The Nettle Extract: How Does It Benefit the Hair?

 The world can provide a vast amount of natural sources that you may use to treat your hair. However, for women, searching for the most suitable hair product that'd treat their locks right is a challenging task. Women would often spend hours browsing the Internet or checking beauty aisles to search for items that would catch their attention or cater to their hair care needs. 
 
But one's thing's for sure: one should definitely try using the nettle extract for one's tresses. What is nettle extract, and how does it help hair grow healthier? Uncover the truth about nettle extract and its benefits to hair growth?

 
Most plants are extracted and made as ingredients for beauty care items, and stinging nettle isn't an exception. Urtica dioica or common nettle, the stinging nettle got its name from the needle-like hairs surrounding its leaves and stem. When touched, you may feel a painful sensation caused by the chemical histamine injected into your skin, hence, the reason why it's called the stinging nettle.
 
Despite the burning sensation and the inflammatory effects one may experience when it comes to human skin contact, the stinging nettle has been entirely known as herbal medicine. In ancient times, people use nettle leaves and their extracts as laxatives. Besides serving as an herbal remedy, people also use nettle leaves as culinary ingredients because of their spinach-like taste. Stinging nettle plants also grow abundantly during winter, making them the primary food source during the cold season when other plants are scarce to find. They're 100% safe to eat once boiled in clean water.

However, the stinging nettle is known for another thing. Shockingly, its extract is also a good ingredient for your growing tresses. Check out the following benefits that your hair can get from the nettle extract.

 
The nettle extract has been one of the newest yet most deemed ingredients for hair growth. It's something new to consumers' ears. That's why some people may have doubts about this plant extract. Below are the following advantages of using nettle extract for your locks.

 
People always consider the number of nutrients that a single ingredient can provide for you, with nettle extract being a fine example of a nutrient-packed substance. It's loaded with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids which are all essential for healthy growth. It is rich in sulfur, a mineral that helps lengthen your hair follicles in the growth or anagen phase. Silica is also another mineral present in nettle extract, which strengthens the quality of your hair strands. 

 
Ingredients rich in antioxidant properties are also needed to maintain healthy hair growth. Thankfully, the nettle extract is also an abode to antioxidants. Based on a 2016 study conducted by a group of French researchers, the stinging nettle roots are high in ursolic acid content while the leaves contain a substantial amount of quercetin, all of which have anti-aging properties. Other polyphenols found in the nettle extract can also thwart free radical activity, keeping your hair thriving in the anagen phase for a long time. As a result, you get to enjoy having your long and healthy hair.

 
Among all the enemies of your hair follicles, androgens are some of the most notorious culprits of hair loss issues. Hair loss can occur when there is an unwanted increase of androgens, with most of them being converted into dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. These potent androgens can bind and miniaturize your hair follicles, thereby affecting the whole hair growth cycle. Nettle extract has DHT-blocking components that can stop the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase from converting testosterone into DHT. In turn, you can keep DHT-induced hair loss problems, such as androgenetic alopecia (AGA), at bay.

 
Healthy blood circulation should also be prioritized since your hair follicles also require nutrients and oxygen carried by the blood. Hence, an excessive increase in your blood sugar levels does only make you susceptible to diabetes, but you also put your hair follicles at risk. Therefore, you need a powerful ingredient that can regulate your blood sugar. In 2016, some researchers found that the nettle extract contains nitric oxide, a chemical that can help loosen your blood vessels. In turn, your blood can flow freely without any constriction and reach your follicles for nutrient delivery. Nettle extract may not only have antihypertensive effects beneficial to hair growth, but it may also prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases.

Being exposed to the environment can cause dirt and sweat to stick on your hair and scalp, attract bacteria, and harm your hair environment. What you need is an ingredient with strong antimicrobial properties that can protect your pate against microbes. Two researchers from the University of Sulaimani have discovered that the nettle's ethanol extract has antibacterial properties that can affect and kill some bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (or E. coli). 

 
Natural oils are healthy for your hair since they moisturize and soften your strands. However, too much sebum on your scalp can breed hair and scalp issues, which you don't want, of course. It's a good thing that the nettle extract can serve as an astringent, removing the extra oils and tightening your pores to prevent sebum overproduction on your scalp.
 

 
Now that you have known what the stinging nettle extract can offer for your tresses let's find out how to reap those hair growth benefits.

 
To get all the nutrients that the stinging nettle contains, you may want to drink nettle leaf tea. Drinking nettle tea will not only keep you healthy, but it will also help you calm your nerves, especially during a hectic day. Start by rinsing fresh nettle leaves. Then, pour hot water on the leaves and let them steep for a few minutes. After brewing the leaves, strain the liquid and add a dash of natural honey or spices to enhance the nettle tea's flavor. If you can't find fresh ones, you may simply steep some nettle tea bags in a cup of hot water and wait until your brewed tea is ready. 

You can also wash your tresses with a nettle hair rinse. Not only does it allow your hair strands to absorb the nutrients, but you'll also cleanse the oils without drying your locks. However, it would be best to prepare the rinse beforehand. Boil some fresh nettle leaves, and add a few drops of essential oils into the solution. Once it is done, let the substance steep overnight. After 24 hours, strain the liquid first to remove the leaves. Then, use the cooled hair rinse to wash your hair after shampooing. Make sure to massage your hair and scalp to distribute the liquid evenly and stimulate blood circulation.

 
Have you tried an herbal hair mask? If you haven't yet, you must definitely try treating your hair with one as soon as possible. As mentioned earlier, the nettle tea extract has astringent properties that can control oily hair problems. You can mix the extract then with other moisturizing ingredients, such as rosemary oil, coconut oil, and honey, to balance the hair mask's effects.

Some women would be too busy to tend to their hair care needs and regimen. Hence, if you don't have time to create your nettle hair mask concoction or brew some nettle leaves for your hot drink and hair rinse, you may want to consume supplements. The nettle extract is potent with hair vitamins that can help encourage healthy hair growth. It's also safe when taken orally. Hence, you'll never have a problem with it. If you want to be more careful, consult your physician to check regarding the vitamin supplement with nettle extract that you are about to consume.

 
Regular shampoos and conditioners are not sufficient to keep your hair healthy. It also needs internal care. Therefore, you should be meticulous not only with the ingredients that your hair products contain, but you must also tend your hair from the inside. Such is the case of using nettle leaf extract for hair growth. You can drink its tea, rinse it on your hair and even take it in tablet form. With nettle extract, you'll be able to encourage healthy hair growth while maintaining your hair's healthy environment.

 
Nettle extract isn't the only top-tier source of vitamins. Get your load of hair vitamins and other nutrients from ThickTails Hair Growth Products. Don't forget to use the best shampoo and conditioner to beat and prevent any hair loss problems.