Hair Mask Recipes for Fine, Flat Hair

Get rid of product build-up and add body

By Marion C. Haßold/Getty Images 

by Julyne Derrick
Julyne Derrick is a freelance beauty writer and contributing writer for Byrdie.
Updated March 24, 2019

Fine hair tends to be oily hair and is susceptible to product build-up. The best way to get rid of product build-up is to spray hair with a vinegar rinse. Add body with sea salt sprays you can make yourself.

Sea Salt Spray for Body

Sea salt
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This sea salt rinse will give body to flat, lifeless hair. Salt is great for stripping away excess oils on the hair and product build-up. You can also use this sea salt spray recipe to add body to the hair on a regular basis.

This recipe should be used no more than a couple times a month. It could irritate the scalp and dry out hair if overused.

  • 4 tablespoons sea salt
  • 2 cups of hot water
  • Spray bottle

Dissolve the sea salt in the hot water.

Separate dry hair into 4 sections: 2 sections on top and 2 on the bottom.

Starting with the bottom sections of hair, completely spritz with the sea salt spray.

When all sections are completely soaked in sea salt solution, leave on for 5 minutes.

Rinse and shampoo as you normally would.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse for Product Build-up

My new friend Martha swears by her weekly apple cider vinegar rinse. She simply mixes a concoction of apple cider vinegar and water up in a spray bottle and she sprays it on her hair after she shampoos and conditions.

Apparently, the acetic acid found in the vinegar helps wash away shampoo/conditioner build-up and vinegar is a natural dandruff fighter. If you do try this, make sure to rinse hair thoroughly after the vinegar rinse. Martha swears she doesn't have to wash her hair again for several days. (And yes, there is a slight vinegar odor for a day or so, she reports).

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this rinse for colored hair. The acid can strip away your pricey investment.

The BSV Treatment: Baking Soda Wash Followed With Vinegar Spritz

I am wary and I mean very wary of shampoos these days because sulfates, the chemical in shampoo that causes them to foam up into delicious bubbles, is also touted to be dangerous to us (see this list of the best sulfate-free shampoos).

So when I read that many women are bypassing the bottle for their homemade baking soda shampoos followed by apple cider vinegar rinse, I thought, "sounds ineffective. And smelly."

I was wrong. Find out what happens when I try this shampoo and rinse and get the recipes for both.