10 Simple Home Remedies To Detox Your Hair

You can cleanse your hair and scalp with simple hair detox. It helps to eliminate toxins and harmful residues. However, if you wonder how to remove toxins from your hair, what the process looks like, and if it is similar to body detox, this article will guide you. Regular hair detoxification has multiple benefits. Read this article to learn the benefits of a hair detox and how to perform one.

What Is Hair Detox?

Hair detox involves cleansing your hair deeply with a readymade detox shampoo or natural remedies. It helps remove dirt, grime, and product build-up. This layer of gunk, if not removed, can keep your hair from receiving the benefits of an extensive hair care routine. A hair detox also makes your hair and scalp ready for other hair care treatments.

Keep reading to further understand why you should detox your hair.

Why Should You Detox Your Hair?

As discussed, use of hair care products may lead to the build-up of dirt and oils in your hair. This may lead to hair thinning and hair loss and may also cause your hair to smell. Detoxifying your hair can help minimize these effects. It also may have these other benefits:

• May help reduce dandruff and itchiness by cleaning the scalp.
• May boost absorption of hair care products, like oils, shampoos, conditioners, and hair packs.
• May promote healthy hair growth by removing the gunk and toxin build-up, as these may hinder the effective absorption of nutrients from hair care products/treatments.

This is how a hair detox can benefit your hair if followed in your regular beauty routine. But how do you do a detox? The following recipes can help.

Effective Hair Detox Recipes For Improved Hair Health

1. Bentonite Clay And Aloe

You Will Need

• ½  cup of bentonite clay powder
• ½  cup of pure aloe vera gel
• 4 tablespoons of regular apple cider vinegar
• 250 mL of diluted apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix the bentonite clay, aloe gel, and the regular ACV until you get a smooth paste.
2. Apply the mixture to your scalp and hair.
3. Wear a shower cap and wait for 20-30 minutes. Ensure the mask is not drying up. Spray some water with a spray bottle if required.
4. Rinse the pack with the diluted apple cider vinegar.
5. Wait for 2-3 minutes and wash your hair with a mild shampoo and conditioner.

Benefits

Bentonite clay is used in many therapeutic applications for its detox and antibacterial properties

(1), (2). It may slow down the growth of any harmful bacteria on the scalp. However, more scientific research is warranted in this regard.

How Often?

Once in two weeks

Quick Tip

You can also use French green clay, Multani mitti (Fuller’s Earth), Kaolin clay, or Rhassoul clay instead of bentonite clay in this hair mask.

2. Baking Soda

You Will Need

• ½  cup of baking soda
• 3 cups of hot water

Instructions

1. Mix the baking soda in hot water and keep the mixture aside.
2. Rinse your hair until completely wet.
3. Pour the baking soda and water mixture through your hair.
4. Work it in well and massage your scalp for a couple of minutes.
5. Rinse it out and condition it to seal the detox.
6. Optionally, you can use raw honey to condition your hair.

Benefits

The warm water may lift your cuticles and allow some deep cleaning action.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that baking soda can remove oil buildup and dandruff.

How Often?

Once a week

Caution: Do a patch test before you try this remedy. Baking soda may cause scalp irritation.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

You Will Need

• ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of water

Instructions

1. Dilute the apple cider vinegar with two cups of water.
2. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
3. Pour the diluted ACV through your hair and rinse it off.

Benefits

Anecdotal evidence suggests that apple cider vinegar is a mild cleanser. It may help purify your hair. Diluted ACV ensures you do not develop any reaction to the otherwise acidic nature of concentrated ACV.

Rabadger, a blogger, recounted her experience of detoxing her hair with apple cider vinegar to balance her scalp and get rid of any build-up due to hard water. She said, “Really nice results, since it’s a chemical change you don’t need much at all (i).”

How Often?

Once a week

4. Sea Salt Clarifying Shampoo

You Will Need

• 2 parts coarse sea salt
• 1 part shampoo

Instructions

1. Mix the sea salt and shampoo to create your own sea salt clarifying shampoo.
2. Work it into your hair until you get good lather.
3. Rinse your hair with cool water.

Benefits

Sea salt is an effective exfoliant

. It also improves skin hydration and helps refresh the skin and hair (3). This exfoliating salt and shampoo mix may help reduce dead skin cells and cleanses your hair.

How Often?

Once a month

5. Honey Shampoo

You Will Need

• 1 tablespoon of raw honey
• 3 tablespoons of filtered water

Instructions

1. Add the honey to the water and mix until well combined.
2. Wet your hair and work the mixture in.
3. Concentrate on your scalp and work your way down to the tips of hair.
4. Rinse with cool/lukewarm water.
5. Optionally, you can wash the honey shampoo with an ACV rinse.

Benefits

Honey is a humectant that keeps your hair soft and moisturized (4). It may also help cleanse hair deeply and promote detoxification. However, more research is warranted in this regard.

How Often?

Once or twice a week

6. Coconut Milk Shampoo

You Will Need

• ¼ cup of coconut milk
• ¼ cup of castile soap
• 2 capsules of vitamin E oil
• 15-20 drops of a fragrant essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients and store them in a shampoo or a pump bottle.
2. Wet your hair and work the mixture in as you would with your regular shampoo.
3. Concentrate on the scalp and work your way down to the tips.
4. Rinse as usual.

Benefits

The castile soap exhibits an antimicrobial action (5). The essential oils used are also antimicrobial in nature (6). This shampoo may detox your hair deeply by reducing any infectious microbes on the scalp.

Essential oils are packed with beneficial, volatile plant secondary metabolites that may help fight off infections and harmful microbes. A study found that tea tree, rosemary, and thyme essential oils are highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus. This bacteria, commonly known as staph, is associated with several infections. For further information, see the graph below.

Antibacterial Activity Of Essential Oils Against Staphylococcus aureus

How Often?

Once or twice a week

7. Cucumber And Lemon

You Will Need

• 1 large lemon
• 1 medium-sized cucumber
• Essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel the cucumber and lemon and chop them into small pieces.
2. Blend the ingredients with the essential oil of your choice.
3. Use this mix as a regular shampoo.
4. Rinse as usual.

Benefits

Lemon is a rich source of citric acid (7). Anecdotal evidence suggests that citric acid may clarify your scalp. The cucumber in this recipe may soothe your scalp.

How Often?

Once or twice a week

8. Shikakai

You Will Need

• 2 tablespoons of shikakai powder
• Water

Instructions

1. Add enough water to the shikakai powder to form a paste.
2. Wet your hair and work the shikakai paste through it, concentrating on your scalp.
3. Massage your scalp for 2 minutes and work the paste down the length of your hair.
4. Rinse with cool water.

Benefits

Shikakai can relieve scalp scaling, itching, dryness, and greasiness (8). It may help cleanse your scalp if used regularly.

How Often?

Once or twice a week

Trivia

Ancient Indians used a mixture of shikakai, reetha (soapnuts), and amla (Indian gooseberry) to cleanse their hair.

9. Cinnamon Detox Mask

You Will Need

• ½  teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Massage the mixture into your scalp and work it through your hair in sections.
3. Leave it in for 20 minutes and rinse your hair.

Benefits

Cinnamon exhibits antifungal properties. It can effectively slow down the growth of Malassezia, a fungus that causes dandruff (9).

How Often?

Once a week

10. Coconut Milk And Aloe Shampoo

You Will Need

• 1 can of coconut milk
• ¾ cup of pure aloe vera gel
• Essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl until you get a smooth paste.
2. Pour the mixture into an ice-cube tray and freeze.
3. Pop a cube out and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it.
4. Wet your hair the next morning and work the mixture into your scalp and hair.
5. Massage and rinse as usual.

Benefits

Coconut oil promotes hair strength

by reducing protein loss (10). It also may cleanse hair, though more research is warranted in this regard.

How Often?

Once a week

In addition to the remedies listed above, you may also check out more homemade shampoo recipes that may help cleanse and detox your hair. While having a proper hair care routine is crucial, we can’t deny the role of diet and food in maintaining health. Keep reading to explore foods believed to detoxify your hair and scalp.

Foods That May Help Detox Your Hair

Topical applications can generate visible results if followed regularly. However, detoxifying your body promotes overall hair health too. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the following foods can help.

• Cucumber
• Ginger
• Lemon
• Mint
• Watermelon
• Oranges
• Curry leaves
• Leafy vegetables
• Avocados
• Lean protein-rich foods

Additionally, hydration keeps the skin and scalp from drying. Maintain optimum hydration levels in the body by taking adequate amounts of fluids, including water.

Detoxing can remove impurities and prep your scalp for other hair treatments. But can it also result in hair loss? Scroll down to find out.

Can Detoxing Cause Hair Loss?

Detoxing your hair with natural home remedies is a safe way to remove impurities and product buildup. This process does not typically lead to hair loss. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that excessive use of harsh ingredients like sea salt, lemon juice, and baking soda may cause dryness and damage.

The remedies mentioned above can effectively clarify your hair without harm. However, follow up these treatments with proper conditioning and hydration to keep your hair healthy. If you experience excessive dryness or breakage, adjust your approach and consult a professional stylist for personalized guidance.

Infographic: Easy Home Remedies To Detox Hair

Your hair needs regular detox to get rid of dirt and product buildup. There are several home remedies to detox your hair. But not everyone will have free time to try out these home remedies. Therefore, check out the infographic below to learn the easiest and less time-consuming detox method for your hair.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs that indicate you need to detox your hair?

You may need to detox your hair when you notice excessive buildup of product, dullness or lack of shine, and increased scalp irritation or itchiness. If your hair feels weighed down or lifeless, it might be time for a detox. Also, if you notice more hair breakage or difficulty in styling, a detox can help restore its health.

When should you detox your hair?

Detox your hair once a week if you have oily hair or use styling products consistently. If you have dry hair, detox it once every two weeks.

What is the 30-day hair detox?

The 30-day hair detox is a challenge that aims to remove gunk from your hair by not using any oils or styling products on your hair for 30 days.

Can hair detoxification remove hair dye?

No, natural detox remedies do not help remove the hair dye. It simply nourishes the strands without affecting the hair shaft and cuticles.

Illustration: Simple Home Remedies To Detox Your Hair

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Give your hair a detox at home with this effective DIY hair rinse. Unlock the secret to gorgeous, strong, and healthy locks from this video.

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Reviewer Expert Author Editor Fact Checker

Tiffany YoungCertified Trichology Practitioner

     

Tiffany Young is the CEO and founder of ThinHairThick and a certified trichology practitioner with 6 years of experience. She is also a recognized expert in the hair and beauty industry with celebrity clientele. Her own personal struggles with hair loss created an opportunity for her to deep-dive into learning all things related to medical conditions and external factors that contribute to hair loss.

Read full bio of Tiffany Young

• 
  Tiffany YoungCertified Trichology Practitioner Tiffany Young is a certified trichology practitioner with 6 years of experience and the CEO and founder of ThinHairThick. She has a master's degree in business from the University of Utah and earned a certificate in Trichology. She writes for notable publications that are distributed worldwide.
  
  Tiffany Young is a certified trichology practitioner with 6 years of experience and the CEO and founder of ThinHairThick. She has a master's degree in business from the University of Utah and earned a certificate in Trichology. She writes for notable publications that are distributed worldwide.

Arshiya SyedaCo-Editor-in-Chief

 

Arshiya Syeda is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of StyleCraze with 8 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer who combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care.

Read full bio of Arshiya Syeda

Ramona SinhaEditor

Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal.

Read full bio of Ramona Sinha

Swathi ESenior Beauty & Lifestyle Writer

Swathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over three years of experience in writing on beauty, health, and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach.

Read full bio of Swathi E