How to Make Your Hair Soft: 5 Natural Ways

Dry, frizzy hair can be one of your worst nightmares. We know how hard it can be to battle brittle hair or even think about stepping out on a bad hair day but not anymore.

Regular hair-drying, pollution or over exposure to the sun, these are just some of the reasons that can make your hair dry. Besides this, some people may have naturally dry hair. The first step to bring back your hair’s shine and moisture
is to identify the cause and then work to repair the damage.The hair gets moisture from the roots. Therefore, avoid doing anything that makes your scalp dry especially during winters.

The good thing is that you don’t always have to depend on expensive salon treatments. Fortunately, there are few natural ways to bring your locks back to life. Here are some great ingredients you will find right in your kitchen and how to use them as suggested by Ragini Mehra, Founder, Beauty Source.

1. Egg and Yogurt Mask
If you have dull and lifeless hair in winters then yogurt and egg white is the perfect solution for you. Eggs can be a great source of protein for your hair
while soothing yogurt can help reverse hair damage caused by product build up and air pollution.

2. Coconut Milk, Avocado and Jojoba Oil Hair Mask
Coconut milk is rich in protein, very high in fats, making it great for moisturizing and strengthening. Avocado is rich in fatty acids making it very moisturizing for your hair. Jojoba oil promotes hair growth. Mix the three for shiny tresses.


3. Milk and Honey
Use a half to a full cup of milk (at room temperature) and add either one or 2 big tablespoons of honey. Allow it about an hour to work and then rinse it off using my regular shampoo. This wonderful pack won’t weigh your hair down or make it greasy but give it wonderful shine and softness instead.

4. Papaya Mask
Dandruff is a common problem in winters because of a dry scalp. Papaya prevents balding as helps boost hair growth by strengthening the roots as well as controls dandruff. Mix together 1 skinned papaya with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Let it sit for 45 minutes before you rinse it out.

5. Apple cider Vinegar, Honey and Almond Oil
Apple cider vinegar acts as a great conditioner. Mix two tablespoons of honey with one tablespoon of almond oil and one tablespoon apple cider vinega
r. Rub this mix all over your tresses gently focusing on the dry, damaged bit and ends. Leave it on for at least half an hour and then rinse off.

Oiling your hair regularly is a secret that all girls with great hair know. Massage oil into your hair, section by section starting from the scalp to the ends and then pack in a warm towel for 15-20 minutes. Oil locks in extra moisturizer, hydrates hair in the cold weather and gives you soft and shiny locks. Natural oils are such as coconut, olive, castor and almond oil are great for restoring shine and moisture to the hair.

Here's Why Everyone's Talking About Australian Top Model Duckie Thot's Instagram Post About Natural Hair

South Sudanese model Duckie Thot, who was formerly a contestant on Australia's Next Top Model, recently wrote a candid Instagram post about what it's like to deal with her natural hair in the fashion industry. Her honesty has since garnered the post over 17,000 likes and 1,600 comments, because it confronts the fashion industry's lack of diversity.

In the post, Duckie told the story of how the Australian brand Dinosaur Designs asked her to wear her natural hair for a shoot. She was apprehensive about it at first. "I've never really had a good experience with my natural hair and modeling in Australia before," Duckie wrote. "I remember on top model on one of the episodes I had to cornrow my own hair. I was extremely upset and embarrassed that they 'didn't know how' to cornrow my natural hair when at the end of the day that's their job."

She then explained that the Top Model experience made her emotional. She was afraid of being eliminated from the show simply because the hairstylists didn't know how to work with her afro-textured tresses.

Last weekend, Winner Harlow — Canadian model, former America's Next Top Model contestant, and Lemonade fixture — showed off her short natural curls in an Instagram post. Winnie reportedly shared on Snapchat that she was worried about her hair. But she also decided it was OK to drag Duckie down by posting one of Duckie's Dinosaur Designs campaign shots (more of which you can see below) and captioning it with, "LMFAO! WHAT ARE THOOOOOSEEEEE cauliflower ass head."

Duckie clapped back in the classiest way ever. "It's not fun being bullied for something you can't control and to have a top model woman of color who I thought encouraged acceptance and self love call me out for rocking my natural hair, isn't cool at all," she wrote in her post.

"I know what it feels like to be forced to do a lot of things with your hair that you’re uncomfortable with. As a black woman in the industry and as a black woman period, it’s hard to deal with your hair," she said. "Not a lot of people know how to deal with your hair. So please understand, from deep in my heart, I apologize if I hurt anyone’s feelings. I am human, I do crack jokes with my friends and family.”

Duckie's Instagram post doesn't even cover the half of what she's faced in the fashion industry. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Thot opened up even more about feeling inferior during her time on Australia's Next Top Model because of the deep color of her skin and the texture of her hair.

According to Duckie, the problem stems from society's Eurocentric standard of beauty. "Being a black woman, we haven't really been taught how to take care of our natural hair — we've only been taught how to hide it," Thot told Teen Vogue. "I think hair companies, the media, hairstylists, and the industry itself are to blame. They haven't made the same efforts to ensure black women are looked after in their most natural form. ... I think [the industry] should really take ownership and start to invest into us."

Unfortunately, the problem isn't only with natural hair. Top models like Nykhor Paul and Victoria's Secret model Leomie Anderson have called out professional makeup artists for not carrying a wide range of foundation shades that cater to women with darker skin tones.

Duckie added to that point, telling Teen Vogue, "Like when the makeup artist pulls out their palette and they've got 20 different shades of foundation for a white girl, but only have four 'darker' shades," she said. "Then, I'm awkwardly sitting there thinking 'none of that matches my skin whatsoever.' It's those type of situations that [black models] are put in and not catered to. ... By constantly challenging and pushing at [these discrepancies] I hope we will eventually make a difference."

Through it all, Duckie has learned the most important thing is self-love. "Since I started modeling, I've been molded by absolutely everybody in every corner," she said to Teen Vogue. "People have always told me what to do, what I should look like, what hair I should have — all these sorts of things. And, I listened to these comments for a very long time."

It's those very experiences that have kept her grounded in the belief that she is a representation for girls who look like her. "When I started listening to my own voice, that's when things really started picking up for me," she explained to Teen Vogue. "That for me has been the biggest change in my whole career — listening to myself, what I feel, and what I know. Until you find your own groove, you're going to be confused. I definitely recommend finding yourself before you dive into something. Really being sure of what you represent and being confident in that. Know that you're a voice for hundreds or thousands of girls out there."

How to keep grey hair at bay between salon visits

I've had grey hair for a while now. It began around the temples when I was young enough to stay in denial about it and took off in earnest after I turned 30. Now, because I was born with the shade of hair that, if it were a dye in a box, might be named "Weak Espresso" or "Middling Goth", I need the salon every six weeks.

I can stretch that to eight if I have to, but by then I've crossed over into "nude pottery model" territory, a mere strand or two away from donning a cheese-cloth kaftan, grabbing a handful of crystals and calling it a day.

But it's not just the poor grey ponies who must spend and suffer; anyone who enjoys blonde highlights knows this story. People like us are the reason hairdressers are now called "studios" and "salons" and even "bars."

The procedure to get the particular shade or coverage you want takes around three hours – minimum. It's fun but it's a chore, kind of like dating before the internet.

And this is precisely why hair salons now resemble clubs. You've got booze, you've got loud, ambient music, you've got mild flirting, ("OMG, this cut looks gorgeous on you, babes!") and at the end of it all, you've got women and men staggering out into the street, lighter of pocket, and dizzy from the experience.

Every six weeks, the same dance. Well, until very recently. In this, the dawn of the age of flying cars and personal gyms, comes a slew of alternatives.

Starting with micro-foiling. Instead of using the old brush, this method involves real human hands and a much more subtle approach. It's quick, it's low-maintenance and available right now in Sydney's very hip Esstudio Galleria.

But! Best of all this method means that your colour can be stretched up to 12 weeks. If you don't have time for the salon, there's always Evo's Fabuloso colour enhancing conditioner, available in six different shades to enhance and revive your colour.

If you're super time-poor you could try the old Root Concealer trick. I do this all the time and nobody is the wiser. You just spray it on like you would dry shampoo and it coats your hair for the day. But, just like good skin doesn't begin with creams, but with what you put in your body, good, lasting hair colour is dependent on your shampoo.

I know this because – real talk – I used to use anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner back when I was a naive foal of a person and then I'd wonder why my hair, though soft as a puppy's ear, was losing its colour the very next week after having it done. It's about sulphates, guys. I don't want to sound like an activated almond conspiracy theorist but sulphates are bad for your hair.

Again, I'm going to recommend Evo to you because their Ritual Salvation shampoo and conditioner is free of all that nasty petro-chemical stuff and it smells divine and their packaging is heavily reliant on witty words as opposed to oily promises involving air-brushed models with CGI hair. Where's the fun in that?