UPDATED MARCH 12, 2020
The bay leaves are commonly used in cooking especially making soups and stocks. It is rather difficult to distinguish the flavour but you will know if a bay leaf is being used once knowing the purpose of bay leaf in cooking. You ought to know that this herb is packed with nutritional and medicinal properties. If you are in search of natural remedies for skin care and hair, why not use the bay leaves. Read on to find out how do bay leaf benefits hair and skin and easy remedies you can make from home.
Before going into details, let’s quickly and briefly look at the
Nutritional and Medicinal Components of Bay Leaf
Normally, a recipe will only call for one piece of bay leaf. Therefore, it is unlikely to increase the nutritional value of the dish you cook. Having said so, it does not mean to omit this herbal leaf completely. Try to include them where possible or necessary.
The nutrients of bay leaves include Vitamin A, C and B6, with iron, calcium, potassium and manganese.
Essential oils found in bay leaves are cineol, eugenol, chavicol, acetyl eugenol, methyl eugenol, and β-pinene, phellandrene, linalool, geraniol and terpineol. These essential oils are used in much traditional medicine preparation for treatment of arthritis, muscle pain, bronchitis and flu-symptoms.
Other phytonutrients include parthenolide which can quickly reduce inflammation and irritation. Also, catechins and linalool where several studies have shown to have anti-cancer properties.
A research article published on Journal of Pathogen Research concluded that the bay leaves have antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.
With all these natural goodness, would you approve that the bay leaf benefits your hair and skin? I am sure you are eager to find out how to make simple remedies using bay leaves. Read on…
Benefits & Remedies for Hair Care
Natural Conditioner. The antioxidant present in bay leaf helps smoothen your hair. Make them shiny too.
Boil 5 bay leaves in 2 cups of water. Steep for 15 minutes, strain and let cool. Use it as a final rinse after rinsing out the shampoo on your hair. After 15 minutes, rinse it clean with cold water. Repeat weekly to see results.
Dandruff Control & Itchy Scalp. Rinsing your hair with bay leaf water can help control dandruff and reduce itchiness too.
Additionally, you can add bay leaf water to your shampoo and use it as you would regular shampoo.
Alternatively, grind 3 dried bay leaves into a fine powder. Add the powder to a ½ cup of organic coconut oil and heat on low flame for about 5 minutes. Apply and massage onto your scalp. Let sit for 1 hour. Shampoo and condition as you would. Repeat weekly for visible results.
Control Bacteria & Fungal Infection. Sweating and irregular oiling of your hair may end up with a fungal infection. The antimicrobial properties in the bay leaf can help eradicate the bacterial and fungal infection.
Wash your hair regularly with bay leaf water added to your shampoo and final rinse off with bay leaf water. Follow the same process as you use it as the natural conditioner mentioned above.
Eliminate Lice. The aroma of bay leaf is pungent and has a rather bitter taste. Both combined, it is not conducive for hair lice.
Boil 2 tablespoons of crushed bay leaf in a cup of water. Steep for 15 minutes, strain and let cool. Apply the solution onto your scalp using a cotton ball. Let sit for 1 hour. Shampoo and condition as usual. Lastly, remember to comb out the dead lice using a lice comb.
Do you know there are other cooking herbs for hair care? Find out here.
Benefits & Remedies for Skin Care
Skin Toner. With all the valuable properties of bay leaves, use them to perk up your skin. It helps to tone and hydrate your skin.
Boil 4 dried bay leaves in a cup of distilled water for a couple of minutes. Strain the solution and let cool. Store the solution in a container. Using a cotton ball, apply on your face twice a day. You may consider storing the solution in a spray bottle and easily spray onto your face.
Control Acne. Rich in antioxidants and works wells as antibacterial and antiseptic, bay leaves are a great help for controlling acne.
Using the same ingredients and method as the skin toner solution, apply 2 – 3 times a day for a week.
De-Stress Skin. Stress can lead to skin tension. On top of that, dead skin cells will buildup causing your skin to lose its glow looking weary and dull.
Boil 5 dried bay leaves in 2 cups of water for 2 minutes. Transfer the bay leaf water to a bowl. Cover your head with a towel and hold your head over the steaming water for about 10 minutes. You need to close your eyes while doing so and breathe deeply. Steam once a week as daily steaming can dry out your face. That is not what you want, do you?
Heal Cuts, Bruises and Insect Bites. By now, you should know all the medicinal values of the bay leaf. Clearly, it acts as a natural astringent for the skin.
Add 1 ½ tablespoon of bay leaf powder to 1 tablespoon of water to form a paste. Apply onto skin to heal cuts, bruises or insect bites.
Grind Your Bay Leaves
If you have been grinding your own peppercorn, cumin, cinnamon and other whole spices, add the bay leaf to the list.
For you who have not tried grinding spices, this will be a good reason to start. Bay leaves used in cooking are often used the whole form but for simple home remedies mentioned here, powder form is needed.
Simply crush the dried bay leaves into a spice grinder or food processor and grind away. It is that simple.
I find using a spice grinder a better option as I dislike bringing out the food processor just to grind a few leaves. If you are like me, storing your food processor in the cabinet because of limited counter space, a spice grinder is definitely an easier tool to use. This does not mean that I am 'lazy' 😉 Just wanting to make things simple.
A spice grinder is actually a coffee grinder but you must know that it is not a good idea using a coffee grinder to grind spices. You do not want a mixed or crossover of flavour, do you?
I found an affordable and practical grinder. You may want to read up the review.
Should you have an old coffee grinder, use it to grind spices and buy a new one for the coffee. Just a suggestion 😉
Else, use a mortar and pestle.
Bay Leaf Side Effects
Allergies related to bay leaves are not common although contact dermatitis has been scarcely reported.
It is important to understand that anything should be consumed or used in moderation.
If you have a history of allergies, do a patch test using the remedies mentioned to determine usability.
Read more about Bay Leaves. I am sure you want to know the purpose of bay leaf in cooking.
in brief
Bay leaf is packed with all the essential components, nutritionally and therapeutically, for a natural and healthier lifestyle. Its vitamins and minerals content, together with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities mark bay leaf ideal for skin and hair care.
Since herbs and spices have been used for ages in cooking and as herbal medicines, why not continue doing so.
For now, do you have a jar of bay leaves sitting at the corner of your cabinet? Yes? No? If you do, quickly cook up the simple remedies.
Run out of bay leaves? Conveniently buy on Amazon. Or buy directly from Starwest Botanicals.
Bay leaf water can be used across to control itchy scalp, dandruff and bacteria. Or simply make your hair shine. It does the same to your skin too.
The conclusion, bay leaf benefits your hair and skin. Make them shine!
If you are interested in starting a herbal journey, The Herbal Academy is having a Holiday Sale! All programs are discounted up to A Jolly 25% off. Click on below image to find out more.
I always say this. I am going to say it again – Waste NOT! Use your herbs and spices. Spice up your life.
Hey Sharon
I love your post. I have discovered so many things about bay leaf. I like everything to do with natural remedies and beauty, so I am very happy to come accross your website.
I like the fact that I can use it for my hair care, I never heard of it before. The only way I new how to use bay leaf, it was with food and in traditional or herbal medecine.
I use it in my cooking everytime I can, because of the smell and the flavour.
Thanks for this new information that I will put in good use as soon as possible.
Thanks
Hi There. I am glad you like the post and find it useful. Come back periodically for more articles on herbs and spices. And of course, simple home remedies you should know about.
Take care! Sharon
Hi, Sharon.
Thanks for your article on benefits of Bay Leaf for Hairs and Skin.
As you suggested Bay Leaf water is good for controlling Itchy scalp and bacteria, I will try it on my mothers head as she is not getting relief from itchy scalp despite a number of medicines.
Thanks for suggesting the patch test before using Bay Leaf Treatment – as it is very important to avoid further irritation.
Warm Regards,
Gaurav Gaur
Hello Gaurav,
I hope the remedy works for your mom. Let me know how it turns out.
Best wishes,
Sharon
Hello Shanon, I must say that this article is very helpful and informative. Honestly, I did not know that bay leaf has such benefits for our health. My wife usually uses it as an ingredient in many meals but never for skin health or something similar. I will try the recipe for dandruff, I have nothing to lose, thank you for sharing.
You are correct, Daniel. There is nothing to lose. Since you already have bay leaf leaves available, why not use them. A word of advice, if you have a history with skin allergy, remember to do a patch test. Best, Sharon.
Hi Sharon,
You have presented a very enlightening topic. I never knew any of the properties of bay leaves. Nature is amazing isn’t it?!
I haven’t dealt too much with bay leaves. I can remember coming across them in various dishes served to me, and would immediately pull them out. Can we eat the leaf that has been cooked into the dish? Or is it hard to chew/digest?
One thing I wonder about – would you recommend using organic bay leaves, or doesn’t that matter for hair/skin purposes?
I think you have a great website with very interesting and informative topics. Your passion shows through here. Herbs are such a great way to spice up our lives – literally and figuratively 😉
Keep up the good work!
Tom
Thank you, Tom, for the positive feedback on my website. It means a lot to me.
Never eat the bay leaf because it can’t be digested. I have read a lot about this and some people suggested to grind the bay leaves using the ground form. However, remember to use them quickly (i mean, don’t keep for weeks) because spices lose their potency fairly quickly after grinding.
Nowadays, much has been said about going organic. If you can get organic bay leaves easily, why not. If I can’t get those, the non-organic is fine with me.
All the BEST!
Sharon
Bay leaves are sometimes used by my wife in cooking,but not all that much,but we do use many of the other herbs.
The natural hair conditioner,is a new concept to me,it seems to be fairly easy to make,and would be be good for our hair,on an habitual basis.
I had not known that bay leaves,contained so many vitamins,these together with the essential oils make for a very good tool in our health armory,as well as for cooking.
As a skin care and repair aid, it seems to have a wide variety,of uses for skin conditioning, as well as for first aid for small problems.
As I always say, Mother Nature provides us with so much. We should learn, share and use all the amazing herbs and spices in our daily life. Thanks for dropping by and commenting, Robert. Good day!
That’s pretty interesting because my parents use a lot of bay leaves in their cooking, especially when they make chicken curry. I hate bay leaves in food but I didn’t know I can use it for other purposes like hair and skin. I especially like the natural conditioner and dandruff since I have thick, coarse hair. Maybe I’ll start using it.
You should try it, Ann. Since you already have them. Just a kind reminder to do a patch test before using them all the way. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Best,
Sharon
Dear Sharon,
Thanks a lot for the informative and helpful article. I can tell you I have taken some great insights from this article.
In the part of the world where I live Bay leaf is commonly used in our food. We know it’s good for health in general but to be honest I was not aware that Bay leaf can be used in Hair and Skin care.
After reading your article I realized the numerous benefits of Bay leaf, thanks a lot for sharing.
My wife is struggling to eliminate lice and I am going to share your post with her. I believe she will be amazed to know Bay leaf can help her in eliminating lice. Also, its great to know its an easy process not much work involved.
My grandma often use to tell, “Food is our medicine and medicine is our food”. That’s true with Bay leaf, thanks to mother nature.
Great information, you have really given a lot of value here.
Much Success!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thank you so much for your positive comments and kind words. It truly means a lot to me.
Mother Nature is amazing, right. Waste not what has been given to us naturally.
Do let me know how bay leaves turned out helping your wife’s condition with lice.
You and your wife may want to read more about using herbs for healthy hair. Check it out here.
Best Wishes,
Sharon
Hi Sharon.
Thank you so much for your bay leaf hair recipe. I’ve been having severe ichy scalp and dandruff for a while now, long story short, I tried the bay leaf recipe and it is really working. I feel so relieved already.
Thanks again
Great to hear this! Thank you for dropping by with the good news.
Thank for the tips. I have been drinking bay leaf since I was child almost everyone I knew always had some dried bayleaf in the house to add to the pot when cooking meat give great flavor..I never knew it had all these other benefits..:.
You are most welcome, Michelle. Now you can use bay leaves as part of your hair and skincare. My teenage children and I use bay leaf water as a face moisturizer spray. Refreshing!