I've been through a very long (almost) 20 year struggle with my natural hair. In my early teens, I didn't take much care of my natural hair, actually I didn't really know how to, and I used to try everything to get it straight, from putting a flatiron in my hair everyday to using my sister's relaxer to 'lighten' it; I really had no idea what I was doing but my only aim was manageable hair. Since recently, I've been learning to embrace my natural hair and just work what I got. Now i'm definitely not a DIY queen but I do like experimenting with making my own stuff. When I came across this clay mask recipe I noticed that it had bentonite clay. I've had a bottle of bentonite clay for over a year now and I occasionally use it for a face mask but I never really knew how good it was. Bentonite clay is an impure clay that consists of montmorillonite. It has a strong negative charge which can bond to the positive charge in heavy metal toxins such as mercury,lead,benzene and calcium. For this reason the clay can be used as a cleanser along with apple cider vinegar, which also acts as a cleanser that removes product build up without stripping hair of natural oils and balances the pH. It also smoothens the hair cuticle which can help to prevent split ends. My final product in this cleansing mask is Olive oil. Even though any oil can be used, from coconut oil to almond oil, I chose olive oil because of the benefits it provides to the scalp by providing extra moisture. However, if you have a specific oil you prefer for your hair go ahead and use that.
In a plastic bowl, I added 4 tablespoons of Bentonite healing clay with a wooden spoon (no metal), 3 tablespoons of ACV and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I mixed with the wooden spoon until a semi-thick masked was formed. If too thick, you can add a bit more ACV. I rubbed this paste all over my hair strand by strand, and kept on my hair for 15-20 minutes. After washing this mask out, my hair was soft and noticeably shinier than before, and my hair definitely did not feel dry and stiff like it normally does. I styled with a leave-in conditioner to make my perfect(ish) finger coils and wore my hair like this for almost a week. Even though I'm still learning how to make my natural hair happy, i'm realizing that it isn't impossible. I plan to use this mask once a month, along with other natural hair recipes I come across every now and then, and of course, I'll definitely be sharing these tips!
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