Everything You Need to Know About Aloe Vera for Hair
Add this trending ingredient to your hair care lineup.
When it comes to natural ingredients for hair care, there are so many options to cater to your needs. One of our favorite natural ingredients to use is aloe vera. The aloe plant is renowned for its numerous health benefits, including those for the skin and hair. In matters of self-care, products containing aloe are irresistible — even applying aloe vera gel directly from the plant offers myriad benefits.
We’ll take you through everything you need to know about aloe vera for hair and how this plant’s natural gel is great for many different hair care needs. Keep reading to learn how to use this plant to repair dry hair, and even find a hair mask recipe to try out for yourself.
How to Use Aloe Vera for Hair
The best way to use aloe vera for hair is to use the raw gel that comes directly from the plant’s leaves. This will give you the purest form of the plant’s healing properties to apply directly on your strands or your scalp. Getting your hands on this gel isn’t tough, as you can find it at almost any drugstore or cut it fresh from your own aloe plant! Apply it to your hair like you would any other hair mask: Coat strands evenly, and let sit and soak for about an hour. When the time is up, rinse it off in the shower and continue with your normal hair care routine.
4 Amazing Benefits of Aloe Vera Gel
There are so many benefits of aloe vera for hair, it’s hard to know where to start. Aloe vera has healing properties that aid in calming dry scalp, moisturizing dry strands, removing excess sebum from oily hair, repairing and strengthening the hair and promoting regrowth.
1. It’s super hydrating.
Aloe vera is a natural humectant, meaning it locks in moisture, which is great for dry, brittle strands—the plant itself is made of 99.5% water! And due to its proteolytic enzymes, a.k.a. enzymes that help fight inflammation and promote tissue healing (as well as aiding with digestion), aloe vera is a true triple threat. It has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, making it a multi-purpose plant with tons of benefits. It helps prevent scalp irritation (if you’ve ever applied Aloe vera post-sunburn, you know just how soothing the gel can feel!), and has vitamins A, C and E, which are antioxidants that help fight against free radicals. In addition, it contains vitamin B and is chock-full of essential fatty acids and minerals such as calcium, chromium, magnesium, copper and selenium.
2. It helps remove excess sebum.
Aloe vera’s natural antimicrobial properties help it absorb excess oil and dirt from the skin, making it both a great skin astringent and oily scalp remedy.
3. It repairs and strengthens.
It’s natural moisturizing properties and proteolytic enzymes help repair dry, damaged hair and condition weakened strands.
4. It promotes regrowth.
These proteolytic enzymes are also responsible for improving your scalp’s hair follicles: They help heal and soothe the scalp from any irritation and inflammation, which can help curb any hair shedding due to itchiness and aggravation, but they also help stimulate dormant follicles and encourage the growth of new cells. In addition, Aloe vera also has antifungal and antiviral properties that can help keep dandruff and flaking at bay.
We’ll touch on all of these benefits in a little more detail later!
Aloe Vera Recipe for Hair
Here’s a really simple recipe you can make at home.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup aloe vera crystals
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 to 2 drops Vitamin E oil
- Hair dyeing brush
Instructions:
- Mix all three ingredients in a glass bowl. You can adjust the measurements mentioned above depending on your hair texture and thickness. Just make sure to double the recipe, keeping the same ratio of ingredients.
- The glass bowl is essential because it doesn’t “breathe” or alter the purity of the ingredients, unlike plastic bowls.
- Wait about three minutes to allow the oils and crystal molecules to activate.
- Next, divide the hair into several sections. With the help of the brush, apply the mask from roots to ends.
- After applying the mask throughout your hair, put it up in a bun and cover it with kitchen plastic wrap.
- Leave the mask on for at least 15 minutes, then rinse. First, rinse with warm water to open the follicles, and then follow up with a cold water rinse to close the follicles and seal the nutrients into the hair cuticle.
- After applying the mask, you’ll notice a difference in your texture.
This home remedy will soften your strands, and seal in shine. And it’s safe for dyed and bleached hair!
5 Common Questions About Aloe Vera for Hair
We’ve looked at some of the most common questions people ask around Aloe Vera and what it does for your hair.
1. What Does Aloe Vera Do to Your Hair?
There are a few things aloe vera does to your strands based on its components. Aloe vera is an anti-inflammatory that can help reduce scalp irritation, dryness and inflammation. Aloe is incredibly moisturizing and it contains vitamins C, E, B-12, folic acid and choline content that may aid in strengthening and nourishing strands.
2. Does Aloe Vera Help with Hair Growth?
Aloe vera can help with growth as it consists of the proteolytic enzyme that helps heal the scalp and stimulate dormant follicles, promoting the start of regrowth.
3. Is Aloe Vera Good for Natural Hair?
Yes! Aloe vera is actually an ideal ingredient for natural hair since it’s one of the driest hair types and aloe is known for its water-retaining abilities.
4. Does Aloe Vera Help with Hair Loss?
Believe it or not, aloe vera can help with hair loss. Aloe helps clean and remove sebum that can clog follicles and prevent hair from growing back. By aiding in sebum removal and oil balance on your scalp, the follicle has the chance to regrow.
5. Can Aloe Vera Help with Dry Hair?
We love aloe vera for dry strands! Aloe is 99.5% water and .05% other chemical makeup that provides anti-inflammatory properties that treat dry locks.
Best Aloe Vera Hair Care Products
If you’re looking for a product that you can use with an all-natural aloe vera gel to treat your strands, try a shampoo and conditioner duo made with aloe, too! We love Suave Essentials Aloe & Waterlily Shampoo and Conditioner for our weekly wash because it leaves your hair squeaky clean, while aloe water helps keep your strands soft and moisturized.
