How to Make Your Own Hair Tonic for Growth, Health And Shine

There’s nothing new under the sun, but when it comes to the world of au naturale, you find lots of little surprises where you least expect them.

One of the delights that I’ve found is in the the world of herbs. They have sooo many great uses, internally and externally.

I do recommend that you use herbs in both forms, but for the sake of this article, I’ll focus on using them externally as a hair tonic.

Now, I’ve found about 20 herbs that are excellent for promoting healthy hair, but I narrowed it down to the ones that I think are best for growth, strength, dry scalp and overall healthy hair.

If you’ve done tea rinses in the past, this is pretty much the same thing. It’s very easy to make these hair tonics, so don’t be intimidated by the idea. If you can make tea, then you can make these, and you’ll find that just like tea, they are very nourishing!

Picking the herbs for your tonic blend

The great thing about herbal tonics is that they are very versatile. Depending on your hair ailment and what you’re trying to achieve, you will pick your herbs based on those needs.

You can go with one simple herb or you can choose multiple herbs and blend them all together, making a super tonic for your hair and scalp.

First, I’ll go into my top herb picks for different hair and scalp issues:

Arnica is a great choice if you are trying to get through a hair glrowth drought and would like to give it a little boost. It is very nutritious for your hair shafts and scalp, which helps to promote growth. It can also be used for dry scalp issues like dandruff and rashes.

Brahmi* is truly a favorite of mine, which is used by Indians and Africans. It’s one of the special ingredients that women in India use to help make their hair thick and long. It helps to deter hair loss, while nourishing your scalp and promoting blood circulation.

Rosemary is actually quite popular right now, especially as a tea rinse. It can help with hair growth, since it stimulates circulation in your scalp. It also helps with dry scalp issues, hair fall and premature graying.

Marigold, also known as calendula, should definitely be on your list if you are dealing with fine or dry hair. Not many of us battle with oily hair, but if you do, it helps to normalize that as well. It can revive your hair, giving it shine and life.

Horsetail makes it to the list because it is very high in silica*. This means it can make your hair very strong, shiny, sleek and easier to manage. It promotes circulation and hair growth as well.

Burdock root can also be used to give your hair strength, shine and thickness. It helps to reverse hair thinning and gets rids of itchy, dry scalp problems. This herb is great for maintaining the health of your hair and scalp.

The blend I would recommend

Some people are overwhelmed when they have too many options, so I decided to give you my take on creating a special blend. I like to focus on more than one area, so that my hair and scalp gets all of the attention it needs. So the herbs I choose will help to promote shine, growth, healthy scalp and strong follicles:

Brahmi*

Horsetail

Arnica

Burdock root

Making your herbal hair tonic

As promised, this will be a very simple process. You can purchase all of these in herbal form, which means it will have roots, leaves and stems.

Once you have the herbs on hand, the measurements you will use will depend on how many herbs you want in your concoction.

If you are only using one, then you will need about 1/2 cup worth for a quart of water (preferably distilled, filtered or spring). Otherwise, take equal parts of each herb to make a 1/2 cup worth.

Bring a quart of water to a boil, then set it on a cool eye. Pour in your herbs and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Afterward, strain the contents into a bowl, jar or spray bottle, whatever you decide to use to apply the tonic to your hair.

Using your hair tonic

This too is a simple process. After washing your hair (hopefully with a natural shampoo), you rinse/spray your hair with the tonic and massage it into your hair and scalp.

You can then place a shower cap* on your head or a warm wet towel. Then allow it to sit for 20-30 minutes before rinsing it out. And that’s pretty much it.

You can use hair tonics as much as you want. I’d say doing this as often as you would a deep condition (weekly or bi-weekly) is sufficient enough.

Have you tried using herbal tonics for your hair? Which herbs have you used, if so?