Honey is one of the best hair moisturisers and it has a number of properties that make it one of the best natural ingredients for dry hair. It helps prevent hair breakage and also adds shine to your tresses. It can be combined with a whole lot of other nutrients to add life to your mop on top. You can treat your hair with honey once a week with some hair recipes and some honey-based hair masks. It can also be used in combination with other essential oils for hair.
How Does Honey Help in Hair Growth
Honey is good for hair; it is an excellent emollient and is also an effective humectant. This allows it to smoothen hair and keep your hair hydrated. The natural properties strengthen hair and protect your hair from damage in a variety of ways. Let’s find out more about the benefits of honey for hair.
- Stops breakage: Honey helps keep your hair moisturised thus facilitating stronger hair shafts and hair strands.
- Prevents hair damage: It helps minimise the impact of environmental and external factors on your hair. Simple activities like rubbing your hair vigorously during a shampoo could end up damaging your hair. The nutrients help make the hair robust to deal with this sort of treatment. This is one of the potent effects of honey on hair.
- Fights scalp infections: Honey has very potent antibacterial and antiseptic properties which contribute to a healthier scalp. Apart from fighting scalp infections they are also helpful in curbing dandruff issues.
Myths about Honey for Hair
There are also a lot of myths and false notions about the benefits of honey for hair growth. Let’s find out more about the use of honey for hair.
- There is a common feeling that honey turns your hair white. This is because of the presence of the enzyme glucose oxidase in honey. Glucose oxidase can break down glucose sugars to produce hydrogen peroxide which can lighten the colour of your hair. It can lighten the colour but does not turn it grey as the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced is negligible. It would be necessary to mention that the lightning effect is only produced by raw honey and not by OTC honey.
- There is also a frequent complaint that application of honey causes scalp infection. This is because people tend to wash the scalp with plain water after applying honey. This causes some of the sticky residue to remain behind. This when mixed with dust and other impurities might lead to infections.
Benefits of Honey for Hair
There are numerous benefits of using honey for hair as it has a host of beneficial qualities.
- Natural conditioner: The honey helps seal moisture in the hair. This keeps the hair conditioned and smooth. It is also a very good natural humectant as it can absorb the moisture from the air and keep the hair in a healthy state.
- Promotes hair growth: The nutrients and antioxidants present in honey add to the strength of the hair follicles and help in reducing breakage. This facilitates the growth of hair and makes it grow longer. It also stimulates the dormant follicles thus contributing to the faster growth of hair.
- Eliminates dandruff: The antifungal and antibacterial properties help remove dandruff from the scalp and prevent the occurrence of scaly skin. A formula utilising a mix of water and honey for dandruff has been very effective in eliminating dandruff completely,
- Adds shine: Honey helps counter all the negative effects of exposure to the sun and limit the effects of damaging heat tools. It restores the original quality and lustre of the hair.
- Cleanses the scalp: It helps remove all the impurities from the scalp and reduces clogging of the follicles thus accelerating hair growth.
Benefits of Honey for Scalp
Apart from the significant benefits for hair, honey is also a very effective ingredient in maintaining scalp health.
- Restores nutrients to the scalp: The presence of many effective nutrients helps promote cell growth and makes your hair stronger. It is very effective in nourishing the scalp to augment the growth of soft silky hair.
- Prevents scalp infection: Honey helps prevent all the nasty outbreaks on the scalp that cause swollenness and redness and end up hampering hair growth.
- Anti-inflammatory properties: Honey has very potent anti-inflammatory properties which help solve dermatitis and irritated scalp issues. The rich antioxidant content is useful in conditioning the hair and preventing hair breakage and damage.
- Natural lightener: Honey for hair is the most natural way to add highlights to your hair and add that extra element of colour to your hair. Add some lemon and conditioner to honey to create a more intense tone.
DIY Honey Conditioning Hair Masks
DIY conditioning hair masks have a lot of properties that help in nourishing the hair follicles and adding to the health of your hair. The biggest advantage is that they are available at a fraction of the cost. Let’s take a look at some simple and popular natural hair masks that are available at a fraction of the costs.
- Warm honey and olive oil mask: Take half a cup of organic honey and a quarter cup of olive oil, mix well and heat till it is a little warm. Apply it from the scalp to the ends and leave it for half an hour before washing it off with shampoo. Sometimes it might be necessary to use baking soda to break down the oil in your hair. In that case sprinkle a little baking soda and massage it along the length of your hair. Use the shampoo again later. This is an excellent deep conditioning technique of using honey for hair to improve its quality. Use this remedy once every 2 weeks for good results.
- Banana and honey hair mask: Take half a cup each of raw organic honey and olive oil and 2 ripe bananas. Put it all in a blender and make a puree of uniform consistency. Use a hair brush to apply it from the top of your head to your hair ends. Leave it on for 20 minutes before washing it off with shampoo and use a conditioner afterwards.
- Banana, coconut oil, glycerine and honey mask: Make a nice blend of one ripe banana with a tablespoon of glycerine, 4 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of honey and apply it to your hair and scalp. Cover it with a shower cap and wash off after with a mild shampoo after half an hour.
- Mayonnaise and honey hair mask: Mash an avocado in a bowl and add a cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of honey and make a mix with a smooth consistency. Apply this thoroughly to your hair and scalp and keep it for 40 minutes. Use lukewarm water to wash it off followed by a mild shampoo to clear it off completely. This blend is very good for nourishing your hair. The oils and fatty acids present in mayonnaise are very effective for promoting hair growth. Use this remedy at least once a week for best results.
- Yoghurt and honey hair mask: Take 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt and 1 tablespoon of honey, mix well and apply from the scalp to the tips. Leave it for 20 minutes after you have given your scalp a good massage. Wash with shampoo and use a little conditioner afterwards. This mix is great for dry and frizzy hair. While honey adds moisture and softens your hair, yoghurt has proteins to nourish your hair and is a great natural conditioner. The lactic acid in yoghurt is great for cleansing your hair and removing dead skin cells from your scalp. Use this at least once a week for best results.
- Honey, egg and apple cider vinegar hair mask: You need 1 teaspoon of honey, egg and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for this mask. Mix all the 3 ingredients and leave it in your hair for half an hour before rinsing it off. This combination works very well in nourishing the hair and provides the right amount of moisture to your strands. All the ingredients mixed with honey for hair also adds gloss and shine to your strands.
- Avocado and Honey hair mask: Mix 1 mashed avocado with ½ a cup of honey in a bowl and apply all over your hair and scalp. Let it stay for half an hour before you wash it off with cold water and shampoo. The antioxidants in avocado help in preventing hair damage, nourish the hair and improve the condition of your scalp.
- Coconut oil and honey mix: Mix half a cup of coconut oil and a half cup of honey. Mix this in a bowl and apply well over your scalp and hair. Massage thoroughly and let it stay for half an hour. Use cold water to rinse your hair afterwards and a mild shampoo for your wash. This is an excellent remedy for conditioning and smoothening your hair. Use this twice a week for best results.
- Oatmeal and honey hair mask: Blend 2 tablespoons of oatmeal with a tablespoon each of oatmeal and yoghurt to create a fine mix. Spread it evenly over your hair and scalp. Let it dry over a period of half an hour. Wash with lukewarm water and some mild shampoo. Oatmeal is a very effective cleansing agent and removes dirt and oil from your scalp. Use this mix at least twice a week for best results.
- Aloe Vera and honey hair mask: This is one of the most effective remedies for any hair issues. Mix 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons each of aloe vera gel and yoghurt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl and make a paste. Apply to your hair and scalp and let it stay for half an hour before washing it off with cold water. Rinse with cold water before using a mild shampoo. Use this remedy at least once a week for best results.
- Milk and honey mix: Add 2-3 tablespoons of honey to half a cup of warm milk. Apply this mix to your hair and particularly on the damaged sections. Wash off after half an hour with shampoo. This is a very good way to moisturise your hair.
- Potato, egg yolk and honey hair mask: Take 3 tablespoons of potato juice, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 egg yolk. Put it into a bowl and mix to a fine blend. Apply carefully to every section of your hair and scalp. Wash it off with a mild shampoo after half an hour. This will make your hair strong and robust and protect it from all sorts of infection. Make use of this remedy at least once a week for best results.
- Castor oil and honey hair mask: Mix 3 tablespoons of castor oil with 2 tablespoons of honey and 4 drops of lemon juice to make a mix of uniform consistency. Massage this into your scalp and hair and wash off after an hour with a mild shampoo. Try this at least twice a week for best results. This will reduce hair loss and stimulate the growth of thick hair. It will also keep the scalp moisturised for a longer period of time. Honey and lemon for dandruff is one of the most popular remedies.
Honey for hair is one of the most popular remedies for hair and is often suggested as an effective method on how to make hair roots strong. There are quite a few honey benefits for hair. Apart from being a natural conditioner, softener and moisturiser honey can be used in combination with a range of other ingredients to enhance the quality of your hair. Do visit us at Traya and learn from our experts about more effective techniques to stimulate the growth of a thick mop of hair.
