10 Herbs for Healthy Hair

Nowadays, both males and females are very particular about their hair for aesthetic look. Maintaining hair health is vital and have a great advantage if we maintain it in a natural way. Here we discuss a few herbals which are useful for hair health.      

Facts about hair:

Hair is made up of a protein called keratin that is produced in hair follicles in the outer layer of skin. As follicles produce new hair cells, old cells are being pushed out through the surface of the skin at a rate of about 6 inches a year. The hair we can see is actually a string of dead keratin cells. The average adult head has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs and loses up to 100 of them a day.  

Hair follicles are the fundamental unit of hair production and are situated under the bottom of hair called hair bulb. The hair matrix is the germinate (growth) part of hair follicle.

Hair growth and development are predominantly under endocrine control. A fine balance of androgens, oestrogens and gonadotrophins determines the hair pattern of an individual. So, internal treatment for hair growth is complicated and not effective. Topical application is a widely practiced approach for hair health maintenance and is effective as well.  

Hair damage and its management:

Hair may be affected by dyeing, bleaching, waving and improper washing & combing. Hair dyes are known allergens. Bleaching weakens the hair shaft and waving also damages the hair.

So, a natural approach is a good way to maintain hair health. The ancient herbs have been used in clinical practice for many years. They are intended to address the following subjects of hair:

1. Helps in Hair colour
2. Restricts Hair loss
3. Promotes Hair growth

Let’s discuss the top 10 herbals that are used for hair health maintenance:

Herbals helping in hair colour:

• Indigofera tinctoria (Avuri – Neeli)
• Lawsonia inermis (Maruthondri – Madayantika)
• Quercus infectoria (Maasikkai – Mayaphala)

Indigofera and Lawsonia have natural pigments and are used as natural dyes. Quercus has a high content of tannin, which is used as a natural mordant (it helps to fix the colour).

Herbals restricting hair loss:

• Phyllanthus emblica (Nellikkai – Amla)
• Cucurbita pepo seed (Poosanai – Karkaru)
• Cuscuta reflexa (Muthiyaar koonthal – Aakashavalli)

The above herbals contain compounds that are able to inhibit 5-alpha reductase, which have shown efficacy in reducing hair loss in androgenic alopecia. 

Herbals promoting hair growth:

The following herbals have been used topically for hair growth traditionally for many years.

• Eclipta prostrata (Karisalai – Bhringaraj)
• Nardostachys jatamansi (Jatamanjil – Jatamanshi)
• Trigonella foenum-graecum (Venthayam – Methi)
• Bergamia keonigii (Kariveppiai – Kadi patta)