red bush tea

Im not too clued up on the health benefits Im afraid, but my other half (born in SA) introduced me to Rooibos and I really like it, I drink it before bed cos its not got the caffeine in it normal tea does. Would be interested to hear about the health benefits.

there was a thread on here a while ago about it, i believe you stew it, let it cool, put it in a spray bottle and spray onto the roots and leave to dry.

Of course drinking it helps too!  🙂

This is a little summary a friend of mine on the LHC put together, hope this is useful:
"Rooibos (pronounced "roy boss") contains 37 antioxidant Substances, and is also rich in minerals such as calcium vitamin c, magnesium, copper and iron and potassium.

Rooibos has high level of antioxidants.
Caffeine free.
It’s as hydrating as a glass of water and counts towards 8 glasses of water a day,
Has no calories.

Rooibos for hair growth

In 1998 a study on human subjects on the efficacy of rooibos designed to prevent hair loss, stated positive results, regarding increased hair growth when this is used as a topical scalp treatment.

Applying rooibos topically. (LHC style)
2 teabags into 1/2 pint water and leave it overnight to infuse and spray it on to scalp.

Using a rooibos rinse.
2 teabags into 1/2 pint water leave overnight. place a large bowl on the floor of your shower and kneel over it. Pour the rinse through your hair, catching the rinse in the bowl. Pour back through your hair into the bowl. Repeat this a few time.

Drinking rooibos
This is the same as a simple cup of tea. Add boiling water to the bag, allow to infuse for 3-5 minutes. Optionally add honey, lemon or milk to taste.
This method may require a lot of tea to be drank between 3 - 6 cups a day for growth to be noticed.

If rooibos is used topically as a rinse or spray slight hair discolouration may be possible, there were mixed reports. It is recommended to use for a week behind your ear in a small area of hair and see what happens.

Additional benefits of topically applying rooibos.
no greasy roots
Helps prevent shedding
it helps with spreading washes out as it seems to keep roots clean
Helps soothe scalp itches
shine
Softness
tames frizz
skin problems such as eczema, nappy rash and acne
brings out wave pattern
Hair feels thicker

Additional benefits of drinking rooibos tea
Helps relieve arthritis pain
Nail growth & strength
Eyelash growth
Eases stomach and digestive problems
Eases allergies such as hay fever and asthma
Additional growth in “other” areas; legs, underarms, bikini.
teeth are a lot less sensitive
it acts as a relaxant and aids sleep
Eases menstrual cramps
Helps soothe sore throats
Minimises menopausal heat flashes

Rooibos is a phytoestrogen, This is something to bear in mind."

edit: Thought I'd add that last year in June I drank 2 cups a day and sprayed it regularly and got a growth of 2 inches in that month. I didn't keep it up as it was a bit of a faff but I was happy with the increase in growth it gave me!

Ooo.

Oooh I've got loads of this at hone cuz I went through a phase of fancy tea a few months ago haha

You might find DragoN's recent posts on Skincaretalk's hair board helpful. She is a scientist so researches what she tries and is currently trying to regrow her hair after a hairdresser butchering.
http://www.skincaretalk.com/t/33416/skb-as-additional-aid-to-thicken-hair-after-androgenic-hairloss-and-scalp-seb-derm
http://www.skincaretalk.com/t/33280/hair-extensions
Sea kelp bioferment and other topicals available from here
http://stores.skinessentialactives.com/StoreFront.bok

Please check with your family doctor before adding supplements into your diet, that goes double if you are on any medication or have any health issues whatsoever.

It's all nice and good but redbush tea is much much easier to source than this sea kelp bioferment, it's cheap, easy to use and it is really scientifically proven to work (I can dig out the 1998 study for you if you're sceptical).

If anyone wants to try out redbush sprays and wants advice, feel free to ask. And drinking it is generally good for your overall health, personally it did reduce my period pains massively when I was drinking it religiously.

It is not a "supplement", technically it's just tea really. The only thing that could potentially worry people is that it is a source of phytoestrogens which may or may not promote breast cancer. Some say it prevents, some say it promotes, so some people steer clear from it because of that reason, particularly if they have breast cancer or have had in the past.

This post is amazing. Redbush tea is my very favourite drink in the world. 😛

It's all nice and good but redbush tea is much much easier to source than this sea kelp bioferment, it's cheap, easy to use and it is really scientifically proven to work (I can dig out the 1998 study for you if you're sceptical).

If anyone wants to try out redbush sprays and wants advice, feel free to ask. And drinking it is generally good for your overall health, personally it did reduce my period pains massively when I was drinking it religiously.

It is not a "supplement", technically it's just tea really. The only thing that could potentially worry people is that it is a source of phytoestrogens which may or may not promote breast cancer. Some say it prevents, some say it promotes, so some people steer clear from it because of that reason, particularly if they have breast cancer or have had in the past.

I wasn't doubting you nor referring to the tea when I spoke of supplements, I was referring to the contents of the links I posted. *hugs* The rooibos tea concept is interesting, certainly polyphenols from green tea extracts are beneficial to skin so why not follicles? Does the study use rooibos tea infusions or standardised extract? Did the study authors ascertain the active constituents?

thanks for all the feedback! il continue to drink it as i love the taste! I may try out the spray on root technique and see if that helps 🙂 wondering where do i get a cheap spray bottle from amazon or something (i live in the UK) thanks everyone once again great help!! 😀

Spray bottle from pound shop or Wilkinsons. Check the nozzle because some have lots of holes for a fine mist, some have one hole for a squirt.

Sorry to bump this after so long, but I just wanted to say that I've found the advice in this thread really useful. I started doing a daily root spray a few weeks ago, massaging the roots with my fingers right afterwards, and drink about 4 or 5 cups of it a day. My fingernails have improved in this time, not noticed any growth in my hair yet but hopefully I will soon 🙂

If this stuff is good for fingernails as well as hair I should really get in on this! I have the worst nails ever.

I need my hair to groooooooooow! Need to try and track this down.

Anyone who sprays it's on the roots, have you noticed any change in hair colour? Just wondering what it's likely to do to my blue and green hair!