Plantain and Okra Hair Mask FAIL
I've been wanting to try a plantain hair mask for a few days now and I couldn't wait to finally purchase some ripe plantains in the market, and whip up my DIY hair mask. I added in some okra as well to add moisture.
Plantain:
Plantain is relatively popular in skin and hair treatments, as can be seen from the Shea Moisture Plantain & Yucca line.
Characteristics:
- Belongs to the Musaceae family
- Vitamins A, E & B
- Potassium
- Is very similar in appearance to bananas, green fig (green bananas) and bluggoe (a Grenadian term).
- Is not usually eaten in its raw state
Benefits to hair:
- Promotes shine and growth
Typical Applications on Hair:
- Hair rinse (the leaves are boiled and mixed with other ingredients)
- Deep treatment mask (like what I did) where it is blended to a pulp and mixed with ingredients
Okra (Ochroe):
Okra is a very popular food used in hair care. YouTube is rife with DIY okra recipes.
Characteristics:
- perennial flowering plant belongs to the Malvaceae (mallows) family, and named scientifically as Abelmoschus esculentus. Also called 'lady's finger'
- Vitamins A, E, C & K
Benefits to hair:
- Makes hair bouncy (yep! I agree)
- Adds shine (aha!)
- Moisturizes the scalp
- Alleviates dandruff
- Promotes growth
Typical Applications on Hair:
- Hair Gel
- Moisturizing treatment mask
- Detangler
RECIPE (I did not measure out ingredients precisely!):
Ingredients:
- About 5-6 ripe medium-sized plantains
- Approximately 8 large okra
- 3 tablespoons of Jamaican Black Castor Oil
- 5 tablespoons of water (not necessary)
Method:
1. I mashed up about 5 ripe and half-ripe plantains with a fork until they were soft and pulpy. There were still small chunks in them.
2. I boiled the okra leaving enough water to still cover them, because I really wanted the liquid. I let it cool completely.
3. I added about a half cup of water to the plantain and mixed it together to loosen it up a bit.
4. I added the okra juice (some seeds went in as well) to the plantain mixture.
5. I added about 3 tablespoons of Jamaican Black Castor Oil to the mixture, and combined everything well.
6. I applied it to my hair with my fingers
My Overall Opinion about my hair treatment:
After all was said and done, I was really impressed with the change in my hair texture after this treatment. I primarily wanted it to soften my ends because they were so brittle and dry, and like I said in a previous video, I partly blamed a product review for its condition.
After the treatment, which included three shampoos and a ton of ORS Olive Oil Hair Creme , my hair ends felt like they should feel, like a part of my hair and not just a bulky bit at the end (I hope you understand what I mean). I believe that the plantain contributed protein more than slip to my hair. The okra, I believe, moisturized my hair well and added the shine.
In the picture, my hair may look just ordinary, but the shine was even more apparent the next day after it was completely dry.
I was so satisfied with the results (despite all the drama!) that I plan to do an Okra (ochroe) mask. The okra washed out easily from my hair and I have seen several YouTube reviews attesting to the moisturizing power of this plant.
I made a video below taking you through all the steps of this hair treatment, but I want to add some recommendations and my overall opinion of the effectiveness of the treatment.
Recommendations:
I may not have applied the products in the most effective way, but I still have a few tips if you want to try this.
1. DON'T DO IT THE WAY I DID !! Really. Do not, under any circumstances, mash up plantain with a fork and put it in your hair.
2. Try to obtain your plantain benefits from a product that has got it down to a science. An all-natural product is best, of course, but I know that Shea Moisture has a plantain-based line. I actually used the shampoo, conditioner and deep treatment mask in this line, and have a product review on it.
BELOW IS THE VIDEO TUTORIAL:
UPDATE:
The next day when I took down my braid and twisted it, my hair fell FLAT on my face. My hair had been STRAIGHTENED by the plantain. I did some research and found an article that shows that banana can be used to naturally straighten hair. Although plantain is not the same as banana, the effects were similar. I was very displeased with this development because I really cherish my curls. Natural curls are shiny and have a natural resistance when stretched. The plantain effectively relaxed my curl pattern and some of the natural shine was gone as well. I have gotten over my initial dismay, and am seeing some restoration to my curl patter after using moisture-rich natural treatments such as my Okra Mask (okra only).
>> View my Okra Mask application here.
Until my next post,
