Cloves for Hair Growth: How to Make It Work for You
Many plant-based ingredients are thought to stimulate hair growth, but are these home remedies fact or fiction? This article discusses clove benefits for hair growth and whether a simple clove water rinse is the secret to longer, stronger, and healthier hair.
Cloves are the flower buds of the evergreen tree called Syzygium aromaticum, also known as the clove tree. The clove is a traditional spice used primarily as a food ingredient for its sweet and spicy flavor. For centuries, cloves have also been used for medicinal purposes.
You might be familiar with using cloves in the kitchen to flavor your favorite dishes or drinks, but you might be unfamiliar with including them in your hair care routine. If so, you could be missing a trick. As it turns out, cloves might have immense benefits for your hair.
Read on to find out whether cloves can influence healthy hair growth.
Cloves for Hair Growth: A Natural Solution for Stronger Hair?
Cloves have a strong nutritional profile that can support your hair growth journey. They contain high amounts of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and vitamin K, that protect your cells from oxidative stress while promoting a healthier environment for hair to grow.
The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin and hair. Studies reveal the retinoic acid in vitamin A helps regulate the hair growth cycle, while vitamin K plays an important role in circulatory health and can support blood circulation to the scalp.
A lack of blood supply to the hair follicles can contribute to hair loss. Therefore, these dried buds aid in preventing hair loss, which can lead to fuller and thicker hair.
Furthermore, the nutrients present in cloves will help nourish and strengthen the hair shaft. This puts your hair in a good position to facilitate healthy hair growth. Your body relies on vitamins and minerals to keep your locks in their best possible condition.
How to Make Clove Water for Hair Growth?
The popular clove rinse is a DIY remedy for speeding up hair growth. It’s easy to make, and the basic recipe only requires 2 ingredients: cloves and water. However, you can add other ingredients, like essential oils, to mix things up. Lavender essential oil is one example.
Here’s how you make clove water at home:
- Boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan.
- Take 2 tablespoons of cloves and muddle them, e.g., crush them using a muddler to release the flavor.
- Pour the boiling water over the cloves. Allow the mixture to cool before draining through a sieve to remove the cloves.
- Transfer the clove water into a suitable container. It’s handy to put it in a spray bottle so you can spray clove water directly onto your hair with ease. You can store the clove rinse in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How to use clove water for hair growth?
You can apply the clove water to your hair after shampooing and conditioning as normal. If you use a leave-in conditioner, apply the clove water afterward. It should be the final step in your haircare regimen. Using the spray bottle, apply the clove water to the hair and scalp.
Gently squeeze your hair to remove excess clove water. No need to rinse it out – just leave it to work its magic.
4 Cloves Benefits for Hair: Here’s What You Can Expect
Since cloves are full of haircare nutrients, applying a clove water rinse to hair can bring about several perks, as this spice has powerful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.
Here are 4 benefits of clove for keeping your hair and scalp in great condition.
#1 Improves scalp health
Cloves are known to care for the scalp. Applying clove water or clove oil directly to your scalp can remove dead hair follicles and the build-up of excess oils, offering a thorough cleanse. As it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects, it can alleviate scalp irritation, such as dryness.
Its antimicrobial properties can also help control bacteria that contribute to an irritated scalp.
#2 Stimulates hair growth
Clove oil can encourage hair growth by supporting the overall health of your scalp. Cloves contain vitamin K, which regulates calcium levels and prevents scalp calcification – a build-up of calcium on the scalp that can prevent hair from growing.
Vitamin K can also improve blood circulation, which ensures healthy blood flow that indirectly promotes hair growth. You can also get this vitamin from your diet with foods like kale, spinach, and broccoli.
#3 Might help to control premature graying
Gray hair is a part of natural aging, but premature graying can cause self-esteem issues. Clove oil may help to prevent early graying hair because it contains antioxidants that fight oxidative stress – a potential contributor to hair graying and hair loss. These antioxidants might also restore the pigment levels that give your hair its natural color.
#4 Helps to get rid of dandruff
As mentioned, cloves keep your scalp healthy. A clove water rinse will rid your hair of the excess oil that may be contributing to your flaky scalp. Clove oil can help combat dry skin, which is another common cause of dandruff.
Your scalp can also benefit from this spice’s powerful antiseptic properties.
Is Clove Oil Good for Hair?
Like clove water, clove oil is considered beneficial for hair health and could promote hair growth. It does so by nourishing the hair follicles, serving as a natural conditioning treatment. It also helps by increasing blood circulation to the scalp to stimulate new hair growth.
Clove oil is an essential oil extracted from the clove tree. It contains the chemical compound eugenol, which is shown to have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is these which are thought to be responsible for the key benefits of clove oil.
FAQs
Yes, clove water is suitable for daily use. However, excessive use can irritate the skin, which may cause a dry or itchy scalp. Use it a few times a week when your hair is freshly washed.
Yes, you can leave clove water on your hair overnight. While often called a clove water rinse, this natural remedy is a leave-in product. After shampooing and conditioning, you can apply it to your hair as the last stage in your regimen.
Homemade clove water should be kept in the refrigerator. It is made using boiling water, so it is important to let the water cool first. The general recommendation is to store it for up to a week.
A Word From MD
Cloves have long been used to treat various ailments, from oral pain to poor digestive health. People consume cloves in teas and savory dishes to promote health and wellness. Clove oil and clove water are popular home remedies that can boost your hair’s health.
You can use cloves regularly as part of your self-care regimen. Just don’t go overboard, as applying it to your scalp too often can irritate. Despite its perks, this ingredient can lead to a dry or itchy scalp. A few times per week will deliver the best results for most people.
Conclusion
The benefits of clove water and clove essential oil could be a blessing for your hair. No beauty products will cause your hair to grow overnight, but cloves contain high amounts of eugenol to boost the growing process. It’s also loaded with other nutrients to encourage healthy hair.
It is possible to have an allergic reaction to clove oil or water. You should perform a patch test before applying it to your hair or scalp.