Aloe vera, a succulent plant native to Africa, was among the most common medicinal plants in use in the 18th and 19th centuries, notes the University of Maryland. Although widely employed today to heal minor cuts and burns, aloe vera has proprieties that can benefit hair, too. In pure form or blended it into a homemade hair treatment, aloe can help your hair in several ways.
Conditioning Hair
Popular as a skin moisturizer, aloe vera has a similar restorative effect on hair, suggests the website Care2. Aloe gel can condition hair, leaving it softer and shinier. Mix 1/2 cup aloe gel with the juice of half a lemon. Blend in hair-supporting essential oils, like rosemary for oily hair or peppermint for dry hair. Apply this to wet, just-washed hair. Leave on for approximately five minutes, and rinse.
Relieving Dandruff
Aloe vera treatments may help relieve dandruff, particularly in cases of seborrheic dermatitis. This condition causes inflammation and scaly skin on the scalp. Seborrheic dermatitis sufferers who applied an aloe vera ointment to their scalps twice daily for up to 6 weeks experienced a 62 percent decrease in symptoms like scaliness and itching, found a study published in the "Journal of Dermatological Treatment" in 1999.
Treating Hair Loss
Proponants of aloe vera suggest the plant's gel may help reduce hair loss, although scientific evidence of the effect is lacking. To treat hair loss, massage your hair roots with fresh aloe vera gel twice daily for a month. Aloe vera extract may also encourage hair growth, suggest experts from Northwestern Health Sciences University.
Member Comments