Botanical Beauty: Lovely Locks
Botanical Beauty: Lovely Locks
There are a variety of herbs that have been long used as natural and effective highlight boosters. For a week now my sisters and I have been experimenting with herbal hair rinses with pronounced success.
Preparation: Into a clean quart mason jar or similar container, measure five heaping tablespoons of any of the following herbs. You can use a single herb or a combination.
Dark Highlights
crushed black walnut hulls
nettles
rosemary
sage
Blonde Highlights
chamomile flowers
lemon peel
sunflower petals
Red Highlights
calendula blossoms (common marigold)
hibiscus flowers
red clover blossoms
rose hips (fruit of the rose)
red rose petals (untreated)
Over the herbs pour 3 1/2 cups of pure water brought to a boil. (Avoid chlorinated tap water which is drying to the hair.) Cover the jar tightly and allow the herbs to thoroughly steep for 4 hours. (At least 1/2 hour is acceptable for quick use, but do try to plan ahead.)
After a complete infusion, strain the liquid into another clean jar with a sealing lid. Squeeze out the herb material (the marc) and add it to your compost heap.
vv For Next Sister’s dark hair, I prepared an infusion of cut stinging nettle leaves. By the time the infusion was complete, the water was such a dark green that it appeared nearly black. It had a strong “green” scent, which I found pleasant. After only three applications over a period of several days, Next Sister’s hair gained a beautiful sheen and subtlety of color.
vv You can combine herbs from two sections. Littlest Sister and I favor 3 T. chamomile flowers and 2 T. dried rose hips for our hair. We each noticed that within a single application both our blonde and red(dish) highlights were more pronounced. The rose-colored brew has a sweet, faintly fruity scent.
Application: Shampoo and condition your hair as usual. Rinse the hair thoroughly and squeeze out the excess. Saturate your hair with the herbal infusion and then squeeze out the excess. Do not rinse afterwards, though you may choose to now apply a leave-in conditioner. It is recommended that you do not use a light colored towel or wear a light-colored shirt while your hair is still wet. In some cases, staining may occur.
Storage: These herbal rinses will keep in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Yes, you will be rinsing with very cold water, but this is actually wonderful for your hair and scalp! It’s also very invigorating. :)
Other Uses: Many (not all, so research!) of these herbal infusion have great benefits for internal use as well. For example, the nettle infusion is a recognized blood tonic. Chamomile and rose hips make a tasty, relaxing tea high in Vitamin C. Do not use the infusions for sipping after three days. Never drink an infusion that smells “bad.”
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LITTLEST SISTER said...
It looks great! There was a noticeable difference even after just one application. It smells really good too! I hadn’t known that such a things was possible before.
Friday, May 28, 2010 03:52 PM
ELISSA said...
Oh, how fun! I’ve been really “into” natural beauty things lately. It’s so interesting how different herbs can affect you hair. I have lots of red in my hair, so I’ll have to try the third one out and see how it works! Thanks for sharing; I can’t wait to try it!! —Elissa
Friday, May 28, 2010 05:54 PM
LITTLEST SISTER said...
You know, you can even highlight the other colors in your hair. If you think that you look better in lighter, darker, or red highlights, you can choose which one you want to emphasize. You can even join two different colors like my older sister and I. We decided to do both red and blonde.
Friday, May 28, 2010 06:36 PM
Friday, May 28, 2010