Lustrous hair
You can use conditioners and oil treatments to beautify your hair and nails, but the true secret to healthy keratin is what happens on the inside. Herbs and supplements, used inside and out, will help you look polished from your head to your fingertips.
Sleek, glossy hair and smooth, unblemished nails are not only indicators of good health, they also promote self-confidence. But so often hair and nails are lackluster, dry, and damaged. This can be due to poor diet, coloring/polishing, overstyling, stress, hormonal changes, aging, and medications. Increasing your intake of keratin-benefiting supplements and herbs is a good first step to encourage new growth; follow this by creating herbal remedies to treat the hair, scalp, nails, and cuticles. You can take biotin supplements or prepare an overnight biotin scalp massage by crushing 3 tablets and combining them with olive oil. Vitamins E and C are also effective for hair and nail growth, both taken internally or massaged onto the scalp in a carrier oil.
Lustrous hair
CROWNING GLORY
Always treat your hair delicately—no hard pulling when dry or wet and no overbraiding or overdrying—and be sure to nourish it from within.
Oil Massage: In addition to olive oil, try using coconut, rosemary, castor, almond, argan, jojoba, and vitamin E oils as scalp rubs. They can be left on for a few hours or overnight under a shower cap.
Essential Oils: These antioxidant-rich oils that cleanse pores and promote new hair growth need to be added to a few tablespoons of a carrier oil such as olive, almond, or coconut. They include evening primrose, flaxseed, saw palmetto, sage, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, black seed, neem, pumpkin seed, eucalyptus, and lemongrass.
Aloe Vera: Twice a week, cut open an aloe vera leaf and apply the gel to your scalp. Wait an hour and then rinse with a gentle shampoo. The proteolytic enzymes in aloe clear dead cells from the scalp and stimulate hair follicles.
Green Tea: Soak a green tea bag in hot water for 8 minutes, then press the tea all over your scalp. Leave on for an hour, then rinse with cool water. Other growth-boosting teas include bamboo, nettle, sage, and black tea.
Green tea
Cayenne: Mix 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with 2 teaspoons olive oil and apply to your hair, especially areas where it might be thinning. Leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Perform twice a month.
Mustard seed: To encourage hair growth and minimize loss, massage a tablespoon of mustard seed oil into your scalp, cover hair with plastic wrap, and wait for 30 minutes. Then shampoo as usual. Repeat once a week.
Mustard seed oil
ATTRACTIVE NAILS
Whether you’re a woman or a man, achieving clean, healthy nails should be part of your basic grooming process. Still, our nails can take a beating from everyday tasks, so be sure to pamper them at least once a week.
Healthy nails
Cuticle Balm: This emollient mixture of aromatic oils will soften and heal damaged cuticles. Combine 1 tablespoon jojoba oil and 1 tablespoon avocado oil with 10 drops tea tree oil and 10 drops lavender oil in a dark glass jar and shake well. Massage a few drops into the cuticles of the fingers and toes every few days.
Nettle Tea: This ancient treatment for stronger, longer nails provides vital nutrients the body requires to produce nail tissue. Add 3 teaspoons of dried nettle to a cup of hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Add honey or blackstrap molasses (another nail builder) to taste.
Cuticle care