Hair you’ll be thankful for
Cooking up a tasty Thanksgiving feast and have leftover recipe ingredients you don’t want going to waste? Use them to beautify your hair! Many holiday staples, from veggies to fresh herbs, are chock-full of nourishing nutrients that reverse aging woes for a gorgeous head of hair in no time
Extra sweet potato?
It strengthens locks!
Cool, moisture-sapping fall air along with hot tool use can leave hair lackluster, brittle and straw-like. Sweet potato to the rescue! The spud’s pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) restores moisture and improves elasticity to hydrate and strengthen strands so they’re less prone to breakage. Plus, its vitamin E repairs damage and seals the cuticle so light reflects onto hair for added shine.
To do: Mix 1⁄2 cup of pureed sweet potato with 2 Tbs. of honey (it deeply moisturizes). Apply to damp hair and let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing.
Leftover pumpkin?
It soothes the scalp!
The skin on our body becomes parched with the change of season, and so does the skin on our scalp, making it itchy, flaky and irritated. The fix? Pumpkin, says New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D., who specializes in hair care. Its alpha hydroxy acids slough off dead skin cells and promote new skin cell growth, reducing itchrelated inflammation and flakes.
To do: Mix 1⁄2 cup of pureed pumpkin with 2 Tbs. of brown sugar (it exfoliates). Rub onto damp scalp for 2 minutes, then rinse.
Excess rosemary?
It regrows strands!
Over time, our hair growth cycle slows and our follicles shrink, leading to a thinner-looking head of hair. But rosemary helps get to the “root” of the problem. “Its rosmarinic acid increases circulation to the scalp, delivering oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to hair follicles to promote new growth,” says Dr. Fusco. In fact, one study found the herb’s oil was just as effective at reversing thinning as hair-regrowth treatment minoxidil. Bonus: It’s a cinch to make your own rosemary-infused solution at home! To do: In a slow cooker, combine leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary with 2 cups of olive oil. Cook on high for 2 hours with the lid off. Let cool 30 minutes, then strain the oil into an airtight container and discard leaves. Massage a quarter-size amount of oil onto clean scalp before bed; rinse in the morning. Store in the fridge and use three times a week for results in 30 days.