What is the best home made hair rinse for curly hair? And why rosemary water?
A little backstory — Where I’m from, we use rosemary mainly to spice up our meals. It has this fresh herby aroma and flavour which almost always fixes the mistakes made when preparing food. Interestingly, this house staple is also used as a medicine for its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, and is said to fight against cancer as it inhibits the activation of pro-carcinogens. This plant is also used in aroma therapy for treating chronic pain along with Eucalyptus. It is also known to reverse headaches, reduce stress and aid in asthma treatments.
When it comes to hair, and especially curly hair, rosemary’s fame has been sky rocketing recently. Weather it is the essential oil or the water, rosemary has proven itself to be a prime remedy in curly hair care routines.
Benefits of Rosemary for hair
- Helps prevent hair loss. In fact, it has been proved to work just as well as Minoxidil,
- Soothes scalp and due to its antibacterial magic, it manages the effects of a dry and itchy scalp,
- Stimulates hair growth. This is mainly because it promotes blood flow to the follicles which in turn produce sebum which makes your hair grow.
P.S. these aren’t speculations or guesses, the benefits of rosemary has been proven multiple times by multiple researches.
Option I — Rosemary Water
Making rosemary water is extremely simple and straight forward.
What you will need:
- Fresh or dried rosemary leaves,
- 2 cups of water,
- And, Ironically, a pot.
What you will do:
- Heat the water and let it come to a boil,
- Add the fresh rosemary leaves,
- Allow the mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes,
- Filter the leaves out and transfer the water to a spray bottle.
How it is used:
Just like the almighty fermented rice water, you can use it as a hair rinse. After you are done washing your hair apply a generous amount of rosemary water and wrap it with plastic cape. Let sit for 30 mins and rinse it out. You can alternatively let it live on your hair and not rinse it at all, a leave in conditioner, if you may.
Option II — Rosemary oil
Now rosemary water is more forgiving to the skin than rosemary oil. After all, essential oils are concentrated and pungent, and must be used in drops, literally.
How it is used:
If you are using a rosemary essential oil, you must dilute 4 or 5 drops with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil. Massage the mixture directly into your scalp. Do this 2 or 3 times a week.
Precautions to take:
- Avoid contact with the eyes when using rosemary water or oil.
The Verdict
Rosemary is a house hold staple and is not that hard to find. When you think of the proven benefits it has, this magical herb is a go to ingredient in our hair care routine. I can’t name a simpler solution to many hair problems we all face. So, what are you waiting for?
