March 13, 2017

Get Healthy Hair With Green Tea!

 

 

 Everyone knows that drinking green tea has tons of health benefits, from raising our metabolism to preventing cancer, to boosting our immune system and brain function. It may be news to you that it works wonders for our hair as well! There’s a ton of benefits from using green tea on your hair. Here’s just a few:

Green tea has antioxidants. Duh, that’s one of the main reasons we drink the stuff. Antioxidants fight free radicals that keep our cells healthy. One of the most powerful antioxidants in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. This is known to assist in hair re-growth in alopecia patients. When green tea is applied topically, EGCG brings nutrients and oxygen-rich blood to the scalp, stimulating hair growth and retention.

Green tea is a good source of panthenol, a provitamin of B5, which is often used in shampoos and conditioners to strengthen hair. It also seals in moisture which is so important to healthy hair. Moisturized hair is shiny, healthy hair. It also contains a unique amino acid called theanine. This amino acid, along with panthenol work to strengthen the hair shaft and help prevent split ends-perfect for damaged, color-treated hair.

A lot of people struggle with dandruff. Green tea helps treat that too! The astringent qualities in green tea help to exfoliate the scalp to get rid of flakes. You’d probably have to drink a lot of green tea for the effects to reach your hair, but I have a DIY method that will focus the good stuff right where we want it: green tea rinses!

Here’s how:

Brew a cup of strong green tea. I like to use 2 bags or two teaspoons of green tea for 1 cup of hot water. Let it sit until it’s cool enough to touch. Strain the tea once cooled if using loose leaves.

While the tea is brewing and cooling, (co) wash your hair.

After rinsing the shampoo/conditioner, pour the cooled green tea all over your hair, massaging it into your scalp and strands. Leave the tea in your hair for 30 minutes. Wearing a shower cap, bag or towel will keep your hair moist and warm. Rinse with warm or cool water  while massaging your scalp to remove anyloosened flakes.


You can also do a green tea rinse even if you’re not shampooing your hair. You’re not using shampoo every day, right? -N