Throughout the years, our body experiences a series of physical changes that can affect in some way our personal appearance; These changes begin to appear due to aging, but they also tend to appear prematurely when our body has not received the necessary attention to keep them healthy and strong, such as skin and hair, which are the most influential in our personal image.

Due to the importance of taking care of our personal appearance, today I want you to know a wonderful plant that has a long list of medicinal properties to treat diseases, and especially for the care of the skin and hair, this plant is known as: nettle.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ4AGhLvQbZPLXjv9WSQB41CvBHFZEedWGyobBTrygjQv/image.png)
[Source-1](https://www.beautymarket.es/peluqueria/la-ortiga-y-sus-beneficios-para-el-cabello-peluqueria-4630.php) [Source-2](https://www.tratamientoparacabello.com/tratamiento-de-ortiga-para-el-cabello/)</center>


# The nettle plant and its benefits for skin and hair.

The scientific name of the nettle is Urtica dioica and in some countries it is known as the green nettle or greater nettle. In Venezuela and in some regions of Colombia it is known as "guaritoto". This plant belongs to the group of Urticaceae and is born wild, for this reason it is easy to obtain, but we must be careful when we find this plant, since the nettle is characterized by having stinging hairs that release an acidic substance. It produces stinging and inflammation in the skin.

## Benefits of the nettle plant for the skin.
***These are some of its properties:***

- Nettle is used as a tonic for the skin, especially for people with oily or combination skin.

- Nettle is used to treat some skin conditions such as dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema.

- It is also effective to treat acne.
<center>https://t2.uc.ltmcdn.com/images/7/5/0/img_como_usar_la_ortiga_para_el_acne_42057_600.jpg
[Source](https://belleza.uncomo.com/articulo/como-usar-la-ortiga-para-el-acne-42057.html)</center>

- Nettle has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

- The consumption of the nettle helps the skin to maintain its elasticity, thus preventing it from loosening and wrinkles appear.

- Due to its antioxidant properties, nettle helps reduce wrinkles and age spots. That is, the nettle can be considered as the anti-aging plant, since it eliminates free radicals in cell membranes, which is what accelerates aging.

<center>https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/ws/660/amz/worldservice/live/assets/images/2015/07/03/150703134228_arrugas_oromos_624x351_thinkstock.jpg
[Source](https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/07/150623_arrugas_causas_soluciones_finde_dv)</center>

How to use nettle to treat acne?
To treat acne quickly and effectively, it is better to take the nettle infusion two or three times a day, preferably before each meal. There is no specific duration to carry out the treatment, you can simply drink the tea until you notice that the pimples disappear. To prepare nettle infusions, just choose some fresh leaves of this plant and place them in a bowl of boiled water, let it stand for a few minutes until the leaves release all their nutrients.


<center>https://mejorconsalud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ortiga-500x335.jpg
[Source](https://mejorconsalud.com/6-usos-curativos-de-la-ortiga/)</center>

## Benefits of nettle for hair.

As we said at the beginning, if we want to have an appearance that corresponds to our age or less, we should put more interest in the care of our body; After knowing the benefits of nettle for the skin, now we will know how good this plant is for hair. Hair care is important, because healthy hair makes us look elegant, interesting and even younger. A woman with healthy and radiant hair can assure you a great chance of success in her social life. And, on the other hand, the man who looks after the health of his hair can avoid hair loss until baldness, which is what most affects the man of today, even young people.

- Nettle is used to control dandruff, since it regulates the excess of sebum on the scalp, in the same way that it is used for dry scalp, since it cleans and moisturizes it.

- Nettle leaves control the appearance of bacteria or other microorganisms that generally cause diseases in the capillary area, since this plant has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties.

- Nettle stimulates the birth of new strands of hair and strengthens the hair follicles to prevent hair loss.

- The nettle improves blood circulation, so that the roots of your hair get more supply of nutrients and oxygen.

- It can inhibit the formation of DHT, the hormone that causes male and female baldness.

- To reduce inflammation in the scalp.

- The nettle serves to neutralize the damage of free radicals in the scalp.

- The nettle has a large amount of vitamins, including A, B, C, D, E, and K. All of them have an important role in nutrition, cell regeneration and vitality. Therefore, they manage to improve the appearance of the hair.
Minerals: Iron, sulfur, potassium, manganese, silicon and phosphorus can be found in their composition, complementing their effect upon entering the organism.

There are many hair products made with nettle extract that are widely used to prevent and control hair loss, usually present as hair lotions, shampoos or blisters.

***Infusion of nettle for hair:***
To prepare an infusion of nettle, we put water to heat and wait for it to boil, then we place several fresh leaves of nettle, preferably with rosemary, remove it from the fire and cover it to rest; This infusion is applied to the scalp before going to bed, so that it takes effect at night.
<center>https://teinfusion.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/infusion-de-ortiga-verde.jpg
[Source](https://teinfusion.net/infusion-de-ortiga-verde/)</center>

***Preparation of the nettle for baldness***: recipe
Grab about 6 large leaves of fresh nettle and a small portion of its root, place this material in a pot with two liters of water and put it to cook until it boils and the water acquires a brown color, remove the pot from the heat and let stand until it cools, then pass it through a sieve and add to this liquid two tablespoons of Epsom salts  per liter of water. Use this liquid to give daily massages to the scalp, especially in the parts where there is shortage of hairs, in 30 days you will be able to observe the results, you will notice that there are new hairs on your head.

References: [Source](https://mejorconsalud.com/la-ortiga-sirve-para-cuidar-cabello/) [Source](https://www.beautymarket.es/peluqueria/la-ortiga-y-sus-beneficios-para-el-cabello-peluqueria-4630.php)