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I’m going to let you in on a little secret… my hair is weak. My hair has decided it would like to fall out in amounts more than I’d like to see and my part in my hair is getting wider. Why? Well I’m contributing it to hormones.
At first it was post-nursing hormones. Did you even know that was a thing? I had no clue about post-weaning hair loss until it started happening to me. Then I got pregnant again and my hair was happy and growing again.
Now that my baby is here and I’m months into the postpartum period, my hair is starting to fall out again. Sigh… it’s never ending.
It also seems to be a fall/winter thing for me. I’m not 100% sure about the seasons affecting my hair loss but it does correlate.
Perhaps it’s a lack of nutrients or I’m suddenly eating more sugar and depleting my nutrients that way… or maybe it’s just a coincidence. In any case, my hair is weak and it needs some strengthening help!
I have switched to a natural way of washing my hair for many years now. There are many variations of “no ‘poo” as it’s called in natural living circles. There are many variations because everyone has different hair needs.
I have found a good variation for my hair but I realized that I could take things up a notch and really give my hair some extra love just by tweaking my recipe a tiny bit.
How? By taking my normal vinegar hair rinse (my conditioner) and infusing it with the powder of nutrient dense nettle!
Nettle leaves are rich in many nutrients and they are a great ingredient to add to hair care. Nettle can help with hair loss, strengthen hair, help with dandruff, and increase a healthy hair shine. It’s the perfect herb for hair care!
Many herbal hair rinses essentially make a tea and add vinegar. That is fine but it shortens the shelf life a bit because there’s water involved.
I make an herb infused vinegar thus skipping the water part and extending the shelf life.
Nettle not your thing? Don’t worry, I also have a calming lavender vinegar hair rinse, a hibiscus vinegar hair rinse, and a rejuvenating pine vinegar hair rinse.
Strengthening Nettle Vinegar Hair Rinse
16 oz vinegar (white distilled or apple cider vinegar)
2 tbs dried nettle (2 tea bags would work too)
glass jar with non-metal lid
Directions:
Place dried nettle into glass jar. Pour vinegar over the nettle.
Cover with non-metal lid (vinegar ruins metal lids).
Let sit in a cool dark place for 1-2 weeks.
Strain if using loose leaf or take out tea bags.
Your Nettle Vinegar Hair Rinse is now done.
To Use:
Pour 1 tbs Strengthening Nettle Vinegar Hair Rinse into a container and add 8 oz water.
Pour over head after shampooing. (remember, this is the “conditioner”).
Allow to sit on hair for about a minutes and then rinse with water.
Hi Britanny,
Such healthy and helpful tips! I especially appreciate the importance of saving money. I have purchased nettle infused hair care products in the past and they cost a bundle. DIY is much more cost-effective. Thank you for sharing your DIY Strengthening Nettle Vinegar Hair Rinse at the Healthy Happy Green Natural Party! I’m Pinning and sharing this!
Making my nettle infused conditioner right now! Thank you.
There are times that my hair falls out in ridiculous amounts in the shower or when I simply brush it. Knowing that we lose an average of 50-100 strands a day, and probably more depending on the hair cycle, it’s still not much comfort on some days.
How long would you say it took for you to see noticeable results?
I find that for results like stronger hair it takes a few weeks (depending on why you have hair falling out. if it’s a root issue it might resolve faster but if it’s the whole strand is weak then you might have to wait until all the weak hair grows out which can take a long time)
Great!! Thanks. 🙂 I am looking forward to making these.
Lovely article thank you! Will nettle affect your hair color, ir darken it? Have you tried chamomile in vinegar?
Nettle could eventually darken your hair a bit but since it gets rinsed out it’s not likely to drastically change your color. I just made chamomile vinegar! I like it but same rule would apply to coloring your hair. Chamomile can bring out blonde highlights – again probably not by much since it gets rinsed out but it’s something to be aware of. 🙂
Thanks for this! We just made a vinegar rinse for my daughters dandruff and I would love to add nettle to it now. I’m trying to convince myself to grow it and I think I have. I was reading how it will make cheese rennet and twine, not to mention how nutrient dense it is. I’ll just get a pair of gloves that I ONLY use for working with the nettles.
Interesting.
How long does the…tonic?…last once it is steeped and strained and where does one store it? Thanks.
It should be ok for 3-6 months. But usually the hair rinse is used before then.