Benefits of Bay Leaves for Hair

Easy, 100% natural, and wonderful to use as a hair tonic. Bay leaf water is great for stimulating fresh hair growth and reducing dandruff, as well as adding shine to the hair and condition.

I totally get it. If you think of bay leaves, you think of roast dinners or all-in-one hot pots cooking on a winter stove. 

Bay leaves are so well known in the kitchen and for seasoning foods. Yet, in a way, that doesn’t make the best of them.

Of course, they’re great in cooking for adding aromatic spice to dishes – but they’re also fantastic for the hair! 

I heard about using bay leaves for hair way before I actually tried it. Not that I was dubious or doubtful, as I wholeheartedly believe in the power of herbs for beauty. 

It’s just that I didn’t try it until recently. And now, I’m hooked! 

In this post, I’ll share a super simple recipe for making bay leaf water for hair, which is great to use to help hair repair and recover, nourishing it back to its best. 

What are bay leaves?

Bay leaves come from the Bay Laurel tree, which grows prolifically in any garden if given the right conditions. 

The tree grows relatively quickly and can soon get out of control if they’re not trimmed back!

The leaves themselves add aromatic flavor to loads of dishes, from soups, stews, curries, and so forth. 

When using fresh bay leaves (or whole dried leaves), it’s best to remove them before serving as they have a harsh, bitter taste if eaten. 

To put it simply – you don’t eat a bay leaf. You use it only to enhance the flavor of a dish. And now, you use them to make bay leaf water, too, for your hair!

bay leaf water benefits

There is an understanding in the herbal scene that bay leaf water helps improve hair health and increase hair growth. 

How does it do this? 

By increasing circulation to the scalp, which in turn helps bring nutrients to the hair root – therefore speeding up hair growth. 

It’s also claimed that bay leaf water reduces dandruff and helps those who suffer from a dry scalp – likely down to the oils it naturally contains in the leaves. 

Bay leaves contain around 2% oils that can be extracted to make the essential oil. The leaves also contain antibacterial and antimicrobial elements which fight against dandruff and other fungal hair problems. 

So too, can bay leaf water help with hair loss, as its therapeutic oils reach deep into the hair shaft and work on the scalp to nourish and condition. 

Scientists are somewhat skeptical about bay leaf water and its uses on the hair, but the way I see it is, there’s no harm in trying! 

Bay leaf water is 100% natural and can only do good things, I feel. 

I’ve personally tried bay leaf water on my hair on more than one occasion, and every time my hair feels thicker and more luscious. 

So it’s worth a go, and the recipe I share here is so easy – very similar to my rose water recipe!

how to make bay leaf water 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of water
• 4 fresh bay leaves

Instructions:

Add the water and bay leaves to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Boil for 10 minutes before removing the pan from the heat to cool.

Once cool, pour the bay leaf water directly onto damp hair before shampooing. 

Leave it in for a few minutes to allow the oils to sink in and nourish your hair. 

Shampoo as usual and dry/style as you wish. 

Bay leaf benefits for hair

You can store bay leaf water in the fridge for up to one week. It’s best to keep it in a glass bottle if you can, as the natural oils within may spoil if kept in plastic. 

As with any herbal remedy, its recommended to run this by your doctor before using bay leaf water in your hair.

You could also consult an herbalist for more detailed advice than I can give, say if you’re nervous about using bay leaf water or have more specific questions to ask. 

If you’re wondering, “does bay leaf really help in hair growth?” my answer is, why not try it? 

Why do we need to care for our hair?

Our hair takes such a beating, not only from being out in the elements but also from the harsh products we put on it.

That is why I occasionally use a hair mask, protein hair treatment or hair rinse to add the necessary nourishment back into the strands.

Related: How to hydrate your hair with coconut water

Using bay leaves for hair growth

According to healthifyme.com, bay leaves are exceptional for ridding the scalp of dry skin and dandruff, which in turn promotes the regrowth of hair.

I haven’t used bay leaf water for long enough to tell whether my hair is growing faster or not; you’d need to use it for a few months at least to test the theory. 

But it’s worth trying if this is what you’re after! 

You can use bay leaf water on your hair up to 3 times a week to start with, and if you want to use it more, work up to that by gradually increasing the number of days you use it. 

It’s best to use fresh bay leaves for this recipe. The second best option is dried whole leaves.

I have been asked whether you can use straight-up bay leaf essential oil and water for this recipe, and I don’t recommend it. 

Namely, that’s because you can’t be sure of the quality of the oil, plus there’s bound to be other natural elements not present in the essential oil which are there in the fresh leaf. 

So – use fresh if you can! It’ll give the best results. 

I hope you love this easy recipe. If you’d like to read more of my posts, I suggest checking out these ones next!

• How to use rosemary water for your hair
• How to make a shampoo to get rid of hard water residue
• Simple homemade green tea hair rinse
• How to make & use an apple cider vinegar hair rinse