Hair Chronicles: My Experience with a Homemade Banana Hair Mask {Recipe & Pics}

My hair, ever since having mini me, hasn’t been the same. It
shed like crazy after having her. My
edges were horrible, and the middle of my head was doing something weird, so
after visiting my dermatologist, I decided it was time to give my hair a break
from relaxers. I haven’t relaxed my hair
since August of 2012, and since then, I’ve
used protective styling like weaves, and braided my natural hair until I figure
out what I really want to do with it.

Before the weaves, I had a short hair cut … short. I let the relaxer grow out and clipped my ends
whenever I felt the need to. Some
people, instead of clipping their ends, do a search and destroy mission. I honestly have no time to single out strands
of split ends to individually trim. I just do what works for me.

Since going relaxer-free, I’ve also cut out hair products
that contained sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil – basically,
anything harmful, carcinogenic or allergenic.
I’ve made my own conditioners, pre-poo’s, glosses and scalp oils, and so far my
hair has been doing well. I used to wash
my hair twice per week and pre-poo’d at least once per week until I became
lazy. Now, I just wash my hair using
shampoo or a co-wash once per week, and deep condition it.

Last night during my weekly wash, during mid-shampoo, I
decided to find a recipe for a banana hair mask since I’d run out of my Aubrey
Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner. I remember once reading about bananas being
great for moisturizing hair, plus my husband just bought like three bunches of
bananas, so I went for it, and loved the results.

FYI: This recipe
is from NaturallyCurly.com.

The banana is a natural source of biotin, and honey is a
natural humectants (moisture), while the egg adds protein, which
strengthens the hair follicles, and prevents hair loss. Eggs are also a good source of vitamin A which
prevents breakage, vitamin B12 for hair growth and other fatty acids that give
hair natural shine.

1 Banana

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons milk (I used 2%)

3 Tablespoons honey

5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Instead of mashing the bananas like the original recipe suggested, I just threw everything into
my vitamix, which allowed me to avoid having banana chunks left in my hair, and
made rinsing a lot easier.

Using a wide-toothed comb, apply the mask to your hair from
the roots to the ends.

Let the mask soak into your hair for about fifteen to thirty
minutes. The more damaged your hair is, the longer you want to wait. Just don’t
sit under a hot hooded dryer because it will cook the egg in your hair. I covered my head with a plastic cab just so
I didn’t have it dripping all over the place.

Rinse out the mask with cold water, then shampoo and
condition your hair as usual. I used this after I shampooed and it worked just
as well. Just make sure you thoroughly rinse your hair. Since it has protein, you can follow up with
another moisturizing conditioner.

After using this mask, my hair was soft, it wasn’t tangled
or knotty, and after I blow dried it there were no frizzies. I’d definitely use this again, especially
since it is so easy to make. And no, my hair did not smell like bananas.

After, I braided my hair into two braids. I’m practicing and getting better! This has been my go-to style for the last month or so. It’s either this or a high ponytail. The ponytails really aren’t good for my edges, especially if I’m trying to grow them back.