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Does your mane look dull, frizzy, brittle, and malnourished? Lack of moisture and essential nutrients could be the reasons behind your unhealthy hair. However, with a few kitchen ingredients, you can quickly make hair rinses that will not only condition your hair but also make your hair shiny, healthy, and gorgeous. Hair conditioning is one of the important ways to improve health and the look of the hair. Regular conditioning provides nourishment and keeps the hair hydrated, frizz-free, and healthy.
Why does Hair need Conditioning?
The hair is made up of concentric layers. The outermost layer, the cuticle, plays an important protective role and contributes to the hair’s shine and beauty. In damaged hair, which has been dyed or colored, the cuticle is stripped off unevenly, making the hair rough, dull, and weak. One of the main functions of a conditioner is to make the scales of the cuticle smooth so that the hair looks shiny and manageable. In other words, conditioning is how hair texture can improve, and health and shine can be restored.
Ways of Conditioning Hair
The hair can be conditioned with rich, creamy products, packs, rinses, and serums. The conditioning product is selected according to the type and the needs of the hair. Many natural ingredients that are within our easy reach can also be ideal hair conditioners.
Also Read – How to Use Mustard Oil For Hair Growth?
Hair Rinse Can Condition Normal to Oily Hair
Regular conditioning with creamy products can help dry, damaged, brittle hair with split ends. But, creamy conditioners do not suit oily hair. They make the hair limp and even end up blocking the pores of the scalp. A congested scalp interferes with the natural distribution of oil on the scalp and can lead to dandruff. When oily hair is concerned, conditioning is achieved by using a hair rinse.
What is a Hair Rinse?
A Hair Rinse is a much lighter product and has a thinner consistency. In other words, it does not weigh down the hair the way a creamy conditioner may do. A rinse also helps restore the normal acid-alkaline balance, which can be upset by chlorinated water or harsh shampoos.
Advantages of a Hair Rinse
A hair rinse offers other advantages too. Apart from restoring the normal acid-alkaline balance, it adds volume to the hair, strengthens it, and makes the hair soft and silky. So instead of the hair looking limp, the hair acquires more volume and looks fresh.
A hair rinse is also more suitable during the hot and humid season when sweat deposits make the hair sticky, matted, and rough. There may even be a foul odor from the scalp. But, again, depending on the ingredients used, the rinse can help with such problems.
How to Use a Hair Rinse
A Hair Rinse should be used after your shampoo. Always use a mild herbal shampoo and rinse your hair well with water to remove all soapy residues and loosened flakes. Then use a suitable hair rinse. It may be left on, or maybe left on for a few minutes, and then rinsed off with cool water.
Natural ingredients for Hair Rinse
Natural ingredients may be used to keep the hair in a healthy condition. For example, plant extracts and oils and natural substances like yogurt and honey can boost the health and look of hair. In addition, they can reduce hair damage and improve hair texture.
Natural plant ingredients are non-toxic and do not harm the structure of the hair. Instead, they can smoothen the cuticle and restore beauty and shine.
6 Homemade Hair Rinses for Shiny and Strong Hair
1. Lemon
Lemon is rich in Vitamin C and thus boosts the health and look of the hair. It reduces oiliness and makes hair appear clean and silky. It also helps restore the normal acid-alkaline or pH balance of the scalp and hair.
How to Apply:
Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to a mug of water and use it as a last rinse after shampoo. For a fragrant hair rinse, add the juice of a lemon and half a cup of rose water to a mug of water and use it as a last rinse after washing the hair.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar makes an ideal hair rinse to restore the normal balance. It is obtained from apples, as the name suggests, and is one of the most useful remedies for dandruff. It helps restore the normal acid-alkaline balance, adds shine, keeps the hair healthy, and stimulates hair growth.
How to Apply:
Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a mug of water and use it as a last rinse after shampoo for oily and dandruff-prone hair.
3. Marigold (Gainda flowers)
The marigold flower has many healing properties and can be used to treat skin and hair problems. Marigold flower extracts, infusions, essential oils, etc., have been used in Ayurveda. The properties of Marigold help can effectively treat oily scalp conditions and dandruff. Marigold also has a fungicidal effect and treats fungal infections of the scalp. In addition, hair rinses made from marigold provide a conditioning treatment to the hair, helping it to settle and giving it volume. It is particularly useful for oily hair during hot and humid conditions.
How to Apply:
Add four tablespoons of the flowers to boiling water. Allow the flowers to be steeped in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain and cool the water and use it as a final rinse after shampoo.
Also Read – How To Use Cilantro for A Glowing Skin and Shiney Hair
4. Hibiscus
Also called “Javakusuma” and “Gurhal,” hibiscus leaves and flowers are mixed with herbal oils to make hair oils in Ayurveda. Hibiscus has a soothing and cooling action on the scalp. It is of great benefit in treating rashy conditions and also in cases of dandruff. Due to its astringent properties, it can effectively treat oily hair and scalp. Hibiscus helps unclog pores, reduce excessive scaling, itching, and inflammatory conditions of the scalp. It has excellent tonic properties as well.
How to Apply:
Hibiscus not only conditions the hair and adds shine but is particularly useful in preventing dandruff. For hot infusions, add the flowers and leaves to hot water and leave them for 10 hours. Then, strain and use the water as a last rinse. For cold infusions, allow the flowers and leaves to stand in cold water in a ratio of one to six. Next, crush them with the fingers and strain. The water may then be used as a rinse.
5. Tea & Lemon
Tea contains tannin, which is known to add luster and volume to the hair. It also helps reduce oiliness and unclog the pores of the scalp. The tea and lemon rinse not only cleanses the hair but also restores the normal pH balance.
How to Apply:
For shiny and silky hair, give your hair a tea-water and lemon rinse after shampoo. First, boil used tea leaves in water. Allow it to cool and strain it. Then add lemon juice and use it as a last rinse after shampoo.
Chamomile Tea may be used to rinse hair. It relieves dryness and makes the hair more manageable. The easiest way is to use Chamomile tea bags. Brew them in hot water, cool the water, and use it as a last rinse for the hair.
6. Neem Leaves
Neem (Margosa) is not only one of the most powerful natural antiseptics but is also nature’s antibiotic. Neem has been highly valued in India for its healing and purifying properties, and it is probably the most widely used among plant products. Neem has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties. That is why it has a healing and soothing effect on inflammation and eruptions on the skin and scalp. The cooling and soothing action of Neem has made it invaluable for the care of scalp conditions like dandruff. Neem also helps eliminate toxins and restores the normal balance of the skin.
How to Apply:
Add two handfuls of neem leaves to four cups of hot water. Let it stand overnight. The next morning, strain the water and use it to rinse the hair. It relieves itching and keeps the scalp healthy and free from infections.
Healthy hair has a luxuriant and vibrant look that the best hairdressing efforts cannot achieve. So, look at nature with enlightened eyes and make your choices.
Also Read – How to Use Baking Soda for Dandruff and Hair Growth; Benefits and Side Effects
