Green tea for growth?

[LadyCelestina]

http://www.bettinamoritz.com.br/alunos/artigos/cha_verde_cabelo.pdf
Thoughts?

[LadyCelestina]

also,green tea supposedly reduces sebum production,so could be an useful rinse for those of us who are prone to oily scalps

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Presumably this is pouring the tea on your scalp rather than drinking it? I like to drink mine with a little gelatin added.

[Starchild]

Green tea is all shorts of good for you, so it wouldn't surprise me if it also benefits the hair. Plus, it's delicious (in my opinion).

[LadyCelestina]

Yes I guess this was pouring on the scalp,but when using green tea for acne,it is also considered beneficial to drink the tea.I mean of course drinking green tea is good for you anyway,but with regard to acne.
And yes it tastes quite good ,but makes me feel a bit nauseated sometimes.Which is strange since coffee doesn't.Anyone have any ideas why could that be?

[LadyCelestina]

^^ Oh yes and,in the study it was green tea extract in ethanol,so not sure to what extent just pouring the rinse on the scalp would work.But maybe worth trying
ETA: Personally I'd make strong tea with regular tea bags,let it boil for couple minutes,cool,then use.I guess I'm in for an experiment !

[Siowiel]

Well, it can't hurt... I drink a lot of green tea daily. If you make your green tea for drinking with boiling water, too, like described above, it releases its bitter constituents in greater amounts, which can make you feel ill (it's not the caffeine). It makes a better tasting tea if you use water close to the boiling point, but not boiling, and don't let it stew too long.

[LadyCelestina]

Well, it can't hurt... I drink a lot of green tea daily. If you make your green tea for drinking with boiling water, too, like described above, it releases its bitter constituents in greater amounts, which can make you feel ill (it's not the caffeine). It makes a better tasting tea if you use water close to the boiling point, but not boiling, and don't let it stew too long.

Huh thanks...Yes I heard and experienced the increase of bitterness in tea when you use boiling water,but it never occured to me that this could be causing the nausea.I like your siggy.

[fiðrildi]

I love green tea, and I usually drink more than a cup a day. So it's good news if it helps with hair growth... I wouldn't mind pouring it in my head as well ;)

[MJ1972]

Scientists have believed that green tea is beneficial for one's hair for quite some time now. They've been looking at Asian people, who generally have strong, thick hair, and have tried to determine whether their diets contribute in any way to the thickness of their hair. Many scientists believe that the Japanese, for instance, largely owe their thick hair to their consumption of seaweed, fatty fish and green tea. I'm a great proponent of this theory. I've noticed that I shed less when I drink a lot of green tea, and that the quality of my new growth is higher when I eat lots of fish and take fish oil capsules. Needless to say, I'm drinking a fair bit of green tea at the moment.

Speaking of Asian diets and healthy hair, I have several Chinese friends who ate a lot of seaweed while pregnant because they believed it would give their babies thick, strong hair. From what I've seen so far, it works!

[MJ1972]

Scientists have believed that green tea is beneficial for one's hair for quite some time now. They've been looking at Asian people, who generally have strong, thick hair, and have tried to determine whether their diets contribute in any way to the thickness of their hair. Many scientists believe that the Japanese, for instance, largely owe their thick hair to their consumption of seaweed, fatty fish and green tea. I'm a great proponent of this theory. I've noticed that I shed less when I drink a lot of green tea, and that the quality of my new growth is higher when I eat lots of fish and take fish oil capsules. Needless to say, I'm drinking a fair bit of green tea at the moment.

Speaking of Asian diets and healthy hair, I have several Chinese friends who ate a lot of seaweed while pregnant because they believed it would give their babies thick, strong hair. From what I've seen so far, it works!

[Nightshade]

Hahahaha I drink about 4L of green tea a day. I think it's good for overall health and the like, but if amounts of green tea directly correlated to hair growth I'd be swimming in hair :lol:

So yes, drink it because it's awesome and good for you overall, just don't drink it and expect your hair to grow a ton as a direct result. There's a lot of factors that influence hair growth rates, and there's still always a genetic ceiling that you cannot bypass.

[LadyCelestina]

Scientists have believed that green tea is beneficial for one's hair for quite some time now. They've been looking at Asian people, who generally have strong, thick hair, and have tried to determine whether their diets contribute in any way to the thickness of their hair. Many scientists believe that the Japanese, for instance, largely owe their thick hair to their consumption of seaweed, fatty fish and green tea. I'm a great proponent of this theory. I've noticed that I shed less when I drink a lot of green tea, and that the quality of my new growth is higher when I eat lots of fish and take fish oil capsules. Needless to say, I'm drinking a fair bit of green tea at the moment.

Speaking of Asian diets and healthy hair, I have several Chinese friends who ate a lot of seaweed while pregnant because they believed it would give their babies thick, strong hair. From what I've seen so far, it works!
Interesting observation about the seaweed and babies :D I agree,a healthy body is probably the most important factor when it comes to condition of hair,and the things Asians eat are considered to be generally very healthy.


Hahahaha I drink about 4L of green tea a day. I think it's good for overall health and the like, but if amounts of green tea directly correlated to hair growth I'd be swimming in hair :lol:

So yes, drink it because it's awesome and good for you overall, just don't drink it and expect your hair to grow a ton as a direct result. There's a lot of factors that influence hair growth rates, and there's still always a genetic ceiling that you cannot bypass.
:D True that. Hair never grows a meter a month,unless it's for a youtube video :lol:

Justt in case- the study talks about topical application.

[MJ1972]

Interesting observation about the seaweed and babies :D

I found it very interesting myself. Clearly, if you want your child to have thick, healthy hair, eating seaweed while pregnant is the way to go!


Just in case- the study talks about topical application.

That's interesting. I guess I'll be applying some green tea to my scalp the next few times I wash. I'll be interested to see if I can detect any improvement in my growth rate!

[Siowiel]

Jut thought when I went to sleep yesterday: Perhaps the ingredient helping hair growth is the caffeine in the tea, which is known for it properties in this area. If this is so, there'd be other ways to get the roots their caffeine fix (and in higher dosage).

[LadyCelestina]

Siowiel,no,in the study they observed the effects with (copied from study) epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in ethanol.As far as my wikipedia reading skills go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigallocatechin_gallate (---- this is what it is,not caffeine.

Higher dosage of caffeine is not necessarily better since the caf. study also pointed out larger concentrations had supressive effects or something like that (not sure about the exact formulation,could be that it just had no effect).It's in the caf. study if you take time to read the whole thing not just the abstract.
I myself am not sure how the measurements/concetration numbers in the caf.study translate into real life,so I thought I'm better off not trying that.

Though yes,IRL we'll have the caffeine in the green tea we brew,so that would be probably helping or not helping (as I said I don't understand the measurements in caf study) the growth/thickening.Good thing if it helps since you likely won't get the catechins in such amounts as used in the study.

This green tea study doesn't mention any adverse effects,but if anyone reads it and finds anything,please post.And also post if you find anything odd I wrote and if anything is not correct and such

[LadyCelestina]

That's interesting. I guess I'll be applying some green tea to my scalp the next few times I wash. I'll be interested to see if I can detect any improvement in my growth rate!

Awesome! Please let us know if it works for you

[LadyCelestina]

Abstract
Green tea is a popular worldwide beverage, and its potential beneficial effects such as anti-cancer and anti-oxidant
properties are believed to be mediated by epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major constituent of polyphenols.
Recently, it was reported that EGCG might be useful in the prevention or treatment of androgenetic alopecia by
selectively inhibiting 5a-reductase activity. However, no report has been issued to date on the effect of EGCG on
human hair growth.
This study was undertaken to measure the effect of EGCG on hair growth in vitro and to investigate its effect on
human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in vivo and in vitro. EGCG promoted hair growth in hair follicles ex vivo culture
and the proliferation of cultured DPCs. The growth stimulation of DPCs by EGCG in vitro may be mediated through
the upregulations of phosphorylated Erk and Akt and by an increase in the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Similar results
were also obtained in in vivo dermal papillae of human scalps. Thus, we suggest that EGCG stimulates human hair
growth through these dual proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects on DPCs.
r 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG); Hair; Hair growth; Dermal papilla cell; Hair follicle organ culture


Here is the abstract from that study.Bolded some stuff.Catechin -wiki link is post #16.

something useful here http://teaguardian.com/tea-health/tea-catechins-tea-types.html#.U_b3WfmSzAo
and if I can find something else after coffee,I'll post.And also after I do my new-hairstyle-a-week challenge :D

[hanne jensen]

I've been spraying my scalp with a mixture of nettle and green tea for about a year now. It doesn't stop oil production but it does clean the scalp. I've been able to stretch hairwashes and my hair growth has almost doubled. I also drink green tea almost every day because I love the stuff.

[MJ1972]

Hanne, do you leave the tea on your scalp or do you rinse it out? How does the tea fit into your hair-washing routine?

[hanne jensen]

Day 2 after hairwash I start to spray my scalp with my nettle and green tea mixture. I make small parts in my hair and spray the scalp and gently massage the spray around. I don't rinse it out. I don't used so much that my scalp is wet, just slightly damp. This has made it possible to stretch my hairwashes to every 10 days without having my scalp trashed. I spray my scalp every morning. After spraying I gently comb my hair and smack it up and forget about it. Green tea is slightly antiseptic and slightly acidic. I think that my growth rate has doubled because my scalp is kept clean and the length isn't getting washed as often. On hairwash day I'll use a lot of tea, my scalp is wet. I can then get away with using a much milder poo. Without tea I need to use industrial strength cleansers to cut through my sebum which is hard, dry and waxy.

I've read on the net that green tea will increase the tensile strength of hair. I use a little nettle tea because nettle is good for hair growth and scalp health.

[MJ1972]

Awesome. I'm definitely going to try that. Thanks, Hanne!

[prettyinpink]

I never tried using it as a rinse, but I did notice an increase in growth back in highschool when I had a strange tea obsession

[bna_rapunzel]

Giving this a try in my desperation for my long hair to be back. I have green tea with a hint of jasmine in it... so my hair will have a soft floral jasmine scent too! Yahoo!

[bna_rapunzel]

Out of sheer desperation........ im giving this a go. I just steeped 2 tea bags (theyre organic green tea with hints of jasmine... win!) In 8 ounces of water. I sprayed it all over my scalp (probably only used an ounce) and just for fun I did my "length" or what sad little length I have.... I took a picture of length and I will be back in a month with another length pic. :):):) phorobucket right?
Ill use this as my pros ane cons of green tea in your hair thread lol

[Marika]

I have to try this (mainly just for fun). My cupboard is full of green tea! :D

Seaweed isn't recommended during pregnancy over here in Finland because there's a chance you get too much iodine. Some dried seaweed snacks have tested positive for high levels of arsenic.

[BellCat]

Very interesting article, thank you for sharing :) I used to drink a lot of green tea - never realised the boiling water made it so bitter and have never applied it topically!


Day 2 after hairwash I start to spray my scalp with my nettle and green tea mixture. I make small parts in my hair and spray the scalp and gently massage the spray around. I don't rinse it out. I don't used so much that my scalp is wet, just slightly damp. This has made it possible to stretch my hairwashes to every 10 days without having my scalp trashed. I spray my scalp every morning. After spraying I gently comb my hair and smack it up and forget about it. Green tea is slightly antiseptic and slightly acidic. I think that my growth rate has doubled because my scalp is kept clean and the length isn't getting washed as often. On hairwash day I'll use a lot of tea, my scalp is wet. I can then get away with using a much milder poo. Without tea I need to use industrial strength cleansers to cut through my sebum which is hard, dry and waxy.

I've read on the net that green tea will increase the tensile strength of hair. I use a little nettle tea because nettle is good for hair growth and scalp health.

This sounds really interesting! My scalp is ridiculously oily and my skin too. My T zone will be completely covered in oil by the end of the day and my scalp will be visibly oily a day after washing it. I've tried stretching washes to just once a week but it never made a difference. Right now I am washing every second day for the work week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) would love to stretch it further but my hair would be thick with grease by the day after not washing.

I would really like to try this spray and see if it helps :) thanks for posting

[LadyCelestina]

There is some blabla as to why green tea reduces sebum production.I'm not a scientist so I can't put it on top of my head,but a little googling should reveal some relevant info.

reveal relevant :D
I'm thinking of making a blogspot of this experiment.I am a curly so my length measurements might not be 100%,but I have a demarcation line I can work with.
Anyway guess what? My growth rate sucks most of the year.I only get my growth spurts in spring.And I apparently had a shed according to the amount of hair I shed now vs.the amount of hair I shed before. So I can observe the effects of the green tea quite well,even though I probably won't even get near the recommended dose.

I saw a supplement with green tea in dm drogerie if anyone is interested,but it was all in Chinese and cost 8 euro so way more than I am willing to pay monthly on something hair related.

[LadyCelestina]

Just something to mention : Use fresh green tea.Fresh fresh.It cools down to cool enough to put in your mister or is cool enough to stick your fingers it,use it.

[hanne jensen]

I always use fresh tea. I also drink a lot of green tea because I like it. Hubby says that I have so many teas that I could open my own store.

[LadyCelestina]

I always use fresh tea. I also drink a lot of green tea because I like it. Hubby says that I have so many teas that I could open my own store.
Shh,shhh about having so many teas ... or we'll come over to have a cup :D

just kidding of course :)

[Sunny_side_up]

Oo shall give this a go for fun. I have nettle in the back garden. Years ago when living with my folks & on days out would collect nettles in the countryside & do the nettle rinses, read it years ago in a book. Must say gave great shine & think growth looked good from old photos through the months. Got a box of green tea I wont be drinking(due to meds I threw up when last drunk it) just got to get a spray bottle from the shop tomorow.

[LadyCelestina]

^^^Nettles apparently have some silica content which is good for hair.Also horsetail.

[hanne jensen]

A little update. I'm still spraying my scalp and I've reached BSL. This time around it only took 14 months to reach BSL from shoulder. I had a 5 cm. trim in June this year. My hair has never grown this fast in my life.

[renia22]

Is anyone still using green tea for growth? Any updates?

[Decemberrose]

I really want to try this! Off to brew some tea. :)
Maybe peppermint or rooibos teas are just as good?

[renia22]

I really want to try this! Off to brew some tea. :)
Maybe peppermint or rooibos teas are just as good?

I've tried rooibos back when there was a thread about it helping shedding, and I liked it on the scalp. It was so dark, though, and I wasn't crazy about the flavor, so I didn't drink it . I am, however, going to try it with green tea. That I like.

[Decemberrose]

Rooibos can be bitter :( I have some rooibos with elderflower, it tastes better :)
It's over midnight here, and my green tea is brewing/ cooling.
Is the scalp going to get greasy after applicaton and air drying?

[renia22]

Rooibos can be bitter :( I have some rooibos with elderflower, it tastes better :)
It's over midnight here, and my green tea is brewing/ cooling.
Is the scalp going to get greasy after applicaton and air drying?

Good to know about the elderflower. I'm not sure about it being greasy, I don't think so, though. From what I've read it's more drying/ toning (good for oily scalps apparently). Nettle tea makes my hair & scalp feel like it has residue, that one I've also done overnight. It felt like that with rooibos also. Hope your green tea works well for you & hope to hear your results. I'm going to try it tonight too, I've been on a green tea kick lately. I'm also making green tea infused body oil but it won't be ready for another week or so :/

[Decemberrose]

Wow selfmade body oil, sounds nice :)
Well it's on my scalp now, and it just feels wet. We will see if the feeling of residue is there in the morning.
I normally have a dry scalp, so I hope it's not making it drier.

[renia22]

More online articles say people use it for dandruff & psoriasis too, so maybe it will be okay. My hair is fine/ thin-ish & I don't like the sensation of too much on it, so it could just be me with that "residue" feeling. Maybe it will feel like nothing once it dries for you :)

[M.McDonough]

I actually did that yesterday. I mixed some green tea with aloe vera gel and applied it to my hair. Then I washed my hair and conditioned it. But it left lots of white pieces in my hair :S they look like dandruff or something

[ghost]

I drink lots of green tea! I'm not sure if it does anything for my hair, but it is great for my skin. My favorite tea right now is a blendd of green earl grey, peppermint, and almond; it's very easy to drink a lot of.
I try to get 3-4 cups a day.

[Decemberrose]

Not greasy but sooo soft :) I have both dandruff and psoriasis on my scalp. I keep both down with head and shoulders peppermint shampoo. But maybe green tea is less harsh and non drying, I'll give it some time :)
How long can you keep this in the fridge?

[renia22]

M.McDonough- oh no, maybe it was the aloe? Perhaps just a plain green tea rinse might work better for you?

Ghost- that sounds yummy, especially with the almond

Decemeberrose- that's great that you liked it! I think if you keep it in the fridge it can last a while, but I'm not sure though how "fresh" it needs to be to give optimal results. I put mine in a spray bottle & plan on using it up within a week or so?

[ChloeDharma]

Hmmnnn I'm tempted to try this mixed with rooibos, rosemary and possibly fenugreek seed, and nettle. God I could end up with so many herbs in these things. So is this a thing now? Anyone going to do this like a "growth challenge"? I'm really hoping so! :)

[Knifegill]

I mix it with cocoa powder and leave it in for 3 to 5 minutes, after shampoo (diluted bronner's, some kind of degreaser is necessary to remove the barrier between the tea and your scalp, I'm told), and then an ACV rinse after. My hair seems to be growing faster since I started doing this. I only wash once a week, about. But I'm not measuring often, so IDK. But I'm scritching less and less lately, just nothing to scritch off until about day 6 or 7. I have to vote for green tea rinse/application at this point.

[meteor]

Green tea dried out my hair a bit, unfortunately, when I tried it as a rinse a long time ago. It also made my hair more tangly/coated: I think it could be due to tannins? If I try it again, I'll try to focus on scalp only.

I do *love* drinking green tea though, so I'd rather not waste it on hair anyway. ;)


I actually did that yesterday. I mixed some green tea with aloe vera gel and applied it to my hair. Then I washed my hair and conditioned it. But it left lots of white pieces in my hair :S they look like dandruff or something

I think it could be the aloe gel. Did you by any chance use fresh one from plant? There are those fibery bits that can leave a bit of build-up...

[renia22]

Hmmnnn I'm tempted to try this mixed with rooibos, rosemary and possibly fenugreek seed, and nettle. God I could end up with so many herbs in these things. So is this a thing now? Anyone going to do this like a "growth challenge"? I'm really hoping so! :)

I'm going to use it on my scalp to see if it helps with shedding. For the past few years I've been using aloe & rosemary eo, which helps and I do like, but I don't know, I feel like it's time to mix it up a little and try something new. So far so good, I washed it out this morning & there were only a few strands in the shower, so it didn't hurt..:)