Shikakai for Hair Growth – Benefits and Different Ways to Use

Shikakai for Hair Growth – Benefits and Different Ways to Use – Shikakai is a time tested remedy for healthy hair. It has been used since ages, and in fact, shikakai is something that our grandmothers used to use to wash their hair when there were almost no shampoos available commercially. This herb has multifold benefits for our hair and here in this article, we are going to talk about how to use shikakai for hair growth. Shikakai is a herb native to Asia, and it literally translates in to ‘fruit for hair’ in English. It contains saponin, which is known for its excellent cleansing abilities without being harsh. Also, this herb is a source of vitamin A, C, D, E, K and other anti oxidants. Find out below how to use shikakai for hair growth.
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Before we start talking about various DIY treatments using shikakai for hair growth, let us first find out the benefits of using shikakai on hair.

Why Use Shikakai for Hair Growth

Healthy Scalp

Healthy hair grows from healthy scalp, hence for good hair growth, it is mandatory to maintain a healthy scalp. Shikakai is highly beneficial to keep our scalp clean, fresh and healthy. The saponin content of shikakai provides deep cleansing benefits for our scalp, thus getting rid of dirt, impurities, excess oil, sweat etc.

This herb comes with anti septic properties, which help in calming down an irritated scalp. It also helps to maintain the ideal pH balance of the scalp, which is essential for a healthy scalp.

Anti Dandruff Benefits

Dandruff is a common hair problem, but if not treated on time, dandruff can end up damaging the scalp, and causing uncontrollable hair fall. Thankfully, shikakai has the ability to fight off dandruff effectively.

It comes with anti fungal as well as anti septic properties, which work together to combat dandruff. Moreover, it contains saponin that comes with amazing cleansing benefits and help to remove the white flakes completely from hair and scalp.

Fights off Head Lice

Head lice can cause lot of discomfort on the scalp and if not treated on time, it can damage our scalp severely. One of the best natural remedy for head lice is shikakai. It has low pH value, which makes it difficult for the head lice to survive. Plus, the anti bacterial and anti fungal properties of shikakai also help to prevent the growth of head lice.

Natural Hair Cleanser

Since ages, shikakai has been used as a natural hair cleanser. Today, almost all of us are well aware of the harmful effects of chemical filled hair cleansers, and often prefer a natural cleanser for our hair. Let us tell you, you perhaps won’t find a more natural hair cleanser than shikakai.

Shikakai contains ‘saponin’, which is a natural cleansing agent. The most important benefit of saponin is that it provides deep cleansing effect to the scalp as well as hair, but without being harsh at all. That’s why, shikakai doesn’t strip hair off its natural oils in the process of cleansing.

Nourishes Hair Follicles

When we use shikakai to cleanse our hair, it offers many other benefits for our hair which come as a bonus. Shikakai is a source of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, etc. These vitamins provide a boost of nourishment to the hair follicles and promotes hair growth.

Vitamin C present in shikakai boosts collagen production, which helps to replace the damaged hair cells with new ones and facilitate hair growth. The anti oxidant benefits of shikakai help preventing free radical damages and improve hair health. Due to the same anti oxidant benefits, shikakai helps in treating premature gray hair.

Stops Hair Fall

Shikakai is highly beneficial to curb hair loss problem. Free radical damage is one of the main reasons behind hair fall and shikakai, being rich in anti oxidants, help fighting off the free radicals, thus reducing the oxidative stress in the cells. This in turn, help in curbing hair fall.

Along with anti oxidants, shikakai contains a number of vitamins, which further provide additional nutrition to the hair follicles, rejuvenate them and stop hair fall.

Improves Hair Heath

Regular use of shikakai not just helps in promoting hair growth and curbing hair loss, but it also adds bounce, thickness as well as strength to our hair. The essential nutrients found in shikakai effectively repair hair damage and prevent brittle hair, hair breakage etc, split ends etc.

Hair Conditioning Benefits

Shikakai has great hair conditioning benefits. It comes with vitamins and other nutrients, which work effectively to nourish dry and brittle hair and make them soft and shiny once again. Shikakai is a good source of vitamin E, which helps in replenishing lost moisture and adds softness to the dry locks.

How to Use Shikakai for Hair Growth

1. Olive Oil and Shikakai for Hair Growth

How to use olive oil and Shikakai for Hair Growth?

Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to some shikakai powder and mix together to prepare the hair pack. Apply the same all over the hair and scalp and massage gently for few minutes. Wear a shower cap to cover your hair and leave it on for 40 minutes to an hour. Wash off using a mild shampoo and repeat this treatment with shikakai for hair growth once or twice in a week.

Why it works?

Olive oil is a great source of essential nutrients, which make it an ideal treatment for hair growth. Regular application of olive oil is beneficial for hair growth. According to a recent study, olive oil contains a special compound, known as, oleuropein. It can boost proliferation of cells during hair follicles formation, which helps improving hair growth.

Along with that, the vitamins and mono unsaturated fatty acids present in olive oil also help with healthy hair growth. They nourish the hair follicles and strengthen the hair strands to help preventing hair fall and adding bounce and volume to the hair.

The fatty acids present in olive oil are extremely moisturizing as well as nourishing for our hair and scalp. Dryness of the hair and scalp often hinders our hair growth. Olive oil works great to moisturize and nourish the scalp and boost blood circulation there. This in turns rejuvenates the hair follicles and induces new hair growth.

Olive oil contains both omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids, which are extremely beneficial for our overall hair health. They are highly effective to prevent moisture loss from the hair and make hair easy to manage. Also by preventing dry hair, these omega fatty acids help controlling hair breakage, split ends and brittle hair, which often halt our hair growth.

Unhealthy scalp is one of the worst enemies for healthy hair growth. Dandruff and other bacterial infections on the scalp can hinder hair growth. Olive oil, with its anti microbial properties, help fighting off dandruff and other scalp infections effectively, thus facilitating hair growth.

In addition, the anti oxidant compounds found in olive oil help preventing oxidative stress to the hair cells caused by the free radicals and environmental factors and treat various hair problems including hair fall.

2. Honey and Shikakai for Hair Growth

How to use honey and shikakai for hair growth?

Boil a cup of water and add one tbsp shikakai powder to that. Close the lid and let it be like this for 15-20 minutes. After that, remove the water from the heat. Strain and store it in a container. Add 2-3 tbsp honey to the solution and mix together. Keep it aside.

Shampoo your hair as usual and then pour the honey-shikakai mixture on the hair. Massage your hair and scalp for about 3-5 minutes and then rinse it off with plenty of water. Repeat this remedy with shikakai for hair growth at least once in a week.

Why it works?

Honey is one of the best natural remedies to improve hair growth. Rich in various vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants, honey can repair hair damages and boost hair growth with regular use.

It contains vitamin B1, B2, B3 B5 and B6 as well as minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc etc. These vitamins and minerals provide nourishment to the resting hair follicles and stimulate them to grow new hair.

Honey comes with natural humectant properties, which help to heal the dryness of the hair. It absorbs moisture from air and seals it in the hair strands. Furthermore, it coats the hair strands and prevents moisture loss as well. Thus it eliminates dryness of the hair and prevents hair breakage, split ends, brittle hair, etc.

We know that healthy scalp is must for healthy hair growth. Honey comes with anti septic as well as anti bacterial properties, that help maintaining a healthy scalp and facilitate hair growth. It is also beneficial to get rid of dandruff as well as other scalp conditions, that can otherwise cause hair fall, scalp odor, lack of hair growth, etc.

Honey works as a natural hair conditioner. Enriched with essentials nutrients, honey boosts blood circulation in the scalp, that helps to improve our hair texture, strengthen the hair roots and also boost hair growth.

Honey is the source of multiple anti oxidants, such as chrysin, pinobanksin, catalase, pinocembrin etc. They also help  with hair growth by fighting off the free radicals as well as environmental assaults, that can otherwise hinder hair growth as well as cause other hair problems.

3. Aloe Vera and Shikakai for Hair Growth

How to use aloe vera and shikakai for hair growth?

Take some shikakai powder in a bowl and mix with required amount of pure aloe vera gel. You can also use aloe vera juice to prepare this hair pack. Apply it all over the scalp and hair and gently massage with your finger tips. Leave it on for 30-40 minutes, before washing off with plain water and a mild shampoo. Reapply this method with shikakai for hair growth twice in a week.

Why it works?

Aloe vera has multiple benefits for our hair. It can resolve a number of hair problems including hair loss and also promote new hair growth. Aloe vera is a source of various hair friendly nutrients such as vitamins A, B12, C, E, folic acid etc. They help nourishing the damaged hair follicles and rejuvenate them to grow new hair.

Being rich in vitamins, aloe vera helps increasing cell turnover rate, which helps to boost hair growth. Aloe vera contains vitamin B12 as well as folic acid, that help preventing hair from falling out. In addition, the natural enzymes present in aloe vera also help promoting hair growth, by keeping the scalp clean and healthy.

For healthy hair growth, it is very important to maintain the natural pH balance of the scalp, because it helps to maintain a healthy scalp and we know, healthy scalp grows healthy hair. Various factors can disturb the pH balance of the scalp and cause severe hair problems, including hair loss.

Aloe vera, when used on regular basis, helps to restore the acid-alkali balance of the scalp, thus treating hair loss and other hair problems effectively.

Excess sebum, dirt, impurities as well as hair styling products often end up accumulating on the scalp surface and block the hair follicles. It stops our hair growth and also cause hair loss. Aloe vera, with its natural astringent properties, helps with deep cleansing of the scalp and removes the impurities. Thus it helps to unclog hair follicles and boosts new hair growth.

Any kind of bacterial or fungal infections on the scalp can also cause uncontrollable hair loss. Aloe vera, with its anti fungal benefits help to get rid of the infection and restores healthy scalp.

Dandruff is another factor that cause hair fall. Aloe vera can treat dandruff effectively. Being anti fungal in nature, aloe vera destroys the dandruff causing fungi. At the same time, the natural enzymes in aloe vera deep cleanse the scalp and remove the dandruff flakes, thus providing complete relief from dandruff.

4. Onion Juice and Shikakai for Hair Growth

How to use onion juice and shikakai for hair growth?

Take a medium sized onion and cut it into two halves. Grate them using a grater and then extract the juice from the grated onions. Alternatively, you can blend small onion cubes to prepare a puree. With a strainer or a cheesecloth, extract the juice from the onion puree.

To the onion juice, add some shikakai powder and prepare a paste. Massage your scalp with the same and let it stay for an hour. Wash it off with a gentle shampoo and reapply this remedy with shikakai for hair growth twice in a week.

Why it works?

Onion juice is known as a very effective natural remedy to stop hair fall and promote hair growth. When used in combination with shikakai for hair growth, the results are absolutely amazing. Onion juice comes loaded with various hair friendly nutrients, such as vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, folic acid, flavonoids, etc. These nutrients can provide nourishment to the damaged hair follicles and stop hair loss as well as promote hair growth.

Healthy hair can only grow from a healthy scalp, and so, if you want new and healthy hair then do take care of your scalp. Therefore, it is very important to keep it free from bacterial and fungal infections. Onion juice with its anti bacterial, anti septic as well as anti fungal benefits, helps to treat the fungal and bacterial infections on the scalp and restores healthy scalp. Also onion juice can eliminate stubborn dandruff, which is one of the major causes of hair loss.

Onion juice has other benefits for our scalp as well. It can prevent dry scalp by providing nourishment. Also, it prevents moisture loss from the scalp by creating a protective layer on it. Onion juice contains sulfur and quercetin, and these two are very important ingredients for hair growth.

We know that our hair is made of keratin, which is a type of protein. Sulfur is an important component of keratin, which adds strength to our hair strands and enhances their natural elasticity. Deficiency of sulfur makes our hair dry, brittle and also cause hair breakage. Onion juice, when used regularly, fulfills the sulfur deficiency and restores healthy hair.

Along with that, sulfur also boosts blood circulation in the scalp, which results in improved oxygen supply to the hair follicles. Better oxygen supply boosts collagen production and promotes new hair growth.

Quercetin, another important component of onion juice, comes with anti oxidant as well as anti inflammatory properties. It neutralizes the free radicals and prevent them from doing any damage to our hair and scalp. Also it protects our hair from environmental elements and facilitates hair growth.

Also read

Honey Hair Mask for Dry Hair – Benefits and How to Use

Simple Homemade Herbal Hair Mask for Strong Healthy Hair

Ginger Juice for Hair Growth – Benefits and Different Ways to Use

5. Coconut Oil and Shikakai for Hair Growth

How to use coconut oil and shikakai for hair growth?

Add 2-3 tbsp coconut oil to some shikakai powder and mix together to prepare a paste. Apply the same all over the hair and scalp and massage gently for some time. Wear a shower cap to cover your hair and leave it on for 40 minutes to an hour. Wash off using a mild shampoo and repeat this treatment with shikakai for hair growth once or twice in a week.

Why it works?

Coconut oil has amazing benefits for our hair. It can be called as a one stop solution for almost all of our hair woes and no wonder, it is one of the most popular grandma’s secret to healthy, long hair.

Coconut oil, when used regularly, works great to stop hair loss and promote new hair growth. Enriched with various hair friendly nutrients, coconut oil helps to boost blood circulation in the scalp and leads to better supply of blood and other essential nutrients to the hair follicles. This helps to strengthen the follicles and stop hair loss, as well as rejuvenate them to grow new hair.

Unhealthy scalp is one of the major factors that affects our hair growth. Coconut oil comes with natural anti viral, anti bacterial as well as anti fungal properties. It helps fighting off dandruff and other fungal infections on the scalp. Regular scalp massage with coconut oil helps to maintain a healthy scalp and prevents hair fall as well as thinning of hair.

In addition, coconut oil contains various anti oxidant compounds. They protect our hair and scalp from the harmful effects of free radicals as well as environmental elements, such as pollution, dirt, UV damage, harsh weather etc. Coconut oil contains a high amount of vitamin E, and together with vitamin K and iron, it helps to nourish the hair follicles and strengthen the hair roots, thus combating hair fall and increasing hair growth.

Protein is the building block of our hair. Our hair is made of 70% keratin, which is a type of protein. Therefore, any protein loss can affect our hair health badly and cause severe hair damages, including uncontrollable hair fall. Coconut oil contains essential fatty acids, such as, lauric acid, capric acid, etc. These fatty acids help binding to the hair proteins and prevent protein loss. This way, coconut oil helps to reduce hair fall and promotes hair regrowth.

Why coconut oil works better than most of the other carrier oils is because of its ability to penetrate the hair follicles better. This helps to provide better nourishment to the hair follicles and strengthen them to prevent hair loss as well as boost hair growth.

These are five simple ways to use shikakai for hair growth. Hope you found this article helpful, don’t forget to share your valuable feedback below in the comments.