When it comes to hair upkeep – I’m not the best or consistent – far from it – actually. On a personal note I have been battling some anxiety issues which have caused me to have scalp issues and I haven’t wanted to color treat my hair the last 8 months. While doing some light research on ‘Grey Hair’ I came across a lot of information about Sage and Tea helping with it. The more I searched it the more I realized there were more and more benefits to combining sage and black tea leaves and using it on your hair and scalp.
To make the basic sage tea all you need is sage leaves and water. But you can personalize the tea rinse by adding other optional ingredients given below.
3-4 sprigs of fresh sage (or 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves)
2 cups water
Optional add-ins:
A handful of fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (it works with sage to provide richer color)
1 teaspoon black tea (it darkens grey hair as well as improves shine)
1 clove (strengthens hair and enriches the color)
1 teaspoon henna powder (adds reddish tones)
1 tablespoon vinegar (helps fix the color)
How to make:
Place the herbs and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes (keeping covered). Remove from the heat and allow it to steep until cool (2-3 hours). Strain the spent herbs.
You can use the sage tea two ways:
Apply it to freshly washed hair. Work it in from roots to ends. Do Not Rinse. Next, squeeze out the excess liquid and towel dry your hair. Do it 2-3 times a week.
You can also massage sage tonic into your scalp and hair every other night.
It takes 2-3 weeks to get rid of the majority of your grey hair.
Once the hair is sufficiently dark, use the rinse weekly to maintain your color.
I haven’t put this to the long term test as of yet but I hope to soon! It seems easy enough and oh-so-NATURAL! No nasty chemicals!
Sage tea is a great rinse for grey hair, but you can also use it as a hair refresher or moisturizer. If you work out a lot, consider using sage tea to replace your shampoo. Being an astringent, it prevents clogged hair follicles as well as revitalizes your hair.
As you may already know – Sage is a common spice used in kitchens all over the world. The Latin name, Salvia officinalis, means “to save,” reflecting the curative properties the herb was believed to possess. Sage is a traditional topical treatment for graying hair, and the herb may promote new hair growth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Sage has antibiotic, anti-allergic and antiseptic properties and is a source of magnesium, zinc, potassium, and vitamins B and C. Before using sage as a beauty treatment, consult your doctor to diagnose the cause of your thinning hair, as it could be the result of a health condition.
If you have already tried this – let us know about your experiences in comments!
Arabian Kismet from Swallowtail Tea. . . .
I love black tea with unusual combinations of spices, so I was very excited to try Arabian Kismet from Swallowtail Tea. This is a blend based around orange pekoe special Assam black tea with added sage and cardamom.
The full flavors of the black tea itself pair perfectly with the fresh and earthy sage, and the sweet and mellow cardamom. This is one of those teas that will work for any occasion. It has classic black tea for those staunch pekoe drinkers and a little bit of spice for chai lovers. But without the classic chai spices like cinnamon and ginger, this tea is much more versatile and unexpected.
Sage always makes me think of Thanksgiving, so this feels very much like a fall tea to me. The cardamom helps that image, bringing up spicy visions of the upcoming winter spice cookies. This tea smells like a classic kitchen or herb garden, but its flavor combination in a tea blend is a new and exciting change of pace for me. Great for breakfast or afternoon, or anytime you want to feel a little cozy and a little dreamy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Tea
Description:
This delightful blend of Assam, sage, and cardamom might make you believe in Kismet after all.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sage Wellness from Plum Deluxe
I love brewing up tea with fresh herbs from the garden or from the kitchen. With all the turkey and holiday meals in the wintertime, I feel like sage is an especially appropriate herb to be brewing this time of year, so I ordered a bag of Sage Wellness tea from Plum Deluxe.
This is a tea with a green rooibos base, which provides the perfect, gentle background for the other herbs and flavors. In the dry leaf, there are plenty of fuzzy, grey-green leaves from the sage, a pleasure to touch and smell. Rose petals and lemon peel add to the dreamy fragrance.
Beyond the rooibos and sage, this blend also features fruit pieces like strawberry and rosehips, and fruit flavoring from strawberries and peaches. The sage feels like Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing, but the strawberry feels like a summer harvest. With the two fragrant, flavorful factors of sage and strawberry, the whole blend is reminiscent of a fresh, blooming herb garden.
Not too sweet and not too savory, the fruit and herbs come together to make an atypical take on familiar flavors. With a blend so beautiful to look at and so tasty to brew, I like to pretend that I was wandering in a fantasy garden, plucking bits of sage and picking perfect strawberries to add to my perfect cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
Nourish body + soul with the wisdom and healing of fresh herbs and fruits! Our sage + green rooibos herbal tea artfully blends lemon and orange with a pinch of strawberry and peach to make a delightfully refreshing, flavorful tonic wonderful for when you have those emotional blues or just want a cup of something calm and restorative.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Sage Superherb by Republic of Tea. . . .
I steeped this tea five minutes with one tea bag in about one cup of 190 degree water. Although I do normally use loose leaf tea, the convenience of pre-bagged tea is tempting too! Especially when it’s high-quality tea.
After steeping, it’s become a yellowish color and smells a bit pineapple-ish with an undertone of sage. The sage isn’t too overpowering, at least judging by the fragrance.
First sip: Yes, the pineapple may actually be stronger than the sage here. It’s also quite sweet. It has a bit of a stevia flavor, almost. The pineapple flavor blends with the flavor of the sage leaves and, according to the ingredients list, orange leaves as well to create a pleasantly fruity drink. It’s much more palatable than drinking an infusion of straight sage, which is important if you’re going to be drinking this on a regular basis. Yet the woodsy, flowery flavor of the sage does come through as well.
This is listed as an herbal tea for hot flashes, although I wouldn’t know anything about how effective it would be for such a complaint. It’s probably good for colds/sore throats as well; it’s comforting, soothing, and relaxing. Or if you’re looking for a more culinary use it would probably go well with cookies for a snack, although I’m not a tea pairing expert either.
It’s definitely sweet and seems well-balanced in flavor, and whether you end up drinking it on a daily basis or just as an occasional novelty, I hope you’ll be glad you tried it too!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description
As women, we have the power to create and nurture life, all while juggling hormonal changes and external stresses. For centuries, women have relied upon the same powerful herbs found in our organic SuperHerb Teas to keep them balanced, and now they can easily be part of your daily life as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple Sage from Simpson and Vail- A Holiday Experience
Fall flavors are usually dominated by pumpkin and cloves and cinnamon and spice, but Apple Sage from Simpson & Vail focuses on the less obvious sensations of the season. With fresh apple and savory sage, this blend should definitely be in everyone’s fall rotation. Apple pieces in the dry leaf immediately give off a fragrance that transports me to my hometown orchard: juicy, sweet-tart fruit, maybe paired with a cinnamon honey-stick from their local honeybee hive. The apple pieces are numerous, and provide a true, luscious, apple flavor.
What really makes this blend unique is the sage. I can’t say I’ve tried a tea with sage before, even if I have used the herb in other places in the kitchen. Sage is a smell I associate with Thanksgiving dinner, an herb that goes well with turkey and stuffing or with chicken pot pie. When brewed hot, this tea is both sweet and savory, almost like taking bite of everything off your holiday dinner plate.
In a way, it’s like the Willy Wonka 3-Course-Meal chewing gum! (Only without the disastrous blueberry-transformation consequences).
Sage evokes the taste of main course dishes like poultry or roasted potatoes, while the blackberry leaf adds a bit of tart berry like cranberry sauce, and finally the blend is topped off with sweet fruit flavors akin to apple pie. The black tea base is strong enough to hold its own with all these flavors and give the blend a hearty undertone to pull it all together.
I get so distracted by all the pumpkin spice and cinnamon eggnog flavors of the holidays, that I forget there’s more to the fall-winter palette. Apple Sage was an unexpected blast of Thanksgiving, apple pie, and all things fall. Definitely worth a taste at this time of year.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: black tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description:
The taste of sweet apple and fragrant sage blend together wonderfully. The amber colored cup offers a depth of flavor that is warming and refreshing at the same time. This tea complements foods such as hard cheese, salads, sandwiches, fruits and more.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!