Honey & Cinnamon Hair Mask. Lighten and Condition!

Hey all! It's been forever since I've posted anything. Life has been crazy and yada, yada, ya. This is totally not crochet related but I just had to share it! Anyways let's get to the point.

Dirty dishwater blondes this is for you. Brunettes can add some color too.

So about 2 years ago I decided to swear off hair dye forever (well probably not forever but you get what I mean) so I did one last round of dye and did an ombre thing to my hair so I could just let my roots grow out and rock that look. But recently I have gotten really bored with my hair and want a change so bad. But I refuse to dye it. So I went to my good friend Google and searched for some natural ways to lighten your hair.

Sure enough I found this remedy that not only lightens your hair but conditions it and makes it smell delicious all from stuff that you may have lying around in your home. To good to be true right? I was a bit skeptical but I figured why not give it a try and I was amazed with the results!

Mind you my hair is a dirty blonde and takes well to coloring of any kind. When I used to bleach it, it would take very quickly so depending on your hair you nay not are results for just one use. My research online lead me to believe that I wouldn't really see any results after just one use, but I did. So it all depends on your hair.

The science behind it: 

I'm not going to get super technical. You can Google it and find out more if you would like. Basically, honey contains a small amount of peroxide. Mixing it with the cinnamon boosts the lightening process and helps add the golden tones. Honey is a great conditioner. It locks in the moisture.

What you need: 

Raw honey - Don't just use the kind from the bear bottle. Apparently it is important to use the raw kind. Once I went to make this mixture I found that raw honey is much more thick than the other kind of honey which helps keep it thick and creamy. They sell raw honey at any health food store or probably even the regular grocery store.

Ground cinnamon - You might as well buy the big container of it because you want you use quite a bit of it.

Conditioner - Just your regular conditioner.

Plastic bag or saran wrap - To wrap around your head after you apply it.

Bandana - Not crucial but helpful to wrap around your head you catch any drips.

I didn't measure when I mixed it all together, just eyeball it. How much you need depends on how thick and long your hair is. Try to go for equal parts honey and conditioner.

Modifications:
 So you can make changes to this mixture. I found a few different "recipes" shall we call them..? I didn't try any of these...yet.
Swap the conditioner for olive oil
Add a little bit of lemon juice
Not even using cinnamon, just raw honey and olive oil
Adding distilled water


Mix it up:

You need at least 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. I used probably about 4 or 5 though. Scoop that up and put it in a bowl. (If you have very sensitive skin go easy on the cinnamon because it may burn a tiny bit, I didn't notice it personally)

 Take a few spoonfuls of honey and pop it into the bowl. Work it around with a spoon to get it softened up and mixed with the cinnamon. If it's really cold where you are run a blow dryer on it for a minute and that will help soften it.

Add some conditioner. Roughly equal to the amount of honey you used. Stir it all up.

You must let it sit for at least 30 minutes. The explanation of why it technical. But apparently it's important. Your hair must be damp when you apply it so perhaps take a shower to pass the time..? The smell of honey and cinnamon made me hungry so I munched :)


Ready, set, go: 

This WILL be messy. You have been warned.

Your hair must be clean (no product) and damp. Not sopping wet but not super dry. Brush through your hair and separate it into 2 or 3 parts depending on how thick your hair is you may need more.

Dip your hands into that ooey-gooey delicious smelling mess and slather it on. Make sure you're generous with it and really cover your hair. After you're done icing your head twist your hair up in a bun. Wrap the bag or saran wrap around it to keep the mess contained. If you have a bandana roll it up and wrap it around so it will catch any pesky drips that try to roll down your neck.

Now we wait. I slept with it on which is what I recommend. I put it on a bit before bed since I never actually get 8 hours of sleep. Take a towel and lay it over your pillow to avoid your pillowcase getting ruined. I shift a lot in my sleep so when I woke up my bag and bandana were a bit askew so I was grateful that I thought to lay down the towel. If you aren't planning on sleeping with it on then leave it on for at least 6 hours.


Lather, rinse, repeat:

You've done your time and now you get to rinse it out. When you go to wash it be prepared because it's going to take a lot of washing. The funny thing is, initially I thought, honey is so sticky it must be so hard to get out of your hair. But no, it was the cinnamon that really hung on there.

Rinse it well, very well. Then start shampooing. What I did was wash thoroughly twice then put some conditioner on it so I could comb through it a bit. Rinsed, shampooed again and conditioned. Inspect it to make sure you don't see any specks of cinnamon.

Take a deep breath and soak in that lovely smell. Yup, that's coming from you. Voila!

Like I said, you may or may not see a difference from just one use. You need to do this multiple times for it to really take effect. I plan on doing it again in a week or so. But for now I just can't get enough of how soft it feels and how great it smells!

Enjoy!!!

If you love inexpensive beauty tricks be sure to check out why I love baby shampoo!