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Beauty

3 Easy DIY Ways to Wake Up to a Great Hair Day

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The best way to give your strands a big, beautifying boost? Infuse your hair with a nourishing “night cap.” Thanks to the body’s ability to repair itself overnight, and the eight hours nutrients have to penetrate locks, applying one of these reviving solutions before bed will leave you with gorgeous locks come morning. Keep reading for three treatments that will have you waking up to a great hair day.  

Volumize thin locks with coconut water + mint

Nothing can steal confidence like hair that just falls flat. The fast fix to thicken it up? A coconut water and mint rinse, says beauty expert Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty for All Seasons ($14, Amazon). “Coconut water’s lauric acid hydrates to ‘plump’ strands,” she says, “and mint’s menthol tightens hair at the root, ‘lifting’ locks off the scalp.” 

To do: Mix 1⁄4 cup of coconut water and 6 drops of peppermint essential oil. Pour over damp hair, then cover with a shower cap and rinse in the morning.

Moisturize dry hair with olive oil + honey

Our hair and scalp produce less natural oils over time, leaving strands super parched. For a double dose of hydration, Cox points to an olive oil and honey hair mask. “Honey brings water into hair’s cuticle, and olive oil’s fatty acids create a protective barrier to hold all that extra moisture in.” 

To do: In a pot, warm 4 Tbs. of olive oil and 1 Tbs. of honey (heating helps nutrients penetrate better). Let cool; apply from mid-length to ends of hair. Cover with a shower cap; rinse in the A.M.

Revive faded color with a tea rinse

Argh! The older we get, the weaker our locks become. This makes it harder for hair to hold onto dyes, requiring more frequent (and costly!) touch-ups. What can help: “Tea, in its various forms, contains compounds that can restore vibrancy to strands,” says Cox. And there’s a different tea that will work wonders for each hair color:

Blond or gray? Chamomile tea’s bisabolol sharpens and brightens lighter pigments. Brunette? Black tea’s tannins enrich the hue of the darker-toned locks. Redhead? Rooibos tea’s red tinge enhances the fiery hue.

To do: Steep 2 bags of tea in 1 cup of boiling water; let cool. Pour onto damp hair from roots to ends and wring out excess liquid, then cover with a shower cap; rinse in the morning.

Tip: Apply 2 drops of almond oil onto dry hair from mid-length to ends the day after using a tea mask, says Cox. It helps seal the cuticle to lock in color.

This story originally appeared in our print magazine.

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