Fenugreek For Thick, Shiny Hair Growth (How It Works and How To Apply)
When God created hair, It must have also thought about the herbs to look after hair. I mean, God being the perfect entity, cannot leave things half done. And so were born, some exclusive, and some not exclusive, herbs for hair care.
And if you don’t believe in God, that is fine too. You can look at it from another angle. As the human civilization got more advanced, and it took care of food, clothing and shelter, the next aspiration was the desire to look beautiful. And hence experimentation with various herbs and oils began.
There are so many incredible herbs for hair that nature has provided us, and as you know I keep sharing them on hair buddha. In this article, I am going to talk about a multifunctional herb, Fenugreek Seeds.
I call fenugreek seeds multifunction because it’s fantastic not just to reduce hair loss, it also helps increase hair density and thickness. And there’s so much more that fenugreek can do for your hair and scalp. But first let’s briefly see what are fenugreek seeds, followed by hair benefits of fenugreek, and then I share with your fenugreek hair growth spray recipe – which is super-duper.
What Are Fenugreek Seeds?
If you have never seen fenugreek seeds, they are yellow-amber in colour with a pungent-bitter flavour. You will find the use of fenugreek seeds in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa. I don’t use them as much in my cooking, maybe sometimes in making dal. I reserve them for – you guessed it – haircare.
And why not, these aromatic seeds have amazing beauty benefits. But they also have medicinal value. Fenugreek is often prescribed in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to reduce cholesterol, blood sugar, soothe stomach irritation and detox the body. For your skin, it can help reduce wrinkles, dryness as well as shrink a pimple.
What about hair? How does fenugreek benefit hair? Let’s find that out…
How Does Fenugreek Seeds Promote Thick, Shiny Hair
Fenugreek is packed with hair nourishing components such as amino acids, fatty acids, saponins, antioxidants and slimy mucilage. Moreover fenugreek seeds also have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal benefits. So what can these do for hair? Here’s how these components benefits hair:
1. Fenugreek Stimulate Blood Flow to the Scalp
And as you know, when there is more blood flow to the scalp, more nutrients are supplied to hair follicles. So they will grow stronger and healthier hair (1).
2. Fenugreek Interferes With DHT And Reduces Hair Loss
The saponins in fenugreek interfere with DHT metabolism. One of the major reasons for male or female pattern hair loss is the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) attaching to hair follicles and causing them to shrink over time, eventually resulting in hair loss.
Fenugreek seeds can inhibit DHT from attaching to your hair follicles, thereby saving hair from its harmful effects. So the use of fenugreek will help reduce hair loss.
3. Fenugreek Gives Hair Volume and Texture
The little seeds of fenugreek are a rich source of protein which our hair loves. They add volume and strength to the hair and make them appear fuller. It is especially beneficial if you have fine hair and want to give texture to your hair.
4. Fenugreek Helps With Dandruff
Besides, fenugreek seeds are great for our scalp too. All thanks to its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. They can help get rid of unhealthy microorganisms that may be irritating the scalp and causing dandruff and flakes.
5. Fenugreek Makes Hair Soft, Smooth and Glossy
Yup, it has natural conditioning properties due to the slimy mucilaginous substance present in the seeds. When you soak fenugreek seeds in water, the slime is released. And it’s so so amazing for hair.
Fenugreek coats the hair and moisturises it from within. You will notice your hair getting softer and shinier with every use.
Now that you how useful fenugreek is for your hair, let’s get to making hair spray.
How To Make Fenugreek Hair Spray For Thicker Hair Growth
Making fenugreek seed spray is one of the easiest DIY you can do. It needs no cooking, just some soaking and stirring. That’s it and it will revive your hair with its beautiful benefits.
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon Fenugreek seeds
- ½ cup (120ml) Water
Optional Add-ins
- 1 tablespoon Aloe vera gel/juice (Nourishes hair and balances pH)
- 5 drops Lavender essential oil (soothes scalp and adds shine)
Making:
- In a bowl, place fenugreek seeds, add water and stir.
- Leave them aside, covered for around 24 hours.
- After soaking, the seeds swell and become more than twice the size.
- But we don’t need the seeds. We need the golden colour liquid that has fenugreek properties.
- So you strain the water. For extra boosts, I like to add aloe vera juice and lavender essential oil. But you don’t have to.
- Take a spray bottle, fill in fenugreek water (and aloe vera and lavender oil if using), shake well and use.
How to Use Fenugreek Spray:
Before washing hair, spray on your scalp and hair and let it sit for 30-60 minutes. Then wash as usual.
There’s also a second way you can use it. If you got dry, frizzy hair, use fenugreek water as a last rinse. After shampoo, apply the fenugreek water on your scalp and hair and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse out. This way, it will not only stimulate hair growth, but also make your hair soft and glossy.
Storing the leftover fenugreek water: You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.
What do you do with left over fenugreek seeds?
You can grind the seeds to a smooth paste, add some yogurt (or coconut milk) and use it as a hair mask.
Or you can sprinkle the seeds in your salad or stir-frys. They are quite nutritious. However, if you are new to eating fenugreek seeds, it’s better to avoid if you are pregnant. Also, those allergic to chickpeas or peanuts may react to them.
Where to Buy Fenugreek Seeds:
You can find them everywhere. In most grocery stores, Indian or Non-Indian. You can also buy fenugreek seeds online.
Happy Creating!
I would love to hear how fenugreek spray works for you…
Hello, Is it okay to drink fenugreek water?
I am soaking the seeds right now and cannot wait to try this. I have been taking the capsules, and noticed my hair getting much thicker (it is super thin), when I stopped, I started seeing bald spots, so I am back on the capsules.
I am intrigued by this post. I only have powdered fenugreek and aloe in my house. Is there a way I could use these, or do I have to buy seeds? The two times I’ve used my powdered fenugreek, once in a henna recipe, and another time as a mask, my significant other complained that my hair smelled bad for days!!! It is a strong smell, but I don’t mind it. I guess he is extra sensitive to smells. But I refrain from using this wonderful herb because it makes me feel bad to have people say my hair smells bad. Does the lavender disguise the smell at all?
Hi Heather, I have a big grin reading your comment. Fenugreek was an integral herb in our kitchen, so the smell doesn’t bother me. But I hear your husband. It does have a strong scent. You can try lavender and see if that helps.
Using the powders: You can use fenugreek powder for the rinse, but use a very fine sieve to strain it.
Your remedies are amazing 😊👍🏻Kindly share a good trusted source from where we can buy lavender easential oil
I am learning so much. I can not thank you enough.
I have been struggling with a thining crown for over twenty years just came across your website and about to try the fenegreek water spray saw it on YouTube will keep you posted
Hello , I would like to ask how long it takes to see results of the fenugreek water spray and is it ok to spray on thinning areas daily. Thank you
Hi Catherine, you should see the results in a couple of weeks. You can spray every two days or three days. Doing too much can cause build up.
Will the fenugreek oil in a bottle work the same as the seeds?
Fenugreek sprouts are the tastiest sprouts! They are ready in about four days and as a big bonus, plump up the breasts with their phytoestrogens!
Could this be used as a leave-in conditioner? I had such good results from your fenugreek-yogurt hair mask to hydrate my frizz that I’m curious…
You could try. Let me know how it works for you.
It seemed to have worked well. It left my hair really soft and shiny. I have a piece of hair that naturally curls near one of my ears. Over some days it gets limp. I sprayed this on it and it came back to life curlier than ever!! It was magical.
That’s fantastic. So glad fenugreek is helping your curly hair!
Thanks, it’s actually wavy with some real curls along the perimeter. My mom has straight-ish hair (no real wave but not bone straight), my dad curly like in Greco-Roman statue style, I have hair that would be wavy but until recently looked frizzy, straight-ish and really voluminous. Then only recently I discovered it was actually much wavier than it seemed it was just badly cared for, unknowingly. Standard shampoo and conditioner really have not been kind to my high porosity thin strands hair. I actually started researching because one of my dreams was to have butt-length hair, but the maximum I could manage was waist length with lots of damaged dry ends. So I ended up here among other places. My hair grows fast but since it has a tendency to lose moisture fast it dries fast and thus forms split ends fast. I have been using your besan shampoo mostly and sometimes egg yolk, your yogurt-fenugreek mask, and some of your hair rinses for about 1 month, and recently my hairdresser told me my hair looks and behaves much better! I see my shed strands look thicker in diameter, and I don’t have the perennial halo of frizz anymore, or not to the same extent, I gave it a name in my childhood that’s how long it was there. Now my goal is moisture retention, without which I can’t mantain my ends well and thus retain growth. I am intrigued about castor oil and want to try, sooner or later, about 1000 things.
Thanks Minaz! Your site has been a treasure. I have also recommended it to my friends with hair problems, all mostly caused by drying shampoos best suited for ceramic dishes.
Didina, Thanks for sharing your hair story. It gives me insights to create new posts. Moisture retention is quite important, have you tried rosewater spray?
Yes, I’ve tried it, but it wasn’t much different than water with me. I’ve had better (and cheaper) results with fenugreek water and aloe. Now I’m trying making fenugreek water as hair spray, then maturing the fenugreek seeds till they sprout; I collect the rinsed water to be used as a hair rinse and I eat the sprouted seeds in the end. I’ll report back if it works…
So I’ve tried it, I think I prefer sage tea as a rinse but….I love fenugreek sprouts! Better than mung in my opinion. They took about 1 week and 2 days to fully develop but with very little work required, just patience. They are not as bitter as the seeds and have a more interesting flavor than mung sprouts. I’ve used them in a salad but I think they would also be good in fried rice, or with potatoes.
Fenugreek comes in category of spice, so you need to use it in less quantities. It can’t replace mung, which is a legume, with a balance of carbs, protein and micro-nutrients. So my suggestion is, don’t overdo fenugreek seeds.
Thanks, I only sprout a tablespoon at a time anyway, once a week at most. So I eat them only not to throw that tablespoon away which I use for fenugreek water. I know fenugreek has phytoestrogens which should be eaten with caution. But isn’t fenugreek technically a legume as well?
Yes fenugreek is a legume.
excellent information.
Regards
Esther
I have a leave in spray made with fenugreek seeds and aloe leaf juice with a few drops of rosemary essential oil.
How is it working for you?
thank you for the information.
Let me know how it works for you!
Thank you for posting such lovely posts on hair and skin care.Can you please suggest a good shampoo to be used regularly for kids as well as adults? Regards,Sukanya.
Hi Sukanya, Have you tried shampoo bars, they are gentle for hair.
Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be trying this. Just one question – how long does it store for?
It will keep for a week in the fridge.