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Hello :o)

I am a lover of all things natural and that includes tea! I just love the ritual of drinking tea and the comfort it gives me. My absolute favorite tea is Peppermint tea, my mother put me on to it so it always reminds me of her :o)

So I was browsing vitacost.com for some teas and other things and I came across burdock root, horsetail, lemongrass and nettle teas and was like “heeeeeyyyy I know that stuff! I seen it on the labels in some of my favorite hair products!!” lol so I had an epiphany lol why don’t I try the teas and hope they do something for my hair and skin!!

*****DISCLAIMER!! I am no scientist or doctor and can’t make any health claims for anything I try so PLEASE do your own research before trying anything on yourself! ESPECIALLY if you are pregnant or nursing! Some herbal remedies are NOT meant for everyone so RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

Now that that’s said…..here are the teas that I purchased from Vitacost. I am sure you can get them other places but I think Vitacost has the prices beat. I always drink tea with a spoonful of raw honey :o)

Nettle Leaf — Alright tasting; its tolerable lol I can drink it alone with honey
Horsetail Grass — Not the best tasting; I usually steep with peppermint to blend the flavor
Burdock Root — see above lol
Lemongrass (not pictured) — My fav of the bunch, tastes tart, lemony; really good with honey and lemon

Not sure how much of a difference these will make and I have to drink like 3-4 cups a day, so if there are any results, I probably won’t see them for awhile BUT I will keep drinking them. Tea in general has so many health benefits so if it’s not my hair and skin, hopefully something else in my body is benefiting :o)

I also noticed on vitacost that these herbs are also sold in pill supplement forms and extracts so perhaps I may try those after I drink up all my tea. If decide to not drink up all the tea, I can use them to make herbal rinses or mix with my ayurveda treatments so I’ll make use of these bad boys some how!

Hey, it’s just an experiment so I thought I would share :o)

— What are your experiences with these herbs?! Products, teas, supplements, extracts, etc. PLease share!

Hello!!

image via Google Images

I love essential oils (EO), they are one of the many gifts God has given us….well, the plants and herbs they are derived from are the gifts technically :o) EO’s have been used as home remedies for years and can treat almost any ailment you can think of. Of course I’ll be focusing on hair health. You probably see them listed in your favorite products ALL the time. There are just SO many uses for them and SO many to choose from. They add a boost to almost anything you put them in. The oils work best when absorbed directly into your skin/scalp. Applying EO’s just to your hair limits the benefits they have for your scalp (healthy scalp = healthy hair that grows). Below are a few benefits of EO’s when used for healthy hair.

Help alleviate skin/scalp conditions
Stimulate sebaceous glands in scalp
Balances sebaceous glands in scalp (i.e. brings over or under oily scalps back to normal)
Minimize dandruff
Stimulates hair growth
Treats alopecia

Essential oils are VERY potent so you shouldn’t apply them directly to your scalp without diluting them with something. If you want to create your own oil therapy mixture, you must use a “carrier oil” (I’ll talk about these in a sec) or you can add a few drops to the following:

Your fav shampoo or conditioner
Spritzer bottle (i.e. water, aloe vera juice)
The water in your steamer
Hot oil treatments
Hair butters
Ayurveda treatments

If you’re like me, you’re like “uhhhh where do I start, there are too many”. I really got in to EO’s because I was losing my hair and started Googling home remedies. The common theme I discovered was EO’s and I ended up coming across a very helpful site, The Ananda Apothecary.

*****SIDEBAR: I did NOT talk to a physician about my hair loss. Yea I probably could have but I had just lost my mother and was stressed/depressed so I was pretty sure that had a LOT to do with my hair loss. I never suffered hair loss until right after she passed. I told myself that if I did not see improvements after using the EOs for a few months, I would visit my doctor. I saw improvements :o)

Any who, Ananda Apothecary has a TON if really good info on EO’s so take a look around that site. It also breaks down EO’s into four categories in regards to hair loss/growth usage. Check out this page and read up on EO’s for hair growth so you can figure out which oils you want to use. To summarize the four categories, they are:

Stimulating (increasing cellular metabolism and/or new cell generation)
Nutritive (offering vitamins, other co-factors and essential fats necessary for healthy follicle function),
Balancing (returns over-oily or over-dry skin to a balanced state, balances over- or under-active hormones at a cellular level, and/or reduces excess inflammation from any number or sources)
Immune-supportive (heal scalp/skin infections that may inhibit optimal

I came up with a concoction to treat my hair loss and applied my mixture directly to my scalp every other day for about 2 months consistently. When I did this, I had to wash my hair more frequent because I didn’t want all the oil to clog my pores. I know that seems sort of contradictory but remember, too much of a good thing isn’t always good. If I keep my scalp clean and clear, the EO’s can absorb better. My hair has started to grow back but since I am doing ayurvedic treatments more often, I don’t need to do this oil therapy as often, especially since it is the summer time. I prefer to do the oil treatments in the winter when my scalp gets dry.

Here’s the oils I used, which have all been known to help grow hair and reduce hair loss. I mixed these with a carrier oil mixture of EVOO, grapeseed, jojoba and a teeny bit of castor. I bought all my EO’s from Camden-Grey. PLEASE do your own research before you use EO’s because some have health risks (just like any medicinal treatment would)

Rosemary — Stimulating, rejuvenates hair follicles, cleanses and restores sebum levels to normal ***Should NOT be used by women who are pregnant
Myrtle — Astringent, Anti-bacterial, Antiseptic
Cedarwood – Antiseptic, balances sebum
Thyme — Tonic for scalp, Antiseptic
Tea Tree — Anti-bacterial, Antiseptic
Lavender – Balancing, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, healing and regenerative

I mentioned before that EO’s are extremely potent and you must use a carrier oil. Carriers dilute the EO and “carry” the EO’s into your skin. Here are some popular carrier oils, many of which you probably already use :o)