Saturday, January 12, 2008

How to Make Herbal Hair Rinses

Introduction

Not only do I like to drink a lot of herbal teas, I also use certain herbs for beauty applications. I make herbal hair rinses on a regular basis to keep my hair shiny, soft and healthy.

I use different herbs depending on my needs. But the method is always the same. Here are some herbs you can use when putting together your hair rinse. You can either use fresh or dried herbs to do this.

Chamomile flowers: Good for light hair because it helps bring out the highlights. It also works for scalp conditions such as dandruff.

Rosemary leaves: Use this in rinses for dark hair--it helps bring out dark brown and red highlights. It also increases shine and helps with dandruff.

Parsley leaves: This is the best hair rinse I've found for dandruff. It also helps make the hair extra soft.

Stinging nettle leaves: If you want your hair to be extra shiny, this is the herb to use. It strengthens the hair and helps increase shine.

I like to make a hair rinse once a week. Always use it after you wash and condition your hair. Here are a few of my tips on how to make these rinses.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

  • 2 tbps. Dried herb of choice or 4 tbps. fresh herb
  • 4 cups Boiling water
  • 1 tbps. Vinegar
  • Large glass pitcher
  • Strainer

Steps

1

Step One

Place herb of choice in glass pitcher.
2

Step Two

Pour boiling water over the herb.
3

Step Three

Let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
4

Step Four

Strain the herb out and put back in the container.
5

Step Five

Add one tablespoon vinegar.
6

Step Six

Making sure that the rinse isn't too hot, pour over hair after shampooing and conditioning. You don't need to rinse it.

Tips & Warnings

  • Once you get comfortable with the herbs, you can start to mix them. For example, stinging nettle, parsley and rosemary make a nice rinse for shiny hair. Just make sure that the total amount is two tablespoons dried or four tablespoons of fresh herb.
  • Make sure you aren't allergic to the herbs you choose. You may want to do a patch test by applying some to the underside of your wrist.

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