DIY Beauty: going rustic with sage for teeth & hair
I’ve been using sage leaves for a few weeks now for my hair and I’ll share that in awhile. But first, I’ll like to show you how else I’ve been using the sage leaves, and that is to brush my teeth! No, I’m still using regular toothpaste but I just wanted to find out how effective sage can whiten my teeth. Apparently, sage is still used in some rural parts of the world to cleanse their teeth and to give a sweet smell to the breath.
Strengthens gums and freshens breath
Sage is known to have antiseptic properties and hence, said to be able to strengthen the gums and clean the oral cavity and teeth. There are a few recipes, such as baking the leaves dry and then pounding them into powder to be mixed with salt as a herbal tooth powder. I opted for the easy way out and only use fresh sage leaves, cut them up into small bits and use them like a toothpaste with a toothbrush. It’s messy all right and you have to give your mouth a very thorough rinse afterwards. I also tried rubbing a sage leaf on my teeth and that really is much easier.
Whitening was not noticeable
So what did the sage leaves do for me? Well, if there was any whitening on my teeth, I really didn’t notice but my mouth felt a whole lot cleaner and fresher after using the sage leaves. I guess I could have mixed with some baking soda to aid in whitening my teeth but perhaps next time. I think I still prefer to use the sage leaves for my hair.
As a hair coloring agent
As some of you know, I’ve been using a rosemary hair tonic rinse and I decided to add some sage leaves to the weekly brew because sage is said to be a good natural hair coloring agent, recommended in graying of hair. Well, I have some gray hair that needs coloring and since I was already using a hair rinse, I figured why not.
Brew with rosemary
What I did was to throw in a pack of the sage leaves along with the rosemary into half a pot of water, bring the mixture to boil for around 20 minutes or so and then leave the mixture to brew overnight. The water will turn quite dark in color and thereafter, I use that to rinse my hair after shampooing and conditioning before toweling dry. Each brew is good for a week as I store the concoction in the fridge and use it every alternate day.
Sage is good for strengthening hair too
I have no idea if this is helping to darken my hair as I’ve recently colored my hair as well so we’ll have to wait for a few more weeks to see the results. I understand that it works for some and not for others. Anyway, even if it does not cover my gray hair, it can work together with the rosemary to strengthen them as sage is also used to reverse baldness. Oh, by the way, the ancients considered sage a sacred herb and believed that its growth in one’s garden would promote immortality but it’s kind of an irony that I learned that sage contains thujone, which in large doses is potentially toxic.
Related posts
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
the sage toothpaste looks interesting. did some of the green stuff get stuck in your teeth? :p
EcoBeauty last post is: Review: GoW Pomegranate Anti-Aging Gel
Great post and thanks for sharing!Hmm…I think I will give it a try as I am prone to grey hair:P Hope it works.
Alexandra last post is: DIY: My Neroli Body Oil
I have some grey hair, maybe I should try the Yuan Wild Yellow Sage soap as hair soap.
Yeah, it does…that’s why I mentioned that it’s necessary to rinse thoroughly. ?
Not sure if it’ll stick but I don’t mind trying it. Some people swear by it, but others have no apparent results.
Oh…is that for gray hair?
I never knew sage could be used to cleanse teeth. I have to try this! Could I use dried sage? I think I have that in my cupboard.
Chris last post is: NOTD: MAC Jade Dragon
Yes, use dried ones and pound them to powder…add salt or baking soda for better whitening results.
Not exactly, but worth a try since it has sage :), its quite popular among some users as hair soap though.
This is very fine blog. I got meaningful information from this. Keep it up.
what do u mean by brew overnight? leave the fire on overnight?!
Okay, I think I confused you cos I should have wrote it as steeping after boiling for around 20 – 30 mins. Brew in the sense involves both boiling and steeping.
Thank u for sharing these interesting tips. Where can I purchase the fresh and dried sage leaves here in Singapore?
Fresh ones are available from the supermarket…I believe the dried ones too at the condiment section.
This is very fine blog. I got meaningful information from this. Keep it up.
But from where can I buy sage leaves ? Is it available at ntuc or cold storage?
Yes, from the supermarkets. Cold storage usually stocks them.
I can really see that you had emphasize the real essence of nature by utilizing them and making herbs as an absolute solution for some illness. There have been no doubt regarding it’s efficacy rather was astonish with it’s savoring essence.
Letty last post is: http://hairloss24.com
There are a different varieties of sage available like garden sage,red sage..Can you please tell the name of the sage to use for hair coloring,Also i am living can you please tell where can i get these leaves or if there is any online shopping for getting these?
Thank you
Oh…the one I got was garden sage. I haven’t seen red sage. But I think red sage yields a reddish tint? I don’t think you want to buy these online unless it’s powdered or something. The fresh leaves can wither quite easily.
Hi! Just came across your article. I’m also Asian an am seeing some grey strands in my hair. Did the sage rinse work to darken some of your grey hair/strands? If so, how often did you use the rinse and for how long – like weeks or months?? I’m hoping it will work for me. Thanks in advance for your reply and Happy New Year!
No, it didn’t. The concentration wasn’t thick enough. Also, even if there were darkening, the effects are temporary and last while the hair is unwashed.
Using sage leaves with baking soda is good for whitening teeth? will it work for heavy smokers?
Orthodontist Chicago last post is: Orthodontic Experts of DeKalb
Great tips for teeth.