Tea Lover Lessons

Nettle Tea Benefits for Hair: A Mythbusting Guide

Person with long hair outside holding a steaming cup of nettle tea over face

Has anyone ever offered you chamomile tea for sleep or ginger tea for indigestion? As it turns out, tea is more than just a delicious treat. It can actually help support your body, too.

For instance, nettle tea is a well-known folk remedy to help us grow long and luscious locks. We’re about to take a journey through the health benefits of nettle tea to explore these claims in detail.

Sips by is the #1 rated tea club. Made by tea lovers for tea lovers, our personalized tea discovery box matches you with 4 new premium teas chosen from thousands of top-rated teas based on your unique taste preferences. Learn more about our tea of the month club.

What Is Nettle?

Nettle tea is made from the leaves of the stinging nettle plant, known formally as Urtica dioica. This plant grows throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Stinging nettle is actually closely related to mint, but don’t confuse the two. Nettle tastes nothing like mint, and it can actually cause damage if you eat it raw.

This is because both the stalk and leaves of the nettle plant are covered in fine hairs that can cause a stinging reaction if you touch them — hence the name, stinging nettle. This uncomfortable sensation comes from the plant’s self-preservation mechanism, which features a concoction of formic acid, histamine, and serotonin.

Despite its clear desire to remain untouched, humans have used stinging nettles for centuries. The stalks are long and fibrous, making them well-suited for weaving into textiles and ropes. Meanwhile, nettle leaves are a great leafy green similar to spinach and can also be brewed as tea.

  • Vendor:
    Sips by Wellbeing

    Sigh of Allergy Relief

    NO CAFF
    Rooibos
    Sigh of Allergy Relief
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Sips by Wellbeing

    Cleanse

    NO CAFF
    Rooibos
    Cleanse
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Golden Flourish

    Breezer

    NO CAFF
    Herbal Tea
    Breezer
    Sold out

How Does Nettle Help Hair?

Nettle leaf is incredibly rich in vitamins and nutrients. In fact, nettle tea is basically just one swirling cocktail of beneficial goodness.

It’s important to go see a doctor if you’re experiencing hair loss because it can sometimes be a sign of a more serious condition. However, the physiological process of making and maintaining hair has a lot of moving steps — and requires a lot of vitamins.

If you even have one vitamin deficiency, you’ll can it in your hair. So, here are some of the vitamins and minerals in nettle tea that can help you grow the hair of your dreams.

Rich in Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an essential vitamin for all of your cells, not just the ones in your hair. Without vitamin A, your cells can’t expand and grow. This is especially important for hair cells since hair tissue grows the fastest out of any other bodily tissue.

Vitamin A is also essential for sebum production. Sebum is an oil that is secreted by your pores and hair follicles, and it helps to keep your skin and hair properly moisturized. Without a properly moisturized scalp, you can experience hair loss.

Fortunately, nettle tea is chock full of vitamin A. In fact, processed stinging nettle leaves can provide 90 to 100% of your daily vitamin A when eaten.

A Source of B Vitamins

There are a grand total of eight B vitamins, and all of them are present in nettle tea. While all B vitamins are important to hair health, biotin (AKA vitamin B7) is the most important.

Biotin can stimulate the production of keratin, an important element for hair health. Keratin helps keep hair feeling rooted and strong. Biotin can also help increase the rate of follicle growth, which may help your hair grow faster.

If you are deficient in biotin, then you may notice hair loss. A wonderful way to address this issue is to stock up on the vitamin you’re deficient in with a yummy glass of nettle tea.

We recommend a nourishing nettle tea like Cleanse from Sips by Wellbeing. This delicious blend includes rooibos, nettle leaf, ginger, and turmeric for a beautifully balanced cuppa.

  • Vendor:
    Happy Lucky's

    Be Well

    NO CAFF
    Herbal Tea
    Be Well
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Beach House Teas

    Pacific Inland Trail

    Pacific Inland Trail loose leaf tea by Beach House Teas
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Ahmad Tea

    Beauty

    NO CAFF
    Herbal Tea
    Beauty
    Sold out

Rich in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which means it neutralizes free radicals. Free radical damage — also known as oxidative stress — can impact your hair and your hair follicles, causing your hair to age. Fortunately, vitamin C can help prevent that.

Vitamin C is also an important element of collagen production. Without collagen, you can’t have hair — plain and simple. Not only is collagen an important part of your hair follicles, but it also contributes to keratin production. That’s wonderful because keratin is basically your hair’s main ingredient!

As if that wasn’t enough, vitamin C also helps your body absorb other vitamins and nutrients like iron, which are also essential for hair growth. Thankfully, nettle tea is super rich in vitamin C.

High in Vitamin D

Vitamin D won’t exactly help your hair look healthier, but it’s an important nutrient to stock up on since vitamin D deficiency may lead to hair loss. Research hasn’t determined the exact role of vitamin D in hair production, but we do know that vitamin D works with keratinocytes.

Keratinocytes are skin cells that regulate keratin. Without vitamin D, these cells can start to slow hair growth and speed up hair shedding. Since science does agree that a deficiency in vitamin D is bad for your hair, a cup or two of nettle tea certainly can’t hurt!

Lots of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another incredibly powerful antioxidant that can help your hair feel healthy by combating oxidative stress. However, vitamin E is also especially helpful in helping hair growth.

In one study, participants with hair loss took vitamin E supplements for eight months. By the end of the eight months, they had experienced a 34.5% hair growth rate.

Some people even claim that vitamin E gives their hair a better shine. While more research is needed to confirm that, it is true that oils such as vitamin E oil can help the hair this way.

Regardless, nettle tea is a great source of vitamin E. It’s always good to load up on vitamin E because it’s great for your overall wellness, too!

Rich in Vitamin K

Vitamin K is another healthy vitamin to consider if you’re interested in luscious locks. This vitamin helps hair strands regenerate after they are broken or ripped out, which means it may help hair grow back thicker and faster.

Vitamin K may also help reinforce existing strands of hair so that you don’t lose as much. It also helps promote healthy levels of calcium in the scalp so that your hair stays looking and feeling flawless. 

Nettle teas such as Harmony Blend by Red Clover Herbs & Market are rich in vitamin K. As an added bonus, this tea contains red clover, raspberry, and nettle for the ultimate soothing blend.

  • Vendor:
    Wood Valley Ranch

    Mamaki Tea

    NO CAFF
    Herbal Tea
    Mamaki Tea
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Oteas

    Organic Rejuvenate

    HIGH-CAFF
    Green Tea
    Organic Rejuvenate
    Sold out
  • Vendor:
    Red Clover Herbs & Market

    Harmony Blend

    NO CAFF
    Herbal Tea
    Harmony Blend
    Sold out

A Source of Vitamin F

Vitamin F is a lifesaver for your hair. Because it’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids, it can help your hair stay lubricated and nourished.

Vitamin F also helps maintain hair health by promoting strong hair fibers and strengthening the skin barrier of your scalp. Hair and skin may seem like two separate features, but hair follicles are located in the outermost layer of skin called the dermis.

Basically, whatever affects your skin affects your hair, too! By strengthening your skin barrier, you can also benefit your hair. Nettle tea is a great source of vitamin F, so it’s a great way to incorporate some of these benefits into your daily routine.

Lots of Selenium

Selenium is an essential nutrient that can help your hair feel thick and strong. Thankfully, nettle tea is chockful of it!

Selenium is key in helping to fight off dandruff, which may be why nettle tea is a folk remedy for dandruff. Selenium is also an incredibly important material in the production of thyroid hormones that pertain to hair growth. 

One of our favorite nettle teas is Digest Herbal Tea by Asili Herbs & Botanica. This tea is flavored with papaya, fennel, spearmint, and orange, and comes with all of the hair benefits of nettle.

High in Iron

Iron is an important part of blood circulation, and it promotes oxygenation in the blood. More oxygen in the blood means healthier hair.

This is part of why an iron deficiency can cause hair loss. Good thing nettle tea is a yummy source of iron! Simply curl up with a cuppa, and let your tea do the rest.

A Source of Zinc

Zinc is an important element of hair growth because it is an essential part of keratin production. Remember: Hair is basically just keratin.

Zinc also helps keep the oil glands in each hair follicle working smoothly, and it helps repair broken strands of hair. Just like you can’t have hair without vitamin K, you need zinc if you want healthy hair.

Nettle tea is high in zinc as well, so it’s a great way to reap the benefits of this essential mineral. 

In Conclusion

Nettle tea is a delicious concoction made up of dried and processed nettle leaves. However, nettle tea does more than just taste delicious — it’s also full of nutrients that help promote healthier-looking hair. 

Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, nettle tea does everything from promoting growth to protecting existing hair strands. The real question is, what can’t this tea do?

Wellness Tea Shop

Shop these wellness teas to help with anxiety, stress, sleep, detox, colds, energy, and more. Take care of your body while relaxing with a hot cup of tea.

Hands holding black tea heart

Shop Now

Interested in trying these teas and others? Subscribers receive 4 teas chosen just for them in every box. Learn more about our tea subscription box or explore the loose leaf tea shop.

Share on Pinterest

About Sips by: We’re a female-founded and led startup that makes discovering tea fun, personalized, and affordable. The Sips by Box is the only multi-brand, personalized tea subscription box. Each month, we match tea drinkers across the U.S. with delicious teas from over 150 global tea brands that we’re sure they’ll love. Based out of Austin, Texas, we are adept at savoring a hot mug even when it’s seasonally inappropriate. 

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Sources:

Mineral Properties and Dietary Value of Raw and Processed Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica L.) | International Journal of Food Science 

Effects of Tocotrienol Supplementation on Hair Growth in Human Volunteers | Tropical Life Sciences Research 

Food as Medicine Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica, Urticaceae) | American Botanical Council

Leave a Comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.