I was watching the Today Show the other day (as I do) when I saw a beauty expert giving suggestions on at-home hair treatments during quarantine (or whenever, I guess). During this time we are all grasping for ways to feel relaxed, pampered and "normal". I'm all for an at-home mini-facial, self-painted pedicure and DIY lip scrub but some of the suggestions she made should have come with a lot of caveats. And that's where I come in! Here are a few of the suggestions and my thoughts on them:
Mayonnaise Hair Masque:
While mayo has amino acids (from eggs) and lots of vitamins that can help nourish the hair, the idea of putting (a kinda smelly) condiment on my hair is a little (a lot) gag inducing. I do love a good hair masque and doing one once a week can make a huge difference in the health of your hair. If your hair is feeling dry and you want to try a masque but don't want to bring an egg salad ingredient into the shower....I have so many suggestions for nourishing masques that will leave your hair smelling lovely and feeling even lovelier. The first that comes to mind as an alternative to mayo is the Kérastase Elixer Ultime Le Masque. It's packed with amino acids and vitamin E (just like mayonnaise) and healthy oils that will leave the hair shiny but not weighed down. If you decide to brave the mayonnaise, remember that it has oil in it and too much oil will weigh the hair down (duh). If that happens, you'll have to clarify the hair which defeats the purpose of the masque in the first place!
Apple Cider Vinegar to Clarify
While apple cider vinegar can help remove buildup and clarify the scalp, it can also strip hair of color and natural oils. I would suggest staying away from this DIY clarifier completely if you color your hair or if your hair is dry. If you do go forth with this please make sure that it is very, very diluted. If it is not it can burn your scalp (vinegar is an acid, after all). If the thought of stripping your hair of color that you invested in but you're feeling some buildup from dry shampoo, hairspray or just want to be reassured that your scalp is clean, try Serene Scalp from Oribe. It removes oil, dirt and product buildup while preserving your color.
Box Dye
Do I even need to go over this? I was shocked to see a very well known stylist suggesting this option. While I don't want to shame people who have gone this route (because we ALL have at one point or another), I do want to educate on the possible consequences of coloring your hair from a one-size-fits-all box. Could it turn out great? Possibly! But if it doesn't? You're stuck with a bad at-home dye job and nobody available to fix it. Box dye is very hard to remove from the hair and correcting it is expensive and time-consuming.
So what can you do if you are desperate for color and want a short-term solution until we can get back into the salon? Reach out to your stylist and I'm sure they would be happy to provide some sane options.