Hibiscus is one of the best flowers with a lot of health and beauty benefits. It is loaded with beneficial nutrients that is essential for healthy hair growth.
Benefits of Hibiscus powder for hair:
1. Treatment of dandruff and itchy scalp:
Do you often find white flakes of dandruff while you itch your scalp? Hibiscus can help you reduce the oil secretion by the sebaceous glands and act like a natural astringent. It gives the scalp a cooling effect and also stimulates the blood flow on the scalp.
To use – Add hibiscus to aloe vera gel and apply it on your scalp. Leave it on for 15 mins and rinse off to treat dandruff.
2. Prevents hair from premature greying:
Hibiscus contains a lot of vitamins and antioxidants, which produces melanin. This pigment helps in the retaining the natural colour of hair. Hibiscus powder is sometimes combined with henna for the process of natural hair dye. Reverse grey hair by using hibiscus.
To use – Mix 1 tbsp. of hibiscus powder with 1 tbsp. of alma powder and add it to 1/2 cup of coconut oil. Use it on your scalp and leave it on overnight before you wash it off.
3. Stimulation of hair growth:
Over the years hair sometimes loses its luster and volume. The amino acids in hibiscus will help to promote hair growth by the production of keratin, a protective protein of the hair, which makes it thicker and avoids it from breaking.
4. Acts as a natural hair conditioner:
Shampoos have a lot of chemicals in them, that remove or reduce the natural oil content in the hair. Hibiscus flowers have a high amount of mucilage (a gelatinous substance in plants), which naturally conditions the hair. It helps make it smoother and silkier, by nourishing the hair follicles, making it soft and manageable.
To use – Mix 1tsp of hibiscus powder with 2 tbsp. of yogurt. Mix it well and apply in on your hair for 30 mins before you wash it off.
5. Clearing of excess sebum:
Use of hibiscus powder to unclog the pores on the scalp and reduces the excess sebum (the oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands), making the hair less greasy, sticky and oily. Use it in your final rinse, add 1 tsp of hibiscus powder with your hair rinse. READ MORE – Hair Rinse for a healthy scalp and stronger hair
6. Treatment of baldness or alopecia:
A very common problem in the present day is hair fall resulting in baldness. Hibiscus can act as a natural remedy by strengthening the roots of the hair and promoting hair growth.
To use – Add 1 tsp of hibiscus powder to your hair oil and massage it on your scalp. You can use it with 2 tbsp. of castor oil and add in few drops of rosemary essential oil to make a hair growth oil.
How to make Organic Hibiscus Powder ??
Pluck 4 to 6 hibiscus flowers (preferably early in the morning) and remove the sepal (bottom green portion of the flower) of each flower. In a bowl of fresh water, soak and wash each flower to remove all the minute particles of dirt or dust from the flowers. Following this process is very important as these flowers are from the garden and are exposed to dust and dirt.
After this step, gently pat dry it with a cotton cloth to remove any moisture present in them. If there is moisture present in the flowers, there is a possibility it could get rotten or emit a bad smell. READ MORE – Ayurveda shampoo to stop hair fall
After the flowers have dried completely, place it in a bowl and cover it with a thin cotton cloth and secure the bowl with a rubber band. Sun drying it in the open without the cloth, could cause dirt or dust to sit on the flowers. Keep the bowl in sunlight for 8 to 10 days during the day, until the flowers have become like the texture of paper.
Then, use a mixer and grind the flowers into a fine powder and your home made organic hibiscus powder is ready to use as a face pack or hair mask. The powder can be stored in an airtight container for even up to 2 to 3 months.