Lotions, massages, masks, and rinses to take care of the health of your scalp and the beauty of your hair, combating weak, brittle hair, hair loss, seborrhea and dandruff, seborrhea, irritation, brittle hair, and hair loss, here are some conditions that can be addressed naturally. Today we will see the best remedies that nature offers for the health and beauty of our hair, based on popular wisdom, advice from great herbalists, and scientific results....CONTINUE READING
Scalp massage Applying an oil or a mask, before shampooing or after, if so required by the treatment, can be an excellent way to perform a scalp massage. In fact, as demonstrated by scientific studies, even just 4 minutes a day of scalp massage is able, in six months, to stimulate blood circulation, improve skin elasticity, and make hair stronger and thicker (Koyama et al, Eplasty, 2016).
If you love DIY, help comes from coconut oil, to be massaged with the fingertips on the scalp and hair, from roots to ends. In fact, coconut oil supports the microbiota of the scalp, keeping it healthy and combating dandruff, and strengthens the hair, preventing the loss of proteins (Dias et al, Int J Trichology, 2015 – Saxena et al, Scientific Reports, 2021 ).
An extra note? Letting ourselves be inspired by the ancient wisdom and charm of distant lands, it is possible to mix Tamanu oil, the scientific name Calophyllum inophyllum, with coconut oil, just as it is used in Tahiti, to promote hair growth and health ( Hughes et al, Molecules, 2020). Lotions for hair lossThe great French herbalist Messegue offers three lotions to combat hair loss (Messegue, My herbarium). The first lotion is very simple and easy to prepare, it is a decoction.
Bring a liter of water to the boil together with a handful of rosemary and a handful of sage, let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Filter and let cool down. Use as a final rinse. Complete with a scalp massage to allow better absorption. Just be careful that the decoction can darken your hair. The second lotion, useful in case of seborrhea and premature hair loss, is the following. In half a liter of rum add two handfuls of freshly crushed burdock roots and a handful of crushed nettle roots, and leave to macerate for half a day. Use to rub the scalp for a long time, then rinse.
Finally, the third remedy exploits the properties of parsley, which combats hair loss and, as scientific research also states, strengthens the hair and combats weakness and fragility, making the hair thicker and fuller (Azam et al, Ancient Science of Life, 1996). Bring a liter of water to a boil, remove from the heat, and add a generous handful of fresh parsley leaves, leave to rest for ten minutes, then filter. Let it cool down and pour on your hair after shampooing, massage, and leave on for ten minutes, then rinse.
Astragalus The topical application of astragalus, scientific name Astragalus membraceus, has been shown to counteract hair loss. In particular, this action can largely be traced back to the most important active ingredient of astragalus, called Astragaloside IV, a substance with an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, as well as neuroprotective, antiviral, and anti-diabetic action.
Astragaloside IV is, in fact, able to protect the physiological life cycle of the hair, avoiding alterations with consequent hair loss and thus helping in the case of alopecia and telogen effluvium (Kim et al, PLoS One, 2014). Alpinetin, another active ingredient present in plants of the Fabaceae family, such as Astragalus, also promotes hair regeneration and is a candidate to become an ingredient in treatments against alopecia (Fan et al, Chin Med, 2022). Astragalus is found in the form of a dried plant with which to prepare infusions and compresses.
