Cloves and what they do to Hair.
Native to Indonesia, cloves are integral to many Chinese medicine and Ayurveda treatments due to their antimicrobial, antiviral, anesthetic, anti-parasitic, and antioxidant properties. While the numerous health benefits of cloves are clear, do they have any potential benefits for your hair?
Boost Your Overall Health when Consumed
Potential benefits of consuming cloves are indirect and exerted through the contribution they make to overall health. Cloves are a food source of antioxidants, which may help improve overall health by counteracting some of the adverse effects of oxidative stress. While not a direct boost to hair health, when the whole body is healthier, the hair is likely to be healthier too. Also cloves have a phenolic compound, eugenol, that provides antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Pro Tip: Don't just rely on nature, safe and healthy products are also available in our hair treatment collection to heal and treat damaged hair.
Improve Circulation
Cloves may help to indirectly promote hair growth by improving scalp circulation. This is due to the fact that they contain vitamin K. Many popular hair growth and regeneration treatments and techniques aim to increase scalp circulation, as a healthy oxygenated blood flow is believed to provide a healthy foundation for new hair growth.
May Aid in Hair Growth (May)
Cloves can assist in hair growth because of their content of beta carotene, which promotes cell growth, and vitamin K, which promotes blood circulation. It's important to highlight that these benefits are indirect, though cloves have not been scientifically shown to have a measurable effect on hair growth when ingested. That being said, applying clove oil topically to the skin has been shown to increase hair growth in rabbits. Research has also supported the use of natural remedies containing cloves for the treatment of hair and scalp disorders.
Strengthen Hair
Hair breakage is one of the leading causes of hair loss and can be brought on by factors including heat damage, bleaching, and stress (such as tight hairstyles and rigorous brushing). Cloves can help to prevent breakage as they contain the micronutrient manganese, which strengthens hair strands, protecting them from damage. Cloves can even help prevent hair from graying through their antioxidants. Cloves contain the antioxidant eugenol, which can help to prevent the oxidation of the hair follicle. Oxidation can be brought on by certain lifestyle habits as well as aging and leads to the hair losing its pigment.
Conclusion
There are many ways to consume cloves as a part of your normal diet. In many cultures, cloves are used in cooking as a seasoning for anything from pastries to meat. If you would prefer a more concentrated form of cloves, there are also several blends of tea that utilize cloves for their aroma and nutritional value.
"The best way to consume cloves is to maximize the benefit in their whole form by using whole cloves in teas, soups, stews, and rice"
As we said before, while not a direct boost to hair health, when the whole body is healthier, the hair is likely to be healthier too.
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Source: Byrdie