Ayurvedic powders have been used for centuries to help maintain healthy hair. When using these powders and/or herbs figuring out the best way to incorporate them into your regimen can be a challenge. Some make the herbs into a paste and use it as a deep conditioner, some add the herbs to shampoos or make them into teas and use them as a rinse. Today we’re going to make a spray leave-in conditioner infused with ayurvedic herbs!

I was reading (can’t find it now, oddly enough) that when using herbs and powders on your hair, in order to get the full benefit, they need to be left on the hair for long periods of time or used in leave-in conditioners; any other way and you’re simply washing the benefits of the herbs down the drain.

You can use oils such as coconut and olive or you can use water. Whatever you use, you want it to be something that will penetrate the hair shaft.

What you’ll need:

• A clean saucepan
• rubber band
• coffee filter (you can use a heat-sealable tea bag)
• herbs of choice (I used amla powder, fenugreek powder, Brahmi, and horsetail)
• water (preferably filtered)
• preservative
• empty bottle

Place a tablespoon of each herb into the coffee filter, make sure the herbs you are using have conditioning properties. Read these posts about the benefits of different ayurvedic herbs: Ayurvedic Hair Care and Deep Conditioner With Ayurvedic Herbs.

Tie the coffee filter closed with a rubber band:

Boil 16 oz. of water in a saucepan. After the water get to a rolling boil, add your homemade tea bag:

Turn the burner on low after adding a tea bag. 1 hour later:

Turn burner off and let sit covered for 2-3 hrs. This is after 3 hours:

Pour into a bottle, add *preservative and spritz hair as often as needed. (the added fragrance made the leave-in a little cloudy)

*I used Optiphen at 1.75%. If you choose not to preserve your mixture, you will need to keep it refrigerated. This tea and will grow mold if left out without being properly preserved.

You can use your herbal infusion in soap making, making creams, and scalp balms.

Do you use Ayurvedic herbs in your hair regimen? How?