Content
Nettle has a rich chemical composition, due to which preparations from it are widely used in cosmetology, in official and folk medicine. Nettle oil is especially popular. You can buy it at a pharmacy or make your own.
Any cosmetic product with nettle makes hair perfectly clean and shiny.
Composition and value
Nettle contains a huge number of components that have a beneficial effect on the body:
- vitamins (A, K, E, B);
- macronutrients (calcium, iron, copper, magnesium);
- tannins;
- flavonoids;
- chlorophyll;
- glycosides;
- tannins;
- phytoncides;
- organic acids.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the plant is 1: 0: 1.3.
Benefits of nettle oil
The healing properties of nettle are preserved for a long time if medicated oil is prepared from it. Regularly rubbing it into the scalp, they achieve elasticity, softness, and rapid hair growth. In its pure form, it helps fight dandruff and gray hair at the initial stage. Adding to creams and ointments, masks are prepared. Mixing with shampoo, a cosmetic product with a healing effect is obtained.
Thanks to folk recipes, nettle oil is used not only for hair, but also for the skin. The purpose of its use:
- Removal of itching and acceleration of wound healing in the treatment of eczema.
- Prevention of post-burn scars.
- Normalization of metabolic processes.
- Reduced irritation.
- Strengthening blood circulation in small vessels and capillaries.
- Suppression of allergic reactions.
- Reducing skin oiliness.
- Cleansing pores from acne.
Massage with nettle oil helps with arthritis, as it not only has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, but also can penetrate deep into the skin.
Do not collect medicinal plants during a period of high humidity.
How to do it at home
To get a guaranteed natural product, you should cook it yourself. For oil, nettles are harvested from May to July, before they bloom. They choose clean leaves, without damage and cobwebs, with a uniform rich green color. The collection is carried out in sunny, dry weather. You will need gloves to protect plants from burns, scissors and containers for raw materials. The place for storing nettles should not be located near highways and railways, landfills, cemeteries, cattle burial grounds and mineral fertilizers warehouses. To prepare oil, a number of sequential steps are performed:
- The collected raw materials are washed under running water.
- Dry it a little by spreading it out in the shade.
- Chop the foliage with a knife or meat grinder.
- A glass container is prepared.
- Fill it 2/3 of the volume with nettles.
- Pour it to the brim with olive or sunflower oil.
- Place the container in a dark place.
- Shake occasionally.
The first sign that the oil extract is ready is the darkening of the green mass. This takes at least two weeks.
In the case when seeds are needed for the drug, the tops of the plant are cut off at the time of its flowering, dried for a week, after which they are threshed and the seeds are collected.
If the drug is needed urgently, you can use the hot cooking method. Crushed raw materials with oil are placed in a heat-resistant dish and placed in a water bath for 30 minutes. The maximum heating temperature of the mixture is 50 ⁰С. The operation is repeated on the next two days. On the third day, you can use oil.
You can use almond oil to prepare the extract.
Using nettle oil
The prepared product is used to improve the scalp. After a while, the effect will be seen if you regularly use nettle hair oil, adding it to a balm or making special masks. It helps to remove cellulite and stretch marks, make the skin smooth and healthy, adding to the massage cream. Applications allow you to get rid of boils, acne, soothe the itching of the skin during exacerbation of eczema.
Using nettle oil for hair care
Wraps, head massage or hair masks with nettle oil are carried out taking into account what is needed at the moment - to give them moisture, strengthen, dry or heal. In order not to make a mistake, take into account the type of hair when using a particular procedure.
For oily hair
A simple mask applied to clean hair allows you to reduce oiliness, add shine and volume. Nettle oil is added to the balm or conditioner (in a 1: 1 ratio) and applied to the entire length of the strands. Withstand the product for five minutes, then rinse off.
A mask of 1 tbsp allows you to strengthen the hair and restore its appearance. l. nettle oil and a pinch of sea salt. The ingredients are mixed, applied, massaging, on the scalp and, after a quarter of an hour, washed off.
Nettle extract can be used in baby cosmetics
For thin hair
To improve the quality of the hair, to give it additional volume, make a mask of three components - 3 tsp. nettle oil, 100 g of kefir and 1 tbsp. l. dry crushed mint leaves. Mix, apply to the entire length of the strands, wrap the head with cling film, a towel and incubate for 30 minutes. Then washed off using shampoo.
Nettle oil can be used alone or mixed with other ingredients.
For dry hair
To prepare a mask for dry hair, you need to dilute 3 tsp. colorless henna in a little hot water until mushy, then add 1 tbsp. l. nettle oil and one beaten egg yolk. Apply the mixture to the entire length of the hair, let it sit for 20 minutes and rinse with shampoo.
In its pure form, the oil extract can be applied to the scalp one hour before washing.
How to use nettle oil for hair removal
Often, nettle oil is used to remove unwanted hair, the growth of which first stops and later stops altogether. The remedy is prepared not from leaves, but from seeds, it is they who act on the hair follicle. They are collected in August from dioecious nettle, the height of which is about 160 cm, the leaves are small, and the seeds are located in catkins.
For preparation, it is necessary to pour 50 g of dried raw materials with 10 ml of vegetable oil. Insist for two weeks. To get rid of hair, apply nettle oil twice a day for several months.
The advantage of the method is the harmlessness of the plant, the absence of toxins, the availability and ease of preparation of the product.
Most often, nettle seed oil for hair removal is hypoallergenic, but a reaction test should be done before using it.
For bruises, the product is applied in the form of a compress
Applying nettle oil to the face
Due to the presence of vitamins and other nutrients in the composition of nettle oil, the benefits of its use on the skin of the face cannot be overestimated. Among the advantages:
- Vitamin A rejuvenates the skin.
- Vitamin C helps to maintain its tone.
- Vitamin K prevents inflammation.
- Potassium moisturizes and nourishes the face at the cellular level.
Nettle oil is suitable for all skin types. Regular use gives a lifting effect, wrinkles are smoothed out and disappear.
To get rid of blackheads, they are treated pointwise for two weeks. Alternatively, you can use a lotion, for the preparation of which nettle oil and vodka are mixed in equal proportions. They wipe their face twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
Taking in equal proportions nettle oil and burdock oil, a liquid is obtained to activate the growth of eyelashes. It is applied to the very ends with a cosmetic brush. This is done carefully, regularly, for two weeks. For one procedure, use 2 drops of the product. After completing the course, the effect cannot be overlooked. Nettle oil for eyelashes makes them long and thick, and the look is very expressive.
Nettle oil helps with excessive sweating of the palms and feet
Applying natural nettle oil for back pain
Judging by the reviews, nettle oil is useful not only for hair and skin, but also for the cartilage tissue of the joints. The acids that make up the plant are able to dissolve salts formed in the intervertebral tissues, protect them from degeneration. Vitamins PP and B activate the work of nerve fibers to conduct impulses and improve the sensitivity of their endings. Nettle has a pronounced analgesic effect. All these features allow the oil to be used for lower back pain. Rubbing and light massage are carried out in the evening, before bedtime, after which the lower back is wrapped in a warm scarf at night.
Nettle leaves, stems and roots are good for making oil. The latter are harvested in the fall, after the end of flowering. They are dug up, washed, dried, crushed and mixed with vegetable oil.
Baths with nettle oil give a general strengthening and disinfecting effect
Limitations and contraindications
In most cases, oil extraction is safe, but in order to minimize the risk of allergies, a drop of the medication should be applied to the wrist. If there is no redness, itching, or other reactions, then it is harmless. In the presence of at least one of the symptoms, it can be concluded that the drug is intolerant to the individual and cannot be used.
Despite the beneficial properties and safety of the oil, pregnant women should refrain from using it, since nettle can cause an increase in the tone of the uterus, provoke premature birth.
You should be careful about plant preparations for those who suffer from varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other problems with blood vessels. Nettle can cause blood to thicken and obstruct circulation.
You cannot use the dosage form if the raw materials are collected in contaminated areas - nettle, like a sponge, absorbs all harmful substances from the environment. The use not only will not have a therapeutic effect, but can lead to complete intoxication of the body.
Storage rules
To prevent the oil from oxidizing during infusion, you need to fill the jar with it to the very lid, leaving a minimum free volume for air. For storage until complete readiness, choose a cool, dark place. Shaking the mixture periodically, monitor the condition of the components. The darkening of the liquid and the transparency of the nettle particles signal the readiness of the dosage form. After that, the oil is filtered, poured into a clean glass dish, tightly closed and placed in a dark place where the air temperature does not exceed +25 ⁰С. The shelf life of a closed container is 1 year, an open container - no more than 7 months.
Conclusion
Nettle oil is a source of vitamins, amino acids and minerals. It is excellent for skin and hair care and is used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of low back pain. The oil extract can be purchased at the pharmacy or prepared by hand by collecting the necessary raw materials.
Reviews on the use of nettle oil
