When your hair is in dire need of a hydration miracle, you may not be sure what to do. The options are endless with oils, serums, and repair masks galore. How do you know which one of these options has the right mixture of ingredients to give you that soft and shining result you want? Or perhaps, you just want to calm an itchy scalp or improve your hair growth. First, you should think about your hair’s texture and type, then about what you want from your mask. Stylists will recommend that everyone who uses heat daily on their strands should use a weekly hair mask.

The type of hair mask is based on your needs, so make a quick list. Prepared hair masks are great for when you’re on the go, but custom tailoring is the best thing you can do. We have the rundown on the essential ingredients for the perfect DIY hair mask for your type and texture. You probably have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry at home. Get ready to get that botanical scent, thicker hair, or stronger locks with shine.  

There are specific parts to the best DIY hair masks that we’re sure you’ve heard of as key ingredients when browsing Pinterest. If you use hair masks and have gravitated toward those with honey or coconut and avocado, we’ll call out specific benefits of each base which are the foundation for the best DIY hair masks.

When crafting an amazing hair mask, you’ll need one of the base options below and a few additives that can tailor or enhance the benefits. Try and stick to a few simple key items from your list (you know, that one we had you jot down earlier) before you craft a recipe. For example, to reduce frizz and repair brittle strands or to calm dandruff and improve hair growth, you’ll focus on scalp treatments.

Yogurt is full of protein, and this is the perfect mask base for someone who wants thicker, stronger hair follicles, especially if you get little protein from your diet during the week. Yogurt also acts as a skin exfoliator to slough away buildup of dead skin cells on the scalp and within your hair follicles. To give your scalp, a thorough cleanse, start with this base and move to the add-on section to complete your mask.

Coconut Oil is a natural, saturated fat that melts easily when applied to your palms. This oil contains lauric acid, myristic acid, and other essential fatty acids, with a small percentage of vitamins E and A. Coconut Oil is known to add moisture as it soaks directly into the cuticle to coat the hair, acting as a pre-conditioning treatment. For those with an oily scalp, try to concentrate the bulk of your treatment from the midshaft to the ends of your hair. For dandruff or dry scalp, use Coconut Oil as a base in your DIY mask then go to the add-on section to customize.   

Honey is a natural astringent which can help to reduce inflammation in our tissues by treating bacteria. In addition to ridding the hair of bacterias we get from air pollutants and touching our hair constantly, honey is known to lock in moisture as a humectant. In addition to hyper-moisturizing strands, active ingredients in it can also cleanse pores in the scalp to reduce buildup over time. Antioxidants thriving in honey can slow the effects of aging in hair follicles and skin cells. Perfect for overstressed hair!

Olive Oil is the king of all natural oils when it comes to hair and skin care, so it’s no surprise the experts agree. Because of its weight and consistency, Olive Oil can give your hair the much-needed burst of lasting hydration it needs and successfully take down frizz a level or two. The high vitamin content can also replenish protein and help hair regain some luster. So far, most scientific experts believe Olive Oil to be superior to Coconut, but you decide. For natural hair, curls, you’ll want to use this baby as your base.

Moisture. Strength. Growth. Detox. Whatever you need from a mask you’ve picked your base to tackle that, and your add-ons will give you a boost for not only adding strength or improving growth results but also to help with shine and removing impurities. We’ve chosen a few of our team’s favorite add-ons to share with you below.

Essential Oils (Rosemary, Lavender, Lemon, Ylang Ylang, Tea Tree, Clary Sage, and Geranium) The time for essential oils is now because there are a ton of health and beauty benefits these babies offer. Many of these essential oils listed can improve the texture of your hair and give you a more youthful scalp when added to your daily shampoos and DIY hair masks. If you are someone who washes their hair daily, you may find you experience an itchy scalp so something like rosemary and lavender will fix that issue. A great alternative to this is a botanical conditioner like the NuMe White Truffle Conditioner.

Ylang Ylang is a combination oil to enhance the effects of growth and moisturizing components of Tea Tree and Clary Sage. Tea Tree is the king of cellular repair, which means that dead skin responsible for clogging pores in your scalp -- that can lead to inflammation -- are wiped clean. If you’re looking to balance pH naturally, then add a little Geranium Oil into the mix. Remember you don’t need much, and a few drops go a long way.

Banana can save your hair from split ends and soothe a dry, irritated scalp. For women who are in their 30s and up, anything you can do to replace the loss of natural collagen and protein in your hair is great. As we age our hair tends to become thin and weak when brushing and styling, so it can break easily. Banana can put some bounce back in your hair so that it’s more elastic and resistant to breakage or split ends. Not to mention, adding banana makes the mask smell like pancakes and adds shine from all the natural oils. Banana offers a high concentration of vitamins including B6, B12, and magnesium which support healthy hair growth.  

Avocado is a natural volumizer when added to your base of choice. So ladies and gents with fine hair can benefit from the bounce it provides. A, C, D and K vitamins, amino acids, iron, B6, and magnesium add strength and thickness to hair follicles. Avocado coats your hair for protection from UVA and UVB rays, as well as from pollution and heat styling.

Oats are magical because they’re great for both topical applications and internally to balance your diet. Remember oatmeal baths when you had chickenpox as a kid and how good it felt? That’s because oats soothe irritated skin and can help put moisture back into your tissues, especially in hair. Adding oatmeal to the base of your hair mask can reduce dandruff, lock in moisture, and improve texture.

Lemon is a natural lightening additive, so if you’ve got color-treated hair skip this one. Adding lemon to a quick leave-in conditioner can brighten your hair for the coming summer months. Lemon juice can act as a clarifying ingredient for a deeper cleanse -- it can purify pores, pull excess oils from oily scalps, and stimulate hair growth.

*One add-on we don’t recommend that you’ll find in surprisingly a lot of DIY beauty creams (especially for skin care) is cinnamon powder. Cinnamon is an irritant, so if you have sensitive skin or scalp, please steer clear.

Now it’s time to get crafty and customize your hair mask, by cocktailing these common ingredients and letting us know what you find useful. And as always, know your skin before you apply anything to it -- spot tests are a great way to figure this out beforehand. Those of you who need a deep repair session now, check out our hair care for gorgeous hairstyles.