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Horsetail for Hair Health

By Mary Kate Nyland |
Horsetail for Hair Health

If you’re dealing with lackluster, thinning hair, we hope you know you’re not alone. Many of us struggle with maintaining healthy hair growth, especially as we age. For an experience so common, there are lots of misconceptions around hair loss, including the best way to address it.

We happen to believe that natural, nutrient-rich ingredients have the power to help promote hair growth, protecting hair follicles and strands, and minimizing the effects of existing hair loss.

Today, we’ll focus on horsetail extract. This potent plant has been used for centuries to promote hair health and combat hair loss. In this post, we'll dive into the science behind horsetail for hair, exploring how it can boost healthy hair growth and transform your locks. Let's get started!

What Exactly is Horsetail?

It’s a plant-based extract with a funny name. Here’s everything you need to know about horsetail extract. 

Derived from the Horsetail Plant

Horsetail extract is derived from the horsetail plant, a perennial plant with a distinctive appearance that resembles a horse's mane.

Horsetail grows in rich, moist soils and can be found on just about every continent, excluding Australia. 

An Herbal Remedy

This medicinal herb has a long history of use in traditional medicine for its numerous health benefits, including supporting hair health. 

The horsetail plant is rich in silica, a mineral that is essential for healthy hair growth and can help to strengthen hair strands. Horsetail extract is made by harvesting and drying the plant, then processing it to extract its potent compounds. This extract makes it easy to access the benefits of the horsetail plant for hair health and is a popular ingredient in many hair care products today. You can find it in both herbal supplements as well as horsetail shampoo.

How Can Horsetail Support Healthy Hair?

So what does this plant have to do with hair health? We’ll explain. Here are three key benefits of horsetail extract when it comes to a healthy scalp and new hair growth. 

Anti-Inflammatory Properties Protect Hair Follicles

One of the key benefits of horsetail for hair health is its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation in the hair follicles and scalp can both cause and exacerbate a range of problems, from hair thinning and breakage to dandruff and scalp irritation. 

Horsetail extract can combat these issues by reducing inflammation and helping to improve blood circulation to both the scalp and the hair shafts. By reducing inflammation, horsetail can also help to prevent hair loss and encourage new hair growth. 

High Silica Content Means Shinier Hair

Probably our favorite benefit of horsetail extract is its silica content. Silica is a mineral that is essential for healthy hair growth. Silica is also important for maintaining the health of cartilage and bone tissue, promoting skin health, and collagen production.

We tend to think about collagen related to skin health, but it also plays an essential role in healthy hair! Collagen helps keep hair shiny and strong and a deficiency in collagen can lead to hair loss and other hair-related problems. 

By providing a source of silica, horsetail extract can help to regulate hair growth, promote healthy hair shafts, and prevent hair breakage. Bonus? It will also help improve the appearance of your skin and nails.

Proven to Increase Hair Thickness

The theory behind horsetail extract isn’t just that it bolsters your internal nutrition and therefore it leads to healthier hair. This plant has actually been proven to reduce hair shedding and hair loss. 

In a clinic study of women with self-perceived thinning hair, horsetail extract was proven to significantly increase the number of not only new hair strands, but also the thickness of those hair strands. 

Last Thoughts on Horsetail for Hair Health

We know it can be hard to tell the difference between what’s for real and what’s too good to be true when it comes to hair health. The good news? Horsetail is as good as it seems.

Horsetail extract is a powerful herbal remedy that can help to promote healthy hair growth and combat hair loss. Its rich silica content helps to strengthen hair from the inside out, reducing the risk of brittle strands and breakage. In addition, horsetail extract can help to stimulate hair growth by increasing circulation to the scalp and supporting the health of hair follicles.

We incorporate horsetail extract into our hair care routines by taking Wellbel, a once a day supplement which includes horsetail root, plus a bunch of other plant-based and hardworking ingredients that give hair the extra support it needs to grow long, strong, and healthy. 


Check it out here.

 

Sources:

 Horsetail | Encyclopedia Britannica 

A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Multi-center, Extension Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of a New Oral Supplement in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair

author
Mary Kate Nyland
Mary Kate Nyland is a content and copy writer with a passion for wellness.
MEDICALLY REVIEWED BY
Dalia Yadegar PA-C
Dalia Yadegar is a Board Certified Physician Assistant who specializes in Dermatology and Integrative Medicine.
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