There are many natural ingredients for steaming hair in Nigeria.
Whether you want to add to the ones you already know or you’re starting out as a newbie, I’ve got you!
This post contains 10 effective ingredients for steaming hair in Nigeria!
Natural Ingredients for Steaming Hair in Nigeria
The best natural ingredients for steaming hair in Nigeria are:
- Banana
- Avocado
- Shea butter
- Honey
- Aloe vera
- Lemon juice
- Yoghurt
- Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
- Natural oils
- Egg
These are all simple ingredients that work for steaming both relaxed and virgin hair.
Let’s dig into the benefits of each ingredient and how to use them!
1. Banana
Rich in potassium, vitamins, and natural oils, bananas nourish and moisturize the scalp.
As a source of silica, they also improve the hair’s strength and thickness.
And their antimicrobial properties make them effective for improving scalp health.
Here’s how to use banana for hair steaming.
What you’ll need
- 1 fully ripe banana
- 2 teaspoons of glycerine
- 3 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of honey
Steps
- Blend the banana and add all other ingredients
- Mix thoroughly until there are no lumps.
- Wash and softly towel-dry your hair
- Apply the prepared paste to your hair, starting from the roots to the ends.
- Cover with a shower cap for 15-20 minutes (using the dryer method) or 30-40 minutes (using the hot towel method).
- Rinse out using cold water.
Vela Tip: When buying bananas for your hair, look out for the big, long ones, commonly referred to as Igbo bananas. People say the small species leaves residue in the hair for a long time. However, they both provide the same benefits for hair.
2. Avocado
Avocado contains potassium, magnesium, vitamins, and proteins – essential nutrients for healthy hair.
It also adds shine, moisturizes, and prevents hair from breaking.
Here’s how you use it for your hair.
What you’ll need
- 1 fully ripe (preferably overripe) avocado
- 4 teaspoons of coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- ½ cup of coconut milk
Steps
- Mix all ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste.
- Apply to hair as described above.
Vela Tip: You may also make an Avocado-banana hair mask by including a banana in this mix.
3. Shea Butter
Shea butter (ori) is an excellent moisturizer.
Many naturalistas count on it for easy detangling and styling.
But that’s not its only benefit for the hair.
Apart from its high fatty acid content, which makes it an excellent moisturizer, Shea butter also contains vitamin A, vitamin E, and catechins.
These make it effective for soothing scalp irritation, nourishing the hair, and providing other benefits.
Here’s how to use Shea butter for hair steaming.
What you’ll need
- 3 scoops of Shea butter
- 3 teaspoons of olive oil
- 3 teaspoons of coconut oil
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 3 teaspoons of glycerine
Steps
- Melt Shea butter by placing it in a double boiler or a pot over boiling water.
- Add other ingredients and whip.
- Apply to hair as above.
4. Honey
You might have noticed that most of the recipes for steaming hair above include honey.
This is because honey contains humectant and emollient properties.
As a humectant, it bonds with water molecules, providing moisture to the hair.
And as an emollient, it provides and seals shine in the hair.
For moisturized and lustered hair, use honey for hair steaming.
What you’ll need
- ½ cup of honey
- ¼ cup of olive oil
Steps
- Mix ingredients in a small bowl.
- Microwave for about 20 seconds.
- Apply to hair as above.
Aloe vera contains essential vitamins, folic acid, and fatty acids, nutrients that fortify and moisturize the hair.
Its anti-inflammatory properties also make it effective for soothing scalp irritations.
So it’s one of the effective ingredients for steaming hair in Nigeria.
What you’ll need
- 4 teaspoons of aloe vera gel
- 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
Steps
- Add coconut oil to the aloe vera gel and mix thoroughly.
- If you are using an aloe vera leaf, use a spoon to extract the gel and mix it with coconut oil.
- Apply to hair as above.
Vela Tip: If you dont have access to aloe vera leaf, you can buy aloe vera gel from a store.
6. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is known for its weight loss, digestion, and other health benefits.
However, it’s also good for the hair.
It has vitamin C, which stimulates hair growth by encouraging collagen production, and citric acid, which removes oil buildup from your scalp.
What you’ll need
- 4 teaspoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
Steps
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Apply to hair as above.
Vela Tip: There’s evidence to suggest that lemon juice lightens the hair. You may want to avoid it if you would not like any slight alteration in your hair color.
7. Yogurt
Yogurt contains lactic acid, which helps to cleanse the scalp, remove dead skin cells, and encourage hair growth in the follicles.
For good results, opt for full-fat yogurt and not the diet type.
You can easily make your own full-fat yogurt by following these steps.
What you’ll need
- 4 teaspoons of yogurt
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 2 drops of lemon juice
Steps
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir well.
- Apply to hair as above.
8. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Apple cider vinegar restores shine to the hair, cleanses clogged pores, and leaves the hair soft and smooth – exactly what one would want after a steaming process.
ACV has many health benefits; turns out its great for your hair too.
What you’ll need
- 5 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons of water
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Steps
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly
- Apply to hair as above.
9. Natural oils
Natural oils are great options for hair steaming.
Explore hair oils like olive oil, almond oil, grape seed oil, argan oil, castor oil, and coconut oil – they seal in moisture excellently.
Here’s how to use them for steaming.
Steps
- Apply your choice of natural oil(s) to your hair and scalp.
- Massage gently.
- Cover hair with a shower cap for 15-20 minutes (using the dryer method) or 30-40 minutes (using the hot towel method)
- Rinse out thoroughly.
10. Egg
This is an all-time favorite because it works effectively for almost all hair types!
You can never go wrong with hair steaming with egg; well, that’s as long as you do it right.
Here are some of the benefits of eggs for hair.
Benefits of Hair Steaming with Egg.
1. Softens and smoothens hair.
Eggs contain moisturizing properties, making your hair soft and smooth with repeated use.
Coping with dry hair can be pretty frustrating and hair steaming with egg saves you a great deal of that stress.
2. Strengthens hair
Hair is primarily made up of keratin protein. Eggs are a rich source of protein (containing about 6g per egg), so they strengthen the hair shaft.
This practically means healthier hair, more resistance to damage, and breakage due to inevitable manipulation.
3. Panacea for Hair Damage
As mentioned earlier, eggs improve the strength of your hair shaft.
Therefore, so the nourishing effects of egg steaming can restore damaged hair to good health.
4. Adds Luster
Eggs contain a high amount of fatty acids – exactly what is needed to maintain your hair’s natural shine.
If your hair has gotten dull over time, egg steaming might be just what you need to restore your hair’s shiny look.
5. Enhances hair growth
Applying egg to the scalp saturates your hair roots with vitamins.
These vitamins help to strengthen newly grown hair, preventing it from shedding.
When this is prevented, hair growth becomes accentuated.
Many peeps have found it more beneficial to steam the hair with egg and mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise combines the benefits of egg yolks, oil, and vinegar.
So you get all the benefits mentioned above and the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits of vinegar for the scalp.
Great, right?
Exactly why you shouldn’t miss out on hair steaming with egg and mayonnaise.
Now that you know what you stand to gain, here is how to steam hair with egg and mayonnaise.
How to Steam Hair with Egg and Mayonnaise.
What you’ll need
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons of olive or coconut oil
- Few drops of apple cider vinegar.
Steps
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Wash and softly towel-dry your hair
- Apply the prepared mixture to your hair, starting from the roots to the ends.
- Cover with a shower cap for 15-20 minutes (using the dryer method) or 30-40 minutes (using the hot towel method)
- Rinse out using cold water.
Vela Tip: Ensure to rinse your hair with cold water after an egg steaming process. Rinsing with hot water will cause the egg to ‘cook’ in your hair, and that would require multiple washes to get out.
So, why should even go through all the stress to steam your hair? Briefly, here’s why!
Hair Steaming for Hair growth
Does hair steaming help hair growth?
The happy answer is yes.
And here’s how:
The moist heat applied to hair during steaming opens and lifts the hair cuticles, allowing moisture to penetrate.
When you steam with natural ingredients, you’re not just letting moisture in your hair; you are also letting in nutrients necessary for hair growth and sealing them in.
You see, it’s not just that.
Moist heat also promotes blood flow in the scalp.
These, and more, all work together to enhance hair growth in the follicles.
Conclusion
There, you have your list of natural ingredients for steaming hair in Nigeria.
Try out one or a combination of these ingredients, and you can be sure to get the best out of hair steaming.
Have a lovely, healthy, and moisturized hair journey!
Are there other natural ingredients you’ve enjoyed steaming your hair with?
Feel free to share with me in the comment section!
Aloe Vera will do. I may end up eating the banana or egg. Thanks for the content tho.
Lol, you may eat them as well after steaming with Aloe Vera! Thanks for visiting, dear.
Thank u for this recipe
Pls how is hot towel method use?
Thank you for reading through. You’ll find the hot towel method explained here in this post:
https://velacurls.com/hair-steaming-all-you-need-to-know/#htoc-hot-towel-method
I learnt a lot here thanks
Thank you for stopping by
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please shear me valuable information from your side when possible as it is a good source of /info. for hair treatments.
TQ!
Thanks. I’ll try each of them at different steaming appointments. How often should we steam our hair?
That’ll be great, Sarah. Hair steaming should be done only once a month.
You’ll find more details on how often to steam and how to do it here
https://velacurls.com/hair-steaming-all-you-need-to-know/
For the egg method, is it a must I add mayonnaise.
No, Opeyemi. You can steam your hair without the mayonnaise (egg + coconut oil is a combination I use often).
Please is it d whole egg am going to use , or only d white one or only d yolk?
Using the whole egg is fine, but it may leave “white residues” on your hair after steaming.
If you want to avoid that, use only the yolk.
Can I add onions when I want to steamy hair
Yes, Nifemi. Onion is another nice ingredient for steaming hair. It contains sulfur, which can strengthen hair follicles and reduce hair loss.
What can I use in replacement of apple cider vinegar
Hello Rani. You can use any of the other nine ingredients in the post if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.