5 Natural-Hair Tips and Tricks To Save You Time And Money

Being natural does not mean having to spend a ton of time or money on your hair. Here are a few shortcuts that will keep your pockets fatter and save you time to watch trash tv read a book.

1. Mix Henna In Large Batches

I love henna but laziness means I don't henna as often as I'd like to. Often, I'll have an unexpected free day and I'll think 'woohoo! I'll henna my hair!'. Then I think of the time it will take to brew tea, mix the henna and let it sit 4 hours, all before I apply it and I'm like 'Nah! Maybe next time.'

The easiest way I have found around this is to make up a large batch of henna (I make enough for 3-4 applications), separate it into single-use portions, and freeze it as soon as the dye releases (about 4 hours). I store it in plastic containers or ziploc bags and when I feel the urge to henna it's a simple matter of defrosting, adding conditioners or oils of your choice to make a henna gloss and whacking it on. Voila. 

I freeze henna in takeaway containers

2. Dilute Your Cowash Conditioner

I love Tresemme Naturals Conditioner for cowashing but I go through a ton of the stuff and it can get expensive. A useful cheat I have found is to pour some into an empty bottle (I reuse the conditioner bottles), add water and shake to mix. Not only is it much easier to use, it also gives it better slip AND helps a bottle last longer. Check and mate.

3. Use Your DC As A Leave-in

This is one of my favourite holiday hacks. Who has time to DC on holiday? Not me! But all the swimming and sitting around in the sun leaves my hair feeling and looking dry and brittle. So rather than using my regular leave-in, I apply DC to my hair but I don't rinse it out, I just style and go. You could also try diluting your DC in your a bottle with a little water and oil for an extra conditioning refresher spritz. This works really well on holiday because I rinse out the DC after each day of swimming so it helps avoid buildup.

4. Make A Homemade Steam Cap For Deep Conditioning

You will need:

Two shower caps

1 Face Towel

Pop a damp face towel into the microwave and heat until it's warm. Cover your head with one shower cap, put the hot face towel over it (watch for drippies!) then put the second cap over. Great hack for DCs and perfect for those cold evenings. Reheat as many times as you wish.

5. Tights Make Excellent Hair Ties

Ever since I discovered this trick, I can't get enough of tights as hair ties. I just cut off the leg to the length I want and use. They give you great hold without snagging the way bands can, you can adjust the tightness so you don't get those terrible headaches and they are super cheap to make so you don't need to worry about losing or snapping one.