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Chive Oil Face, Scalp And Hair Masks

As a self-admitted workaholic I often skimp on eating as healthy as I know I should.  I try, but sometimes when I'm in the work zone I really don't want to stop to prepare and eat a healthy meal.

With that said, I do strive hard to always get 8 hours of sleep per night and have been doing that for the past five years.

(Image of Chives - Courtesy of Morderska - All Rights Reserved)

I also have gave up diet soda almost 10 years, coffee and decaf coffee for close to six months and rarely drink alcohol.

When I do, it's usually a glass of red wine or champagne.  Even then, "rarely" translates to special events like Thanksgiving, Christmas and anniversaries.

Recently my horrendous eating habits and constant workaholic behaviors caught up with me.  My chronic candida went completely out of control and I felt terrible.  I decided to try a little harder with my foot and hit the aisles at Whole Foods were I loaded up on organic fruits and veggies.  I also dug out Oprah's healthy soup recipe which calls for homemade chive oil and is very healthy.

Yes, I made the chive oil for the soup recipe which calls for blanched and iced chives pureed in the blending with 1/2 cup of organic canola oil.

However, I was befuddled about what to do with the leftover chive meat after I strained the oil out of the pureed mix.  Hmmm, I decided there had to be some good use for mashed chives, right?

I looked up the beauty and hair benefits of chives which are part of the lily family and date back 5,000 years to China and some of their recipes.  These herbs contain a mild onion and garlic flavor for use in soups, salads, vegetables and sauces.

(Image courtesy of Vikush - All Rights Reserved)

So what to do with the leftover chive puree?  I decided to first slather it on my face using my fingertips and holding some aside for the ends of my tresses.  I also hit the books to look for hair, beauty and related chive based masks and potions.

Messiness Factor of Mashed Chives

Since the mashed chive is mixed with canola oil, the mixture felt oily, if not a little greasy on my skin.

Although it felt soothing and a little tingly on my skin, it was also messy and drippy.  Of course canola oil is always great for dry skin of any kind so it makes sense it would have a softening effect.  I am guessing the tingle came from the chives.

After leaving the mashed chive puree on my face for 30 minutes I rinsed it off with cool water.  My skin felt soft and silky.  Again I wondered whether the results were derived from the canola oil or the mashed chives.  I'm not sure, but if I can figure out a way to minimize the messiness factor I certainly will try this again.

Chive Hair Mask

After removing the chive mask from my face I slathered the remaining leftover mash on the dry ends of my strands.  Basically I experienced the same results when I applied the mashed chives to the ends of my hair.  Although I didn't feel any tingling, I did notice my ends were much softer.

Health, Hair And Beauty Benefits

I did find some good scoops on the benefits of chives for overall health, hair, scalp and beauty.

Chives like their cousins, onions and garlic, offer a natural antibiotic benefit and can be beneficial for our scalps, hair and skin. Chives will gently stimulate the flow of blood to the scalp, hair roots and to the skin.

Some experts believe it may help trigger hair growth and slow hair loss.  Is this true?  Although there are no published findings, ancient beauty and hair experts suggested chives, onions and garlic all offered scalp and hair growth benefits.  Of course only you can judge the results for yourself.

How To Use Chives For Scalp And Hair

How to use chives for your scalp and hair?

Adding mashed or pureed chives directly to your scalp, hair or ends in the form of a mask is one option.  Another is to add chive oil to your regular shampo.

The benefits of either the mask or adding the oil to shampoo?  Hair and beauty experts believe it may help to strengthen your hair and stop breakage, while at the same time, adding body.  It may also add a nice glossy shine. Chive pureed and/or chive oil is also thought to relieve an itchy scalp.

Properties of Chives For Health, Hair And Beauty

Chives are recognized for their healing qualities including their antibacterial, cleansing, stimulating, and nourishing properties. Onions contain a number of important minerals and vitamins, such as vitamins C and B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and germanium.

Chives also have a high sulfur content. Sulfur is a mineral present in every cell in our body, with its greatest concentration in hair, skin and nails. It has often been called the "beauty mineral" and the "healing mineral" because of its ability to promote circulation and decrease inflammation.

These qualities also lend to the theory that adequate amounts of sulhur can jump-start hair growth in people with deficiencies.  For example, the high amounts of sulfur in onions make them particularly effective in regenerating hair follicles and stimulating hair growth.  It it thought chives may achieve the same results.

Another benefit?  Naturally-concentrated sulfur compounds have been proven to hair restore weak, thinning or slow growing hair.

Overnight Chive Scalp Mask

Mashed chives can be used as an overnight mask for your scalp to relieve itchy scalp and help slow hair loss.

To utilize this chive scalp mask complete the following steps:

1.  Buy fresh (organic if possible) chives at the local health store or grocery store in your area.

2.  Remove any brown or limp pieces. 

3.  Put a small handful of chives into a pot of already boiling water for exactly 30 seconds.

4.  Remove the chives from the hot water and chill in a ice bath which consists of icy water.  Allow chives to chill for up 1-2 minutes. 

5.  Drain well and squeeze out all water.

6.  Puree for 2 minutes in a blender with 1/2 cup of canola or extra virgin olive oil.

7.  Strain to capture the oil separately.

8.  Use either the oil or the mashed chive meat or both as a face, skin, scalp and hair mask.

9.  An hour before bedtime, massage chive oil or pureed chives on the itchy or hair loss areas of your scalp. 

10.  Wait for an hour then massage the scalp with olive oil.

11.  Put on a plastic shower cap, protect your bed clothes and go to bed.

Note: Keep in mind that is a messy scalp treatment.

12.  In the morning, shampoo your scalp and hair to remove the scalp mask.

13.  Repeat this remedy for a at least one to two weeks to allow mask to work.

Some users claim this treatment will stop an itchy scalp, stop hair from falling and possibly stimulate re-growth.  If you decide to try this remedy please keep detailed notes to determine if the treatment is working for you or not.  Like all natural hair and beauty remedies, there is no guarantee of the results.

Quick Hair Loss Chive Mask

Apply freshly-squeezed, chive juice, directly onto your scalp, massage deeply into the scalp and hair roots with the pads of your fingers.  Avoid scratching your scalp.  Add a clean plastic shower cap.

Leave on the scalp for 30 to 60 minutes before shampooing. Do these treatments everyday for up to two weeks in order to determine if they're working or not.

It has been reported in some cases regular chive scalp masks will result in slowed hair loss, improved hair growth and hair thickness. Since chive juice is thought to restore hair follicles and improve scalp circulation, it may help to promote a stronger stronger hair growth.

The Final Results

Do I think the chive face, scalp or hair masks will achieve results?  Of course every person is different but what works for one may or may not work for other.

At this point I think I need more experimentation before giving up on mashed chives as a beauty formulation for my scalp, face and strands.  I do love the aroma of fresh chives more than garlic or onions so that's a plus for utilizing chives over its cousins.

Meanwhile if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

More Information

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