Do you want healthier, stronger, shinier hair? Um… duh… is that a rhetorical question? Who doesn’t? Well lucky us, there are easy natural ways to get just that.
We can drink certain teas, put tea on our hair, and add certain foods to our diet to help promote hair growth and make our hair healthy, shiny, and strong.
Mineral Rich Tea for Hair
Minerals are very important for the health of our hair and hair growth. Getting our minerals from herbs and food are preferable because they are more bioavailable to the body. It is always better when we get our nutrients naturally because they are complex and in the form our body expects and knows exactly what to do with them. There are many nutrient rich herbs that are even better than a multivitamin.
There are 2 herbal all-stars that come to mind when I think of healthy hair, and then there are a few extras I like to throw in the mix to help the all-stars.
Oat Straw
Oat straw reins supreme when it comes to healthy hair. It is jammed packed with minerals like silica, magnesium, calcium, chromium, and niacin. People that take drink oat straw daily can not only expect to have healthier hair, but can also enjoy stronger nails, teeth, and bones.
If you really want to draw out all of the silica from oat straw, I recommend making a decoction with it. That means you will put it in a pot on the stove, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.
You can also make a long infusion with it. This will not get all the silica out, but you will still get some. Scroll down & watch my video below to see exactly how to do it.
**Do not drink oat straw if you have celiac disease. Oat straw itself is gluten free, but is often cross contaminated when processed.
Stinging Nettle
If you want to make anything that nourishes you, you can’t leave stinging nettle out. Stinging nettle is always the first herb I think of when I want to improve nutrition. Stinging nettle is more nutrient packed than any fruit or vegetable you’ll find at the supermarket.
Get ready for this list. Stinging nettle is high in: Vitamin A, C, K, B, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is also high in protein! Needless to say, drinking stinging nettle consistently will improve hair health.
You can learn more about stinging nettle here.
Dandelion Leaf & Red Clover
Dandelion leaf and red clover are not typically thought of for healthy hair, but I like to add them to my blend. They are both uber high in vitamins and minerals and are great supporting roles in hair health tea blends.
How to Make Herbal Tea for Healthy Hair
Herbal Rinse for Hair Growth
We can also use herbs topically to help promote hair growth. For this, rosemary immediately comes to mind. Rosemary stimulates blood movement, and it specifically encourages blood to go up to the head. By rubbing or massaging a rosemary infusion on your scalp, you encourage your blood to come up to the scalp and hair follicles. This allows the blood to nourish these cells and will promote hair growth.
It is as easy as making tea, and then rubbing it on your head. Make a strong rosemary tea and let it cool. Make sure it is covered so you capture all the aromatics in your infusion. Once cool, rinse your hair with water. It is easier to massage the infusion into your scalp if your hair is already wet. Pour the infusion on your scalp and rub/massage in. Let it sit for about 10-30 minutes. Then rinse out with water or shampoo.
Do it consistently for best results.
How to Make Herbal Rinse
Protein for Healthy Hair
Our hair is made from protein. In order to have the building blocks to grow healthy hair, we need to eat protein. If your diet is really low in protein, you may experience hair loss and a lack of hair growth. Make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet every day.
Eating healthy animals is a great way to get protein. I would like to emphasize HEALTHY animals. Eat animals that were able to walk around outside in their natural environments and that ate food that was meant for them. Chickens that ate insects from the dirt. Cows that ate grass from fields. Organic, healthy, and happy.
And for all my vegetarian and vegan friends out there, as well as meat-eaters, make sure that you eat enough protein from nuts, legumes, and tofu. I love adding seeds and walnuts to my salads. I like to swap out high protein grains for rice. Edamame is one of my favorite high protein snacks.
Your Experience
I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on natural remedies for healthy hair! Have you tried any of the things above? What have you tried that has worked for you?
