is for Lustrous Locks–
herbal treatments for the hair

Herbal concoctions can indeed add luster to your locks, and the result is shiny hair, healthy hair, truly your crowning glow-ry. What I’ve listed below are wild plants and garden herbs and flowers traditionally used on the hair and scalp that grow in my vicinity. Although other regions and cultures may use different plants, I like to forage locally if at all possible. I have categorized these herbs and listed them further on in the chapter.

Herbal hair treatments include those for dandruff, olde-timey growth stimulants, tonics, dyes or colorants, and homemade shampoo using castile soap. Some of the herbs fall into more than one category. There are also plants such as soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) and yucca (Yucca spp.) that contain saponins and actually make a sudsy lather in water, certainly not like your grandma’s Prell or anything (thankfully), but these plants have been used for millennia for external cleansing. All the treatments discussed are for both men and women. However, if using colorants for the beard, for example, stick to the milder, less aromatic herbs, and remember that you can still shave if you make it the wrong color! If you are using herbal shampoos or hair rinses for children, dilute them to half-strength. And although these brews are made with family-friendly herbs, they are made stronger than usual, so do not drink.

Herbal Hair Tea

The simplest way to use herbs on your hair is to make a strong tea or decoction of your chosen herbs, strain into a wide bowl (with spent herbs going to the compost), and place the bowl in a deep sink or tub. Lean into the tub so that your head and hair is over the bowl, and pour cupfuls of the warm brew repeatedly over your hair until thoroughly wetted, catching what you pour back into the bowl. Continue pouring and working it into your hair and scalp until the brew is too cold for comfort. At this point, you can either rinse with lukewarm water or wrap in a dark towel (to prevent staining), then dry and style.

To make herbal hair tea, use 1 quart water to 1 or 2 handfuls of plant material (you may need more water and herbs for longer hair). This hair potion will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. You can also use herbal hair tea as a scalp treatment by rubbing it into your scalp every day or two, depending on what condition you are dealing with. I think you can overdo it with regular shampooing, especially in the dry cold of winter. While the scalp still needs conditioning, the hair can get dry and brittle. Most commercial shampoos are detergents that strip the hair and scalp of any natural oils and acidity it may have had; they may, in fact, overstimulate the scalp into making more oils. So the tonic treatments are a good thing, restoring the scalp and hair follicles with new vigor.

Messy but Fun

An alternative method of herbal hair treatment, and one that requires significantly more plant material, is to use dried powdered herbs and make an herbal pack for the hair and scalp. This is can be used as a dye technique. Several different herbs can be used, but the most common is the exotic henna, which is often mixed with strong, hot coffee and aromatics such as clove, nutmeg, and ginger (at least that’s how I used to make it). Before you begin, tie your hair up, if possible, and run a smear of petroleum jelly or similar substance on your forehead and neck at the hairline, and the backs of your ears, just so your skin doesn’t take on any stain. You’ll need 4 to 8 ounces of powdered plant material to do this, depending on how long your hair is. Use boiling water—or hot coffee or tea, if you have dark hair—to make a runny paste, probably at least 1 pint, a little at a time. Add more hot water if necessary to keep it easy to work and spread; once it’s cool enough—and you still want it fairly warm—apply to the hair in sections, from the scalp to the ends, then roll up each section and clip it to keep it out of the way.

Keep in mind that this will make a mess, so plan accordingly, i.e., newspapers on the floor, towels over your grubby clothes, rubber gloves, a helpful friend who has sworn not to take your picture with their cell phone, etc. Once the pack is in place, wrap your hair with plastic wrap, put a dark towel around your neck, and just sit tight for about 20 minutes. Keep the paper towels handy to wipe up any drips. Rinse thoroughly and then shampoo.

Tiny Bubbles

You can make your own specially formulated herbal shampoo—how cool is that? It’s much gentler on your hair, and the cost is minimal.

Homemade Herbal Shampoo

Take 1 pint boiling water, toss in a big handful of herbs appropriate for your hair type (see “Dyes or Colorants,” page 204), reduce heat to a simmer, and steep for 20 minutes, adding more hot water to keep it at roughly 1 pint if the liquid evaporates. Line a colander with cheesecloth, place in a bowl, and strain the brew. Remove strainer, then stir in 2 ounces grated castile soap or 2 ounces liquid castile soap to the herbal brew. Stir until the soap is melted, cool, and pour into a shampoo bottle.

When choosing what herbs to use, try to formulate it with something from each category, including a tonic, stimulant, color enhancer, and cleansing herb. You may find that a little goes a long way with this natural soap shampoo compared to most commercial brands, and you can dilute it to suit your lather requirements.

What Condition Your Conditioner Is In

Herbs steeped in vinegar is a very good final rinse for the hair after shampooing. Even plain apple cider vinegar will do. If your hair is very coarse or dry, the following conditioner can be used sparingly, after shampooing but while your hair is still wet, to give it some shine. Boil 1 pint water, add 1 large pinch each (fresh or dried) rosemary and lavender leaves, remove from heat, then cover and steep 15 minutes. Strain, then funnel into a bottle and add 2 ounces almond oil. Shake, shake, shake to disperse, then pour a small amount into your hand and gently work into your wet hair, especially the ends. Wrap in a towel until dampened off, then comb your hair with your fingers and let air dry. You might try using a spray bottle for this application, but I suspect it might clog up from the oil. This conditioner will keep for about 1 week.

For deep conditioning, you can give yourself a hot oil treatment. The best oils for this are avocado and almond, although you can use sunflower or jojoba oil by itself, like many of our Native American forebears did. Jojoba oil is very similar to our own skin and hair oils, and it has a long tradition in Indian and Mexican grooming as a hair restorative. Indigenous people of the Pacific Islands and coastal Asia traditionally use fragrant coconut oil on the hair, scalp, and skin. You can add a few drops of essential oil such as rosemary or lavender to the oil treatment, or you can plan ahead and make a compound oil such as for herbal salves, without the beeswax (see “The Kitchen Apothecary,” beginning on page 3, for instructions on how to prepare herbal oils) and use almond oil. To prepare the hot oil hair treatment, take about 4 ounces oil (a little more if your hair is long) and heat it gently in a double-boiler fashion; I usually place the oil in a small canning jar inside a small saucepan filled with just enough water so the jar doesn’t float. Slowly heat until warm, remove from the pan, and add rosemary or lavender oil if using. Dip your fingers in the oil, then rub into your scalp, a small section at a time. Once you treat the scalp, go ahead and do the strands, especially the ends. Wrap your hair in a plastic bag (it sounds worse than it is) and then an old towel. After 15 to 20 minutes, rinse as much as you can with plain warm water, then shampoo with your homemade herbal shampoo. Finish with a vinegar rinse.

Another plant used by Native Americans of the Sonora region is creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). This plant is also known as chapparal and has a very strong aroma. It was effectively used for dry skin, dandruff, and brittle hair. Recent research has uncovered an isolate of this plant that apparently “was found to suppress HIV-1 replication in human cells,” according to a paper published by Karla Krompegel on the Colorado State University website.

Don’t Flake Out

If you have dandruff, here’s a recipe for a final rinse that sounds as if Simon & Garfunkle made it up: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. You can also make a vinegar rinse with these herbs. The parsley is for shine, the sage is for cleansing, the rosemary is an all-around hair tonic, and the thyme is mildly medicinal. This combination is best used by those with dark hair.

Another good tonic for dandruff combines equal parts nettle leaf, violet leaf, red clover, and peppermint. Red clover contains salicylic acid, similar to aspirin, and many dandruff shampoos contain this compound; how nice it is to utilize the whole plant to include its other soothing properties.

To make these dandruff treatments, follow the method used in the “Herbal Hair Tea” section on page 198.

Toning and Stimulating

Herbal hair tonics normalize the scalp and bring it back into balance, whether overactive (oily) or dry. Some herbs can be used according to hair color. Growth stimulants are not the herbal version of Rogaine but a type of tonic that has traditionally been used (along with proper nutrition and exercise) to stimulate new hair growth. Rosemary is a good example of a hair tonic herb. Catnip is said to be an old Gypsy remedy for hair loss. A strong decoction using the inner bark of the hemlock tree (Tsuga spp.) is another remedy, briskly rubbed into the scalp. (Do not confuse the hemlock tree with the poisonous water hemlock, which looks like a really hurky wild carrot with purple-streaked stems. Obviously, a tree is not a carrot, but this does not go without saying.)

I might add a note to the gents here that wearing a hat all the time is not good for your scalp or hair, which needs to breathe and see the light of day; it may even contribute to hair loss.

Color Me Pretty

There are several plants, in addition to Persian, Indian, or Egyptian henna, that add subtle coloring and highlights to the hair, some for blonds, some for brunettes, and some for redheads and gray or silver (some henna formulations are neutral and do not add any color but do offer shine and strength). I wouldn’t recommend using any of these plant dyes on white hair unless you’re very adventurous. Use the same method of repeated rinsing as described in the section above, and be careful about splashing. You could also use the powdered herb pack method.

Categories of Use

What follows are lists of herbs according to category of best use. As mentioned, some of these will be on more than one list (this should give you a clue about the versatility of herbs and why they are so valued). Rosemary is a good place to start for dark hair; use chamomile for light hair.

Tonics

• birch leaf or twig

• horsetail (also known as scouring rush)

• juniper berries

• nettles

• rosemary

• sage leaf

• yarrow flowers

Dandruff

• apple cider vinegar

• birch bark

• hollyhock flower

• nettles

• peppermint

• red clover blossom

• rose petal

• rosemary

• sage

• violet leaf

• willow bark

Growth Stimulants

• catnip

• clove (small amount)

• hemlock tree bark

• nettles

• rosemary

Dyes or Colorants

• chamomile flower—light

• elderberries—dark (experiment on a hidden strand first, as this could turn out blue!)

• grape leaves—dark

• green walnut husks—brown (be sure to wear gloves, as this definitely stains)

• henna—store-bought, but nothing compares for warm, reddish tones

• hollyhock flowers—according to color

• marigold petals (both calendula and common garden marigolds)—light and golden

• mulberries—ditto as per elderberries, except this turns out purplish black

• mullein leaf and flower—golden

• poppy petals—red or golden

• raspberry leaves—dark

• rhubarb root—golden

• rose petals—according to color

• sage—for luster, not really a dye

• sandalwood powder (small amount)—red or golden

• St. John’s wort flowering tops—red or golden

She’s So Unusual

I found the following concoction referenced in more than one place, and it’s so unusual that I had to include it here. And besides that, my Grandma Lil often used parsnips in her soups and stews, so it seemed right to include it. This recipe is for a hot oil pack, and the oil has to be prepared first, but it’s supposed to be a marvelous hair treatment. It is my first impulse to add garlic to any simmering oil, but this is neither the time nor the place.

Parsnip Hair Conditioner

Take 1 parsnip root, scrub clean, trim, then chop small and simmer in ¼ cup almond oil; toss in a pinch of parsnip seed if you have it. Simmer on low for 30 minutes and strain, pressing out as much oil as possible from the root. After cooling slightly, apply to scalp first and then the hair as a hot oil treatment, following the directions above.

You may find it interesting to note that many of the hair dye plants mentioned above are also used to dye wool and other fibers, and Easter eggs as well. When used with different mordants (minerals or chemicals that help the dye chemically adhere to either the protein of hair fibers or the cellulose fibers of cotton, flax, and so on), some dye plants actually make a wide range of colors. It’s quite an art, and one which I have not pursued in becoming skilled at, thus far.