DIY Protein Hair Treatments You Can Try at Home

Our hair is made of many different chains of proteins, including amino acids and keratin. These are what make our hair strong and healthy. However, when we constantly use harsh chemicals on our hair, and expose it to constant heat and pollution, these hair proteins can break down, which leads to brittle, dry, and damaged hair.

When this happens, it’s important to restore our hair’s health by replenishing its lost proteins. The solution? Protein hair treatment. You can get it at a salon, online, in a nearby store, or if you’re on a budget, you can make a DIY protein hair treatment at home.

DIY protein hair treatments are affordable, easy to make and use, and are effective in making your hair strong and healthy without using harsh chemicals. Here’s a simple guide on the different treatments you can try:

Read also related articles: DIY deep conditioners, coconut oil before coloring hair, does Nioxin work?, best organic hair color, how to wash coconut oil out of hair, and best sulfate-free shampoos.

Do-it-yourself protein rich hair treatments

Before using a protein hair treatment, the first thing you need to do is identify your current hair condition to better understand the care that it needs. For example, dry and damaged hair often just needs extra hydration and conditioning, whereas stretching and breaking are signs of protein deficiency in the hair.

To make your own protein hair mask, you need protein-rich sources as your ingredients, such as eggs, coconut milk, yogurt, avocado, and mayonnaise.

Egg-yogurt hair mask

An egg and yogurt hair mask will promote hair growth, enhance hair health, and leave your hair looking and feeling soft, smooth, silky, and shiny, due to the protein in the egg and the probiotics in the yogurt.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp yogurt

Note: For normal hair or hair that’s both dry and oily, use the entire egg. For oily hair, use the egg white, but for dry hair, use the egg yolk. You can also add a drop or two of essential oils to mask the smell of raw eggs.

1. Beat the yogurt and egg in a bowl to achieve a smooth paste.
2. Apply the egg and yogurt mixture on your hair and scalp. Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Wash off the hair treatment with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment twice a week at most.

Egg- cream- yogurt hair mask

You can also add cream to the egg and yogurt mixture for added benefits. An egg, cream, and yogurt hair mask will clean your hair and scalp by removing buildup. This treatment also nourishes and moisturizes hair.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cream
• 2 tbsp yogurt

1. Mix the egg, cream, and yogurt together until it creates a smooth paste.
2. Apply the resulting mixture on your hair and scalp. Let sit for 45 minutes.
3. Wash the treatment off with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once a week for oily hair, or twice a week for dry hair.

Egg yolk- honey hair mask

An egg yolk and honey hair mask will moisturize your hair aside from supplying it with natural proteins. The honey also acts as a conditioner and helps address issues like hair loss and dandruff, while also slightly bleaching your hair to give you natural highlights. This recipe also includes almond oil rich in essential fatty acids to soften your hair.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp almond oil

Note: This treatment is not intended for oily hair. Leaving the treatment on for more than 20 minutes can lighten your natural hair color due to the honey’s bleaching properties.

1. Pour the egg yolk, honey, and almond oil into a bowl and mix well until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Apply the mixture to your hair. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Rinse your hair with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once or twice a week.

Coconut milk hair mask

A coconut milk hair mask will repair damaged protein spots in your hair while also conditioning your strands, effectively tackling dandruff, and stimulating healthy hair growth, all thanks to the vitamins B, C, and E, and the saturated fatty acids in the coconut milk.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 3 tbsp coconut milk

Note: Don’t overheat the milk or apply it on your hair while it’s too hot so as not to scald your scalp and burn your skin.

1. Warm the coconut milk over low flame for roughly one minute.
2. Apply the warm milk to your hair and massage it onto your scalp.
3. Wrap your treated hair in a towel or shower cap and let the treatment sit overnight.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual in the morning.
5. Use this treatment twice a week.

Coconut milk- avocado hair mask

Mixing coconut milk with avocado will give you a healthy dose of vitamins A, B, and E to improve your hair’s health, stimulate collagen production, and promote healthy hair growth. This recipe also includes olive oil to condition hair and leave it feeling silky and soft.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp olive oil

Note: This treatment is not intended for oily hair since it can weigh hair down.

1. Mash the avocado to a smooth, lump-free consistency.
2. Pour in the olive oil and coconut milk and mix well.
3. Apply the mixture all over your hair and scalp. Let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.

Avocado- coconut oil hair mask

Instead of using coconut milk, you can try coconut oil, which offers much of the same reparative and penetrative properties. A coconut oil and avocado hair mask will reduce protein loss and make your hair strong and healthy due to the abundance of fatty acids.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (cold-pressed)

Note: This treatment is not intended for oily hair.

1. Mash the avocado to a smooth consistency.
2. Add the coconut oil with the avocado. Mix well to create a smooth paste.
3. Apply the paste to your hair. Let sit for 45 minutes.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once a week.

Avocado- banana hair mask

You can also just take the avocado and mix it with other ingredients. An avocado and banana hair treatment will strengthen, soften, and nourish your hair while also coating the hair shaft and helping it retain texture and moisture, due to the essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, natural oils, and potassium.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon rose oil
• 1 tbsp wheat germ oil

Note: This treatment is not intended for oily hair.

1. Mash the banana and avocado until you get a smooth, lump-free consistency. Mix in the rose oil and wheat germ oil and stir well.
2. Apply the mixture on your hair. Let sit for 1 hour.
3. Wash your hair off with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once to twice a week depending on how dry your hair is.

Avocado- egg hair mask

Mixing avocado and egg together creates a treatment that will hydrate and nourish your hair thanks to the protein in the eggs and the vitamins in the avocado. This recipe also includes olive oil, which conditions your hair to leave it feeling soft.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 egg
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tsp olive oil

1. Mash the avocado until there aren’t any lumps, then add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well to create a smooth paste.
2. Rub the paste all over your hair and scalp. Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse out the treatment with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment twice a week for dry and damaged hair, or once a week for oily hair.

Avocado- mayonnaise hair mask

Another option is to mix avocado with mayonnaise to nourish your hair, supply essential proteins, and also get rid of head lice.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

Note: This treatment is not intended for oily hair.

1. Mash the avocado to a smooth consistency and add in the mayonnaise. Mix well.
2. Apply the treatment to your hair. Let sit for 1 hour.
3. Wash it off with cool water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once a week.

Egg- mayonnaise hair mask

Finally, you can do an egg mayo mixture as a hair protein treatment that will also tame frizzy hair. You can even make a big batch and use some of the mix as a sandwich spread, so you can nourish both your hair and your tummy.

Prep time: 5 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsps mayonnaise

Note: If you have a combination of dry and oily hair, apply this treatment starting from your hair’s mid length.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl in order to create a smooth paste.
2. Apply the resulting mixture to your hair. Let sit for 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Rinse your hair out with water.
4. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
5. Use this treatment once a week.

Conclusion

As you can see, you don’t have to buy an expensive treatment to restore your hair’s lost proteins. You can make a DIY protein hair treatment with ingredients you already have at home, and you’ll enjoy the same effects as a commercial treatment.