Overstyling and lack of nutrients can make hair weak and brittle. Hair in this state tends to grow slowly or break off before reaching its maximum length. Although it's largely genetics that determines how fast your hair grows, nourishing your hair helps it to reach its full potential. Horsetail contains a number of nutrients that may help hair regain its strength and grow faster. Always talk to a doctor before taking horsetail or any herb for any condition.
Identification
Horsetail, or Equisetum arvense, forms tall stems with fern-like leaves resembling a bottle brush. A common weed in many parts of North America, this plant grows in both wooded areas and meadows, but prefers moist areas near streams, lakes and swamps. In spring, it reproduces through spores, rather than flowers, say Utah State University botanists.
Composition
Horsetail is rich in silica and silicic acids, note hair care professionals at the website NaturallyCurly. Silica, a crystalline substance, gives horsetail a rough texture that once made it popular for use in scouring dishes. The plant contains significant levels of the minerals potassium, manganese and selenium, as well. Active compounds known as saponins and flavonoids also are abundant in horsetail.
How Horsetail Supports Hair
Silica is the main hair-supportive compound in this herb. Silica, which helps form the collagen in skin and bones, also helps to strengthen hair. [See ref 3] It also keeps hair looking smooth and shiny. The potassium, manganese and selenium may also encourage hair growth, suggests the website NaturallyCurly.
Use
To encourage hair growth, drink horsetail tea, take horsetail tincture or capsules, or apply the herb as a hair rinse. Make tea or hair rinse by pouring boiling hot water into a cup containing 2 to 3 tsp. horsetail leaves. Let it steep at least 15 minutes. Drink this tea up to three times daily, medical experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggest. Alternatively, apply it to dry hair and let it soak in for at least 15 minutes before you shampoo it out. You can also add it to your shampoo. For capsules, take 300 mg up to 3 times daily, recommend UMMC experts.
Precautions
Horsetail can lower your levels of vitamin B, or thiamin. This is especially dangerous if you drink large amounts of alcohol or are already deficient in vitamin B, UMMC experts warn. The herb can also interfere with nicotine patches and diuretics. Avoid the herb if you have a heart arrhythmia or take digoxin. Get horsetail for tea only from a reliable herb supplier or a source that you know hasn't been treated with pesticides or herbicides. Don't drink horsetail tea if you're pregnant or nursing.
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