Why This Tea Could Be The Secret To Hair Health And Growth

Figuring out and maintaining your hair type can seem like an arduous task, but sometimes it can be as simple as determining the right product. But as there are many different products on offer, it can be challenging to choose precisely which oils and serums you need to keep your hair at its best. 

When you step outside of just defining curls or keeping the flyaways at bay, maintaining healthy hair is much easier than you think — and it doesn't involve products. Instead, ensuring you're getting enough specific vitamins can be all it takes to keep your hair luscious and even encourage it to grow longer. 

One such vitamin is B7, otherwise known as Biotin. Often found in dairy and bananas, a deficiency in this vitamin can cause your hair to thin (via Web MD). While you can take vitamins like Biotin in capsule form as a food supplement, it can also be infused with herbal teas. 

There are plenty of Biotin-infused teas on the market. For example, in the United Kingdom, Twinings' line of Superblends herbal tea includes their Glow infusion, which has notes of Strawberry and Cucumber blended with Green Tea, Aloe Vera, and Biotin. In the States, brands like VitaCup offer a similar mix of flavors and vitamins with their Beauty rooibos tea.

However, you don't necessarily need to rely on one specific vitamin to get healthier hair. As herbalist Rachelle Robinett told mindbodygreen, any tea with herbs "that are high in minerals and nutrients" will help maintain healthy hair growth, especially if the herbs are rich in minerals like iron.

While you can take these herbs in supplement form, Robinett recommends "steeping them in water to make a tea, which helps the absorption rate." The tea she suggests the most is Alfafa tea, derived from Alfafa grass — a perennial plant also known as Lucerne (via Gardening Know How).

As a natural source of iron, Alfafa tea can provide you with the necessary amount to keep your hair healthy and voluminous. As certified trichologist William Gaunitz tells mindbodygreen, "your hair volume will decline to compensate for your body's need for iron" when your iron is low. The main job of iron in the body is to produce hemoglobin, a protein that helps carry oxygen in your blood (via National Institutes of Health). Once there is enough iron in your blood to maintain the production of hemoglobin, the volume will return to your hair.

Alfalfa also contains a high amount of antioxidants and vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with minerals like calcium, potassium, and phosphorus (via RxList). But before you decide to add Biotin or Alfalfa to your diet, you should consult with your doctor to see if it may interact with other medications you're taking (via Eat This, Not That).