Home Remedies & Natural Ingredients for Healthy Hair
We all have heard, beauty comes in all sizes and shapes and hair strands are like those special ingredients that add spice to our overall appearance. Who doesn’t wants bouncy, shiny-looking lustrous hair that is strong to withstand dust, pollutants, harsh chemicals, hair treatments like colouring, smoothening etc.? Our hair is made of a protein known as "Keratin" which gives them strength. But with our hectic lifestyles and our desire to experiment with new hairstyles and colours, we often suffer from issues like dandruff, hair fall, split-ends, and frizziness. Here are some super-easy and simple home remedies for hair care that can help you deal effectively with these issues.
10 Effective home hair growth tips & ingredients for healthy & shiny looking hair
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1.) Aloe Vera:  |
Aloe Vera, the shrub with succulent leaves, thorns and gel-like extract can be a wonder hair remedy. This sticky and highly viscous flora has various components that can benefit hair and thus it's one of the most sought after base used in many hair products. The plant is packed with vitamins and enzymes that could help in keeping the scalp skin clean, Aloe Vera extract known to be rich in antioxidants and vitamin E could prove to be a hair growth booster and highly effective in alleviating dandruff. |
Also, it is believed that the naturally available gel of the plant can deep cleanse oily hair, oily hair strands accumulate dirt and hence can cause hair fall, switching to shampoo with Aloe Vera extracts could prove to be a quick remedy. Aloe Vera is also believed to contain a decent percentage of Vitamin C and B-12 which lends it anti-inflammatory properties helpful in reducing itchiness of the scalp.
Tip: Add 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mix well and apply the mix gently to your hair from roots to hair tips. Leave for 15-20 minutes and rinse thoroughly.
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2.) Tea Tree:
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Tea tree is a shrub native to Australia with a crisp aroma, oil derived from tea tree leaves is believed to have medicinal, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties which are known to be quite effective in keeping hair follicles clean thus prevents, scalp infections, fungal growth, lice and formation of dandruff. |
If that ain't enough tea tree oil also naturally conditions the hair by packing in moisture making the hair bouncy and lustrous.
Tip: Add a few drops of this hair oil (readily available in the market) to the quantity of shampoo you apply on your hair and rub it well. Rinse thoroughly with water. You may even add a few drops of tea tree oil to your regular hair oil and give yourself a head massage. Letting the oil stay on the scalp for a few hours would surely give you amazing results!
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3.) Vitamin E:
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Vitamin E was discovered by Evans and Bishop in 1922, today we also know it as “Alpha-Tocopherol” scientifically Vitamin E is formed of different fat-soluble antioxidants. These antioxidants nourish the hair follicle and help fight split ends and frizziness. The harsh and rough texture of hair caused by various chemical treatments can be cured with vitamin E oil. Vitamin E prevents the oxidation of phospholipids, thereby helping to maintain the integrity of the cellular membrane. This benefit aids scalp health and may promote hair strengthening. |
Tip: Add two capsules of vitamin E (available readily in the market) to one small bowl of curd and apply it to your scalp. Leave the mask for half-hour and rinse it off with warm water. Your hair will feel shiny and moist. You may even apply Vitamin E oil directly to your hair roots and leave it overnight for better results.
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4.) Lemon Juice:
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Known as the powerhouse of Vitamin C, lemon is a great source of citric acid believed to be quite effective in controlling and clearing up bad oil and dirt from the scalp and thus aid with soothing down an itchy dry scalp. Vitamin C can also play a vital role in hair growth as it regulates the synthesis of collagen in our body, collagen is a structural protein having amino acids that our body may use to create Keratin, a protein our hair is made of. |
Applying Vitamin-E enriched oils or products are known to strongly prevent ageing, hyper-pigmentation and oxidation of the cells, thus, offering anti-wrinkle and smooth looking, radiant skin. Many natural, home-made and organic daily care products use Vitamin-E to enhance skin-nourishing properties of their beauty products for example Vitamin-E when combined with Vitamin-C can offer in sun-screen properties to your skin. So next time you go shopping, find the skincare formulas with Vitamin-E on their labels and give yourself a flawless-looking skin.
Tip: Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Dilute the mixture with an equal amount of water and apply it to your hair. Rinse it off with a mild shampoo. You will surely feel improvement in your scalp's itchiness.
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5.) Tulsi / Ocimum:
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Who knew this holy plant can do miracles to your entire body. This plant is native to Southeast Asia and is also referred to as Ocimum. Ancient Indian scriptures explain vast uses of this plant for curing various health issues. Tulsi, known to be rich in Vitamin A, zinc, and iron can be quite beneficial with hair growth. Vitamin A is believed to help improve blood circulation and thus can promote hair growth. Whereas Zinc is known for its function of cell integrity which is believed to strengthen hair follicles and hair roots. |
Also, carotenoids found in the plant act as antioxidants that maintain cell health and thus healthy hair follicles. You can eat raw tulsi leaves on empty stomach or can add them to your green tea. This will not only add aroma and flavour to your beverage but at the same time, you can enjoy its benefits.
Tip: Add crushed tulsi leaves to your regular hair oil and warm it up to a low temperature, gently apply this oil to your scalp and massage. Leave for 2 hours and wash your hair with a herbal shampoo. Add the practice to your hair care routine once a week to reap it's benefits.
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6.) Curry Leaves:
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Ever given a thought why do people living in southern parts of India have such thick, shiny, and black hair? It is because the staple ingredient of their diet is curry leaves. The natural oil extracted from these leaves is known to be rich in vitamin C, E, A and various amino acids which are believed to promote hair growth. With age passing by, issues like hair thinning, split ends and hair fall can become persistent for some of us, Vitamin E present in curry leaves if not cure but certainly appear to be an effective alleviator for such conditions through its believed to be anti-ageing properties.
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Tip: Sun-dry, powder curry leaves and then mix the powder to your hair mask, oil or curd, apply the mix for 2-3 hours and rinse thoroughly. Consumption of curry leaves in the daily diet can be extremely beneficial for the quality of your hair.
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7.) Banana : 
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Banana is a berry that is used as a mood stabilizer. It is often substituted as a major source of protein and calcium in diets. Little did people know, these two nutrients are crucial for hair protein. Calcium helps in the absorption of iron which in turn is a hair growth booster. It is believed that the consumption of one banana daily at breakfast can give you sufficient dietary calcium. Also, bananas have a sticky and gooey consistency which makes them ideal for skin conditioning. Instead of chemical-based conditioners, using a banana mask to treat dull and dry hair is a great idea. |
The oils in the fruit are believed to soften hair naturally. It may also help in treating eczema owing to the anti-inflammatory properties of the fruit.
Tip: Mash a banana and mix a tablespoon of coconut oil to it and apply the mixture to your hair. It will act as a natural deep conditioner.
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8.) Honey :
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This sweet and one of the favourite cereal companion is an ultimate ingredient for shiny and bouncy hair. Honey has emollient and humectant properties, with the former believed to smoothen the hair texture and add shine while the latter is believed to add moisture to the hair strands. Also, honey can clean dirty scalp well due to its sticky consistency. Tip: Apply a reasonable amount of honey to your hair and leave for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly and we bet you'll surely bag a compliment praising those new shiny gorgeous hair. |
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9.) Curd :
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Let Bacteria shield your hair against bacteria, yeah you are reading it correctly, bid adieu to all your bacterial scalp infections with just a bowl of curd. This kitchen dairy product though formed of bacteria itself is packed with antibacterial properties with a dash of vitamin C. This vitamin is the best for scalp health as it keeps fungus and infections away. Its creamy texture adds natural oil to the scalp and nourishes the hair. It is a great natural chemical-free conditioner for hair. Tip: Apply it directly over your hair and then wash your hair with a mild shampoo. |
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10.) Onion Juice :
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One of the major components of our daily salads, onion can do wonders to our hair. Onion juice is believed to add sulfur to the scalp and cleanse the dirt accumulated around the hair follicles. This can add strength to the hair roots and thus might act as an anti-breakage agent for hair. It is also believed to help get rid of dandruff due to the presence of magnesium in it. Tip: Grate an onion and squeeze out the juice. Apply this juice over your scalp and hair roots. Leave for 15 minutes and wash with shampoo. |
These are some home remedies which can give you spa-finish looking hair using some commonly available ingredients.
By - Anushka Jain
Beauty Influencer / Dip. Journalism
Legal Disclaimer: Information given here is generic, has not been evaluated by Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease, please consult an expert for any medical condition.