Anti-graying masks: their benefits and contraindications, recipes for the most effective home remedies to combat graying based on various ingredients. Graying is one of the main problems of older women, because very few people are "silver" shade of hair. The beautiful half of humanity is fighting in every possible way against the manifestations of gray hair, painting it over and making special masks to restore color. And these masks, in fact, can be very effective, especially if the "silvering" was not the cause of age-related changes in the scalp and hair structure, but a consequence of one or another disease, improper lifestyle and other factors not related to age …
Useful properties of masks to combat gray hair
All masks for gray hair are aimed at stimulating the production of melanin pigment, which is responsible for a healthy look, radiance and strengthening the color of curls, and therefore their use is not only an opportunity to overcome gray hair, but also as a bonus to get a number of additional positive effects, including:
- Preventing hair loss and baldness … Masks saturate the strands with nutrients, making them stronger and less prone to breakage.
- Giving additional volume … When the product is applied to the hair, the scalp is stimulated and massaged, which improves metabolism, due to which the curls acquire a more luxuriant and lively appearance.
- Fighting abnormal sweat glands, including dandruff … Natural masks remove excess fat well and have an antibacterial effect, which allows you to fight against pathogenic flora - one of the main causes of dandruff and other scalp diseases.
Well, in addition, the hair, in principle, becomes more shiny and smoother in appearance.
Contraindications to the use of masks for gray hair
But, nevertheless, despite a wide range of useful properties, masks can harm hair if used without taking into account contraindications.
First of all, it is worth considering the fact that any even the most natural product can cause an allergic reaction and skin irritation. That is why always before applying the mask, you need to do an allergy test on a small area of the skin.
Do not use the mask if you have skin diseases or scalp injuries. Despite the fact that we will be looking at home remedies made from natural ingredients, it is difficult to predict the body's reaction when they get into an open wound and it is better not to risk it.
If you have any serious health problems, be sure to consult with your healthcare professional before using the mask.
Gray hair mask recipes
There are many recipes for anti-graying masks, but it is not difficult to find common features among the most popular ones: one of the following ingredients must be present in them - castor oil, nettle, oak bark, red pepper, onion and garlic. Let's take a look at a few recipes based on these components.
Masks against gray hair with castor oil
Castor oil is perhaps the most effective remedy for graying hair. Even as a separate component, it is very effective. If you don't have time to “pick up” the mask, you can simply apply it to your hair, put on a bag and wrap your head with a towel, and after half an hour remove it, wash your hair, and the effect will be wonderful. However, it can be enhanced by adding other ingredients to castor oil.
Let's take a look at some very good recipes:
- Castor oil and cognac mask … Mix equal proportions of castor oil, cognac and honey. Into the resulting mass, add a pre-beaten egg and add about 30 grams of black pepper. Mix all ingredients until smooth and massage thoroughly into the scalp. Wear the mask for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Repeat the procedure twice a week.
- Castor oil, honey and lemon mask … Another great mask is made according to this recipe: mix 60 grams of oil with a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of melted honey. It costs no more than half an hour to wear the mass. Apply 2-3 times a week.
- Castor oil, green tea and essential oil mask … Mix 30 ml of oil with 40 ml of green tea, add 10 drops of bergamot essential oil. Massage the mixture thoroughly into the scalp and wear for 2 hours. Apply 2 times a week.
It is worth noting that after applying all these masks, the hair must be wrapped first with polyethylene, and then with a towel to enhance the effect.
Mask for gray colored hair with nettle
Nettle is another great folk remedy to help remove gray hair. By the way, it also perfectly strengthens hair, increases its elasticity and fights brittleness, and therefore is especially suitable for dyed and damaged curls.
Let's look at the most effective nettle masks that will help colored strands not lose color for a long time:
- "Pure" nettle mask-lotion … Brew a tablespoon of the leaves (it is better if they are fresh, but dry are also suitable), brew with boiling water (1 cup). It is more effective to prepare the infusion in a teapot wrapped in a towel; it should be infused for about an hour. Then you need to apply a mask-lotion along the entire length, but especially carefully rubbing it into the root area. You do not need to wrap your hair and you do not need to rinse the product either. It is used 2-3 times a week.
- Mask with nettle and oil … An added bonus of this mask is hair softening and nourishment. To prepare it, nettle must be chopped and mixed with any oil - coconut oil is ideal, but since not every housewife can find it in everyday life, you can use any other vegetable oil. Apply the mask along the entire length of the strands and on the roots, wrap up the hair and wear the product for about an hour. Since the mask contains oil, and if you do not want your hair to look greasy, rinse it off especially thoroughly. In addition, keep in mind that if you are using unrefined oil, you should not rub the mixture into the scalp, so as not to clog the sebaceous glands. Apply the mask twice a week.
- Nettle and honey mask … You will need fresh nettle leaves for this recipe. From them you need to squeeze out the juice - about 50 ml, mix it with a tablespoon of melted honey. The mask is applied to the hair roots and along the length, it is important to rub it thoroughly into the skin. After application, the head is wrapped, the product can be applied for several hours, and applied 2-3 times a week.
By the way, natural dye can be made from nettle, which will effectively remove gray hair. To do this, you need to take colorless henna and dry nettle leaves in equal proportions, mix them, pour in a little boiling water (the mass should be similar in density to thick sour cream) and leave for 15-20 minutes. Then "paint" is applied to the hair, the head is wrapped up, after an hour you need to wash it off. If you perform such "coloring" at least a couple of times a week, then in a month and a half you will get a natural dark blond color and no hint of gray hair will remain.
Homemade gray hair mask with oak bark
Masks based on oak bark not only get rid of gray hair, but also very effectively strengthen. This means that by preparing home remedies for hair care with this ingredient, you will not only protect yourself from "silvering" hair, but also get rid of hair loss and breakage, even if the problem was present in an acute form.
Recipes for masks with oak bark:
- Darkening mask … Oak bark, like nettle, can stimulate hair discoloration, but in the case of bark, you don't even need to add henna. To make the strands darken and gray hair disappear, it is enough to perform such simple manipulations: pour oak bark with water in proportions of 3 tablespoons of dry raw materials to 2 liters of water, put it on fire and "cook" for 10-15 minutes. Then you need to cool the broth, wash your hair with shampoo, and apply the broth as a balm. After that, you need to wrap your hair with a bag and a towel, wear the balm for 3 hours and rinse with plain water.
- Mask with oak bark and essential oils … The effectiveness of the decoction of oak bark can be enhanced with various essential oils. To do this, prepare the amount of product required for one application, and drop 2-3 drops of oil into it. For oily hair, needles, lemon balm, bergamot are best suited, for dry hair, lavender, citrus, sandalwood. For normal, any oils can be used.
It is worth noting that masks with essential oils should not initially be applied for more than half an hour, since this is a very strong remedy. If there is no negative reaction, the duration of the procedure can be increased gradually to an hour or two.
The best masks for gray hair with red pepper
Red pepper not only perfectly removes gray hair, but also stimulates growth. Unfortunately, this remedy is rarely suitable for women with sensitive skin. Below we provide a number of recipes for masks based on red pepper, however, if you have delicate skin, be sure to do an allergy test before using them fully:
- Red pepper vodka mask … Buy six red peppers and dry them naturally or in the oven. Pour the fruit with 500 ml of vodka or alcohol and leave for a month in a dark place. When the "mask" is ready, start the procedure. The product should be applied by massaging the scalp thoroughly. You should not wrap your hair, you need to wash off the mixture after half an hour, if you feel a strong burning sensation, wash it off earlier. Repeat the procedure before each shampooing, after a couple of weeks you will notice tangible improvements.
- Red pepper and nettle mask … To prepare this remedy, the tincture must be mixed in equal proportions with the nettle decoction and applied according to the same rules as the pure tincture. This product additionally strengthens the hair, and, in addition, has a lower threshold of sensitivity. Many women who are irritated by pure pepper tincture tolerate this mask quite calmly.
If a pepper-based mask causes not a slight tingling sensation, but a burning sensation, you should not think that it is better to suffer for the health of your hair. This is not at all the case when beauty requires sacrifice. You can get a severe burn of the scalp and strands, after which they will have to be restored for a long time. Therefore, we emphasize again: if the product brings discomfort, rinse immediately.
Homemade masks for gray hair with onions and garlic
Finally, let's take a look at hair masks with the most controversial ingredients - onion and garlic. These products are frequent guests of many effective hair care products, they are used not only when you need to get rid of gray hair, but also for many other problems. Their controversy lies in the fact that, with high efficiency, they have an unpleasant odor, which the curls hold for a long time even after rinsing.
If you nevertheless decide to use them, check out the list of the most effective recipes:
- Garlic mask … Squeeze the juice out of the garlic as much as you need it to cover all your hair. If you have a dry type of curls, dilute the juice a little with any oil - preferably castor oil. Rub the resulting product thoroughly along the entire length of the strands and pay special attention to the roots, put a bag and a towel on top. Wear the mask for 20 minutes, use before each shampoo.
- Onion mask with honey … Squeeze the juice from the onion as much as you need it to cover all your hair. Add 1 teaspoon to 50 ml of melted honey to the mask and apply to the scalp. Keep the mask for 15-30 minutes, apply 2-3 times a week.
Please note that the towel after the onion-garlic procedures will smell strongly, and this smell will not fade away, so if you feel sorry for spoiling the towel, use an old hat instead.
And one more important point: onions and garlic, as well as in red pepper, contain a huge amount of biologically active substances, so the same precautions apply here. A reaction test is mandatory, especially if you have sensitive skin, with minimal discomfort, the mask is washed off.
Rules for applying masks from gray hair
And finally, it is worth making out another important point - the rules for applying masks, without which even the most effective components will not have the proper effect on the hair. Moreover, neglecting them can not only reduce the beneficial effect of the remedy to nothing, but also cause certain negative consequences.
Let's take a look at the basic rules that must be followed when using masks against gray hair:
- The components that make up the composition must be mixed thoroughly. The product applied to the scalp must have a completely homogeneous consistency.
- If the recipe for the mask requires wrapping the head in film and natural fabric, be sure to follow this recommendation.
- Do not overuse the number of procedures. Homemade masks are usually inexpensive, so it can be tempting to apply them as often as possible. However, the number of procedures should not exceed 2-3 times a week.
- Rinse off masks thoroughly. Never use plain water to rinse off the product, especially if it contains oils. It is best to shampoo your hair twice.
It is also important to note that masks must be alternated, because in the case of cosmetics, there is an addictive effect, when initially the positive effect is tangible, and then gradually fades away. If you feel like your remedy has suddenly stopped working, you may just need to let your hair rest for a couple of months.
How to make a mask for gray hair - watch the video:
Graying hair is a frustrating and annoying problem. To combat it, of course, you can use various store-bought cosmetic products, but folk remedies will be no worse in terms of efficiency and at the same time, folk remedies will become a much more economical alternative. The main thing is not to forget about precautions and contraindications, and then they will only benefit.
