0 How To Make An Ayurvedic Leave-In For Healthy Hair (Infusing Powders)

Ayurvedic powders have been used for centuries to help maintain healthy hair. When using these powders and/or herbs figuring out the best way to incorporate them into your regimen can be a challenge. Some make the herbs into a paste and use it as a deep conditioner, some add the herbs to shampoos or make them into teas and use them as a rinse. Today we're doing to make a spray leave-in conditioner infused with ayurvedic herbs!

I was reading (can't find it now, oddly enough) that when using herbs and powders on your hair, in order to get the full benefit, they need to left on the hair for long periods of time or used in leave-in conditioners; any other way and you're simply washing the benefits of the herbs down the drain.

 You can use oils such as coconut and olive or you can use water.Whatever you use, you want it to be something that will penetrate the hair shaft.

What you'll need:

• A clean sauce pan
• rubber band
• coffee filter (you can use a heat seal-able tea bag)
• herbs of choice (I used amla powder, fenugreek powder, brahmi, and horsetail)
• water (preferably filtered)
• preservative
• empty bottle

Place a tablespoon of each herb into the coffee filter, make sure the herbs you are using have conditioning properties. Read these posts about the benefits of different ayurvedic herbs: Ayurvedic Hair Care and Deep Conditioner With Ayurvedic Herbs

Tie the coffee filter closed with a rubber band:

Boil 16 oz. of water in sauce pan. After the water get to a rolling boil, add your homemade tea bag:

Turn burner on low after adding tea bag. 1 hour later:

Turn burner off and let sit covered for 2-3 hrs. This is after 3 hours:

Pour into a bottle, add *preservative and spritz hair as often as needed. (the added fragrance made the leave-in a little cloudy)

*I used Optiphen at 1.75%. If you choose not to preserve your mixture, you will need to keep it refrigerated. This a tea and will grow mold if left out without being properly preserved.

You can use your herbal infusion in soap making, making creams and scalp balms.

Read these posts about the benefits of different Ayurvedic herbs: Ayurvedic Hair Care and Deep Conditioner With Ayurvedic Herbs.

Do you use Ayurvedic herbs in your hair regimen? How?

For Your Body & Hair Butters Visit:DIY Hair Care Products

0 DIY Deep Conditioner Recipe With Ayurvedic Herbs

First, before you decide to make your own all natural deep treatment you have to know the different properties and benefits of the ingredients. For deep conditioners and conditioners in general, you want to use ingredients that will penetrate the hair. 


It's best to start with a real actual conditioner as a base as conditioners are formulated with certain ingredients that bind to the hair.  Starting with a great conditioner base helps make your deep conditioner....condition! 

Here are the ingredients in Aloe & Chamomile Detangling Conditioner I used: 


Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Lavendula angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Anthemis nobilis (Organic Roman Chamomile) Distillate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ricinus communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolized Wheat, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Panthenol Vitamin B5), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Rosa mosqueta (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Salix nigra (Organic Black Willow Bark) Extract


Aloe Juice: Moisturizer that is just a great as water. If your conditioner does not have either water or aloe juice as the first ingredient it just might not be moisturizing and may be more of a hot oil treatment. 


Vegetable Glycerin: This is a humectant that draws water from the air and sucks it into the hair shaft. 


Panthenol B5: Is a humectant, emollient and moisturizer. It binds to the hair shaft readily and is a frequent component of shampoos and hair conditioners (in concentrations of 0.1-1%). It coats the hair and seals its surface, lubricating the hair shaft and making strands appear shiny


Hydrolized Wheat: nourishes and smoothes skin & hair (improves skin feeling & softness), moisture retainer (protects skin & hair from drying out), decreases number and depth of wrinkles, volumizing effects.


These are just a few ingredients and their benefits in this awesome conditioner.


Now that we have a nice yet simple conditioner, that provides a bit of "slip" (great for detangling) we can look into some additions based on the problems we may have or want to prevent with our hair. 


Neem Powder: Cleansing (great if you have scalp issues or even dry scalp)


Amla Powder: Conditioning and a astringent


Fenugreek Powder: Conditioning, great for hair loss and promotes shine


Molasses: Contains sulphur which is one of the key building blocks for healthy hair growth


Honey: Adds shine and is an humectant


Wheat Germ Oil: Decreases thinning and helps the scalp utilize oxygen, also conditions & softens hair


Brahmi Oil: Promotes growth and helps with dandruff


*Hibiscus: Conditioning (I didn't add it this time but, I plan to add it for my next DC)


SOURCE 1 and SOURCE 2 


Recipe:
Yields 4 oz. of Deep Conditioner
3.5 oz. conditioner (I used Aloe & Chamomile Detangling Conditioner)
1/4 tspn. Honey
1/4 tspn. Molasses
1/4 tspn. Wheatgerm Oil
1/8 tspn. Fenugreek Powder
1/8 tspn. Amla
1/8 tspn. Neem Leaf Powder (doesn't have the stinky smell that the oil has)
1/8 tspn. Brahmi Oil
*Optional 5 drops of Peppermint Oil


Mix the oils with the conditioner first and then mix in the powders. Although this may seem like a small amount of powders it is definitely enough. 

This is how my mix looks when mixed thoroughly. As you can see there is plenty of powder throughout the mix. Note: This conditioner started off white!

• I set my mix aside for a few hours (I got kind of busy) and let it "marinate" a bit. I noticed the herbally smell did increase a bit. the overall smell seems like it would be easy to cover, nothing too heavy or annoying.
• The consistency was really nice. It was easy to spread, not too thick or too thin. 
• I applied the mix to freshly washed hair that was dried 75% using an old t-shirt. 
• I left the mixture on for about 2 hours and then rinsed. This DC rinsed out easily for me, way easier than the other Fenugreek mixture I made. 

My hair feels soft, shiny and healthier. I did notice the Fenugreek weighed my hair down a bit after I rinsed, the same way it did the last time. 

I ave about 1 oz. left and I will be making more. I love this Deep Conditioner!  

For Your Body & Hair Butters Visit: DIY Hair Care Products

0 Natural Herbs That Help Provide Healthier Hair

There are lots of herbs you can add to your homemade mixes to help provide stronger, healthier hair! For many of us we don't just have natural hair but, we like choosing natural products as well and if we can make these products ourselves that's even better! So, let's talk about some inexpensive herbs we can add to our regimens to help us grow and maintain longer stronger, natural hair.


Hibiscus

• Is said to strengthen hair from root to tip
• Prevent breakage
• Prevent split ends
• Seal the hair cuticle

Neem

• Relieve itchy scalps
• Strengthen hair
• Encourage growth (I assume similar to peppermint oil)
• Help prevent hair loss

Green Tea

• Strengthen hair
• Relieve dandruff
• Help with thinning hair
• Stimulate growth

Amla Powder

• Conditions the hair
• Helps strengthen damaged hair (temporarily, remember once damage is done it can't be reversed)
• Adds shine

Nettle

• Help with hair loss
• Adds shine & gloss
• Helps fight dandruff
• Stimulates hair growth

These are only a few of the natural herbs you can use on your hair and add to your products to "kick them up a notch". 

I think adding a few of these herbs to your deep conditioners and shampoos is a great start! I already use fenugreek & hibiscus and love them! 

Next we will cover rosemary, fenugreek, henna, and more!

For Your Body & Hair Butters Visit: DIY Hair Care Products



*All information about these herbs was found online through a google search, Please do your own research before buying and using these herbs. Be careful and watch for any irritation and consult your physician if you have any health issues. 

0 Ayurvedic Haircare

Ayurvedic haircare is basically the use of different herbs, to help maintain the health of your hair. It is thought to have originated in India. Just from reading about different cultures, I think every country has their go to herbs for hair and skincare.

It would make sense that other countries would use teas, herbs and different oils to help grow their hair. I couldn't imagine them going to the store and stocking up on lotions and potions every week.

I was reading MopTopMavens blog and found some posts she made about Ayurvedic haircare, you can read them here.

You can make shampoos, rinse out conditioners, leave in conditioners, deep conditioners and protein treatments with these different herbs.

For cleansing and shampoo:

Neem: It is used to fight infection, both bacterial and viral, and to treat diarrhea, fever, burns, urinary disorders, skin diseases and inflammatory conditions. (source)

Brahmi:Brahmi can be a treatment for hair loss. Because of the herb's antioxidant properties, Brahmi allows proper nourishment to reach hair roots and promote growth. Its oil also can help with dandruff. Brahmi's oil additionally can prevent hair splitting at the ends and hair discoloration. (source)

Aritha (Reetha): The nutshell of the reetha contains saponin, which acts like soap and gives a foamy lather when it comes into contact with water, and gives a foamy lather, thus making it a chemical-free cleanser for the hair. Reetha is also known to fight dandruff, prevents occurrence of lice and keeps hair tangle-free. Reetha, particularly, is a boon for people with sensitive skin, who are allergic towards chemicals in the shampoo. (source)

Shikakai: ‘Shikakai’, popularly known as ‘fruit for hair’, is a powerful herb for hair, native to southern India. The pods of the plant are rich in saponin, the foam-forming substance. It is mixed with reetha, and other herbs and used as a hair pack. Shikakai is a natural conditioner, which removes oil and dirt, and keeps hair free of fungal infections, by detoxifying the blood in the scalp and preventing premature graying of hair. Shikakai contains100 times more vitamin C than grapefruit, apart from abundant antioxidants such as vitamins A, D, E and K that promote healthy hair growth. (source)

And here are a few for conditioning:

Bhringaraj: A massage with Bhringaraj oil helps in the treatment of hair problems and problems related to the scalp. It strengthens the roots of the hair and improves the general hair condition. (source)
 

Amla: Applied topically, amla is an excellent hair rejuvenator. A very nourishing herb it prevents scalp infections, hair loss, and premature greying. It also adds lustre and shine to hair due to its astringent nature.(source)

Hibiscus: Conditions hair, promotes healthy hair growth, prevents hair loss, thickens hair. (source)

There are LOTs more herbs and powders that you can use and look into. There are many ways to mix and match the herbs to get better results, depending on what end result you want.

These herbs coupled with shea butter, tea extracts, oils and water, seem like a win win to me! I just need to make sure I preserve my mixes well, because I know I'm too lazy to mix up something each time I want to wash my hair. Did I mention how inexpensive these herbs are? I found of them HERE.

If you have tried any of these herbs, please let me know how they worked for you!

Thanks for reading!

Tweet