The wine series; Palmwine for healthy hair.

Palm wine is a tropical local alcoholic beverage in Central and Western Africa made from the sap of different palm species like raffia palm, date palm and coconut palm trees. It is known as toddy in Asia.

It is a sweet, milky, effervescent, beverage that is either enjoyed fresh, fermented or infused with medicinal herbs to serve as a health tonic and it can be either ingested or used topically.

Now, apart from being a locally derived alcoholic beverage, Palmwine is surprisingly highly effective for maintaining a healthy head of natural hair as it’s important for retaining length, seeing visible growth and, I’m here to tell you the What’s, the Whys and the Hows. So stay with me, will you?

First, what are its constituents?

Palmwine contains an extremely healthy dose of Riboflavin; Vitamin B2, Vitamin B Co, Vitamin B3 and B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Iron, Nicotinic acid, Probiotics, Thiamine, Proteins, Amino acids, Potassium, Copper, Zinc and Magnesium. It is also very rich in antioxidants.

All of which are extremely crucial for the healthy development of our hair strands.

Why are they extremely crucial?

Lets run through the importance of each of these nutrients to determine just how ‘crucial’ they are to hair growth.

• Vitamin B2 plays a big role for hair growth because , eighty-eight percent of hair is composed of protein that is attached by amino acids. One of the vitamins that aids in hair growth is vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin. it activates vitamin B6 and niacin which are key to healthy hair development.
• Vitamin B6 acts as a catalyst by activating the enzymes and chemical reactions that start the metabolism of hair proteins, keratin and melanin, in our hair follicles. Also when applied topically to the scalp, it is found to enlarge subnormal hair bulbs, thereby increasing hair diameter, strength and body.
• Magnesium helps with protein synthesis. Since hair follicles are made almost entirely of protein, this is key. It also prevents calcium build up on our scalp by counteracting calcium which greatly aids blood circulation and hair growth and scalp health.
• Zinc helps hair tissue growth and repair. It also keeps oil glands around the follicles working properly. In fact, a major symptom of Zinc deficiency is hair loss.
• Thiamine helps to prevent, reduce and improve thinning hair and hair loss.
• Nicotinic acid when applied to the scalp increases blood circulation, strengthens metabolic processes in the hair follicles, which prevents hair loss and stimulates their accelerated growth.
• Iron helps boost circulation and carries oxygen to your hair’s roots and helps it grow faster and longer. Iron deficiency will lead to hair loss. Without oxygen, their is no hair growth. It’s simple.
• Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen, which is super important for healthy hair growth, it also helps with the absorption of iron.
• Probiotics help with protein break down, which allows for the proteins that build up your hair to reach the scalp efficiently. They also attack pathogens (agents of disease) to keep your blood healthy.
• Antioxidants help reduce the amount of oxidative stress and free radicals that cause the hair follicle cells in a person’s scalp to break down.

Utilizing Palmwine for Hair growth.

The most important thing to note here is that Palmwine is best used when it’s fresh and the life span of fresh Palmwine is approximately 12 hours after which, it begins to ferment.

Apart from ingesting or drinking Palmwine for hair growth, you can also apply it topically in the following ways.

1. As a hair rinse and a scalp cleanser

After shampooing, Palmwine can be used as a final hair rinse. It can also be massaged into the scalp to get the nutrients absorbed into your bloodstream quicker so you can see results quicker.

2. As a hair spritz or refresher.

When your hair is in a protective style, Palmwine can be used in place of water to moisturize your hair and scalp.

3. As a base for Ayurveda infusion.

You can choose to infuse fenugreek seeds or fennel seeds or black seeds. Basically any seed or herb of your choice to increase the potency.

Just remember, less is more in this case.

Speaking of usage,

Palmwine can be used on your hair twice a day, three times in a week at the most. This is because our scalp is extremely permeable and you wouldn’t want to get too intoxicated due to the use of Palmwine for your hair. This is same reason it is not advisable for pregnant women to use this treatment for their hair.

I hope this article was educative and you learnt a thing or two. Until next time I remain your in-house Naturalista.

xoxo, The Naturalista.