Olive oil has been prized for its hair and skin loving benefits for thousands of years. These days, we associate it with salads and light frying, but it can also transform your hair and scalp!
I’ve made pantry-style hair masks using simple ingredients before, such as my mayo hair mask recipe and banana hair mask. But I wanted to take it a little further. My olive oil hair mask is born!
Just using this new recipe weekly, you can help soften, strengthen and impart a beautiful shine to the hair. But better yet, it will also help to nourish the scalp, too. It’s truly a wonderful DIY, and you probably already have the ingredients in your craft pantry!
Introduction
Olive oil is also our main ingredient for this recipe, it’s packed full of fatty acids, all of which help to reinforce the health of our hair. By doing so, they also strengthen our hair, making it less prone to breakages. We want to avoid breakages at all costs, as this leads to split ends.
We’ve also added some shea butter and lavender essential oil for added benefit. Together, they create a formula that is intensely hydrating and protects the hair and scalp.
In fact, I’ve made lots of complicated hair products in the past, and out of all of them, this gave me the best bang for my buck. It’s a great middle ground between simplicity and effectiveness. I guess this is why people say ‘less is sometimes more’.Â
How To Make Olive Oil Hair Mask, With Only 3 Ingredients!
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Equipment
- Spoon or Spatula
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 tsp Shea Butter
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
Video
Instructions
- Measure your shea butter it into a heat proof container, then place the butter into the microwave and give it a few short 30 second blasts until the shea butter has melted.3 tsp Shea Butter
- Once melted, remove from the microwave and stir in the oive oil.4 tbsp Olive Oil
- Stir in the lavender essential oil, then place the container into the fridge to cool and thicken. This can take a couple of hours. I find it cools and solidifies quicker by stirring it from time to time.10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- When the hair mask has solidified, give the hair mask a good stir to ensure all the ingredients have been fully combined.
- Pop the mask into a glass jar or cosmetic container ready for use.Â
Application For Olive Oil Hair Mask
This olive oil hair mask does not contain any water so we do not need to add a preservative or store it in the fridge. A cool dark place will be just fine. Stored properly it will last for a good couple of weeks. Adding a few drops of vitamin E will lengthen the storage life by another two to three months.
How To Use
- Apply a generous amount of the hair mask to dry hair.
- Massage it into all your hair, including the scalp
- Clip it up and leave it for a couple of hours before shampooing it out. You may need to wash your hair twice to make sure all the oil and butter have been removed.
- Style your hair as usual.
I use this twice a month, but there is no fixed usage rate it’s what suits your hair best. If you have thick curly hair you may want to use it weekly, fine hair may be better only once a month. Have a go and see what works best for you.
In-Depth Analysis For Olive Oil Hair Mask
Formula Inspiration and Theming
Homemade hair masks can be complicated and need lots of ingredients, so I wanted to create a hair mask that was simple and easy to use, yet needs very few ingredients.
My first thoughts were olis and buttes as they are excellent at hydrating dyed or dry brittle hair and they are very easy to work with.
I guess you could call this more of a hair balm or hair butter, but needless to say, they all come under the title of hair masks so we will stick with that.
Oils and butters are best used in pre-shampoo treatments so that they do not leave the hair feeling heavy and limp. They are also super easy to use as they are applied to dry hair and left whilst getting on with a few chores before washing it out. Plus you can usually see the difference after just one pre-treatment.
Ingredient Specification and Purpose
Olive oil
Olive oil is deeply hydrating for hair. It can penetrate the hair shaft much more easily than many other oils, providing moisture where the hair needs it most. Overwashed hair can dry, so olive oil is the perfect treatment to restore its glow. You can read more about this on our benefits of olive oil for hair page.
Shea butter
Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer, it can help to hydrate dry hair and the scalp. Its emollient properties make hair soft and smooth, reducing dryness and brittleness.
Lavender essential oil
Lavender essential oil is a fantastic hair oil that is also gentle on the scalp. Adding a few drops of this essential oil can promote hair growth, and prevent scalp issues like dandruff and infections. Along with adding shine and a wonderful fragrance. Perfect for my olive oil hair mask recipe!
Substituting Ingredients
Olive oil
We do not recommend substituting olive oil as this is our main ingredient, however, if you prefer to use a different oil try to choose one with similar hair benefits such as rosemary oil, Argon oil, or coconut oil.
Shea butter
You can substitute the shea butter for another butter such as mango butter.
If you substitute the shea butter for a harder butter such as cocoa butter you will need to use a little less butter and slightly more olive oil. A harder butter can be a good choice in a hot and humid climate.
Lavender essential oil
You can use any essential oil but it is best to choose one that will be beneficial to the hair. Rosemary, tea tree, and peppermint would all be great substitutes.
Final Thoughts
This olive oil mask really packs a punch for just 3 ingredients. I really hope it’s inspired you to give it a try. With it’s simple method, easy to source ingredients and a minimal set of necessary equipment, this is a great recipe to start making your own homemade things for the first time.
And when you’re ready, there’s a whole sea of different hair care recipes you can try your hand at.
Let me know if you have any problems with this recipe in the comments below. Happy to share some wisdom with any of my readers!
