Aloe Vera has been one of the popular ingredients in many cosmetic products for many decades. But did you know Aloe Vera is an excellent ingredient for hair care? Yes! According to Ayurvedic practitioners and ancient Greeks, this magical plant is an answer to all your hair woes, from damaged to frizzy hair, helps maintain hair health, and promotes hair growth (1). As a result, Aloe Vera is a common ingredient in hair care products, home remedies, and DIY masks, though more research is needed.
Aloe Vera has essential proteins, amino acids, saccharides, salicylic acid, antioxidants, saponins, vitamins, and minerals, constituting the 75 potentially active components (2). In this article, we have presented you with all the benefits of Aloe Vera for hair and how you can use it efficiently. Read on to know more!
Benefits of Applying Aloe Vera to Your Hair:
We all know that aloe vera has several benefits for our health. So let us go through this article to know all the benefits of Aloe Vera for hair.
1. May Deep Cleanse Oily Hair:
Aloe Vera helps strip off extra sebum and residue from other hair products by cleansing the hair shaft efficiently. Saponin is a compound in Aloe Vera that helps cleanse product buildup, oil, and grease by acting as a cleaning agent (3). In addition, Aloe Vera has moisturizing properties that help make your hair healthy, shiny, and soft while cleansing your hair (4).
Unlike the chemicals in hair products, aloe vera is gentle and maintains your hair’s integrity while cleansing your hair strands. You can either use fresh aloe vera gel or use natural products that have aloe vera as the main ingredient.
2. May Repair And Strengthen Your Hair:
Aloe Vera gel benefits hair including strengthening and repairing hair strands from the roots. In addition, Aloe vera is filled with nutrients essential for hair growth, such as antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C, and E, and minerals (5). The antioxidants in aloe vera help repair damaged hair by protecting it from free radical damage. It also helps keep your hair strong and healthy by acting as an effective conditioning agent with its moisturizing properties.
Vitamins B12 and folic acid in Aloe Vera keep your hair from falling out. Vitamins A, C, and E promote healthy cell growth and shiny hair by contributing to cell turnover. Using Aloe Vera gel for your hair also protects it from sun damage.
3. May Calm Down The Itchy Scalp:
Aloe Vera soothes an itchy scalp according to anecdotal evidence and Ayurveda. Aloe Vera gel or extracts help soothe the itchy scalp and reduce inflammation by dissolving excess dead skin cells containing salicylic acid and proteolytic enzymes (6). You can also deal with scalp conditions like scalp irritation, eczema, dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis by using Aloe Vera gel or extracts (7).
Aloe Vera helped resolve the scalp inflammation caused by dandruff, according to a study done in 1998 because of the anti-inflammatory properties of the fatty acids present in the Aloe plant (8).
4. May Promote Hair Growth:
It is a belief that Aloe Vera can prevent hair thinning and baldness, as per the proponents of Ayurveda. In addition, the moisturizing properties of Aloe Vera might prevent hair breakage and damage, protecting the hair shaft and thereby promoting hair growth (9).
Therefore, it is thought that applying aloe vera to hair might promote hair growth by stimulating hair follicles. It might also improve blood circulation though there is no scientific evidence.
There is very little evidence to prove or disprove the effectiveness of aloe vera gel for hair growth. But there are plenty of people who claim hair growth is faster.
Side Effects Or Risk Factors of Aloe Vera on Hair:
Aloe Vera’s several benefits on hair and is considered pretty safe for topical application (10). But there might be some side effects if you are allergic to it. They are:
- Burning sensation.
- Rashes.
- Hives.
- Itching.
- It is also advised to stop using aloe vera if you have contact dermatitis, use steroids, be pregnant, or be allergic to onion or garlic.
- Make sure to take a patch test on your arm before applying Aloe vera to your hair.
- If you use hydrocortisone cream on your skin, be careful with topical aloe applications because they shouldn’t be used together.
Overview:
Aloe Vera promotes hair growth, fights dandruff, repairs hair damage, and improves hair thickness because of its versatility. However, it is best to use pure aloe vera extracts instead of store-bought ones for effective results. So make sure to do a patch test before using aloe vera to rule out any allergic reactions. Then, go ahead and use the different recipes mentioned in this article to get healthy and shiny hair. Finally, don’t forget to let us know if you found this article helpful!