Black Seed (Kalonji) Hair Mask to Regrow Your Hair
Black seeds are a super effective natural remedy to reduce hair loss and regrow hair.
Most of the hair remedies we use help nourish hair. But black seeds are different.
Black seeds are powerful healers.
They help heal hair follicles that are inflamed and damaged. And when hair follicles are revived and become healthy, the hair that grows out of them won’t be fine or fragile that fall off easily. Black seeds make your hair grow thicker, stronger and healthier.
Black seeds are pretty potent for hair. These tiny seeds also have a reputation in traditional medicine. Let’s briefly see the benefits of black seeds for health followed by its hair benefits and how to make hair mask.
What are Black Seeds?
As the name suggests, the seeds are pitch black in colour and also goes by following names:
- Kalonji seeds
- Black cumin
- Onion seeds
- Black caraway
- Fennel flower
- Shuneiz
- Hei zhong cao
- The botanical name is Nigella sativa
Black seeds are native to the Middle East, North Africa, Southern Europe and Indian Subcontinent.
These seeds are not any ordinary seeds; their mention is in holy books and ancient medicinal texts. In Islamic literature, it is regarded as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine. And its many uses have earned Black Seeds the Arabic praise ‘Habbatul barakah’, meaning ‘The Seed of blessing’.
Black seeds have been used for thousands of years for eczema, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, to boost the immune system and for general well-being.
Why are black seeds so effective in healing?
It’s because of their active constituents such as major fatty acids, thymoquinone, phenolic compounds, and other natural antioxidants. Black seeds are also packed with proteins, essential oils as well as vitamins and minerals including, iron, zinc, copper, niacin, thiamine, folic acid. These nutrients make it a potent remedy to prevent and restore various health conditions.
Since these seeds are so packed with bioactive compounds, they are also very popular among researcher scientists and you will find hundreds of studies on it. From diabetes to heart conditions to hair loss, black seeds have been proven to be useful in a wide range of conditions.
So while you can consume these tiny seeds to get a healthier body, you can also use them for healthier hair. These seeds work fantastic for hair growth.
How Black Seeds Remedy Hair Loss and Promote Thicker Hair
Black seeds have been used since ancient times to stop excess hair fall and enhance the growth and condition of the hair. It’s also said to be a natural remedy for premature greying of hair.
But what does modern science say about the hair benefits of black seeds, let’s find out:
1. Black seeds are packed with powerful antioxidants
And that is very beneficial as the antioxidants strengthen the hair follicles and encourage healthier growth. Plus, black seeds are rich in B vitamins, amino acids and minerals like iron, copper and zinc. All provide nourishment and add strength and thickness to hair.
2. Black seeds may help in age-related hair loss
As we age, hair thinning happens due to the accumulation of unstable molecules called free radicals — which can cause damage to hair cells. Regular application of antioxidant-rich hair treatments can help neutralise these harmful free radicals, preventing the hair from thinning.
3. Black seeds can reduce hair loss due telogen effluvium (which can be caused by stress, COVID, iron deficiency, thyroid disorder, etc.)
When you undergo a period of intense stress or illness, the hair cycle is disrupted. And this causes hair to shift from growing phase to resting phase, and eventually fall out. This form of hair loss is called telogen effluvium (TE).
So how can black seeds help?
Thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, black seeds can help promote growth and reduce inflammation around the hair follicles.
A randomised study was carried out on 20 women with TE. Out of which, 10 women were asked to apply a lotion containing black seed oil, and the other 10 applied same lotion minus the black seed oil.
The findings? Seventy percent of those treated with black seed oil showed a notable improvement in hair density and thickness. Black seed was also able to reduce inflammation observed in most patients with TE.
4. Black seed can bring relief from dandruff and psoriasis
Black seeds are very healing due to their antifungal and antibacterial properties. And these properties can help maintain scalp health and get rid of any unwanted microbes. Also, its strong anti-inflammatory effects will calm the angry, irritated scalp as well as help in conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.
5. Black seeds improve the strength, shine and softness of hair
Black seeds are composed of 30 to 40 percent fatty acids, including linoleic, linolenic, oleic and palmitic acids. All these healthy oils provide hydration and moisture to hair, improving its shine, elasticity and softness.
How to Make Black Seed (Kalonji) Hair Mask to Regrow Lost Hair
Of course, you will need black seeds for the mask. But to grow your hair back, you need to make the mask more potent, that’s why few more ingredients are required…..
Fenugreek helps with hair loss and makes hair strong and shiny.
Honey is great for your scalp health, and it also offers moisturising and pH balancing effects.
Fullers earth or (mulatni mitti) helps to draw the impurities from the scalp.
Cinnamon powder has a stimulating effect on hair follicles by increasing the scalp circulation and promoting growth.
Olive oil is high in antioxidant and helps to keep hair damaging free radicals away. And it also ensures shine and softness.
Coconut milk serves as a base for the mask. It’s also incredibly moisturising and nourishing for hair.
To make black seed hair mask you will need:
- 1 tablespoon Black Seeds or Kalonji
- 1 tablespoon Fenugreek Seed
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1 tablespoon Fullers Earth (Multani Mitti)**
- 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
Making Instructions
First, grind the black seeds and fenugreek seeds to a fine powder.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl; add coconut milk to make a paste. Set it aside for an hour.
During this time the entire mixture will thicken up and become slightly slimy. If you think the mixture is too thick to apply, add some water to make the mask creamy.
Substitutions:
- If you don’t have fuller earth, you can use rhassoul clay. Or skip the clays altogether. The mask will still be effective.
- Coconut milk is very moisturising. So if your hair is already soft and silk, you can use yogurt instead. It will add volume and texture to your hair.
How to Apply Black Seed Mask
Start with dry or damp hair. Apply this mask to your scalp and hair. Put on your shower cap or wrap your head in a muslin cloth or a towel. You can also leave your hair uncovered as this mixture won’t drip.
Leave this on for 20-30 minutes, then rinse off thoroughly. Wash with a natural shampoo and let your hair dry naturally.
Repeat this mask once a week to grow thick gorgeous hair.
You may also like: Homemade Black Seed (Kalonji) Hair Oil: Effective Remedy for Hair Loss and Bald Patches
Buying Black Seeds and other ingredients:
You can easily find black seeds in any Indian shop. If it’s not nearby, you can buy Black seeds online (Click Here to Buy).
Buy raw honey that is unpasteurized and unfiltered and retains maximum goodness.
You can either buy fenugreek powder or fenugreek seeds and powder them together with black seeds.
To sum up, the black seed hair mask will
- Reduce hair loss
- Nourishes and strengthen hair follicles.
- Promote healthier new growth
- Bring relief from scalp dryness
- Add shine and softness to your hair
Have you tried the Black Seed Mask on your hair? Share your experiences in the comment box below!
My hair are very thin, fragile, and there is hairfall and hair breakage. Besides thyroid it is due to keratin treatment and hot treatment also. Please provide some solution.
Hi Minaz,
My mom has a spot on her head where her hair is thinner. I’d like to try this mask on her, but my spice grinder is not the best. Would the mask still work great if I strained the ground seeds before using it?
Hi Didina, Yes absolutely.
Can I use bringhraj oil instead of olive oil?
Hi Minaz, I’m a girl of 25 years and over the last 5 years I’ve been loosing my hair first with the edges and now the middle of my head. Please any recommendations
It looks like female pattern baldness. You can try onion juice or garlic oil. Also, daily physical activity: yoga, weights, walks etc.
Let me try this. Hope it will certainly help.
It’s amazing how an item can have so many names depending on the region. I grew up in the Caribbean calling it black cumin seeds. I’m such a fan of your website and tried a lot of your recommendations. Thanks
Hey Bonnie, I am so happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know <3
Hi,
I’m a 32 yr old male. I was wondering if i can apply this mask on my facial beard? Thanks
Hi Mosin, I see why not. Let me know how it goes.
Hi, thank you for posting this. I used the recipe but without the clay, my natural type 4 hair came out soft and moisturized!
I’m definitely going to be using this in my hair care now.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have olive oil what should I do
Use any oil you like.
I have Black Seed oil which i mix with rosemary, alma, peppermint and castor oils.. I apply a few drops to thinning areas..Seems to be helping.. Can you advise anything more with the black seed oil? Should I ingest a teaspoon everyday?
Hi
I wanted to know if we can skip coconut milk
Hello Nidhi, yes you can skip coconut milk.
Hello.
I love your blog.
I have purchased black seed powder. Can you advise if it is important to make a hair mask that contains oil; or could it be still effective if oil was not included.
Thank you.
Hi Mia, you can use it without the oil.
Thank you so much
This is really helpful
Can you store this paste for a week or so?
Do you wash your hair with conditioner after or just shampoo?
Just shampoo, I use a hair rinse later.
where can buy black seed in south Africa because my hair it thing
Hlloooo…..
Pz rply me bfor age my hair are becoming gray
Hlloooo…..
Is it work for gray hair…???
I don’t have a good grinder, can I use the black seed & fenugreek powders instead?
Yes you can.
Hi, can I skip the oil and fuller’s earth ?
Also, can I add other stuff proven to help hairloss, like onion juice, amla, reetha and shikakai powder?
Javeria, yes, please do. You should experiment adding herbs/ natural ingredients that are local to you and keep a record of what works and what does. This way you will be able find the best recipes that work for your hair.
Hi Minaz, can I use mustard oil or castor oil instead of olive oil?
Can this mask help in male baldness..if the hair is completely lost.
I have organic cold pressed black seed oil and would like to know if you could tell me how to incorporate this instead of the ground seeds in the mask?
Thank you 🙂
You can mix a teaspoon of black seed oil with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Let me know how it goes for you.
Hi Minhaz,
Can i apply this pack on oily hair? If yes then should i add or skip multani mitti?
Hi Ratna, you can apply on oiled hair. I suggest you try both – with and without multani mitti and see what you like.
Hi Minaz
I seem to be having a lot of hair fall when I oil my hair and then apply the mask. Can I skip the oil altogether and use fenugreek, kalonji, honey only ? I will follow it with shikakai and fenugreek powder or liquid hair rinse. Does that sound ok Minaz ?
Thanks a ton for the wonderful website again ????
Hi Sudha, yes it’s totally okay to skip oil.
Hi Minaz
Thank you for providing such power packed information on hair care. I wanted to know if in this hair mask if olive oil is skipped if my hair is already oiled with almond oil would it be ok ?
Thanks again
Hi Sud, yes ofcourse, if your hair is already oiled then skip it.
Hi minaz…wat is best for hair fall …kalaungi mask or kalaungi oil
I would say try out both and see what works for you. The best oil/mask/shampoo is what works for your hair.
Can I use egg white too with the mentioned ingredients?
I wouldn’t, you can add coconut milk if you want.
Can I use this on my naturally blonde hair or will it darken it?
Black seeds don’t stain as far I know.
Hi
Read your posts about black seed, fenugreek, coconut oil and castor oil hair oil preparation for bald patches and thinning hair. I have two questions:
1. As someone mentioned in below comments that use of fenugreek won’t have any effect on estrogen levels? And I have not seen your reply on it. Please reply.
2. Can we use this hair mask along with oil treatment.
Can this pack be applied on oiled hair (I tend to keep oil overnight before washing my hair)?.
Yes
Thank you so much for your reply. Your blogs are very helpful in taking a proper care of my hair.
Minaz,
I had thick dense hair since birth.I lost most of my hair thickness 3 years ago.Since then I have been struggling to restore my hair density using natural products such as using a herbal shampoo powder( amla,Reetha,shikakai ), used home made hair oils and hair packs over the past 1.5 years – onion oil,hibiscus hair oil, aloe Vera hair oil, hibiscus hair pack, egg hair pack. All the pampering gave a healthy look to my hair.The 2 ingredient- Kalonji-methi hair pack that you suggested controlled hair fall after a month of usage.I now have negligible hair fall, no dandruff or other scalp infections,my hair is growing lengthwise but I am still unable to growth thick dense hair.I also take vitamin supplements as prescribed by my doctor, I moderately exercise and eat simple home cooked food. I am already 39. please pass on a sure shot remedy to grow thick hair for women of my age.
Hello,
I blended the kolonji in coffee blender. We don’t have the Indian spice blender. It was not that fine. I soaked the mask for 2 hous before applying but it did not stayed in my hair it was falling on the floor any suggestion.
Do u have juicer, mixture, grinder..? Then grind it
Dear Minaz,
Thanks a ton for such amazing beauty solutions.You epitomize the ‘True spirit of sharing (info) and spreading joy’. Stay blessed.
Dear Asha, thanks for your kind words.
Can I drink the black seed oil instead?
Hi Minaz thank you for sharing your Kalonji seed recipes. I prefer homemade/DIY hair products since you know what’s going into them.
Thanks again for sharing????
Hi, me again. To prevent drain clogs I pour a couple of kettles of boiling water down the drain before washing off the mask and then a couple afterwards. Takes care of everything and does no damage to the plumbing system.
Thanks so much for all this information and inspiration!
Hello, I have used this mask several times now & I love it – so far I see a massive difference in how my hair looks and feels: thick and beautiful. That’s saying a lot because my hair was gross and scraggly & I’m 50 years old. I am sure new growth will be strong too because I also use the kalonji serum you gave. Your site has really opened my eyes to how much we can do and get results.
For the person who had breakage getting the mask out, I found it very important to grind the seeds as fine as I could. I also halved the recipe (in proportion!!) because the first couple of times it was too much, quite gloppy, kept plopping on the floor, etc. I think the secret is really a superfine grind. Also, rinse in sections and do some massage. I do a first rinse, turn off the water, and then massage for quite a while with just a few drops of shampoo. One wash is almost enough, so I just use a drop of shampoo for the second time.
Trust me, I’m a very lazy person so normally would never put this effort into a hair mask, but I can’t get over how effective this is.
Sorry for the long message – it would just be shame for anyone to be put off just because some trial and error is needed. Thank you for all this great information.
Hi KP, you did a great job of explaining!
This mask is a pain to get out of the hair. I lost so much hair just untangling it all as the mask is almost impossible to get out of the hair. What am I doing wrong here?
Oh that’s not very nice. Did you follow the recipe to the tee?
The thing is when you try something new it’s best to sticky to the exact measurements. If your hair is on dry side, leave out the clay. You can experiment adding more olive oil or use coconut milk, which are great natural detanglers. Hope this helps.
Thanks a lot for your great tips. I sure will try the mask, cause my hair is thin and sheds a lot.
can we use kalonjig oil instead of olive oil?
thank you!
Yes you can or even coconut oil is good.
Hi! For how many days can this paste be stored? Or should it be made fresh every time?
Hello Aishwarya! Make it fresh!
it was nice to read this about kalaunji
Is kalonji on its own not that great for hair mask ? Actually i have ordered cold pressed kalonji oil n m now second guessing coz many websites say mix it with other stuff. Is kalonji oil good too? Also, my main reason was for reversal of grey hair( in my case mostly caused due to careless coloring by parlour girls). Please advise. Was checking other content. Love your site!
Hello Anu, Kalonji oil is very strong. You can use the oil on its own, but most people prefer to mix it with coconut oil.
Minaz..
Can I simply use Soaked and ground Kalonji seed paste as a hair pack for female pattern baldness? Also, please do a write on how to prevent clogging bath tubs ( while using henna and other hair masks) for those living in USA.
Hi V, Yes you can use soaked and ground kalonji seeds (I would also add fenugreek to it).
I use henna mask and it doesn’t clog my bath tub. I do add white vinegar in bath tub and other sink holes monthly. Hope this helps.
That was my concern too. I was thinking instead of washing it out in the shower, I could stand outside over the compost heap and pour water over myself. Hopefully nobody happens to look outside when I am doing it 😀
i’d really love to try the kalonji seeds. can i make this mask without fenugreek though? i don’t want to use ingredients that are going to affect my estrogen level.
how long does this mask take to restore lost hair?
Mam..
U didn’t showed pic of adding olive oil to it… And can I mix mixture in iron vessel… 3rd after applying mixture on hair u suggested to wash hair with shampoo if so will the ingredients added in mixture will work if we wash immediately and provide desire results.
Hey minaz…. I love u babe…. I m so grateful to u for making me hair manageable…. My hair is Pain in Head.. just bcz of u texture got better… As I was born with dry frizzy damage hair…..
Ma’am….u hv mentioned kalonji seeds. Is it also called black jeera..
Black jeera or kala jeera is a different thing. See the picture and you will know what I am talking about.
Minaz, kalonji and kala Jeera are the same.
Hi Brototi, we call kala jeera shahi jeera.
But maybe some cultures use that term.
Is it easy to wash off the hair mask.. Because i always have trouble getting the mask out of ny hair..the ingredients always get dried up and becomes very difficult to remove it completely
It washes off easily. Some bits do remain, but as the hair dries they fall out as you comb.
Use a conditioning hair rinse in the end.
Dear Minaz,
Thank you for all the info and tips you share with everyone. I am happy to find your website. I am in my 50’s and last year starts to shed lots of hair. I am hoping to try your hair mask to grow back the hair. I wonder if I can use the black seed oil instead of the seed? Would it works the same? I also thinking to put the fenugreek seed in coconut oil and warm it up to make fenugreek oil and mix with the black seed oil with the other ingredients on your hair mask receipt to massage on scalp, do you think it works the same?
Thanks,
Patty
Dear Patty,
I am not a fan of black seeds oil, but there are many people who like it.
My mother-in-law makes similar oil that you described, she adds in crushed fenugreek seeds, black seeds in coconut oil and castor oil and leaves it at sunny windowsill. She findings it very effective for hair growth.
Hi Minaz 🙂
really loved this mask it’s wonderful for my hair. I’m using it twice a week with rosemary and thyme hair wash.
Thank you
Awesome!!
How do you make rosemary & thyme hair wash?
Hi Minaz, I am in Sydney, Australia. My daughter is going daycare all 5 days. Morning 8.30 to 5.30 .Center provides food. We are pure vegetarian. I tried to give her boiled egg but she refused to eat it. She is just 4.5 year. I have notice her hair color is getting change from black to brown. And she has 3-4 white hair also.very dry hair and curly. She has not much but bit hair fall problem also. Can you suggest any hair pack or mask to improve hair color, texture and hair fall for her ? Any diet I should follow. I am worried because she is just 4.5 . Waiting for your reply.
Hi Avani, you can use plain coconut oil to massage her hair and that should be enough. She is too young for a hair mask.
I would also suggest you visit a doctor and get her checked for any deficiencies like iron, b12, vitamin D.
Even though vegetarian, if you eat a diverse diet – grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, dairy, fruits, veggies, it takes care of all the body requirements.
Can this mask be used on blonde hair without changing the color?
Yes.
Will this black mask naturally dye my hair? I’m blonde, so very leary to try… Thanks so much
Maria C
Hi Maria, it won’t dye your hair. Let me know how it works for you.
Minhaz… I love the effort you put for our hair! Thx so much. Now Rhassoul or Multani Mitti…. won;t it dry up on the hair and cause it to break? I am a little scared to try this although I have read that both clays are amazing for hair moisture. Pls tell me your experience with mitti or clay on hair and how to wash it off and manage it. Thx Minhaz
Hi Meera, if your hair/scalp is on dry side feel free to skip the clay.
The beauty of homemade masks is that you can make it according to your hair’s needs.