Did you know that tea isn’t just limited to sipping a good cup of masala chai? Well, let me tell you that black tea for hair treatments has been popular for ages! Of course, drinking black tea is delicious, nutritious, and prevents several health issues. But if you like pouring it over your hair, black tea can give you lustrous, long, and healthy hair.
Black Tea for Hair: The Basics
The Chinese only drank green tea after Emperor Shen Nung discovered it. Green tea leaves, however, had difficulty being shipped to far-flung areas as their popularity spread throughout the world. To preserve tea's freshness and flavour, a method was invented. Four steps were involved in this method – withering the tea leaves, rolling them, oxidising, and drying them in the end. Once the tea leaves go through these processes, what results is called black tea.
So, is black tea good for hair? Let’s find out!
Black Tea for Hair: The Pros
Black tea is rich in caffeine and antioxidants that benefit your hair. It not only gives your hair a natural shine but also helps boost hair growth. Let’s talk about some black tea benefits for hair.
1. Improves Hair Growth
Get that Rapunzel’s look with black tea rinses. Caffeine may stimulate the hair follicles, thereby supporting hair and scalp health.
Hormones could also play a role. Studies indicate that black tea contains caffeine that blocks dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. Hair growth can be slowed by this hormone, which can result in shorter, thinner new hair.
2. Creates Shiny hair
What if I told you that black tea makes your dull, lifeless hair soft, smooth and shiny? Yes, you read it right!
To give your hair the final rinse, rinse it with black tea liquor, kept at room temperature, after shampooing your hair. You will notice that your hair becomes softer and shinier after a few weeks if you do this two to three times a week.
For the best results, brew your tea stronger than you usually would and leave the mixture on your hair for at least 15 minutes. Make sure you rinse well.
3. Decreases hair loss
You may be surprised to learn that drinking black tea can help you prevent hair loss. Further, it contains antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause premature hair loss. In addition, caffeine reduces the production of the hormone DHT that leads to hair loss, while antioxidants stimulate the growth of healthy hair.
4. Softens coarse hair
When rinsed with black tea, the hair becomes soft, shiny, and promotes hair growth. Moreover, it improves the appearance of greying hair by darkening it.
Black Tea for Hair: The Cons
While black tea might be beneficial for your hair, it comes with certain disadvantages.
1. Could induce allergies
Black tea can lead to allergies in certain people. To check if you are allergic to black tea, do a patch test before applying it on your hair.
2. Could stain hair
Black tea has dyeing properties, which makes it popular among women whose hair is black, dark brown, or chestnut. It is however difficult to cover grays with black tea after several months. In natural hair, black tea stains are very persistent. Also, black tea cannot be applied to only gray hair. Thus, black tea will also color your whole head of hair even if you want to cover just your grays.
3. Frequent use may cause dryness
Black tea is considered safe for use on the hair and scalp. Nevertheless, black tea contains caffeine, which may dry your scalp, resulting in dry, damaged hair. Use a spray bottle to directly spray black tea on the scalp and use conditioner afterward.
Black tea VS green tea for hair
Green tea hair rinse and black tea hair rinse have different effects on your hair. Black tea contains fewer nutrients and antioxidants than green tea. Additionally, green tea can be used to treat dandruff. Test out both tea rinses to see which you prefer and use one if you are unsure.
Black tea contains antioxidants that may benefit your hair in a variety of ways. Black tea is not only effective at flushing out toxins from the body, but it also makes your hair shine. It helps to stimulate hair growth, reduce hair loss, remove oiliness from scalp, and treat dandruff. It’s high antioxidants and caffeine promotes healthy scalp and hair.
FAQs about the Pros and Cons of Black Tea for Hair
Does black tea cover grey hair?
Yes, black tea helps in covering your greys. If you wish to have immediate results, you can mix it henna and apply it on your hair.
Will rinsing my hair with black tea make it darker?
Yes, black tea stains your hair, and hence, rinsing your hair with black tea 2-3 times a week will make it darker.
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Written by Kinnari Ashar on 26th Sep 2022