Hair fall management is not easy. It is even more challenging to restore the growth of healthy and beautiful hair in a safe, natural, and effective manner. But if you opt for something like arnica oil, you can easily avoid all your hair worries. Though Arnica has many health and skin benefits, all those are surpassed by the perks it offers for hair. In this article, find out why you should switch to arnica oil for hair and which side effects you must be careful about.
What is Arnica Oil?
Arnica (Arnica montana) is a perennial flowering herb popularly known as Mountain Daisy, Leopard Bane, Wolf’s bane, Wolf’s bane, Wolf’s bane, Mountain Tobacco, Mountain Snuff, etc. The shrub belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to cold, rocky regions of Siberia and Eastern Europe. Arnica has long been a staple of homeopathy medicine for treating health, skin, and scalp. The herb’s potent anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, fungicidal, bactericidal, soothing, healing, and rejuvenating properties are attributed to its active compounds’ concentration and bioavailability, mainly sesquiterpene lactones (1). Arnica oil is an herbal infusion prepared from the extracts of daisy-like yellowish-orange flowers of Arnica. The latest research has unleashed its excellent benefits in hair care; hence, many hair cosmetics have started using it as a primary ingredient.
When it comes to essential oils, arnica oil has a number of alternatives. You can replace it with tea tree oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, cedarwood oil, and peppermint oil for thick, shiny, and healthy hair.
Benefits of Arnica for Health
Let us start with those excellent health benefits Arnica offers. Following is a list for you:
- When used topically, Arnica may help relieve pain and inflammation in tissue to a large extent. It is primarily effective in controlling acute muscle soreness, stiffness, sprains, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, etc. The herbal extract may also help reduce post-operative swelling and pain in patients. (2)
- Arnica extract (oil/gel/tincture) may offer better recovery and functional movement than non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in chronic osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. (3)
- The healing qualities of Arnica are also quite impressive. It may effectively heal post-surgical scars and bruises while returning bruise colors to standard (4). The herb may stimulate blood circulation and regenerate tissues to heal deep wounds, superficial phlebitis, swelling caused by fractures and insect bites, etc.
- Using arnica-infused mouthwashes may help you take care of your oral health by preventing bacterial infections and treating sore throat.
- If massaged gently into the skin, arnica flower extract may even reduce stress and depression symptoms by relaxing the muscles.
Read Also – DIY Henna Hair Oil Recipes with Benefits – Get Thick and Gorgeous Hair at Home
Benefits of Arnica for Skin
Arnica can also protect our skin in several ways. Here is how:
- Active compounds in Arnica are sesquiterpene lactones, carbonic acid, flavonoids, coumarins, volatile oils, etc., which are pretty friendly to the skin and nourish.
- Helenalin, a member of the sesquiterpene lactone family, and flavonoids in Arnica may work together on stressed and damaged skin, making it smoother and rejuvenated.
- Arnica’s strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties may shield the skin from burns, sun damage, itchiness, infections, vaginitis, frostbites, chilblains, eczema, etc.
- Arnica is also quite helpful in diminishing the appearance of stretch marks.
Read Also – 10 Best Bhringraj Hair Oils in India to Promote the Growth of Lush and Glossy Hair
Benefits of Arnica Oil for Hair
The oil extracted from Arnica flowers is used in commercially available oils, shampoos, and conditioners to treat unwanted scalp conditions, ensuring hair growth and significantly boosting its overall beauty. Here are the significant benefits of arnica oil for our locks:
1. Treats Hair Loss
Regular scalp massage with arnica oil may help you fight hair loss issues. It nourishes and invigorates the scalp, stimulating hair follicles to support new hair growth. The oil may even treat severe issues like alopecia efficiently in its highly concentrated form. (5)
2. Reduces Hair Fall
It feeds your hair follicles properly and makes the hair roots stronger. As a result, the elasticity increases, eventually giving you less hair in your brush during combing.
3. Makes Scalp Healthy
It keeps the scalp free from excess oil, sebum, dirt, and debris while maintaining its natural health and texture. According to researchers, the oil possesses excellent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Therefore, you can avoid symptoms like dandruff, itchy scalp, infections, etc. while using it.
4. Cures Split Ends
You can eliminate split ends by regularly massaging your scalp with arnica oil. It may strengthen hair fibers from roots to tips by introducing healthy proteins, decreasing the appearance of split ends.
5. Prevents Premature Graying
Arnica oil increases blood circulation throughout the scalp to a large extent and efficiently prevents the premature graying of your hair.
6. Makes Hair Beautiful
A healthy scalp means a bunch of healthy and strong hair. In other words, arnica oil provides complete nourishment to your hair and makes it thick, soft, smooth, frizz-free, and beautiful.
Read Also – Mustard Oil for Hair Growth – Fight Grey Hair, Stimulate Hair Regrowth
How to Use Arnica Oil for Hair?
Arnicaa oil should be used topically for massaging the hair and the scalp. Add the required amount of oil (depending upon the length of your hair) into a bowl and add some coconut or almond oil. Apply the mixture to your damp scalp evenly. Massage the scalp gently by moving your fingertips in small circles for at least 15 minutes. For the best results, do it in the evening or before bed. Wash and clean your hair with plain cold water the following day. Continue using it for at least two months to enjoy the results.
You can get a variety of readymade arnica hair oils with 1%-2% of arnica extracts in the market at absolutely reasonable prices. These non-sticky homeopathic formulations that combine several other natural ingredients like coconut oil, sandalwood oil, cinchona, cantharis, etc. with the extracts of the arnica flowers.
Side Effects of Arnica Hair Oil
The topical application of arnica oil is mostly safe for us. However, there may be some possible side effects, too. Some common adverse effects of using arnica oil include allergic reactions like hives, itching, runny nose, headaches, inflamed sinuses, breathing problems, etc. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should also not use arnica oil. Make sure that you never ingest arnica oil, as it is reported to be toxic. It can lead to severe consequences like increased heart rate, high blood pressure, etc.
Summary:
Arnica oil is extracted from the bright yellow flowers of the perennial herb Arnica Montana. Being an extremely versatile herb with numerous potent active compounds, arnica offers plenty of benefits for our health and skin. On the other hand, the oil of arnica acts as a super tonic for our hair by treating hair loss, reducing hair fall, making the scalp healthy, curing split ends, and preventing premature graying. However, you need to be careful about the topical application of the oil as it may cause certain side effects to some people.
Frequently Aske Questions (FAQs)
How Quickly Does Arnica Work?
When healing scars, bruises, and wounds, Arnica can work correctly for two weeks or longer.
Is Arnica Oil a Carrier Oil?
Arnica oil can be used alone or along with other organic oils. Hence, you can use it as a carrier for other essential oils.
Can You Take Too Much Arnica?
Too much intake of Arnica may cause serious side effects to our health.
Does Arnica Help Spider Veins?
An effective remedy for bruises, Arnica can also be used as a complementary and alternative therapy for spider veins.
Does Arnica Increase Blood Flow?
Yes, Arnica may help boost blood flow to different parts of our body through massaging.
References:
- “Arnica montana L. – A Plant of Healing: Review,” onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- “Effectiveness and Safety of Arnica montana in Post-SurgicalSetting, Pain and Inflammation,” Academia.edu
- “Choosing Between NSAID and Arnica for Topical Treatment of Hand Osteoarthritis in a Randomised, Double-Blind Study,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- “Perioperative Arnica montana for Reduction of Ecchymosis in Rhinoplasty Surgery“, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- “Alopecia: Herbal Remedies“, citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
