Dull hair – Environmental stresses (including air conditioning and air pollution) as well as some styling products can just deplete your natural oils and healthy sheen. OTC shampoos if not thoroughly rinsed can leave hair dull. Infusing kitchen oils with garden herbs can provide sheen boosting hot oil treatments and making herbal tea-infusions supply great rinses and make brilliant bases for shampoos and conditioning treatments to put some shine back. A flat beer spritz is beneficial (simply stir the carbonation out before decanting to sprayer).
Limp lifeless hair – fine hair falters to this more frequently, but all hair textures are susceptible – The trick is to boost hair health with nutrition and manage hair condition on a weekly basis. One quick solution is to add volume with natural product.
The other thing is that too much sebum or even added hair oil can make hair limp. Utilize astringent witch hazel extract as the base of your homemade shampoo and rinses (vinegar or straight infusions) with rosemary not only wakens up the follicles but degreases, cleanses and revives hair strands.
Residue-Ridden Hair – too much product is often what contributes to both of the above, but can be a condition in its own right. A pinch of brewer’s yeast in a ½ cup of beer will rinse out product and revitalize hair. A peppermint and Sodium bicarbonate rinse can strip out excess product while pepping up follicles (1/2 cup peppermint tea and 2table spoons of baking soda) massage through hair and scalp, leave for 3minutes and rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Garden spa- make your own witch hazel extract or rosemary vinegar (soak some sprigs in apple cider vinegar as a hair tonic rinse), calendula oil to add vitamin A to those follicles and hair shafts. Try infusing jasmine flowers into some sweet almond oil as a overnight conditioner. Grow and harvest hops for volume boosting hair rinses.
Kitchen spa – yeast plumps up volume – be that beer rinse or brewers yeast added to a conditioner. the Lactic acid in milk, cream and yoghurt helps strip away dirt and grime from hair in a gentle manner but the real bonus comes in the fact that dairy fats will moisturizes and replenish hair. Beer rinses improve shine and body. Some swear by egg masks and certainly The yolk of an egg while naturally moisturizing is quite rich in body/volume boosting fats and replenishing proteins while in terms of limpness through greasiness or sebum , egg whites contain enzymes that can remove excess oils.
Nutritionally – any deficiency in vitamin A can lead to dull, limp or lifeless hair – red and orange fruits and veg have Beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A in our body – include more carrots, butternut squash, Sweet potatoes, watermelon, tomatoes, red peppers, romaine lettuce etc
home Shampoo – nettle and rosemary beer brew shampoo– bring to a boil 1 cup of beer, ½ cup chopped nettles and 1 sprig of rosemary, turn off heat allow to cool. When cold, remove rosemary sprig and nettle solids. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine and 1 cup liquid castile soap. Stir well and decant to storage bottle.
home Conditioner – Greek yoghurt hair soak – yoghurt is packed with vitamin D which bolsters follicle health and also with ample content of vitamin B5 a hair-friendly protein you may recognize (plastered on the side of OTC conditioners) as pantothenic acid. Unadulterated as a hair mask or 20minute soak in conditioner. Rinse after with water or cooled herbal infusion beneficial to your hair colour.
the holistic gardener 