New moms limited on time and resources can still get creative with their D.I.Y. hair masks.

Take it from this mother of one. It wasn’t until my 9 month old flung his baby food into my hair that an epiphany occured.

Use it as a hair mask.

This wasn’t an original idea but the food splatter slapped the thought into my head. At my first opportunity, I scoured the cabinets to find jarred sweet potato, pumpkin and banana and realized that the makings for an amazing hair mask was right in front of my face. Here’s why it works and my results.

Some of the benefits of using jarred or pouched baby food are:

• It’s cost effective — generally ranging anywhere from under a dollar and up for organic.
• It saves time. No boiling, mashing or pureeing your fruits or vegetables.
• No chunks in the hair. One of the worst parts of a D.I.Y. hair mask is trying to rinse out the food particles.
• It’s pure. No worries that you are putting anything in your hair that you can’t pronounce or is part of an extensive list of ingredients.

My favorite baby food blends for a D.I.Y. hair mask include:

• Pureed banana because it’s the hardest to remove. Plus, they are extremely hydrating, full of potassium and help with dry and itchy scalps.
• Pureed Pumpkin because it’s full of Vitamins A, C, and potassium and helps dry and damaged hair.
• Pureed Sweet Potatoes because it helps with dry hair and hair loss.

*When using baby food, go for organic as it doesn’t contain preservatives.

Ingredients

• 1 jar of organic sweet potato and/or organic pumpkin baby food
• 1 jar of organic banana puree baby food
• 2 tbsp. of honey
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil or coconut oil
• Comb
• Hair Coloring Brush (optional”>
• Sectioning Clips
• Plastic Cap
• Mixing Bowl

There are a couple ways to use this mask.

Either as a pre-poo or as a deep conditioner after washing your hair. To begin, disperse both jars of baby food into a mixing bowl. Use only one serving each so that it doesn’t go to waste. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of olive or coconut oil to the bowl. Mix the contents well.

Section hair into 4 parts. Using a hair coloring brush or hands, dip into the mixture and apply onto each section. Use clips to keep saturated sections out of the way. After completing each section, cover your head with a plastic cap and leave on for 20-30 minutes. For extra moisture, apply a heating cap or hot towel around the plastic cap.

After 20-30 minutes have passed, rinse well in the shower or sink. Be sure to spend extra time during this process to ensure that no food is left in the hair. Blot hair dry with a t-shirt or paper towels and continue with your styling routine.

Did It Work?

Not only did this D.I.Y. baby food mask leave my hair soft but my curls were shiny and bouncy. Unlike the other hair masks I’ve made with avocado or banana, the clean-up process was much easier and convenient since it was sitting in my cupboard. Although it was much faster to create, it was a bit runnier. Regardless, it’s still a great alternative for those that run out of deep conditioner.

Would you try a DIY baby food hair mask?

Let us know down below in the comments.

Follow @discocurls on Instagram, and find more curly hair recipes below:

I Put A DIY Hair Smoothie To The Test

5 Fruity Masks For Wavy & Curly Hair