The only thing I love more than a hair mask [1] is discovering new hair masks to try out — especially if said masks are celebrity-approved. Not too long ago, Cardi B gave her fans and Instagram followers an inside look at her natural hair-care process, specifically the at-home avocado hair treatment [2] she loves using on herself and her daughter, Kulture. The rapper swears by it for promoting healthy hair growth, and as we can see from the few glimpses we've gotten of her Afro-textured hair in the past, it appears to be something that's really benefitted her. With that in mind, I obviously had to try it out myself, though my results were a little different.

Cardi's homemade hair mask includes the following: one avocado, two raw eggs, one whole banana, one scoop of mayonnaise, argan oil, olive oil, lots of black castor oil [3], and a smidge of honey. All of these ingredients have different benefits, so it's easy to see why someone would want to throw them all together to create a DIY [4] mask. Mayonnaise, avocado, and eggs are ingredients that are commonly used because they're known for being a great source of fatty acids and protein. Avocado is said to have moisturising benefits. And as far as the oils are concerned, olive oil is commonly used to hydrate hair, while argan oil is known to add shine, and castor oil is commonly touted for its ability to promote hair growth.

Personally, I've been putting a lot more effort these last few months into learning which products work best for my natural curls [5], and which ones aren't for me. I decided to give Cardi's special mask a try after washing my hair one week, and the first thing I noticed after letting it sit for about 40 minutes was that my hair absorb it. That didn't surprise me, as this is common for people with low porosity hair [6], or hair that tends to repel moisture because of its tight cuticle structure.

For low-po hair to benefit from certain products, the formula has to be a bit lighter, and the molecules in those products have to be small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. This isn't a characteristic of thick products like pure castor oil, mayo, and eggs. (Note: castor oil is a callout ingredient in the hair mask that I regularly use, though I normally thin that out with water and add jojoba to lighten it up.)

All of this is to say that the mask didn't end up working as well for me as I would've hoped, but it did serve as a great reminder that not all products will work wonders on everyone — even if it is endorsed by your favourite celebrity.