Why Hibiscus Is Our Favorite Ingredient for Healthy Natural Hair!

Here it is, the long-awaited article on the incredible benefits of hibiscus for type 4 natural hair! We’re going to cover just how amazing this ingredient is and why it inspired our brand name! 

We’re going to talk about how hibiscus works for hair, how it might boost hair growth, and what its overall benefits are.

hibiscus for natural hair

What to Know About Hibiscus 

The hibiscus is a flowering plant that is native to warm temperate regions. Its leaves are most commonly steeped and drank as a tea in many areas of the world. It is known by many names including Hibiscus Sabdariffa, “Rose of Sharon”, and its tea by “hibiscus tea”, “Sour tea”, “Sorrell tea”, “Zobo”, or “Bissap”.

However, we’re here to tell you that this tea can also be applied to your hair and scalp to reap its many health benefits that way!

Why Hibiscus Has Benefits for Natural Hair

Here are some reasons hibiscus is said to be extremely beneficial for natural hair, and one of our favourite Ayurvedic herbs to use!

1. It is anti-inflammatory

Hibiscus has anti-bacterial properties, which can improve overall scalp health and promote healthy hair growth.

2. Rich in antioxidants

Hibiscus is rich in antioxidants, which can help prevent damage caused by free radicals in the body and on the scalp.

3. Rich in vitamins and minerals

Hibiscus is rich in vitamin C which can help cell regrowth and repair. In other words, It can help heal wounds or irritations on the scalp. 

4. Can prevent premature greying

Hibiscus is said to be able to prevent premature greying of natural hair, however, this claim is only anecdotal.

5. Conditions natural hair

Hibiscus can condition natural hair against frizz and improve the overall appearance of natural hair, by making it shiny and smooth!

6. Mildly strengthens natural hair

We consider hibiscus a mild strengthening Ayurvedic herb. This is because it can prevent hair breakage, and improve the hair’s manageability. However, it is not as strong as henna, so you can use it every week!

How to Use Hibiscus in your Natural Hair Routine

To use this ingredient in your hair, you can add it to your natural hair routine in the form of either dried hibiscus flowers or hibiscus powder.

1. Hibiscus Healthy Hair Oil

  • 2 tbsp Hibiscus leaves (Buy on Amazon)
  • 1 cup Olive or Avocado oil
  • 5 drops of tea tree oil

To make hibiscus oil, add the dried hibiscus leaves to your favourite carrier oil in a glass or ceramic bowl. You can use avocado or olive oil.

Heat the mixture using the double-boiler method for 10 minutes. After this, take the mix off the heat and let it cool before transferring it to an applicator bottle. You can choose to strain the hibiscus leaves out of the oil or leave them in for continued benefits or aesthetics!

You can either use the oil directly on your scalp, followed by a scalp massage, or on your hair strands as the Oil (O) in your LOC or LCO method. Using it as a pre-poo is also a great way to benefit from hibiscus in your hair regimen. To do this, apply the oil to your scalp and hair right before your shampoo process. You can read more about how to do this in our article on pre-pooing.

2. Hibiscus Extra-Rich, Moisturising, Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

  • 2 tbsp Hibiscus Powder (Buy on Amazon)
  • ¼ cup boiling water
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 tsp Castor oil
  • 1 tsp Agave syrup or Honey
  • 2 tbsp Deep Conditioner (optional)

To make this extra hydrating hair mask, start by adding the hibiscus powder to a ceramic bowl. Pour the water over the powder, combining slowly until it forms a smooth paste. Add the oils, agave/honey as well as your deep conditioner if you want the mask to be a gloss.

Apply the hair mask to your hair and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Rinse out the hair mask and continue with your wash day as usual.

3. Hibiscus Black Soap Shampoo

To recap the benefits of Hibiscus in your shampoo, add it while you’re making your African black soap shampoo before pouring the water into the mix and straining. For the full recipe, check out this post on African black soap shampoo.

4. Hibiscus Conditioning Leave-In Spray

  • 2 tsp hibiscus leaves
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 drops lavender essential oil

To make this conditioning leave in, add the hibiscus leaves to boiling water and let it steep for 2-4 hours. After this, strain the leaves out and add your essential oil. Transfer it to a spray bottle to use as a leave-in, the liquid (L) part of your LOC or LCO method.

Conclusion

Hibiscus is a wonderful ingredient and one of our favourites for natural hair for all the reasons we’ve stated. Hibiscus has tons of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the scalp. As well as vitamins and minerals that can incredibly nourish the hair. As such, it can condition your natural hair to look and feel very healthy!

Hibiscus is very versatile, and its superpowers are buildable. In other words, you can never use too much hibiscus in your natural hair routine! 

For these reasons, we always say — if we could only stick to one Ayurvedic herb in our natural hair routine forever, we would pick hibiscus!

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