Sage for hair: properties, benefits

Despite the fact that the cosmetic industry has covered all the problems related to hair, women still occasionally resort to natural alternative recipes to improve their health and good condition, because healthy thick hair is their real decoration. Decoctions and infusions of various medicinal herbs are used, sage is especially popular.

The Salvia genus, commonly known as sage, is the largest member of the Lamiacea or Mint family, containing over 900 species worldwide. Plants are mostly perennial with flowers. Many species of Sage, including Salvia officinalis (common sage), grow in the Mediterranean region, and some of the Salvia species are used worldwide as aromatic spices, as well as a traditional herbal remedy. [1]

Sage tea is traditionally used to treat digestive and circulatory disorders, bronchitis, cough, asthma, angina pectoris, inflammation of the mouth and throat, depression, excessive sweating, skin diseases and many other diseases. Sage oil is used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases of the nervous system, heart and blood circulation, respiratory system, digestive system, as well as metabolic and endocrine diseases. In addition, sage essential oil has carminative, antispasmodic, antiseptic and astringent properties. [2], [3]

Indications Sage

The pharmacological properties of herbs are determined by its chemical composition: essential and fatty oils, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, ursolic and oleanolic acids, vitamins A, E, macro- and microelements.

In sage S. Officinalis, a total of 28 components were identified that were present in various concentrations: 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol, borne acetate, camphene, α- and β-thujone, linalool, α- and β-caryophyllene, α- humulin, α- and β-pinene, viridiflorol, pimaradiene, salvianolic acid, rosmarinic acid, carnosolic acid, ursolic acid, etc. [4]Sage essential oil contains about 20% camphor, and as the leaves grow, the content of camphor increases. [5]

Sage is also a natural source of flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds (for example, carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid), which have a strong antioxidant, radical and antibacterial effect. [6],  [7]Most phenolic acids in sage are derivatives of caffeic acid, which is the building block for a variety of plant metabolites. Caffeic acid plays a central role in the biochemistry of Lamiaceae plants and is found mainly in the dimeric form in the form of rosmarinic acid. Carnosolic and rosmarinic acids, which are present in high concentrations in the extract of sage plants, have shown strong antioxidant properties. Ursolic acid, also a component of sage, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and in sage preparations it is considered a measure of the quality control of the anti-inflammatory effects of various solutions.[8]

Sage water extract has significant antibacterial activity and is most effective against Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae and Proteus sp. Made sage essential oil a good alternative to traditional antibiotics as well as food preservatives. Topical application of Sage leaf extract (Salvia officinalis) improves the healing process,  [9]effective for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. [10], [11]

What is the use of sage for hair? It is used as a rinse aid:

• for hair growth (heals microcracks, enhances blood flow in the epidermis, activates the appearance of new hair follicles); [12], [13]
• against prolapse and to strengthen follicles; [14]
• from gray hair (gives shades to the hair, depending on the use of one or another part of the plant, options for preparing decoctions, combinations with other plant components).

Dosing and administration

There are different ways to use a hair product, depending on what effect you want to achieve.

• To color the hair with sage, you need to prepare a rinse, using the following recipe: 5 tablespoons of dry grass, pour a glass of hot water and let it brew for some time. Pour the cooked infusion into warm water and rinse the already washed curls. Repeat the procedure after each wash, preparing fresh each time. Over time, the hair will get a darker color. This is facilitated by alkaloids, plant nicotinic acid. For blondes who do not want such an effect, it is best to use chamomile or other means that brighten hair.
• Sage essential oil will serve as an effective tool for hair growth and strengthening of their bulbs. In direct contact with the skin, it causes irritation, as a result of which there is a rush of blood to its surface, metabolic processes are activated, cell regeneration is accelerated. In its pure form, it can cause burns, so it’s best to add a few drops to the shampoo. For dry hair, it is combined with fatty oils, and then rubbed into the hair roots.
• Spray hair conditioner with sage is a good tool for those who do not want to bother with cooking it with their own hands. In addition to sage, its natural formula includes extracts of hops, raspberries, dandelion, oats. Easy to use (sprayed on clean and dried hair from a distance of 20-30cm before styling), can be used daily. It helps to restore dry curls, moisturizes, nourishes, protects them from damage, strengthens the roots, blocks the inflammatory process, promotes intensive hair growth.
• A sage broth for hair - it is very simple to cook at home, it will not attract large expenses and bring a lot of benefits. It can be made more concentrated and diluted with water, or less immediately using it. The leaves of the plant have the greatest value as raw materials for decoctions and infusions. How to collect them correctly, at what stage of growth, how to dry is a real science, so it is best to buy them at a pharmacy.

For those who live in close proximity to nature, the plant world in summer, you can use fresh leaves (it is recommended to pick at the stage of budding grass). 50 g of fresh raw materials or 4 tablespoons of dry are taken per liter of water. Bringing the liquid to a boil, keep it in a water bath for another quarter of an hour. After cooling, the hair is washed or used in masks with other components. Infusions are prepared even easier: the raw materials are poured with hot water and insisted.

• Sage extract obtained by extracting the plant is widely used in purchased hair care products. It can be found even in children's hair cosmetics, which indicates effectiveness and safety.

Contraindications

External use of sage has no contraindications. The only possible complication may be an allergic reaction, although this is unlikely. [15] Excessive amounts of S. Officinalis can have an adverse effect, which can be caused by the high content of thujone,  [16] which was considered a hallucinogenic component of absinthe and the cause of absenteeism. [17]

Reviews

Women who use sage as a hair remedy are pleased with the results. According to their reviews, it relieves skin irritation, reduces dandruff, provides a healthy appearance and shine, gives the hair style volume, reduces hair loss, protects well from ultraviolet rays, thanks to the presence of sclareol in it,  [18]and  [19]normalizes the functioning of the sebaceous glands.