It might sound like a recipe for a tasty lunch – avocado, eggs and yoghurt – but these nutrient-rich foods are perfect for slathering on your hair! With many of us seeking natural approaches to healthcare, minus the chemicals, homemade hair treatments make sense.
It’s important to note that problems with hair like thinning, or even hair falling out can be a strong sign of underlying conditions, like dietary insufficiencies or endocrine/adrenal disorders. In Chinese medicine, the health of the kidneys can be reflected in the hair, so thinning, greying or hair falling out can often be attributed to a lowered level of “kidney energy” — similar to your adrenal reserves. When people are under chronic stress, have been through shock or trauma, or are using up their adrenal reserves with overwork and not enough rest, over time this can be seen in lowered quality of hair. Herbs, supplements and even acupuncture might be needed to really improve the health of your hair.
Diet is important as well, for example iron stores. Also, taking 3 mg of biotin (one of the B group vitamins) a day for six months can benefit hair growth and health (a lack of biotin can contribute to hair loss). Another example is zinc. To combat dandruff, be sure to get 8 mg of zinc (found in clams, crabmeat, lean meats, lobster, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, and salmon) per day from your diet. Talk to one of our Naturopaths for more information on which supplements and/or herbs will help your condition.
In the meantime, here are some great chemical-free hair masks to try.
An Eggsellent Hair Mask
Eggs are rich in fats and proteins, making them perfect for dry and damaged hair. Oily hair can also benefit, since egg whites contain oil-eating enzymes. If you have dry hair, apply ½ cup of egg yolk to your tresses. If your hair is oily, just use ½ cup of whites, or use the whole egg if you’re lucky to hair normal hair. Leave the mixture on your hair for 20 minutes and rinse under cold water, before shampooing. Just avoid hot water, as you don’t want fried egg in your mane!
A Dose of Dairy
If you’re dairy intolerant, that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate it into your hair care regime. Plain yoghurt and sour cream work wonders for dried out locks. This is because yoghurt contains lactic acid to remove dirt and moisturising milk fat. It’s easy to apply: just massage ½ cup of yoghurt or sour cream into damp hair and leave it for around 20 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water and then wash your hair as normal. Treat your hair to this magic mask every second week.
Healthy Hair with Honey
Dry and brittle hair can be a hard thing to fix with chemical products, which often just coat the hair and dry it out even more. Honey, however, is a natural humectant, so it secures moisture and prevents hair from drying out. To apply, just massage ½ cup of honey into wet hair. After 20 minutes, rinse your locks under warm water and re-do it in a month’s time. If your hair is significantly damaged, you could add a little avocado or egg for added moisture.