor oil.
- Add glycerin and lavender or eucalyptus essential oil.
- Close the spray bottle and shake vigorously.
- Use this leave-in after conditioning your hair and as a mid-week refresher.
Hydrate your hair with an Aloe Vera Pre-Poo
If you have breakage, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of it occurs on wash day. Shampoos were made to cut excess sebum and dirt. It’s a good thing, but the lack of natural oils means your hair can easily become dry and tangled.
If you’ve waited too long between wash days and haven’t done your mid-week refreshing, your hair may be dry and break too easily. You can still do a moisturization session before you get in the shower!
Applying a pre-poo right before you shampoo is a good way to counteract the breakage that can occur on wash day. Pre-pooing isn’t necessary with co-washing, but it can really help to retain length on natural hair while shampooing.
This pre-poo recipe contains coconut milk, which also hydrates dry hair and adds enough protein to combat breakage during shampooing. Coconut milk’s molecules are small enough to fit through the cuticle and penetrate the hair shaft, so it will help feed your hair nutrition before using cleansers.
Coconut milk does go rancid quickly, so this isn’t the kind of recipe that you can store and keep on hand. Instead, open a can of coconut milk and freeze the rest in small portions to use later.
Try this pre-poo to hydrate your strands before you step into the shower on wash day:
Moisturizing Aloe Vera Pre-Poo
Ingredients
- 2 tbs Aloe Vera gel
- 2 tbs coconut milk (full fat)
- 2 tbs favorite conditioner
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Apply onto your strands.
- Leave on your hair for 10-20 minutes.
- Rinse and follow with shampoo.
Aloe Vera Hair Growth and Scalp Treatment
Is your scalp itchy? Aloe vera is amazing for hydrating and healing skin—and that includes the scalp. Aloe vera is a succulent plant that retains water within its leaves. It hydrates like water does, and then it has healing components that can help to restore a healthy scalp too.
Aloe can heal old scars from relaxer burns, reduce dryness, and fix overproduction of sebum. It has a pH balance of 4.5-5.5, so it can help with your scalp’s immunity to predators like fungus.
This scalp treatment recipe below also contains witch hazel, a natural antiseptic that can cleanse the scalp and unclog hair follicles and prevent shedding. Witch hazel can be drying to natural hair, so you should only use this spray on your scalp and not your strands.
The recipe also contains peppermint and rosemary essential oils, two ingredients that have been scientifically proven to stimulate the follicles and speed hair growth.
Use this recipe whenever you experience itching, or to help grow hair. The spray does not need refrigeration if you use distilled aloe vera juice.
Aloe Vera Scalp Treatment
Ingredients
- ½ cup distilled aloe vera juice
- ¼ cup witch hazel
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle.
- Shake the bottle vigorously.
- Spray on your scalp and massage into the follicles.
Thanks for tuning in to this extra-special Aloe Vera Series! Do you use aloe vera on your natural hair?