Brahmi and Bhringraj

[northernsky]

Does anyone have experience using brahmi or bhringraj? I have heard they can improve hair growth and strength, but I have also heard that they can change the color of hennaed hair. Do they only change the color if they are mixed in with the henna, or will they change the color of already hennaed hair if used in a separate deep conditioning treatment?

[Loviatar]

I use bhringraj oil all the time, and I have never noticed any colour change. My brand is Pukka Bhringraj oil.

I haven't tried brahmi, although I do have some and I'd like to. I have bhringraj powder, too, which I haven't tried.

[rock007junkie]

I've used both with henna and separately for deep conditioning...Haven't noticed any color change.

[Wahinee]

They never altered my color.

I used to use bhringraj oil on my scalp when I was trying to get it to grow. I don't know if it did that, but I liked it.

There are 2 plants called brahmi - the hesh brand is Herpestis Monniera, and gotu kola is also called brahmi.. I love gotu kila it feels like a protein treatment on my hair. I've never tried the other kind

[northernsky]

The one I was referring to is the Herpestis Monniera, or it is also called Bacopa Monnieri. I purchased some from Henna Sooq because it is supposedly good for your scalp and for reducing hair loss.

I was shedding like crazy for a couple months due to hormonal issues caused by birth control pills, so my hair has thinned out considerably. Now that it is under control, I want to make sure the remainder of my hair and the little baby hairs growing back in are in the best condition as possible. I love the bright color of the henna though, and I wanted to make sure it won't dull it down or make it darker.

Thanks for the responses!

[kdaniels8811]

Depends on your starting color. All the respondees have dark hair so the herbs won't affect the color. If you are light haired, it might but just slightly.

[Jane99]

Does anyone have more recent experience with brahmi? The one that is not gotu kola. Specifically, I am curious about using the whole herb. I see people use powder and then drain out the herb and that sounds complicated, plus I may wish to use the whole herb for tea and cooking since it is so good for you.

[Soj]

I have no idea about any culinary uses but I do use brahmi (Bacopa monniera) for my hair. I can't point to any specific benefit but the overall benefit of the recipe I am using (a cleansing rinse), I can attest to. I use the powder form of all my herbs because that is what is easily available to me, and I make a tea/rinse, not a mud mask. I tie the powders up in a coffee filter (use 100% cotton twine so it won't melt in the pot) and brew it that way.

A TINY amount of powder can still escape into the tea you make that way but it isn't noticeable when you actually use it. You can see it if you let it settle, a tiny tiny amount, but its no problem. Don't overfill the packets because the powders will swell during brewing. I put 2 to 3T in a full size coffee filter and that is fine for everything I know of EXCEPT whole fenugreek seed. Whole fenugreek seed soaks up a whole lot of water and will actually break the packet eventually so I use ground (powdered) fenugreek instead.

Gotu Kola is an entirely different critter and at least in the parts of India with which I am familiar (Andrha Pradesh and points south) brahmi for hair has always meant Bacopa monniera. I never even heard of gotu kola for hair until the past few months. In ayurvedic medicine (which is nonsense so take that for what its worth) both species are referred to as "brahmi" and which is REALLY "brahmi" is a bone of contention in the ayurvedic community. Gotu kola may also have benefits for hair, but since I can't easily get it I've never tried it. I'm pretty well satisfied with the "regular" brahmi that is Bacopa monniera. I haven't used the rinse recipe long enough yet to swear it helps growth, but so far it hasn't hurt.

The recipe I use leaves my hair clean, detangled, and pretty well conditioned (though I am still tweaking it in an effort to get better curl enhancement). I can't swear to any benefit to overall growth, but hair fall seems to be down and breakage is less than it has been since I had to quit using all commercial products due to coconut/palm allergies (and that is mostly due to me no longer having an allergy-safe method of applying protein treatments rather than the products themselves). But there are 11 different herbs in it so I can't swear to any one particular ingredient being solely responsible for any of the benefits I'm seeing, LOL!

[Jane99]

Interesting!! I would like to try brahmi, maybe next time I order henna from HennaSooq I will add the powdered brahmi to the cart too. The coffee filter idea sounds like it works great.