Arnica oil is an extract from arnica flowers native to the colder region of Eastern Europe. Since ancient times, Arnica has been used as a homeopathic cure for skin, hair, and muscle soreness. Emphasizing its hair care benefits, arnica oil should be included in your hair care kit.
Benefits
Arnica oil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, removing excess oil and killing bacteria from your scalp. It helps strengthen the strands of hair by providing nutrients required to grow and extend your hair's life. It clears the scalp that blocks the hair follicles and reduces inflammation, leading to hair loss.
Dandruff is one of the main reasons which causes itchiness and irritation on the scalp. It results from dry skin. Applying arnica oil improves the scalp texture and relieves inflammation.
Since arnica oil strengthens the hair strands, it also reduces the chances of split ends and premature greying.
But apart from its hair benefits, it can be used to treat soreness of muscles or minor bruises. It also acts as a pain reliever.
How to Use it?
There are various ways you could use arnica oil, a few of the easy ways we will be discussing below.
- Mix few drops of arnica oil with your carrier oil and then apply it to your hair; make sure to coat each hair strands properly. Then after 30 minutes, rinse your hair with lukewarm water.
- While washing your hair, you can create your mixture of hair remedies by mixing a few drops of arnica oil and shampoo and then using it.
- Arnica oil can be used to relieve muscle soreness; all you to take is a few drops of it and massage it on the affected area.
Apart from using it directly, nowadays, many herbal products are including arnica in their list of ingredients.
Side Effects
Few symptoms of the allergies include headache, nausea, itchiness, inflamed sinus, and difficulty in breathing. If you feel discomfort and experience any side effects, it is advisable to discontinue the use of arnica oil.
Arnica oil should never be ingested or taken orally. It can cause vomiting, skin rashes, diarrhoea, elevated blood pressure, organ failure, and much more severe damage to your body.
The use of arnica oil is not approved medically for women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding their children.
Alternative Option
If you experience any side effects and, in general, don't like the product, then there are various other options of essential oils that you could use.
Listing down a few of the examples :
- Peppermint oil
- Lavender oil
- Almond oil
- Calendula oil
- Rosemary oil
Conclusion
Arnica hair oil is gradually getting recognized, especially for its hair care benefits. With the constant research and development, beauty and the health care industries are trying to develop products optimizing their benefits. Arnica oil is considered to be poisonous or toxic if ingested or used in its distilled form. However, this doesn't overshadow the fact that it is reasonably safe to use. The only thing is care should be taken while using this product.