“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved making my own hair masks with ingredients straight from the fruit stand,” says Samira Asemanfar, founder of Santa Monica’s new deep conditioning hair bar, The Broot. “But as I got older and life got busier, it became a hassle to actually go through the steps and then have to clean up all the mess.”Her solution? Open a cozy hair haven—or “rehab,” as Asemanfar calls it—where clients choose from a menu of treatments whipped to order at the bar by “BrootTenders,” relax with a cup of herbal tea or coconut water and peruse soul-soothing coffee table books (no trashy, “toxic” gossip rags here) while catching up with friends. After masks are applied for about 15 to 20 minutes under a heater and rinsed out, clients can select to have a blow-out or simple styling, such as a braid or chignon, before walking out the door.QUIZ: How Old’s Your Hair?“We understand that women might be coloring their hair every few weeks, getting blow-outs two or three times a month and using products daily,” Asemanfar says. “Our goal is to provide a place to nourish and pamper your scalp naturally a few times a week in between to restore resilience and shine.”Don’t live in L.A.? No worries. Check out Asemanfar’s recommendations for natural hair masks you can make right at home.
