Today I’m sharing my top holistic hair care tips! Skin is of course my specialty but I love haircare too. I was having some indecisiveness recently about keeping my hair lighter, which is more maintenance and processing. And if you know me, you know I’m neither, or to deepen back into a more vixen style. I shared all of this over on my IG, as well as a poll around “beachy or vixen” and had tons of interactions.
I ultimately toned it down and I also had an intuitive hit to pull out some photos of when I was young, way before I ever colored my hair, which started at around age 15, and it was the perfect example of what I was seeking. (Funny how that works, thank you little Jen!) My hair has been every color, and every length, and has gone through plenty of its own dilemmas over the years.
While sharing all of this on IG, I received some great questions about haircare, natural hair products, and overall if I had any tips to share on holistic haircare. Of course, I do and naturally, you already know I’ve got a spiel around the hair, just as the skin, indeed being a representation of our inner health.
Holistic Hair Care Tips
As with skin, internal imbalance, as well as over-processing, over-cleansing, and using too many products doesn’t do the hair any favors either.
Hair problems that are rooted internally such as thinning hair and hair falling out are often stress and/or hormone related, which certainly go hand and hand. Hormones are very cascading, if one is out of balance, it creates a domino effect. This is critical in understanding the effects of stress on hair, skin, hormones, you name it! The skin and hair are truly a reflection of our nervous system so we can do all the external things we want but the results will only go so far without addressing the internal too.
Hormone testing is out of my zone of genius but if hair loss is chronic and in relation to cycle imbalance, menopause, or postpartum, common to experience hair thinning/loss with any of these, then I recommend seeking out someone trusted to take a deeper look at your hormones.
I also know what it’s like to experience sudden changes in hair and skin due to stress. When my sweet Tika passed away almost 2 years ago, I was filled with shock, stress, and sadness, which was reflected in both my hair and skin.
As women, we may see our hair (this goes for all hair types) as a representation of parts of our beauty. I do! It makes us feel good, feminine, and sexy and it’s a way we may express ourselves so when less-than-desirable changes start happening, we can become very self-conscious, as well as frustrated. (Same with the skin!) And of course, if society isn’t attempting to capitalize off of our insecurities, then they are telling us the opposite, which is that we are vain for caring what we look like.
In the case of starting to see hair thinning, doing anything out of the norm (a bad haircut can be devastating), or overall supportive and holistic hair maintenance, I’m sharing my top tips to help you nourish and detangle your hair, and reduce frizz from the inside out to both feel good and look good. No shame in my game!
Nettle Infusions
Nettles are chock full of vitamins and minerals including A, B, C, D, and E, silica, magnesium, and more. Nettles help prevent hair loss and increase hair regrowth. Due to the high mineral content, Nettles are also quite restorative to the nervous system and are considered a Nervine. Not only can we support holistic hair health (and skin!) with nettles, but we can take it a step deeper and support our nervous systems too. A win-win! This is where I get my Nettles and the photo above is how I make herbal infusions. Drink within 36 hours.
B Vitamins
A quality B Complex, as B’s assist in particular in supporting our nervous system. When we support the nervous system, we are ultimately supporting the foundation for all rejuvenating and restorative capabilities throughout the body, including hair nourishment and growth. (Are we noticing a pattern here?) If you’re wondering, Megafood is my favorite supplement company.
Biotin
Biotin is indeed a B vitamin, however, B Vitamins work best as a full spectrum, which is why we often see “B Complexes.” One B vitamin needs the next in order to synthesize. It’s not “I need a certain B Vitamin to do x,y,z.” We need the full complex for the best benefits. In the case of Biotin, it does specifically support the hair so I would recommend a B complex with additional Biotin if desired.
Hair, Skin, and Nails
A high-quality Hair, Skin, and Nails formula and I also love taking a vitamin and mineral-packed PreNatal. It’s Megafood for me!
Collagen
Always lots of mixed feelings around collagen and as with any supplements, diets, etc, it absolutely depends on the individual. I have personally experienced an improvement around my hairline when I add collagen into my diet but I believe how well we synthesize collagen (and all supplements for that matter) depends on our liver health. I would not add collagen into the diet if you are dealing with chronic inflammatory skin concerns, as less is more when healing acne, eczema, rosacea, etc. In this case, focus on the nettle infusions, as they are phenomenal for healing the skin too!
Say Farewell to Sugar
I hate to be a killjoy but the sugar has to go for many reasons and healthy hair growth is indeed one of them. Overall, sugar, among many evil things, creates a low-grade inflammation throughout the body, which hinders healing, growth, and restoration and is destructive to all tissue throughout the body. I won’t even get into how destructive it is for the skin but trust me, it needs to go.
External Holistic Hair Care Tips
I will preface by saying a few of my practices are kundalini based, as the hair is energy, our antenna if you will.
Holistic Hair Washing
Wash hair with gentle and sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Over-cleansing the hair will strip its natural oils and dry out the scalp. Wash the hair around every 72 hours. This is a kundalini practice and if you’ve been upset, it is also recommended to wash hair in order to process emotions. Dry your hair naturally or process using heat styling, using as least amount of heat as possible.
Holistic Hair Masks and Treatment Oils
Seek out specific treatment oils and hair masks with supportive and natural ingredients such as rosemary, which is stimulating the scalp and hair follicles and can be massaged in help stimulate follicles. Bhringaraj Oil, a specific hair-supportive herb in Ayurveda, helps to increase blood flow and activate hair follicles. Also works well for dandruff, preventing gray hairs and increasing shine.
Some of my favorite places to shop for haircare are Credo, Follain, and Detox Market.
Natural Wooden Comb
In Kundalini, it is recommended to comb the hair daily and gently with a wooden, or a wide-toothed comb from scalp to tip in all directions to stimulate the scalp. The wood helps to prevent static electricity and loss of energy to the brain.
Hair Braids
Braid hair before bed. This prevents tangles and in kundalini, braiding the hair while we sleep helps balance out our electromagnetic fields from the day.
Holistic Scalp Massage for Hair Growth
Apply a drop of nourishing hair oil to the scalp before bed to pacify the vata (air, dryness) and nourish the scalp while sleeping. You can also use this time to massage the scalp in order to increase blood flow and stimulate hair follicles to support a healthy scalp and hair growth.
Holistic Hair Salon
Find a Holistic Salon and if you are in Miami, go see my Stylist Kara at Balayage By Kara! She is a phenomenal stylist, and colorist who specialized in balayayge. She can recommend clean, holistic hair care products and my scalp is never bothered by her color process. I cannot say enough great things about Kara. And I love her color and she creates the most stunning haircuts. I have wavy hair with a mind of it’s own. Her haircuts bring my wave pattern to life! Highly recommend Kara!
