Revitalize Your Hair: Discover the Healing Benefits of Comfrey and Calendula in a DIY Hair Rinse
By combining comfrey (Symphytum officinale), rich in allantoin, mucilage, and vitamins, with calendula (Calendula officinalis), known for its soothing, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, you create a powerful natural hair rinse that promotes a healthier scalp and hair.
This rinse offers dual benefits, including conditioning, enhancing shine, and protecting from environmental and bacterial damage. It also soothes sensitive scalps, while each herb provides unique, targeted benefits for optimal hair and scalp health.
Here's how:
1. Soothing to Sensitive Scalps
Anti-inflammatory Properties:
Comfrey contains anti-inflammatory properties calm irritation and dryness, promoting a healthy scalp environment.
Calendula contains triterpenoids and flavonoids, which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. These compounds help to calm irritation, making calendula a great option for soothing sensitive or irritated scalps, reducing itching, and promoting overall scalp health.
2. Rich in Plant Minerals
Comfrey contains essential vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B12, which help nourish both the scalp and hair. These vitamins support hair strength, repair, and overall scalp health, making hair appear healthier and more vibrant over time.
Calendula is rich in nutrients such as vitamin E, flavonoids, and carotenoids, which are known for their antioxidant properties. These antioxidants help protect the hair from free radicals, which can damage hair and contribute to dullness or breakage.
3. Protection from Bacterial Growth
Calendula has antimicrobial and antifungal properties that can protect the scalp from bacterial infections and fungal conditions like dandruff. This makes it beneficial for maintaining a healthy scalp environment, especially in sensitive or problem-prone areas.
4. Conditioning and Shine
The mucilage in comfrey deeply moisturizes, making hair soft and silky when used as a rinse.
Calendula acts as a natural conditioner. Its soothing properties, combined with its antioxidants, help to lock in moisture, smooth the hair shaft, and reduce frizz, resulting in shinier, healthier-looking hair.
5. Stimulates Growth
Comfrey contains allantoin which encourages cell regeneration, aiding in potential hair growth.
6. Creates Warm Highlights
Calendula contains carotenoids, which can bring out golden or warm tones in light or blonde hair when used regularly. This makes it a natural option for enhancing warm highlights in hair.
Ingredients
About 1 tablespoon of comfrey and calendula
4 cups of water
Prepare the Tea
Boil 4 cups of water.
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of herbal mixture.
Turn off the heat and let herbs steep until tea has fully cooled.
If using a tea bag, give the bag a final squeeze to capture all of the botanical essence. If using loose tea, strain the herbs.
Pour the cooled tea into a clean container of your choice.
Discard the used herbs into a compost. Rinse the bag, if using, and allow it to dry.
Add a small amount of fresh herbs if using. In the reel, I used parsley, sage, and peppermint.
Pro Tip: Double or triple the recipe to have extra tea on hand. Leftover hair tea can be refrigerated for 7-10 days in a clean airtight container. For longer storage, freeze the hair tea in small batches for up to 6 months. Don’t overpack your jar or muslin tea bag with herbs; keep them loose to not hinder herbal hot infusion.
Use in the Shower or Bath:
Wash your hair with a natural shampoo and rinse thoroughly.
Squirt, spray, or gently pour a good amount of the tea rinse onto wet hair, ensuring to saturate your scalp.
Gently massage the herbal tea into your scalp and hair, working it from roots to ends.
Connect with nature at this moment. Here’s a moment of pure connection; you’re rinsing your hair with nature. It’s truly magical!
Let it sit for a few minutes while you finish your shower routine.
Rinse your hair with lukewarm water and towel dry.
Other Ways to Use and Make Herbal Hair Teas
Pour your rinse into a clean spray bottle and lightly spritz on damp or dry hair anytime for a quick hair refresh. Keep in refrigerator to remain freshness.
Add honey. After the tea has steeped but hasn’t completely cooled, add a tablespoon of honey. Mix to dissolve. Then, continue following the remaining directions above. Honey is a natural humectant and add moisture to the hair.
Drop a comment below if you will or have given this a try!
