Black Tea Rinse 101 - Reduce Shedding!

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Shedding is a normal process that we all experience. When the hair has reached the end of it's growing cycle, hair falls out so that new hair can grow. Shed hair tends to be long in length with a white bulb attached at the end. On average, women shed 50-100 hairs a day, however, if you notice more than this due to stress, weight loss, dieting etc., doing a Black Tea Rinse just may do the trick.

DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is a hormone causing hair follicles to shrink making it impossible for healthy hair to survive. It's the hormonal process of testosterone converting to DHT, which then harms the follicles. This process takes place in both men and women.  Fortunately, Black Tea contains caffeine (much more than coffee) which is known to block DHT.  Caffeine, acidic in nature, removes DHT from the scalp, thus reducing hair fall. Not only does Black Tea aid in reducing shedding, it also provides softness to the hair, volume and shine!

I've done the Black Tea Rinse twice and my shedding decreased drastically. I noticed that my shedding began to minimize approximately 1-2 weeks after I did my first rinse. I noticed less shedding, fuller, stronger and smoother hair (cuticles were laying flat). It's truly something you should try if you experience excess shedding.

Here is the process I use to make my Black Tea Rinse.

Essentials:

1. Pot
2. Black Tea (I used Tetley Tea which is a brand of Black Tea)
3. An empty spray bottle


Pour 2 Cups of water into a pot. Add 5 tea bags into the water. Bring to a boil.


I leave the tea bags in to steep. Once cool, I remove the bags and pour the tea into a spray bottle.


I shampoo my hair twice and t-shirt dry for 15mins. I apply an old towel around my neck to prevent the tea from dripping on my clothes and staining it. I then section my hair and spray the tea directly into my scalp. I spray the tea all over my head until my scalp is completely saturated. 




I then put on my shower cap to allow the tea to penetrate my scalp. I leave it on for 45mins-1hr. 


After an hour, I rinse out the tea thoroughly.


After rinsing it out, I follow up with a moisture rich deep condition for 30 mins with my steamer. Black Tea tends to make the hair feel dry (even while wet, it's hard to describe) so deep conditioning after or while the tea is on your hair, is a must!

(Mixture of Keracare Humecto with Avocado, Olive and Coconut Oil)

Final Thoughts: I highly recommend doing the Black Tea Rinse. Prior to doing the rinse, my hair was constantly shedding with little to no manipulation. It was at a point where my hair felt extremely thin. Within a couple of weeks after doing the rinse, my shedding decreased substantially!! I still shed, but it's much less than before. My hair felt stronger and more resilient after rinsing. It was noticeably thicker and smooth to the touch. As a result, I have now implemented the Black Tea Rinse into my regimen (1x/month) as a preventative measure.

(source)

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53 comments

  1. I'm thinking about testing this out this weekend because I've been shedding a lot lately.

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    1. Try it out and let me know how it works for you!! I love it.

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    2. How often to do the black tea rinse? Every week, twice a month?

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  2. Sunshyne, can doing a black tea rinse make your hair darker.

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    1. Yes, it's known to make the hair darker..in a natural way.

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  3. Black tea rinses are great! I really disliked the stiff feeling that black tea gave my hair so I started to add green tea to the mix (until I ran out!). I also leave mine on my hair for 5-30mins then add my conditioner on top for 30mins which eliminates the stiffness.

    I love this picture tutorial, I'm actually going to send it to my sister as she has been shedding recently (post partum but could also be seasonal) so hopefully she'll give this a go.

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    1. Thank you hun! I hope it works for her. Your method sounds great too. Glad to hear it works for you.

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  4. Sunshyne,
    I did the black tea rinse this morning. I saturated my scalp, added the moisturizer and put on a plastic cap. I let the rinse sit for 20 mins and then added the moisturizer. Then I sat under the dryer for about 40 mins. When I rinsed it all out, I could not comb my hair. I don't know if I did something wrong but I never have a problem combing out my hair. If you can supply any advice, please let me know. If my hair continues to shed I may be forced to try this again but I would like better results!!

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    1. Hi Nina, sorry to hear about your results. I didn't add conditioner to my ends nor did I go under a dryer with the tea in my hair. I rinsed out the tea well and then Deep conditioned. Maybe you going under the dryer with the tea still in your hair caused you to not be able to comb your hair. You added a moisturizer to your hair? You should be using a moisturizing deep conditioner. Are you sure it had no protein in it?

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  5. Would you recommend not to try this under a dryer, I don't have a steamer. I've heard about this and heard great things. Is this safe to do while pregnant (due to caffiene)? I'm still new to the hhj!

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    1. Yes it's safe to do while pregnant. Yes you can use a dryer, steamer, heat cap or nothing at all. It's totally up to you.

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  6. Hmmmm, for my moisturizing deep conditioner I used biolage hydatherapie, evoo, argan oil and a very tiny squirt of the mane and tail conditoner. That's it. Is that wrong?

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    1. That's very odd. No need for mane n tail as it is a protein conditioner (moisture works best) but since you didn't use much it should be a problem. Did you shampoo before you did the rinse?

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  7. Replies
    1. That's good. I'm uncertain of what it could be. My only guess is going under the dryer with the tea still in the hair. I've never done that so I'm not sure what the results are like. I always rinse the tea out then deep condition for 30mins-1hr with heat. The longer the better. I think you should try that method.

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  8. Thanks for your help. I will try that way next time.

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  9. how long is this mix good for after making it if i don't use it all?

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    1. I'm not entirely sure how long it's good for, but if you happen to leave some behind, refrigerate it right away so that it won't turn bad. I'd say no more than 2-3 weeks.

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  10. When you did this mixture did you use the entire amount in your head or did you have any left? If you had any left did you put the rest in your freezer?

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    1. I had a lot left over. Surprisingly, a little goes a long way. The remaining amount I put into the fridge.

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    2. How long do you keep it in the refrigerator

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  11. Thanks for the tutorial on Black Tea Rinses! I am not experiencing any excessive shedding right now but I have been interested in trying this out and incorporating it into my routine on a monthly basis. Now that I have the step by step process I will try it out. As a bonus…… l like the sound of your KeraCare mixed Avocado, Olive and Coconut Oil…think I will try that too.

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    1. Hi Zola! If you try it please let me know. It's a great preventative method to implement into any regimen. The Keracare with the 3PO is amazing. You should try it ASAP!

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  12. Since black tea rinse smooths the cuticle, would it be helpful to use for naturals that dont have shedding issues but have a hard time detangling their kinky hair?
    Also, since u have reached your goal length, how do u maintain your MBL hair? Do u still wear lots of protective styles or do u wear it out more? U keep trimming it to remain that length? Very curious since I'm about to reach my goal length and wear my hair down more often (flat ironed straight or low manipulation styles) as opposed to constant protective styles; I want to enjoy my hair but i don't want to lose length from wearing my hair out too much.

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    1. Hi hun, I wouldn't recommend it as a leave-in product for detangling. I think it's best as a rinse, but at the same time it does smooth out the cuticle. For smooth cuticles, I suggest you do a ACV rinse or use Aloe Vera Juice mixed with water to detangle and smooth cuticles. As for maintaining MBL, I still wear protective styles and I wear my hair out occasionally. I think it's very important to enjoy your hair once you've reached your goal. As for flat ironing, I can go months without heat. I'll do a blog on it too. Yes, I trim my hair to maintain MBL.

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  13. Hi..do you have to use "black tea" or can you use just pl Spain old lipton...it natural...why or why not? Thanks

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    1. Black Tea is best as it has a significant amount of caffeine, caffeine blocks DHT which causes shedding/hair loss.

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  14. Hi Sunshyne. I too was experiencing alot of shedding and as yet I haven't found out why (I suspect its one of the products I use). My hair felt thin! I tried the black tea rinse and I'm happy to say it worked! 2 days after my first rinse and my shedding reduced almost completely. As a result my hair is soft,shiny and the volume looks better than before. So to all with doubt,this process does works.

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    1. YAY!! So happy to hear. Thanks hun for the update :)

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  15. Hi Sunshyne. I don't know if this is a dumb question but do you think its ok for me to do a black tea rinse since i'm going thru postpartum shedding? Or should i just let nature run its course? Thanks for your help.

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    1. I'm going through this as well and I was actually going to ask Sunshyne if she thinks hers is postpartum shedding too. Mine started when my baby was around 3 months and now she's 11 months and my hair is still shedding! It's driving me crazy! I've started taking a multi-vitamin, exercising and I ordered a tea spray and pomade from It's Perfectly Natural. Hopefully the tea helps.

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    2. Hi Ladies, Postpartum shedding is a phase that must occur naturally in order for the body to shed hair that was gained during pregnancy. It's a natural process that must take place. I really think there's nothing to stop the shedding completely, it's possible that you could minimize it but it's bound to take place. Just keep up with your prenatal vitamins and eat well. Keep breastfeeding, that helps as well.

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  16. Hi Sunshyne thanks for this informative post. I have heard of tea rinse before and i tried it but i never used your method or deep conditioned after. I will be trying out your method and see how this turn out. I don't have a steamer can i just keep it under the shower cap longer. Also, could be shedding be to me breastfeeding? My lil one is almost a year old and i do not think that should be the reason to the shedding.

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  17. I've tried the black tea rinse and it does work. My hair began shedding when my daughter was 3 months old. 9 yrs later, I was still shedding like crazy. I'm surprised I'm not bald but my hair is thinner than it was pre pregnancy. I've been doing the organic black tea rinses 1-2 times per month. Also, I use pure 100% Aloe Vera gel (weekly) mixed with black castor oil as a scalp treatment. I apply that treatment once per wk and leave it on my scalp until my next wash.

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  18. Hi Sunshyne thanks for all the advice, today is wash day for me and im wonder if i can dc first and rinse the conditioner out with the black tea rinse.

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    1. Hi hun. It's best to shampoo first, then do the rinse. You can have conditioner on your ends while the tea is in your hair.

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  19. Hi Sunshyne

    Since the shedding is good for new growth, do you think stop shedding will slow down your growth by using this method?

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  20. Hi sunshine,
    I'm trying the rinse today, my wash day is Sunday because its the day to do my hair and my 3 kids. I wanted to know is it ok, if I use the red pimento over night then add the prepoo before I use the rinse? Or is that to much manipulation?

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  21. Hi Sunshyne,

    If I brewed too much of the black tea, could I save it for later use?

    Thanks.

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    1. Yes of course. Please make sure you store it in the refrigerator.

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  22. Where can you buy black tea?

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  23. I heard that you can spritz your hair with a mixture of BlackTea+Conditioner daily? Do you recommend?

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    1. I would not recommend that you do this daily. This is way too much manipulation for the hair, besides a tea rinse only needs to be done, if anything, once a month. Daily use can cause dryness and possible breakage as it can be very drying to the hair. Monthly usage is best.

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  24. Do you use large or small tea bags?

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  25. This sounds too good to be true, but im feeling so desperate i will give anything a go. I am suffering very bad hair breakage, like when i brush my hair, it breaks mid length. I have beautiful long hair and don't want to lose it. Will black tea definitely stop the breakage straight away? Please help.

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    1. Hi Georgia, black tea rinsing doesn't prevent breakage, it prevents/slows down shedding. For breakage, you'll need to assess your regimen to see what's causing the issue i.e. products, styling tools, direct heat etc.

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  26. I did my first black tea rinse today. I have extra left over, can I store it? And if so for how long? Will it be less potent? Thanx :)

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  27. Hello some one please help asap , when you do the black tea rinse is it okay to leave it in overnight

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    1. I wouldn't recommend leaving it in your hair overnight. Up to 1 hour is sufficient enough.

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