Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care

Evelyn of NaturallyCurly writes:

One of the reasons I’m glad I went natural is the versatility and experimentation that my coily hair offers. I don’t have to worry about washing my flat iron job out or ruining my perm. I can try different products and techniques, secure in the fact that I can just wash it out if I don’t like it. So cruising through the aisles of my local organic food store, I stumbled upon some apple cider vinegar and remembered a Youtube video from one of my favorite naturals, naptural85.

On her quest to use more natural ingredients in her hair, she used apple cider vinegar as a shampoo or hair cleanser. She said it added the bounce and shine back to her coils. I bought a bottle (a little over 3 bucks) and decided to find out if it was just as good as she said. And to be completely honest, I didn’t do my research until after I tried out the apple cider vinegar rinse.

After receiving Zhara's Hair Growth Tea recipe, I became very interested in the use of herbs as a final rinse. Back in January I posted an article called Natural Remedies for Natural Hair--the list below is a continuation (and application).

Catnip: Promotes healthy hair growth--many women on longhaircommunity swear by this stuff for long, strong hair.
Chamomile: Softens hair, soothes the scalp, lighten and conditions (people use it with honey to bring out natural highlights). Chamomile is also known to stimulate growth.
Horsetail: Helps brittle hair due to its high silica content.
Lavender: Stimulates hair growth
Nettle: conditions, improves texture, helps with dandruff, irritated scalp, and dry scalp
Parsley: enriches hair color and gives a nice luster
Plantain: great for dry, irritated scalp, dandruff, and seborrhea
Peppermint: stimulates the scalp
Rosemary: Acts as a tonic and conditioner, one of the best herbs to use, gives luster and body, stimulates growth, helps with dandruff, and brings out dark highlights in the hair.
Sage: Very effective in restoring color to graying hair, excellent for weak brittle hair
Saw Palmetto: good for thinning hair and hair loss
Thyme: good for oily hair and dandruff
Witch Hazel: cleanses hair

After you've decided which herb(s) will get the job done, follow the steps below:

1. Place the herb(s) in a pitcher (glass is ideal).
   
2. Pour boiling water over the herb(s), cover, and steep for 10-20 minutes.
3. Strain the mixture and allow the liquid to cool.
   
4. Pour over your head after your regular shampoo, condition, and detangling session. Do not rinse.

Buy your herbs in bulk from one of the following:

Bulk Herb Store
Mountain Rose Herbs
Herbco.com

I plan to experiment with catnip, rosemary, and nettle. I might even try adding a few of these to my next henna treatment...whenever that may be. What about you?!

Remember the ridiculously beautiful and wholly natural Zhara?! Well she's back to share a very special recipe with the CurlyNikki community.




Zhara's Hairsational Organic Herbal Hairgrowth Tea!!!!!!

Healthy nutrition and exercise are definitely the most important part of your natural hair care regime in my opinion.
What goes in the body is a good refection of what comes out; physically, mentally and Vanity!
Homemade organic herbal tea is like drinking a liquid vitamin in its most purest form beacuse it absorbs directly into the bloodstream.
This organic tea contains many special vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients to enhance healthy skin, hair and nails!
It has excellent Health & Beauty benefits like purifying the blood, boosting circulation, promoting healthy hair growth, glowing skin, strong lustrous nails and the list goes on! Some of the herbs are detoxifying, so It’s also a great way to gently cleanse the body on a regular basis!

Drink this Fresh Homemade Organic Wellness Tea as part of your daily health and hair care regimen....

Cheers!

Why not turn to natural remedies when dealing with our natural hair woes? God blessed us with a plethora of Essential Oils (EO's) and Herbs that can fix every hair problem under the sun! I ran across THIS article, and thought you mixtresses out there may find the following helpful. For those of you that don't concoct your own spritzes, gels and sprays, flip those bottles over (your fav conditioners & moisturizers) and see if you can spot any of the following ingredients...

Dry Hair:
Herbs: parsley, red clover, rosemary, sage, burdock, calendula, chamomile, comfrey leaf and root, elder flowers, horsetail, kelp, bladderwrack, irish moss, lavender, marshmallow, nettle, coltsfoot, white pine, green tea, ginsing, coconut milk ,cocoa powder, chlorella, annatto, rose, and orange powder.
EO’s: carrot seed, cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, geranium, frankincense, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, peppermint, rose, rosemary, rosewood, clary sage, sandalwood, thyme,

Hair loss/Growth Stimulating:
Oils: seabuckthorn
Herbs: basil, burdock, nettle, parsley, rosemary, sage, yarrow, kelp (strengthens roots), horsetail, hibiscus, fenugreek, coconut milk, lavender, birch, watercress (encourages thick growth), yucca, thyme, and coltsfoot.
EO’s: basil, cajute, carrot seed, cedarwood, clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, orange, peppermint, rosemary, clary sage, thyme, ylang ylang, lemon, yarrow, lemon balm, parsley.

Damaged Hair:
Herbs: basil, burdock, chamomile, calendula, elder flower, geranium, lavender, mullein, nettle, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, watercress, st johns wort, rosehips (strengthens hair shaft), hops, horsetail, ginko/fumitory (absorb nutrients), fenugreek, comfrey, cocoa powder, beer, alphalfa.
EO’s: basil, roman chamomile, lavender, geranium, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, st john’s wort, hops, parsley.

Dull Hair:
Herbs: basil, burdock, calendula, chamomile, fennel, horsetail, linden, marshmallow, mullein, nettle, parsley, rosemary, sage, watercress, kelp, fenugreek, cocoa powder, beer, alfalfa, hops.
EO’s: basil, roman chamomile, juniper, lemon, lemongrass, rosemary, parsley, clary sage.

Irritated Scalp:
Herbs: calendula, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, yucca, watercress, oregano, marshmallow, hops, hyssop, ginko, fenugreek, elder, cocoa powder, alfalfa .
EO’s: roman chamomile, blue chamomile, oregano, hops, hyssop, fennel, catnip, hyssop,

Sensitive Scalp:
Herbs: burdock, calendula, chamomile, horsetail, marshmallow, nettle, oregano, yucca, milk thistle, hyssop, fennel, elder, lavender .
EO’s: chamomile, cedarwood, clary sage, ylang ylang, hyssop, lavender, oregano.

Dandruff:
Oils: Neem
Herbs: burdock, horsetail, lavender, nettle, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, willowbark, yucca, parsley, green tea, fenugreek, coltsfoot.
EO’s: bay, cedarwood, clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, lemon, myrrh, patchouli, peppermint, pine, rosemary, tea tree, ylang ylang.

I noticed that many of the herbs and essential oils listed above can actually resolve several hair issues all at once. It was very exciting to see that my favorite new spritz's ingredient list has just about every EO and herb mentioned in the Dry Hair category!

Oyin Handmade's Frank Juice ingredient list: Purified water infused with horsetail, lavender, nettle, roses, and chamomile; organic flaxseeds; aloe vera juice; vegetable glycerine; essences of lavender, sweet orange, ylang ylang, and rosemary; grapefruit seed extract; citric acid; and love

Check out my review of this product HERE.