Nourishing Hair Cream Recipe
Nourishing Herbal Hair Cream
Creams are topical, healing applications. They are less greasy and more nourishing then salves because they are a combination of water and oil. They can be vulnerary, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, emollient, and soothing so they are great for healing sprains, strains, bruising, open wounds, mild burns, inflammatory conditions, rashes, and insect bites.
Creams also contain an emulsifier, which is an important component to getting the water and the oil to blend together and to stay in solution. The emulsifier binds the water with the oil, creating fat micelles (tiny globules) that are small enough to keep both the oil and the water together in solution.
This recipe calls for beeswax as an antimicrobial, thick emulsifier. Coconut oil lightens the cream and also provides antimicrobial properties. Almond and avocado oils are nourishing and soothing to dry hair. Borax is also an important component of this cream because it is a preservative, buffering agent, and an emulsifier. Citric acid was also chosen as a preservative.
Equipment: oil, water, aloe, lanolin, beeswax, double boiler, measuring cup, blender, spatula, jar
Ingredients:
2/3 cup distilled water infused with 1tsp each of stinging nettle leaf (Urtica dioica), rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis), and horsetail stem (Equisetum arvense).
1/3 cup aloe vera gel (Aloe vera)
15 drops essential oils of lavender (Lavandula officinale) and clary sage (Salvia sclarea)
25 drops essential oils of ylang ylang (Canaga odorata) and palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)
½ tsp citric acid
½ tsp borax
½ tsp vitamin E
½ cup long infused hair cream oil (equal parts of stinging nettle leaf (Urtica dioica), horsetail leaf (Equisetum arvense), rosemary leaf (Rosemarinus offcinalis), green tea leaf (Camilla sinensis), and Fo-Ti root (Polygonum multiflorum).
¼ cup almond oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
½ tsp lanolin
½ oz beeswax
Directions:
Strain out the 2-week long infusion of the hair cream oil (almond and avocado oils) and add almond oil until there is a total of 2/3 cup. Add oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and lanolin to the measuring cup and put in a pot of simmering water. Heat until everything melts, stir, and take off burner and add to a blender. Meanwhile boil 1 cup of distilled water to a small pot, turn off the burner once boiling, and add the 1 tbsp total herbs. Strain the tea and add the citric acid and borax. Once cool, add the vitamin E and essential oils. Once both mixtures are at room temperature, slowly add the tea to the oil mixture while blending until all is incorporated. Do not over blend. Then pour into storage jars.
This cream is very nourishing and hydrating, perfect for dried out hair. Some of the ingredients include nettle leaf (Urtica dioica), rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis), and horsetail stems (Equisetum arvense). Those herbs were added to the tea as well so the cream extracted both the fat-soluble and water-soluble constituents from those herbs. Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica) contains minerals, mucilage. Horsetail stems (Equisetum arvense) contain silica which is a nutrient that is found in hair, so the herb in this formula will be absorbed into the hair and provide the hair follicle with raw materials to make strong hairs.
Apply to the scalp with hair cream every other night. This will help prevent hair from falling out prematurely, turn the hair soft and glossy, and stimulate more hair to grow.
Tags: DIY hair cream, herbal medicine
