Herbal Hair Treatments & Recipes: Henna, Hair Rinses & More

Henna:   Sanskrit: Madayantika, Hindi: Mehndi.  

            Thy henna lies soaking in a fine red bowl.

            The love juice of henna is a lovely tint.

            O Lady, who has painted thy hands?

            The love juice of henna is a lovely tint.

            O Lady, put thy hand on my heart.

            The love juice of henna is a lovely tint. ~ Folk song of Rajasthan

Henna Plant
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            Henna has found it’s way throughout many aspects of the way of life in India, from dyeing hair and beards, to being a physical and symbolic representation of a major life change. The night before your wedding, it is called the “night of henna”, where the bride’s palms and soles of her feet are decorated with popular floral and fertility designs. The henna, or mendhi?, is made of dried henna leafs made into a thick paste. This same paste, in certain/specific regions of India, is also used to stain a bridegroom’s palms, the deep red color left behind after drying and washing off the extra stuff, left on the skin, is said to/symbolizes: the deep love between a husband and wife.

            As previously stated it is also a major cosmetic in India, and through the ‘Near East’, where it is often grown as a common shrub. Egyptian mummies were found with hennaed nails, and Pliny referred to this plant as the “Cypress of India”, whereas to the Hebrews it was “camphire”, sourced from the Song of Solomon.

            “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi”.

            Besides in Egypt, women thousands of years ago also colored their hands and nails with it, men their bears and moustaches, and both men and women to dye and condition their hair. Such color, being all red base though in a spectrum of blond to black and purple, is so treasured, they dye the manes and tails of horses in India. The flower, as the song excerpt previously suggests, are in small clusters of rosy white or red flowers, which are very fragrant and also used to make perfumes, and sleeping pillows, which are considered: an anti-irritant, a deodorant and antiseptic. It is also used by Ayurvedic physicians for: skin irritations such as heat rashes and skin allergies, and to cool the body during the intense heat of summer. Lastly, the leaves and flowers are used to make lotions and ointments, used externally for: boils, burns, bruises, and skin inflammations, including sores from leprosy  (Patnaik, 124).

Hibiscus: Hibuscus rosa-sinesis, Sanskrit: Japakusuma, Hindi: Gurhal (Patnaik, 131).

“The flower is fuller in cooler than that of a pomegranate, and may be the size of the red rose, but the red rose…opens simply, whereas when this opens a stem on which other petals grow is seen like a heart among its expanded petals…This is not a common matter” – Babur, first Moghul emperor, Babur-nameh (1525)

            When it comes to this gorgeous flower, often found throughout tropical areas such as Hawaii, India and China, is more of an ornamental aspect of culture compared to having a cosmetic use. In India and China the flower is worn behind the ear, I did this not understanding it symbolizes a tropical version of the Claddha (celtic ring) certain ways of wearning either symbolize your single, or not single, status to society. The leaves and flowers were traditionally boiled by Chinese and India women, which they mixed with an herbal oil before applying to their hair as a stimulant to “the growth of luxurious tresses” (Patnaik, 131).  Currently, the Chinese took this idea even further and used the hibiscus flower juice in a faous herbal oil and conditioner, which is now bottled and sold throughout eastern Indian under the brandk “Jaba Kusam”. It’s main use is due to its effectiveness against dandruff.

            The Hibiscus flower dates back to reference in ancient Hindu mythology, where it was offered in the worship of the Goddess and Ayurvedic medicine, also “seems to lend credence to the particularly female virtues of this plant”, as it was prescribed often as an emmenagogue historically (promoting a woman’s period) (Patnaik, 131). The root of the Hibiscus flower yields a drug, which Ayurvedic medicine believes, is useful in treating veneral disease, also an extract from the flower is used often in preventing unwanted pregnancies, “inhibiting the flow of semen in men, and bringing on temporary sterility in women”, these physicians also believe this herb is postcoitally effective in it’s anti-conception properties (Patnaik, 131). Of course this last claim can often spark much …negative… especially in India where population control is of ‘paramout importance’. It has been tested on male animals and found sterility, but it seemed to be too limited to occasion interest as a male contraception, though the findings “as regards a possible natural postcoital contraceptive for women have been more impressive” (Patnaik, 131).

            Lastly, one study conducted in 1974, being an uncontrolled clinical trial, where ethanolic extract of the hibiscus plant was given to women. This extract was “carried out in 21 women in the reproductive age group by administering…3 divided doses from the 7^th to the 22^nd day of the menstrual cycle (a total of 229 cycles).

 Fourteen women did not have pregnancy for 4 years whereas 7 women dropped out of the trial for various personal reasons” (Medicinal Plants of India, Indian Council of Medical Research, 1987). (patnaik, 131).

           

Rosemary: “Let this Rosemarinus, this flower of men, ensigne of your wisdom, love and loyaltie, be carried not only in your hands, but in your heads and hearts. Grow for two ends-it, matters not at all Be’t for my bridal, or my buriall”

- Robert Hacket 1607 at a Wedding Sermon

(ourherbgarden.com, Rosemary History).

            Rosemary during wedding ceremonies has traditionally symbolized, along with the above, “fidelity, love, abiding friendship, and remembrance of the life the woman had led prior to her marriage” (ourherbgarden.com, Rosemary History). Rosmarinus officinalis is this Mediterranean herb’s botanical name, though it was commonly referred to as sea dew, due to the “light, luminous color of the flowers which, at a distance, can look as blue as the patch of sunlit morning dew” (Seymour, 96).

            This herb was a favorite of the Greeks, having been brought west by Romans, was commonly grown by Spaniards and Italians to “ward off witches”, (Seymour, 97), and was “reputed to keep nightmares” (Brown, 139),  “venomous serpents and melancholy” away/at bay (Sumner, 27). Rosemary was commonly infused in white wine and drunk for treating “poor circulation, low blood pressure…headaches” (Keville, 71). It was thought as an effective youth inducing herb, since the Queen of Hungary, 14^th Century, dabbed “her ancient and paralysed limbs  

with rosemary distilled in alcohol, recovered her agility, and grew so youthful that the kind of Hungary proposed to her ; supposedly where ‘Queen of Hungary water’ got its name (Seymour, 97). Also, Shakespeare referred to this shrubby woody herb in Hamlet, where it was said “There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance” (Globe theater), which later Elizabethan’s wore “to their brows to help their memories” (Seymour, 97).

            Currently, it is used to treat pain, increase circulation, thus improving headaches, migraines and memory (Brown, 139). The essential oil, which is commonly used in beauty products has an “invigorating…and antifungal” (Bremness, 122). I personally love to put strong sage, hibiscus, thyme and rosemary tea with apple cider vinegar as a hair rinse after I use conditioner. Rosemary makes an excellent dark hair conditioning rinse, makes hair softer, can help improve dandruff; treats dry skin by encouraging “oil production…[and also] chamomile, lavender…and small amounts of peppermint” (Keville, 321).

        

    Thyme: “According to legend, thyme sprouted from the tears of Helen of Troy” (Brown, 143).

            Writers, it seems, myself included, have always seemed to “have a soft spot for thyme, possibl[y] because…thyme has no nicknames: a sprig of thyme is a sprig of thyme, sweet and plain” (Seymour 115). Coming from the Greek thymon (Brown, 143), or Thumon, being a “symbol of thumos…spirit [or] courage (Seymour, 116), and was believed to overcome shyness. In mythology helped revealed Duessa’s true identity, being a ‘filthy foul old woman’, a witch in Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queen, while she was bathing in herb magical brew of thyme, ‘oregon’ and rue (Seymour, 115).

            Greeks and Romans considered thyme to be a “strong antiseptic [and disinfectant] and credited it with a multitude of powers, including anti-aging”, and appropriately was used by the Egyptians as an embalming herb (Brown, 143). Medicinally, it was used historically for treating: flatulence, inflamed liver, bad breath, sore throat, headaches and fevers (levy, 161). And lastly, in Culpeper’s time as “a digestive, and for hangovers…whooping cough, and as a purge for catarrh and for any lung-connected illness” (Seymour, 116). Currently, it’s properties include: antiseptic, calming and nerve tonic, for musclar pain, colds and depression (Bremness, 132-133) lung and sinus ailments (congestion), expectorant (Keville, 139). “Researchers have found that…[herbal stimulants] relax intestinal muscles and relieve cramping” (Keville, 90), thyme also, “Stimulates production of white blood corpuscles to resist and fight infections [and] promotes perspiration” (Brown, 143), and overall, Italian researchers “found...thyme, [and] lavender… stimulate immunity” (Keville, 105).

Chamomile: really just a blond hair rinse…for hair products. Further information will be coming soon in my herbal beauty and product recipe blog!

Sage: “a tea of sage tops is one of the most refreshing and beneficial available to mankin

                                               ~ Juliette de Bairacli-Levy (pg 141)

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The name Sage comes from the Latin salare, meaning “to cure”, or salvia meaning “to save”. It went by the name of mashkodewashk aniibiishan by the Ojibwe. Several primary ways this herb has been used historically is as a water, to cleanse the body, remove odors, and eyes; smudged, eaten or smoked, to treat colds, and coughs; as a honey for asthma, and burned to cleanse lodges during contagious illness and other major rights. William Turnet noted in his Herbal, in 1568, that clary sage “helps the memory [and] quickens the senses” (Keville, 295). Juliet de Baracli Levy, our famous 20^th-21^st century herbalist noted that internally, this herb was excellent in treating congestion, fevers, sore throats, digestion (lack of appetite, flatulence, constipation), and externally: wounds, sores, excessive bleeding (Levy, 141), and poison ivy.

            Currently, sage is seen as a disinfectant, antiseptic, aromatic and astringent herb, helping to calm and strengthen the nerves. This helps in relieving “nervous headaches, help[ing] to ease lung congestion [colds and fus] and stimulates digestion/liver function” (Brown, 139). The hydrocarbon known as salvene in sage is thought to be why it is astringent, aromatic, bitter, and stimulating, thus enhancing memory.

            As far as beauty uses of sages goes, I never really understood its use, until I looked it up. Guess I just subconsciously knew it was good for my hair—ha! Some cool recipes I found include:  mix sage leaves with thyme, lavender and rosemary for 1 week, infused in apple cider vinegar, becomes an aftershave; for graying hair, boil the leaves for half an hour, strain and massage into hair 4 times a week to produce a “fairly convincing dark collour while helping the hair grow, and look glossy” (Seymour, 103).

Black Tea Henna Recipe:

      Ingredients-

            -1 part black tea

            -1/2 part hibiscus flowers

            -1 part thyme, rosemary and other herbs

-Mix the above ingredients, and steep 2-3 tsp/cup of water (make 2-3 cups). Strain and let cool until luke warm.

- Mix the cooled liquid with henna color of choice, I do red and copper (the hibiscus brings out the red, and rosemary and thyme brings out the brown shades). Mix till it is the consistency of semi-thick mud. NOTE- you can always ADD more henna, but you can’t if you are one, out of henna, or two have way too much. So add a little tea at a time.

-Apply to clean, dry hair and cover with a plastic bag. Leave in for 3-6 hours depending on how intense you want the color to be.

-Rinse out, let fully dry and enjoy the gorgeous natural hair color!

Hair Rinses:

-Apple Cider Vinegar & Herbs

            Fill a bottle ½ way with Apple Cider vinegar

            Fill the rest of the bottle with the following concentrated tea recipe

Brunet and Auburn Herbal Hair-Rinse:

            Mix the following in a pyrex glass measuring cup: 2 tsp black tea, 1 tsp hibiscus flowers, ½-1 tsp sage, 1 tsp thyme, 2 tsp rosemary. Pour boiling water over, steep for 15-35 minutes, strain. Let fully cool and pour into a bottle you can keep in the shower area.

Queen of Hungary water: My favorite way of using herbs for beauty, is by making “Queen of Hungary Water”, recipe from Rosemary Gladstar’s book “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health”.

            “this wonderful astringent lotion has been hailed as the first herbal product ever produced and marketed. Legend has it that the early Gypsies formulated it and claimed it to be a cure all…is an excellent astringent of the face and great rinse for dark hair. The gypsies used it as a hair rinse, mouthwash, headache remedy, aftershave, footbath…”

Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis

Ingredients:

6 parts lemon balm

4 parts chamomile

4 parts roses

3 parts calendula

3 parts comfrey leaf

1 part lemon peel

1 part rosemary

1 part sage

½ part thyme

Vinegar to cover (apple cider or white vinegar-I used apple)

Rose Water or witch hazel (I did separate batches with each)

Essential oil of lavender, or rose

Directions:

1) place the herbs in a widemouth jar. Fill the jar with enough vinegar that it covers the herbs by an inch or two. Cover tightly and let sit in a warm spot for 2-3 weeks.

2) strain out the herbs. To each cup of herbal vinegar, add 2/3-1 cp rose water, or witch hzel. Add a drop or two essential oil if desired.

3) put in bottles, with a  sprayer, or a small 1-2 oz jar with a thin top, I used mine as a toner after I shower or wash my face. Keeps indefinitely.

Resources~

-My Blog on Apple Cider Vinegar & Honey health benefits http://www.motherearthliving.com/wiser-living/boost-your-health-with-apple-cider-vinegar-and-honey.aspx#axzz2ffxGhEo8

-Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox

-Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar

-The Garden of Life by Naveen Patnaik

Works Cited

Baïracli-Levy, Juliette De. Common Herbs for Natural Health. Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Pub., 1997. 141-61. Print.

Bremness, Lesley. Herbs. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2002. 122+. Print.

Brown, Kathleen L., and Jeanine Pollak. Herbal Teas: 101 Nourishing Blends for Daily Health and Vitality. Pownal, VT: Storey, 1999. 139-43. Print.

Gladstar, Rosemary. Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 teas, tonics, oils, salves, tinctures, and other natural remedies for the entire family. Adams, MA. Storey, 2008. 130. Print.

"Historical Uses of Rosemary." Web log post. Rosemary History. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2010.

Keville, Kathi, and Peter Korn. Herbs for Health and Healing. Emmaus, Penn.: Rodale, 1996. Print.

Patnaik, Naveen. The Garden of Life: An Introduction to the Healing Plants of India. New York: Doubleday, 1993. 124-31. Print.

Seymour, Miranda. A Brief History of Thyme and Other Herbs. London: John Murray, 2002. 96+. Print.

Sumner, Judith. The Natural History of Medicinal Plants. Portland, Or.: Timber, 2008. 27. Print