Get healthy hair with herbs

You can apply herb solutions to your hair and scalp directly or ingest them to get healthy, shiny hair. Herbs are unique ingredients for natural hair treatments that can work to give you strong, healthy hair, treat dandruff, restore shine and help stimulate hair growth.

Here are some answers to common questions about herbal hair treatments.

Though herbs are all natural, it doesn't mean that they are all completely safe for everyone. You can have an allergic reaction to some herbs so it's best to test a small amount of the herb on the inside of your wrist before treating your whole head or ingesting the herbs. Wait a day or two after applying to your wrist and check for any adverse reaction. Also check with your doctor, especially if you're pregnant, to make sure herbs are safe for you.

Rosemary

Some experts say that rosemary will help stimulate hair growth, fight dandruff and restore luster to your hair. To get healthy hair from this herb, you can cook rosemary in food or make rosemary water to create a rinse.

Horsetail

The horsetail herb is a great source of silica. Silica will strengthen your hair at its core and restore shine. To get healthy hair this way, you can make your own horsetail shampoo at home. Steep 2-3 tablespoons of horsetail in 1/2 cup hot water. Add the mixture to baby shampoo and wash your hair as usual.

Other herbs for healthy hair

Many other herbs may help hair loss, restore shine and combat dandruff problems. Here are some herbs that you can use in food, boil for a hair rinse or add to your normal shampoo or conditioner.

• Aloe: Stimulates new hair growth, fights frizz and works as a natural conditioner
• Birch: Combats dry, itchy scalp
• Burdock: Promotes hair growth, increases shine and healthy body and fights dandruff
• Chamomile: Works great as a natural conditioner and for cosmetic purposes, it will will lighten blonde hair over time
• Licorice: Largely associated with preventing hair loss
• Marigold: Acts as moisturizer and can help lighten your color and increase shine
• Mulberries: Helps treat prematurely gray hair
• Parsley: Its doses or iron and vitamin C help keep hair healthy and strong
• Sage: Works well a a natural coloring agent and also fights grays

You can purchase any of these herbs from your local health food shop, from a naturopath or herbalist, or from many online herb companies, such as Frontier Natural Products.

Try this easy hair rinse recipe with any of these natural herbs.