Neem for Hair Care – Benefits and Different Ways to Use

Neem for Hair Care – Benefits and Different Ways to Use – Neem is a widely used herb in Ayurveda, unani, naturopathy as well as homeopathy medicines, due to its wonderful healing properties. It is called the ‘cure-all’ ingredient, and that’s because of the anti bacterial, anti viral, anti microbial, anti septic, analgesic, anti pyretic, anti diabetic, anti fungal, blood-purifying benefits of neem leaves. Neem has excellent benefits for our skin and hair as well, and here in this article, we are going to share the benefits and different ways to use neem for hair care. As per Ayurveda, neem, amla, shikakai, reetha are herbs that work exceptionally well for our hair, specially to promote hair growth, reduce hair fall and give you shiny, voluminous and healthy mane. Find out below the benefits and uses of neem for hair care.
Check – Amazing DIY Neem Face Pack Recipes to Try at Home

Before we go on discussing about the various ways to use neem for hair care, take a look below to know about the wonderful benefits of neem for hair.

Benefits of Neem for Hair

1. Boosts Hair Growth

One of the major reasons for using neem for hair care, is its ability to boost hair growth. Neem comes with high levels of anti oxidants, that help protecting the scalp and hair from free radical damages and enhances hair growth.

Also, neem is known for regenerative properties which means it can boost faster and healthier cell division, and this in turn, stimulate the hair follicles togrow new hair. The nutrients present in neem also support hair growth by nourishing the hair follicles.

2. Prevents Balding

Here comes another important benefit of neem for hair care. Neem’s high fatty acid content is extremely beneficial to maintain a healthy scalp, and we know that a healthy scalp is must for healthy hair. This herb can acts as a savior for those suffering from increased hair thinning and balding.

One of the major reasons behind hair fall is excess sebum (oil) production by the sebaceous glands present on our scalp. Excess oil end up clogging the pores of the scalp and cause inflammation. This can damage the hair roots and lead to uncontrollable hair fall. Regular use of neem on scalp helps to unclog the pores and facilitates hair growth.

3. Anti Dandruff Benefits of Neem for Hair Care

Dandruff is a common yet stubborn hair problem. Many of us suffer from dandruff be it chronic or seasonal. The itching that comes with dandruff is embarrassing as well. It is not easy to find a remedy to get rid of dandruff permanently. However, neem is highly effective in treating dandruff.

Neem comes with anti fungal benefits, that help to remove the dandruff causing fungus from the scalp. Also, the anti inflammatory benefits of neem provides relief from the inflammation of the scalp caused by constant scratching.

In addition, neem has wonderful moisturization properties as well. This helps in restoring moisture back to the scalp and driving away dandruff caused by dry scalp.

4. Promotes Healthy Scalp

Neem is extremely beneficial to maintain a healthy scalp. Unhealthy scalp can lead to a number of hair problems, including severe hair fall. Neem comes with anti bacterial as well as anti fungal benefits, which work together to get rid of bacteria and fungus from the scalp, thus preventing any scalp infection.

Scalp infections can lead to odorous scalp as well as severe hair fall. Neem helps to get rid of scalp odor by treating the scalp infection. Also, neem has anti inflammatory properties which help to reduce any scalp inflammation and soothe irritated scalp effectively.

The moisturizing benefits of neem help keeping the scalp moisturized, thus preventing dryness as well as itchiness of the scalp.

5. Kills Head Lice

It is not easy to get rid of head lice. They not only damage our scalp and hair follicles, but also cause severe itching of the scalp that lead to embarrassment. Neem, specially neem oil is considered as one of the best natural remedies to fight off head lice.

Neem oil is obtained from neem tree and it comes with a pungent odor. Researches have shown that lice cannot survive on strong odor and get suffocated. This is the primary reason why neem oil works so well to get rid of head lice.

In addition, neem oil contains ‘azadirachtin’, a special ingredient that plays a vital role in lice treatment. Azadirachtin is an organic tetranortriterpenoid molecule similar to an insect molting hormone, which helps to get rid of head lice by disrupting their life cycle.

6. Conditions Dry Hair

This is one of the most important benefits of neem for hair care. Neem is a great source of several fatty acids, such as, linoleic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid. These acids add nourishment to dry and damaged hair and condition the scalp and hair. The moisturizing benefits of neem work extremely well to give relief from frizzy and dry hair and help to restore silky, smooth locks.

Split ends is one of the worst enemies of healthy hair growth and it is caused due to extreme dryness of hair. Neem oil, when used regularly, helps in moisturizing the hair from root to tip and repair the split ends effectively.

After discussing the major benefits of neem for hair care, let us now talk about the various ways to use neem for hair care.

How to Use Neem for Hair Care

1. Simple Neem Hair Pack

How to prepare?

Dry some neem leaves in the shade for few days and powder them using a grinder. Take 3-4 tbsp of neem powder in a bowl and add enough water to that to make a paste. Apply the neem paste all over the scalp and hair. Leave it on for at least 40 minutes before washing off with a mild shampoo and plain water. Repeat once or twice every week. It is a simple yet very effective way to use neem for hair care.

2. Neem Hair Rinse

How to do?

Take a handful of fresh neem leaves and wash them thoroughly. Boil the neem leaves in 4-5 cups of water and wait until the water turns green. Remove from the heat and strain the water. Collect it in a container and let the neem infused water to cool down a bit. Use this neem water as the final rinse after shampooing your hair. Do this every time you use shampoo. This is one of the easiest way to use neem for hair care.

3. Lemon Juice and Neem for Hair Care

How to use?

We will need neem powder to prepare this hair pack. You can buy neem powder from the stores or prepare your own at home. Dry some neem leaves in the shade for few days and powder them using a grinder. In a bowl, take 2-3 tbsp of neem powder and add some water to that to prepare a paste. Add 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice to the neem paste and mix everything together.

Apply it on the scalp and hair and massage gently. Wait for 30 minutes and after that wash off with a mild shampoo and water. Repeat this process with neem for hair care twice in a week.

Benefits –

This is an excellent remedy to drive away dandruff. Also it helps to cure a number of hair problems, including, hair fall, itchy scalp, thinning of hair and it also boosts hair growth.

Lemon juice comes with excellent cleansing properties. It contains a high amount of citric acid, which helps to exfoliate the scalp and removes the dead skin cells as well as dandruff flakes accumulated on the scalp. This way it helps to remove every trace of dirt and impurities from the scalp, leaving you with fresh, healthy and clean scalp.

It is not a secret anymore that maintaining the ideal pH level of scalp helps to avoid a number of hair problems. Being acidic in nature, lemon juice can restore our scalp’s pH level and helps to maintain a healthy scalp.

In addition, lemon juice comes with powerful anti fungal properties. It works effectively to drive away dandruff causing fungus, thus giving relief from dandruff as well as other scalp infections.

The anti oxidants and nutrients present in lemon juice also help to fight off dandruff. The anti inflammatory properties of lemon juice help soothing irritations and inflammations on the scalp and also heal the scalp from the damage done by constant scratching due to dandruff.

Lemon juice is extremely beneficial to treat itchy scalp, that can be caused by dandruff, fungal infection or build up on the scalp surface. The anti fungal benefits of lemon juice help treating scalp infections. Furthermore, its citric acid content cleanses the build up on the scalp surface and get rid of the itchy scalp.

Lemon juice is a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is extremely vital for healthy hair. It is an anti oxidant that help boosting collagen production. This in turn facilitates stronger and longer hair growth.

Regular application of lemon juice helps in preventing hair thinning and induce new hair growth. Also it helps to make hair soft and shiny due to the presence of a special compound in lemon juice, known as “limonene”.

4. Coconut Oil and Neem for Hair Care

How to use?

In a bowl, take some coconut oil. Heat the oil and add a handful of fresh neem leaves to that. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down. Strain the oil and separate the leaves. Collect the oil in a bowl and massage it all over the scalp. Also apply onto the length of the hair. Wait for an hour before rinsing off with a gentle shampoo and plain water. Reapply this remedy with coconut oil and neem for hair care twice in a week.

Alternatively, you can mix a tsp neem oil to some coconut oil and use the oil blend to massage your hair and scalp. Leave it on for an hour and then wash off. Reapply this remedy with coconut oil and neem for hair care twice weekly.

Benefits –

This is a wonderful natural way to boost the health and texture of our hair. Coconut oil is known for its wonderful hair benefits. It works great to treat hair loss, which is a common hair problem. One of the major factors that lead to hair loss is protein deficiency.

Our hair is primarily made of protein and any kind of protein loss affects our hair badly and can lead to hair loss. Coconut oil has the ability to restore the lost protein and check hair loss.

Coconut oil is enriched with medium chain fatty acids, that are extremely nourishing for our hair and scalp. They include lauric acid, capric acid, etc. that help binding hair proteins to the cuticle layers of our hair strands and prevent protein loss. This in turn helps to strengthen the hair and minimizes hair loss.

Coconut oil comes with anti oxidant benefits. The nutrients present in coconut oil, along with its anti oxidant compounds work together to fix a number of hair problems, including hair loss. Also regular scalp massage with coconut oil improves blood circulation in the scalp and help nourishing as well as strengthening the hair roots, thus preventing hair loss.

Coconut oil is highly effective in treating dandruff. It comes with anti fungal properties, which help getting rid of dandruff causing fungus. Along with that, the vitamins in coconut oil, such as vitamin E, K as well as essential fatty acids moisturize the scalp and maintain healthy scalp to keep dandruff and other scalp conditions at bay.

Regular use of coconut oil helps to moisturize dry, frizzy hair and its nutrients nourish dry hair and make them soft and smooth once again.

Lack of moisture as well as excess moisture build up can cause frizzy hair. Coconut oil has the ability to prevent excess moisture build up and thus it protects hair from damages. Also it is very effective in preventing premature graying of hair.

5. Curry Leaves and Neem for Hair Care

How to use curry leaves and neem for hair care?

We need to use curry leaves powder as well as neem leaves powder to prepare this hair pack. Dry some neem leaves in the shade for few days and then grind them to form powder. Also take a handful of curry leaves and grind them to prepare powder. In a bowl, take 2-3 tsp each of neem leaves powder and curry leaves powder. Mix together and then add some water to that and prepare a paste.

Apply it on the scalp and massage gently for few minutes. Wait for an hour. Finally rinse off with a gentle shampoo and plain water. Reapply this hair pack with curry leaves and neem for hair care twice weekly.

Benefits –

Curry leaves are extremely beneficial to get healthy, smooth and shiny hair. They come packed with the benefits of  calcium, vitamin B6, C, phosphorous, proteins, beta carotene, iron, fibers, amino acids, carbohydrates as well as anti oxidants. All these nutrients work together to repair hair damages and restore healthy and beautiful hair. When used in combination with neem for hair care, the results are even better.

Topical application of curry leaves help in boosting blood circulation in the scalp. This helps in stimulating the scalp, removing toxin and boosting hair growth. Being rich in nutrients, curry leaves help nourishing the hair follicles and strengthen them, to reduce hair fall. Deficiency of B vitamins can also lead to hair loss. Curry leaves are rich in B vitamins, that help fulfilling the deficiency and stop hair loss.

The proteins, beta carotene and vitamin B6 present in curry leaves help increasing hair growth and let you achieve longer and stronger hair. Regular use of curry leaves also improve the natural elasticity of the hair, which helps to prevent hair breakage and strengthen the hair strands.

Build up on our scalp can also lead to hair fall. This blocks the pores on the scalp and makes our scalp unhealthy as well as hinders hair growth. Topical application of curry leaves helps to clear up such build up and restore healthy scalp, thus boosting hair growth.

Curry leaves are rich in anti oxidants. They fight off the free radicals and protect our hair and scalp from a number of damages, including hair loss, premature graying of hair, etc. We have already said that curry leaves are rich in B vitamins, which are known to preserve the natural shine and color of our hair for a long time.

Also read

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6. Henna and Neem for Hair Care

How to use?

Take two tbsp each of henna powder and neem powder in a bowl. You can either buy neem powder from market or prepare your own. Simply dry few neem leaves in the shade for few days and then grind them to form powder. Mix together the henna powder and neem powder and then add some fresh and unflavored yogurt to that.

Finally combine everything together and prepare the hair mask. Apply it all over the scalp and hair, leave it on for 30-45 minutes and after that, wash off with a mild cleanser and plain water. Apply a conditioner as well. Reapply this hair mask with henna and neem for hair care every week.

Benefits –

Henna –

Henna is one of the best natural herbs for our hair. It comes with wonderful nourishing properties for our hair. Henna has the ability to repair the damaged hair shafts, improve hair elasticity as well as strengthen the hair strands.

Regular application of henna is highly effective in reducing hair breakage. Also it supports growth of new hair follicles, thus boosting hair growth and making your hair voluminous. The natural anti microbial properties of henna help in maintaining healthy scalp and facilitates healthy hair growth.

Henna is known for its soothing properties as well. It helps in calming down itchy and irritated scalp. Regular application of henna is highly beneficial to treat dandruff as well as soothe itchy and inflamed scalp caused by dandruff.

Due to its soaking properties, henna is considered super effective for oily hair and oily scalp. It helps in soaking the excess sebum from the scalp and keep it clean and healthy and also prevents blocked pores on the scalp, that might otherwise cause severe hair fall.

Henna has the ability to maintain the ideal pH balance of the scalp, which is the key to achieve healthy scalp and beautiful hair. Regular application of henna strengthens the hair follicles and reduces hair fall to a great extent.

Yogurt –

Yogurt has miraculous benefits for dry, dull and lifeless hair. It has wonderful moisturizing properties and works as a great natural hair conditioner. The moisturization benefits of yogurt help to repair hair texture and restore smooth and shiny hair once again.

Also, yogurt is a great source of hair friendly nutrients. It is enriched with proteins, vitamins and lactic acid,that help to nourish and repair dry and damaged hair beautifully and also help to grow long hair. Yogurt is also highly beneficial to maintain a healthy scalp.

It provides moisturization and hydration to treat dry scalp and also reduce the itchiness of the scalp, that comes with dryness. Lactic acid is an AHA and it comes with excellent exfoliation benefits. It exfoliates the scalp and unblock the pores by clearing off the dirt, impurities, excess sebum as well as product build up on the scalp surface. Thus, yogurt helps to maintain a clean and healthy scalp and boosts healthy hair growth.

We have already said that maintaining the ideal pH level of the scalp is the key to achieve healthy hair and healthy scalp. Yogurt is extremely beneficial to restore the natural pH balance of the scalp. This in turn, makes the scalp more resistant against any bacterial or fungal infections, thus preventing hair or scalp damage.

The probiotics present in yogurt also contribute to healthy scalp. They help to drive away the bacteria present on scalp surface, and the anti inflammatory benefits of yogurt help to calm down the irritation and inflammation of the scalp.

The anti oxidant properties of yogurt help protecting our scalp and hair from free radical damages as well as environmental assaults, thus, preventing a number of hair problems.

These were six simple ways to use neem for hair care. These neem hair packs are easy to prepare and they address a number of hair problems, including dandruff, hair thinning, unhealthy scalp, split ends, dry hair etc. Hope you found it helpful, stay tuned for the next one 🙂