Birch water for hair is one of the first natural cosmetics, used by our grandmothers. However, it is worth knowing exactly the composition of this preparation and how to use it, so as not to harm not only the hair, but also the scalp. If you want to make homemade birch water, remember the proportions and do not use the cosmetic too often.
Birch sap is not the same as birch water. The latter product is most often used on hair. It is worth distinguishing them for your own good, because you cannot drink birch water – unlike the sap.
Birch water, a hair cosmetic from the Polish People’s Republic
When the shelves in stores were empty in the times of the Polish People’s Republic, women often reached for the solutions of their mothers and grandmothers. And so birch water for hair became a hit. The hairstyle, tired after winter, gained shine. Nourished hair bulbs strengthened hair and accelerated new growth.
For this purpose, freshly obtained birch sap was used and mixed with ethyl alcohol. The women then rubbed the solution into their scalp an average of three times a week. Not only birch water lotion was fashionable at that time. The mixture was also used as a cleansing hair rinse to reduce dandruff and excessive oiliness of the scalp. However, it is worth remembering that the alcohol contained in birch water may have an astringent and drying effect.
Too much dryness of the skin, instead of limiting seborrhea, intensifies the work of the glands and may contribute to greasy hair and hair loss. Therefore, to start with, it is recommended to use birch water no more than once or twice a week and observe whether the skin begins to itch. If so, reduce the dose or stop using the lotion or rinse.
Birch sap for hair. Why is it so healthy?
The main ingredient of birch water is birch sap. It is most often obtained at the turn of March and April, when sap accumulates in the tree, nourishing the branches and responding to the development of leaves. The nutritional mixture is collected by means of a small hole made in a healthy birch trunk. A rubber tube is screwed into the hole and a bottle or jar is placed on its end.
It is important, however, not to make more than one small hole, because this can harm trees that are in an intensive phase of growth and development. As Dr. Bartek Kulczyński points out, already one liter of birch juice contains the following nutritional values:
- Magnez 14 – 30 mg/L,
- Mangan 0,10 – 8 mg/L,
- Copper 0.50 – 0.80 mg/L,
- Zinc 1.40 – 4.5 mg/L,
- Calcium 15 – 220 mg/L,
- Potas 20 -180 mg/L,
- Sodium 0.55- 2 mg/L.
The specialist emphasizes that scientific research shows that the level of individual mineral values may differ even in the case of two trees growing next to each other. Hence, a good solution is to draw sap from several trees and mix all the amounts collected.
Birch water for hair is a good solution when we want to provide the scalp with zinc or copper through external care. However, when preparing home-made birch water, remember that the solution should be delicate. Therefore, no more than 100 ml of ethyl alcohol should be added per liter of birch sap. We emphasize once again that this type of mixture should not be consumed. You can only drink birch sap before it is combined with alcohol.
Our mothers and grandmothers also used birch water as a natural facial skin cleansing tonic. However, it is worth checking whether the amount of alcohol in the mixture will not irritate the skin, especially if it is sensitive. Then a better solution will be to significantly reduce the amount of alcohol in the prepared solution. Otherwise, dermatological problems such as acne may become more severe.
