DIY Rosemary Infused Coconut Oil Hair Mask
I am not very good at doing hair. I struggle to put a basic braid in, even. Most days, my hair is straight-ish and practically untouched. I even forget to brush it most days... perks of fine hair, maybe? Regardless of my hair-doing skills, I DO like to take care of my hair. I don't over wash it, I use quality styling products (ha! I just realized I use styling products for my no-style hair. Whatever.), and I let it air dry at least half the time. 
Since moving to the desert, I've struggled with something that I've never struggled with before - dandruff - and just saying that word kind of skeeves me out a little. I spoke to my hair stylist, numerous friends, and my sisters... and none of them had a hard and fast solution for me. So, I've been using dandruff shampoos occasionally and working to not over-wash my hair. Recently, though, I decided to DIY a hair mask. My hair has just been feeling dull and lifeless. I need a haircut, but I've been putting it off because I hate haircuts.
DIY Hair Mask
I wanted to make a hair mask that conditioned, helped strengthen my hair, and that would help with dandruff. I set out to scour the internet for information on common hair mask ingredients to help me choose. As I was searching, I saw a lot of hair masks using coconut oil, honey, and egg yolk. These three ingredients intrigued me for a few reasons.
Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil is a fantastic antimicrobial and antibacterial. However, it's also very nourishing. Of course we all know how great coconut is for your diet, but it's great topically for your skin and hair, too. Coconut contains medium chain fatty acids, like Lauric Acid: a good fat that has antimicrobial properties of its own, as promotes cellular health.
Honey:
Honey is a superfood, for sure. It's a great natural sweetener, but it's fantastic for skin and hair due to its emollient nature - it actually seals IN moisture and reduces hair breakage. Honey also has antibacterial properties!
Egg Yolk:
Egg yolks are fantastic for conditioning and strengthening. Both things I want for my hair.
Rosemary:
I'm going to be completely honest. It wasn't that long ago that I thought rosemary was really only for smelling. It really does smell great, but I didn't know about its other properties. If I would have known rosemary was a natural anti inflammatory I would have used it in my skincare and hair care a long time ago. 
Rosemary also stimulates hair growth! All this, along with rosemary's anti fungal properties makes it a perfect dandruff fighting ingredient in a hair mask. Once I read all of the amazing things rosemary can help with, I decided to infuse it in coconut oil!
BONUS: Try my DIY rosemary face mask for dark spots!
Rosemary Infused Hair Mask
Quick Infusion Technique
This hair mask was really easy to make, although it did take some time. First, I gathered several lengths of rosemary from the bush in my front yard. I cut them first thing in the morning and washed them before letting them air dry until the afternoon. Then, I cut the stems into small inch-inch and a half long pieces. Next, I melted 1/4 cup coconut oil in a double broiler on the stove (technically, I used an oven safe glass bowl and just placed it on top of a pot with boiling water... same diff, right?). Once the coconut oil turned to liquid, I added pieces of rosemary until I felt I couldn't add more without some poking above the surface. I wanted to make sure each piece was submerged. I topped the bowl with a lid and reduced the heat to a simmer and left it for an hour.
Applying the Hair Mask
After an hour, I removed the rosemary from the coconut oil and discarded it. Then, I separated a few tablespoons of the rosemary infused coconut oil into a bowl. I added 1 tablespoon honey and once the mixture had cooled, I added 1 large egg yolk and stirred it all together. Now I know you're totally going to laugh at me, but I could NOT think of a good way to apply the mask. I don't like to make a mess... so I opted for the turkey baster method. I sucked up a good portion of the rosemary infused hair mask solution, and section by section applied to to my hair. I rubbed it in from roots until ends. Then I secured my hair with a clip and waited 40 minutes. 
After the 40 minutes, I shampooed my hair (twice!) and then I blowed it dry like normal. I found that my hair definitely felt softer and it seemed to have new life breathed into it. As for the anti dandruff properties, time will tell, but I certainly don't believe it can hurt. 
If you're a fan if this DIY hair mask, I bet you'll love my Anti-Aging Cucumber Face Mask, too!
