The only time I'm truly happy with my hair is when I have just visited the salon. You know the feeling: skipping out the door, hair all shiny and bouncy and flowing around your shoulders and you somehow cannot stop smiling. Then comes the next morning, and one glance in the mirror tells you that all is back to normal. Gone are the bouncy curls and super shine, replaced with the usual flat, greasy mop. What happened? Where did my lovely hair go?
Now I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have the time or the money to take salon trips several times a week. So I decided to do a little investigative work to see what the salon's secret was and if I could recreate it myself.
Witch Hazel! That's right, witch hazel. I found that the majority of their products contained this truly magical ingredient. Now I have heard about using this in skin creams to combat oily skin and help with anti-aging, but I’d never heard of it in hair care.
It turns out the science behind its benefit to skin and hair is exactly the same.
Witch hazel is a genus of plant that the Native Americans used in their medicine. Today you’ll find this all-natural, herbal ingredient at your local supermarket. Witch hazel has long been known as a natural astringent, which in hair terms means it reduces oiliness of the hair by closing the pores that produce the oil. It also contains powerful antioxidants which can help with dry and flaky scalps.
How can we introduce this into our haircare routine?
You can buy witch hazel from pretty much any health store or pharmacy in liquid form and it's as simple as one, two, three.
- Soak a cotton ball in the witch hazel and dab around the hairline. Part the hair in sections and continue until you’ve dabbed your whole scalp.
- Leave for 10 mins to work its magic. Rinse.
- Shampoo and condition as normal
I would advise doing a patch test first to check for potential reactions, and if you have particularly sensitive skin dilute with a little water first.
I tried this for a couple of weeks and you would not believe the difference it has made. My scalp has stopped itching and flaking and my hair feels super strong and healthy.
No more bedhead for me!
