My Secret Magic Hair Tonic
Darker color. More body. Healthier skin. Natural hold.
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. This is just between you and me, okay? What if I told you there was an easy, natural hair tonic that makes your hair darker, gives thin “flyaway” hair more body, feeds your skin, and holds your hair in place without being overly stiff? You’d want to know how much, right? That’s why it’s a secret. You can make it yourself, and it’s easy! But some day, I’ve just got to figure out how to sell it
This recipe is so simple, it’s hard to believe. But it works! Best of all, you can try it out in a few minutes, without spending a dime. (And you can always vary the recipe. Experiment!)
Now, I know this tonic works if you medium-length hair, or shorter. If you have long hair, give the recipe a try, and leave me a comment. I’d like to know how it works for you — or which variation below works best.
Since I know it works for guys, I choose photo above. (I used to look like that, too. Once upon a time. When dinosaurs roamed the earth… My hair does look something like that when I use my tonic, though. Check out the before-and-after comparison below.)
The photo on the left was taken several months ago. The one on the right was taken on a cloudy day, alas. That reduces contrast, or my hair would look even darker. (I tried adjusting the photo, but my skills are limited. I’m waiting for a warm, sunny day to have another photo shoot.)
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The Original Recipe
When I said you can make this recipe without spending a dime, it’s because you should already have the ingredients in your kitchen! If you don’t, check out the next section (why it works), for a better understanding of why you want to have them handy.
To make the recipe, start the tap running so the water gets hot. Then, in a shallow bowl, combine:
- 1/2 teaspoon ancient sea salt (Himalayan Pink or Redmond Real)
- 1/2 teaspoon raw organic honey
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons or so of hot water (enough to mix everything up)
(Measurements are approximate. Most any variation works.)
Mix everything up with a spoon. Then dip your fingers into it, rub it into your scalp, face, and neck. Repeat until you’ve covered everything, and be amazed!
Using the Magic Elixir
When your hair is dry, and you rub it into your scalp, you’ll notice that your hair tends to stand upright. Brush lightly after that, or run your fingers through your hair, so get things (mostly) in place without plastering your hair to your head.
As it dries out during the day, your hair will become increasingly natural-looking on its own. Or you can also use a blow dryer to speed up the process, if you have a solar-powered blow drier. (Personally, I don’t like spending electricity on such things, unless it’s a renewable.)
When you wash your hair, you’ll need to reapply the mixture afterward. The good news is that it goes on most easily at that time, when the hair is damp. The bad news is that the coconut oil tends to really plaster your hair down. The solution is to use the two-step variation below, or allow more time for your hair to dry.
If you haven’t washed your hair, you’ll notice that the body-and-hold properties of the mixture already on hair are still working. You’ll only need to reapply the coconut oil, to touch up the color and make sure the roots stay dark. (Put a small amount in your palm, rub your hands together, and run your hands over your hair. That’s all it takes!)
The First Variation
Use the recipe above for coconut oil that is solid at room temperature. You can also get coconut oil in the cooking aisle that stays liquid at room temperature. How they do that, I don’t know. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to know. but I find it handy for things like this, so I keep a small bottle next to the bathroom sink.
With this variation, you mix everything up in bowl except for the coconut oil. After rubbing the mixture into your scalp and face, pour a little coconut oil into the palm of your hand, rub your hands for a second, and then rub your scalp.
It works out the same the day you do it. But the next day, when the hot water has cooled, it’s easy to reuse yesterday’s mixture. The honey and salt water don’t separate, so the mixture still works perfectly. Any coconut oil in the mixture will probably have separated out into small chunks. (The oil will heat up in your hands when you massage it in, so the first variation still works. But this variation seems a bit more appetizing.)
Why it Works
Each ingredient plays a role in producing the results you want. Read on for more information you need to know!
Salt
You may not know this (or maybe you do), but the skin is the largest digestive organ in the body! (And the largest organ, by far). Since it absorbs minerals, adding salt water to skin is great way to give your skin cells the minerals they need and expect to be healthy, and function at their optimum.
In fact, there is good evidence to suggest that humans as we know them evolved from an aquatic ape — not the jungle-dwelling primates we’re so used to seeing on the tube and in the zoo, but a long-lost ancestor who lived by the seashore, eating coconuts, bananas, and fish.
That ancestor migrated around the world in canoes, and by walking the coasts — which explains why the vast majority of the world’s population lives at or near sea level.
The “aquatic ape” hypothesis makes no small amount of sense. So it also makes sense that the skin cells are used to acquiring minerals from salt water they’re immersed in. (My mom used to love an Epsom salt bath. Now I know why!)
After centuries of feeding soils the only 3 ingredients that leaves need to grow, all non-organic and “recently organified” soils have basically zero minerals in them.
Worse, minerals the soils do contain aren’t taken up by plants — because organic microbes are needed to bind the minerals into organic compounds the plant can absorb.
A non-organic soil that is turned over yearly by a tilling machine has precious few of those microbes. So unless you are eating really well, you’re getting negligible amounts of the minerals your body really needs.
Ideally, you want an ancient sea salt — one that was deposited long before mankind came along. Sea salt is better than regular table salt, of course, because it contains trace minerals that regular salt doesn’t have. But these days, even regular salt is known to contain microscopic bits of plastic.
We humans, it seems, have managed to contaminate the entire ocean. It really is a damn shame. But the moral for anyone who wants their skin to be absorbing the minerals without the plastics is to use an ancient sea salt.
The two ancient salts I know about, as of today, are:
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt — Expensive, but cool.
- Redmond Real Salt — From an ancient sea bed in Utah, protected from pollution. Much less expensive, and just as good, I suspect. (There may be some subtle differences I’m unaware of, though. So if you have a preference, use that!)
Note:
You can get chunks of salt, and grind them yourself, but why bother?? After all, it’s just a rock. It’s not any more or less of a rock when you grind it. It’s just smaller rocks! So save yourself the trouble, and save your grinder for coffee beans, pepper corns, and other organic berries that are better when you grind them up immediately before using them, because the air has less time to oxidize the oils they contain.
Honey
You want an organic honey because, again, the skin absorbs whatever is present in the honey. So you don’t want ingredients in it that are harmful to life!
Honey is an antiseptic. In centuries past, it was used to keep wounds free of bacteria. It is also a moisturizer. Like all moisturizers, it basically seals the skin cells, so the water they contain doesn’t evaporate as rapidly.
Note:
I originally combined the salt and honey to treat a case of rosacea. It seems to be working, I’m happy to say. When I’m more certain — and understand the underlying mechanisms better — I’ll probably write another article on that subject. But not even doctors know what causes rosacea. (I asked! And I searched!) But right at the minute it appears to be the result of overly dry, undernourished skin. Experimenting with that remedy is how I discovered my super-secret hair tonic.
The honey also gives your hair body. If you have thick, full-bodied hair to start with, you can consider leaving out the honey. That is the second variation. But on my thin, “flyaway” mane, it’s a godsend.
The honey coats each follicle with a long-lasting, natural stiffener. That’s where the body comes from. It increases the hair’s hold, as well. (It’s a little stiff, but not too stiff.)
The first time I used it, the hair still had body the next day, and the day after that, until I washed it out in the shower.
Note:
You probably don’t want to shower every day. The water dries out your skin without leaving behind the minerals your skin needs, and any soap you use kills the beneficial microbiome that lives on your skin. It grows back, of course, but it does better if it’s not having to grow back all the time.
Coconut Oil
I began using coconut oil on hair ages ago. It did it because it was healthy, and because I read that people in India do it all the time. And it smells good.
When I used it, I found that it also darkens the hair. So coconut oil is the magic hair-darkening ingredient in the secret hair tonic.
Not only that, coconut oil helps to hold the hair, as well — in a soft, all natural way. Like honey, coconut oil coats the hair follicles. That increases your hair’s hold, but it also tends to slick the hair down. Adding honey, on the other hand, tends to make your hair stand up, so the combination works well.
And did I mention that it’s healthy? So not only is making you look good, it’s good for your scalp, too.
In fact, coconut oil is the healthiest of the saturated fats. It consists of medium chain fatty acid — which means that the fatty-acids are so short, they can go straight into the blood stream, where they are taken up by the cells for energy.
Note:
Long-chain fatty acids are metabolized differently. Even butter — the shortest and most easily burned of them all — has to go the long way around: First into the lymph system, and from there to fat cells. Only then can they be taken out of storage, broken into smaller units, and used by the body. But coconut oil is an oil with a difference!
Since skin cells absorb nutrients from the skin, I suspect they can directly utilize the fatty acids that coconut oil contains.
Those oils help to fuel the skin cells, which may help to keep the skin’s immune system functioning optimally.
In addition, coconut oil is a full-spectrum antibiotic that kills bacteria and fungi. That, too, keeps your skin healthy. (And it may help to explain why the combination appears to be effective in fighting rosacea.)
Hot Water
The hot water mixes everything together, and makes the ingredients easy to apply. And it hydrates your skin, even as the coconut oil and honey combine to seal the cells.
Extra-Strength Immunity-Boosting Version
I’ve just begun experimenting with this version. (I’ll add notes when I have more data.) After researching Ayurvedic herbs for skin conditions, I added a few things to the mixture above.
This version has the same effect on the hair with respect to body, color, and hold, but it adds antioxidant and immunity-boosting herbs:
- Turmeric — a spice that is native to India. It turns everything orange, so be careful with it. (Hey! Maybe it will have a tanning effect!)
- Garlic powder — anti-bacterial, anti-fungal immunity booster. (My martial arts master recommended it highly, as well.) Fresh garlic is way more powerful, but you have to crush it get the oils. Garlic powder is a lot easier, so I’m trying that.
- Ginger powder — another antioxidant/immunity booster
- Baking Soda — When I developed a case of oral thrush (candida overgrowth), this is the one thing that really seemed to help — I suspect because it restores the alkaline environment the mouth is supposed to have. For what it’s worth, I’ve added a bit of it to this version.
Note that Ayurveda also recommends honey for the skin. In fact, that is probably where I got the idea, many moons ago.
There are other herbs you can try, as well. The best sources I found were on an Australian site: ayurherbs.com.au. Here are the best papers I found:
- Herbs for Candida (thrush)
- 5 Time-Tested Ayurvedic Remedies to Soothe Inflamed Skin (rosacea)
- Home Remedies to Cure Oral Thrush
The Time-Tested paper recommends aloe, green tea, and fenugreek, as well as honey and turmeric. The Herbs for Candida recommends quite a few things, including Ashwagandha and Triphala Powder, among others. I haven’t tried adding those ingredients yet. (If you have them on hand, experiment and let me know how they work!)
The Bottom Line
There you have it! The recipe itself is as simple as can be, and as easy to make as possible. Understanding why it is so effective is the hard part.
It boils down to understanding the underlying mechanism of action. As you’ll see in my other articles on health-related subjects (and my upcoming book on weight loss), understanding those mechanisms is critical, because that is what you need to guide your choices!
(I generally don’t write a word until I understand those mechanisms — which is why it has taken so long to write anything on the subject of rosacea.)
About Eric
Eric Armstrong describes himself as The Lazy Health Nut. He is always looking for the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way to get fit, lose weight, and develop athletic skills. (Such pursuits do take time and effort. But let’s not waste energy in the process!) He’s the author of The Secret Science of Weight Loss, and many other books. (If you like this kind of article, consider supporting Eric on his Patreon page.)
Learn more: About Eric (lazy health nut)
