Long-term protective styles are great for maintaining hair health and promoting growth, but can we talk about the shedding real quick? Be it braids, twists, weaves—the hair fall out when taking your protective style down is truly insane sometimes!
And I’m not talking about hair loss from wearing it too long or too tight, no. I’m talking about the dead, dry (and oftentimes dirty) hair that falls to the floor the minute you start unraveling and detangling. Yeah, that type of shedding.
Realistically, losing a little bit of hair after having it done up in one particular style for a few weeks or months is not really outrageous, and honestly, should be expected. However, if you want to keep your hair healthy and retain length, you have to do what you can to keep excessive shedding at bay.
So it’s time for you to try a tea rinse. Yeah, this is an oldie, but it’s certainly still a goodie. It has all the positive elements of the the throwback tea rinse but with a few updates that make it a lot more beneficial to your hair health.
So, what will I need for this tea rinse and are the ingredients beneficial?
For this tea rinse, of course you’ll need tea. But the types of tea you use are important because that’s where all the benefits are. Plus, there are few things we’ll be adding to make this recipe a little more potent.
You will need:
- Black Tea. A naturally strong blend that is rich in antioxidants, black tea is the go-to brew to reduce hair shedding. The reason being is that hair loss is caused by a hormone called Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and caffeine actively blocked DHT. Thus, reducing hair loss and shedding.
- Chamomile Herbal Tea. Chamomile is known for calming the mind, but did you know it also calms the skin? Yup, chamomile is an effective anti-inflammatory which means it’ll soothe any scalp issues causing the shedding in the first place. The great part? It’s caffeine free, so no need to worry about excess caffeine on the hair or scalp.
- Burdock Root Extract. Native to Northern Asia and Europe, Burdock Root is a vegetable known for its powerful anti-inflammatory and toxin cleansing properties. The extract, like you will be using here, encourages hair growth and retention.
How do I use this rinse to stop shedding?
Well first things first you must brew the tea. How much water you actually need is dependent upon how you plan to utilize the rinse. The general consensus is:
- Brew 2-4 bags of each kind of tea (so 2 chamomile and 2 black teas, or 3 of each, so on and so forth) and don’t use more than 12 oz of water.
- Add in 4-6 drops of burdock roots extract in your tea while it is hot. Stir and allow your tea to cool until it’s a comfortable warm. This step is super important because you don’t want to burn your yourself, your hair, or your scalp.
- Once it is cooled, you have two options: simply pour the rinse over freshly shampooed hair or pour it into a spray bottle and directly spray your scalp. One is not more beneficial than the other, so this is genuinely a matter of preference.
- Put a plastic cap over your head to allow the rinse to sit on your hair and scalp for 20 to 30 minutes before you rinse and condition your hair. If you are using this rinse while your hair is still in a protective style like braids or twists, you can obviously skip the conditioning step.
Are there any dos and don’ts to using this tea rinse?
Do use this recipe for exactly what it’s made for: a tea rinse for shedding. Do not, however, try to convert it into a mask or leave-in by adding extra ingredients. This absolutely needs to be rinsed out at some point.
Do branch out and experiment with different extracts to add to the recipe. If you do the proper research, you’ll find that there are tons of things you can add to your tea rinse to make it even more beneficial.
Do not neglect your regular healthy hair habits. Yes, this rinse will help with shedding but it’s not a miracle rinse! You still need to help it out a little by maintaining healthy habits like safe detangling and low manipulation styling.
Do use this on your scalp and roots before, during, and after your protective style! It’s useful during all stages of hair care and styling, and would do some good if used here and there. You absolutely don’t have to use it every day or even every week.
