Hops have long been used in herbal medicine and hair care. You can use hop cones to make hair masks, rinses, and conditioners that will make your hair stronger, reduce hair loss, normalise the production of sebum in the scalp, and help to get rid of dandruff. Check out these DIY hair rinses and masks with hops that you can easily make at home.
You’ve probably heard of beer hair rinses or even tried them yourself. They’re pretty effective but not without their downsides. For one, a lot of women don’t want their hair to smell like beer. Besides, it seems pretty wasteful to rinse your hair with beer when you can just drink it.
The thing is, all hair benefits of beer come from hops, which are rich in vitamins B1, C, E and K, phytoncides, tannins, essential oils, and organic acids such as formic acid, valeric acid, acetic acid, and butyric acid.
Thanks to these active substances, hops help to improve skin cell metabolism in the scalp and thus promote the growth of strong and healthy hair. In addition, they normalise sebum secretion and keep the hair looking and feeling clean and fresh for longer, preventing greasiness.
Hops also help to strengthen the hair and reduce hair loss, contribute to eliminating dandruff, prevent breakage and split ends, boost hair volume, improve hair elasticity and flexibility, and help to restore the hair’s healthy shine.
If you want to try DIY hair care products with hops, you can harvest hop cones by yourself; just make sure that the plants grow away from roads. Hops are harvested at the end of summer, when the cones acquire a greenish-yellow hue.
Both fresh and dry hop cones can be used to make DIY hair care products, so you can easily stock up on the right amount of hops for future use. To do this, lay the cop cones out in a single layer in a dry ventilated room and let them dry naturally. Store the dried hops in a tightly closed glass jar in a dark place.
How to Use Hops to Take Care of Your Hair?
The easiest way to use hops to take care of your hair is to make a decoction. Chop 2 tbsp dried or fresh hops, put in a saucepan and pour 2 cups of boiling water. Put the saucepan on the stove, bring to a boil, close the lid and let simmer for 20 minutes. Let the decoction cool, then strain.
You can use hops decoction as a hair rinse 2–3 times a week to strengthen your hair. For a visible effect, use it regularly for at least a month and a half. If you need to reduce hair loss, try making a hops infusion. Pour a glass of boiling water over 1 tbsp chopped hops and let steep for 40 minutes. Rub the infusion into your scalp every day and don’t rinse it off afterwards.
You can also use hops in various DIY hair masks. For example, to make a nourishing and moisturising hair mask, mix 20 g honey and 30 ml olive oil, then dilute the mixture with hops infusion to get a paste. Rub the mixture into your scalp, then spread over the entire length of your hair. Let the mask sit for 10 minutes, rinse it off with warm water and shampoo your hair.
If you need to provide your hair with nutrients and stimulate its growth, try this hair mask. Mix 50 ml hops infusion, an egg yolk, 2 tbsp arnica water and 10 ml burdock root oil. Apply the mixture to your hair from root to tip and let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
To get rid of dandruff, try this recipe. Chop 20 g hop cones and 20 g horsetail leaves, put in a saucepan, pour a cup of boiling water and let steep for 2 hours. Puree with a blender until smooth and rub the paste into your scalp. Put on a shower cap, wrap your hair in a towel and leave the mask for 40 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
These are just a few recipes of DIY hair care products with hops; there are so many more of them! In folk remedies, hops are often combined with other plant ingredients, such as birch leaves, St. John’s wort, oak bark, chamomile, calendula, burdock, nettle, yarrow, coltsfoot, and more.
However, not everyone has the time or desire to test DIY recipes. A lot of people prefer store-bought hair care products with herbal extracts to folk remedies. Natural and organic shampoos, hair conditioners, masks, and other products are just as effective as traditional remedies and much easier to use.
In our online shop Organic Store, you will find natural and organic hair care products manufactured by trustworthy brands. We offer affordable prices, secure and convenient payment methods, and international delivery to most countries.
