The curly community is no stranger to mixing and finding ingredients that will help the overall health of the hair. If you are looking for a new ingredients, you should consider coltsfoot, also known as tussilago. Coltsfoot is a plant that is usually used to help relieve coughs. Now that winter is quickly approaching, catching a cold is the last thing that you want to deal with. If you start to have a sore throat and are experiencing a cough that just will not go away, coltsfoot is an herb that you want to use. It can also help whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis. How can you incorporate this herb into your regimen or diet? You can purchase coltsfoot as a tea, syrup, capsule, or herb.
Benefits of coltsfoot for hair
So you are probably wondering, how does coltsfoot benefit our hair? The MopTop Maven says, “Coltsfoot contains an abundance of mucilage, minerals, silica, sulfur and plant proteins which all work together to help add sheen, body, repair the hair shaft, improve elasticity, and promote hair growth.” If you are experiencing any breakage, damage, or hair loss then, coltsfoot may be the ingredient for you. You can find coltsfoot in shampoos, conditioners, supplements, or you can take the DIY approach by creating tea rinses or leave-in conditioners. If you want to monitor to see if this ingredient is working for you, journal your results weekly along with the actions you are taking. Take a photo of the amount of shed hair each time you wash or style your hair. It will help track your progress every week and see if the amount of hair loss you are experiencing.
If you are not interested in using tea or the herb itself, you can purchase products that have coltsfoot. Check out these products that contain coltsfoot or coltsfoot extracts:
- Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner – Rosemary Peppermint
- Aubrey Organics Green Tea Conditioner
- Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo
- Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
Zhara’s hair growth tea rinse
If you are a tea drinker or enjoying using tea rinses during washday, Zhara shares an herbal tea recipe on CurlyNikki that can help with hair growth. If you are not familiar with tea rinses, they are used as the last rinse during wash days. This can help breakage, shedding, and hair growth. Remember to allow the tea to cool before using it as a rinse for your hair. Check out the following recipe:
- 2 Tbsp. lemon balm (melissa”>
- 2 Tbsp. lavender flowers
- 1 Tbsp. peppermint leaves
- 1 Tbsp. chamomile flower
- 1 Tbsp. rose petal
- 1 Tbsp. nettle
- 1 Tbsp. horsetail
- 1 Tbsp. coltsfoot
- 1 Tbsp. burdock root
- 1 Tbsp. oatstraw
- 1 Tbsp. alfalfa
- 1 Tbsp. rose hip
- 2 Tbsp. dandelion leaves
- 2 Tbsp. raspberry leaves
- 1/2 Tsp. ginger root
You can use a reusable silk or linen tea pouch, a stainless steel tea infuser or get some of the disposable unbleached tea bags at your local grocer. Steep the tea leaves for a least 10 min. and enjoy by itself or with a tiny bit of any natural/organic sweetener like agave, brown rice syrup, raw honey, maple syrup, or stevia.
Read more: 5 Tea Rinses to Stop that Shedding
Herbs for rinses
CurlyNikki added…
After receiving Zhara’s Hair Growth Tea recipe, I thought it’d be cool to compile a list of herbs for the purposes of your final rinse on wash day (prior to styling”>.
- Catnip: Promotes healthy hair growth–many women on longhaircommunity swear by this stuff for long, strong hair.
- Chamomile: Softens hair, soothes the scalp, lighten and conditions (people use it with honey to bring out natural highlights”>. Chamomile is also known to stimulate growth.
- Horsetail: Helps brittle hair due to its high silica content.
- Lavender: Stimulates hair growth
- Nettle: conditions, improves texture, helps with dandruff, irritated scalp, and dry scalp
- Parsley: enriches hair color and gives a nice luster
- Plantain: great for dry, irritated scalp, dandruff, and seborrhea
- Peppermint: stimulates the scalp
- Rosemary: Acts as a tonic and conditioner, one of the best herbs to use, gives luster and body, stimulates growth, helps with dandruff, and brings out dark highlights in the hair.
- Sage: Very effective in restoring color to graying hair, excellent for weak brittle hair
- Saw Palmetto: good for thinning hair and hair loss
- Thyme: good for oily hair and dandruff
- Witch Hazel: cleanses hair
Directions
After you’ve decided which herb(s”> will get the job done, follow the steps below:
- Place the herb(s”> in a pitcher (glass is ideal”>.
- Pour boiling water over the herb(s”>, cover, and steep for 10-20 minutes.
- Strain the mixture and allow the liquid to cool.
- Pour over your head after your regular shampoo, condition, and detangling session. Do not rinse.
Add these herbs to your next wash day or to your next batch of henna.
How do you include coltsfoot into your regimen?
