Catnip: Promotes healthy hair growth–many women on longhaircommunity swear by this stuff for long, strong hair. It supposedly reduces the occurrence of split ends and breakage.
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:
- Place the herb(s) in a pitcher (glass is ideal).
- Pour boiling water over the herb(s), cover, and steep for 10-20 minutes.
- Strain the mixture and allow the liquid to cool.
- 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?!
I was referred to this site a couple of days ago by a friend & absolutely love it. I was wondering what measurements are used when mixing ingredients, for example, with Chocolate Orchid's rinse that she made? I get a lot of info on ingredients to use, but not on how much of each I should be incorporating. Thanks.
Would you ever consider using any of these herbs as reg shampoos. I'm reading online that it is best to make home-made shampoos with these herbs..what do u think?
AVC should be ACV= apple cider vinegar
TNC= twist and curl
good article on herbal rinses. thanks curlynikki!
ok questions ladies..what is AVC & TNC
I like to use herbs for washing my hair since conventional shampoos are simply too drying for my hair and scalp. I like lavender in small amounts to combat itchiness. I mix a little of the lavender powder with olive oil and rub it into my scalp before a shower. Chamomile is a great conditioner and detangler, just one tea bag of it in an old 16 oz. water bottle, steeped for about half an hour. Sometimes I baggy it for 20 mins. and sometimes I just pour it over my hair in the shower. I've just started experimenting with rosemary rinses, but so far it seems to work well to calm scalp itch and clean my hair. Gotta love the herbs!
Def. My 1st TNC came out pretty good..for a 1st time. Except for a few product differences, I pretty much followed your TNC method to the letter.I used Aubrey O's Honeysuckle Rose & Hairveda's Moist for the DC and Qhemet's Amla Pomade instead of Shea butter to seal my ends. I'm very pleased w/it and the fact that this will help to protect my ends! Will do this again when I henna next week, along w/my tea rinse. =)
Ooh, I like to play in my hair too much!
Lol.
I'll definitely look into this soap nut thing 🙂 I promise to report back! I need a new shampoo anyway. Thanks!
ChocolateO, keep me posted 🙂
I'm just getting into these myself. As a matter of fact, I did my 2nd herbal rinse tonight and I'm lovin' it on my hair. It feels and smells wonderful. I used Coltsfoot, Peppermint Leaf, Rosemary, Marshmallow root, nettle, horsetail, lavender, burdock root, chamomile and lemon verbena. Added some ACV and lavender and lemon verbena essential oil to it. It turned out wonderful. My hair smells sooooo good. Then I did a TNC on my hair. First time, so I'm eager to see how it comes out.
Lol.
People on longhaircommunity also swear by honey and soapnuts. I've heard that soapnuts can thicken the hair and can be used as a substitute for shampoo. It's natural and I was wondering since you use henna, would you ever use soapnuts? I know that Indian women use this to shampoo their hair and to thicken it as well.