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It's not always necessary to spend a lot of money to have great-looking hair. If you like the idea of avoiding synthetic products and harsh chemicals and enjoy using healthy, organic ingredients to treat your hair, you can make many different homemade hair care products using ingredients that can be found in your kitchen.

If you have dry or damaged hair, you can make a homemade hair mask to be used as a weekly deep-conditioning treatment. Mash half an avocado with half a banana until the mixture is completely free of lumps, and apply it to dry hair before shampooing. Cover your head with a shower cap or plastic wrap and leave this on for up to 30 minutes. Rinse the mixture from your hair completely before shampooing, and condition with your usual conditioner or use a light, leave-in conditioner.

In her book "Natural Beauty at Home," Janice Cox provides recipes for several homemade rinses that can be used after you're finished shampooing your hair. Mixing the juice of one lemon and 1 cup water and rinsing with this mixture can give your hair body and shine. If you have a lot of residue or buildup from styling products, mix 1 tbsp. baking soda and 1 cup water, then rinse with this after shampooing. If you want to give your hair extra life and body, rinse with 1 can of flat beer. Make sure to rinse these mixtures from your hair completely with cool water.

If you have dry scalp or dandruff, several effective remedies are worth trying. You can use an apple cider vinegar rinse by applying 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar directly to your scalp, leaving it on for 15 minutes, then rinsing and shampooing. Some folk remedies even suggest that rinsing with Listerine can be effective for use in treating mild cases of dandruff. In her book, Janice Cox provides another home treatment for dandruff control. According to Cox, for a dry flaky scalp, prepare a home remedy using 2 tbsp. jojoba oil and 1/4 tsp. tea tree oil. After combining these ingredients, apply it to wet hair, leave it on for 20 minutes, and then shampoo it out.

If you have light brown or dark to medium blond hair and you want to add some natural blond highlights, use lemon juice. Mix the juice of three lemons with 1/3 cup water, put this mixture in a spray bottle, and spray it all over your hair. Sit out in the sun for a while; this will lighten your hair anyway, but using the lemon juice speeds the process. Make sure to thoroughly condition your hair afterward, as lemon juice can be very drying.