Celery Juice Benefits for Hair

Celery is a leafy, green plant that is considered by some to be an herb and, by others, a vegetable. It has a high sodium and water content and is rich in minerals and vitamins. Celery juice carries many internal and external health benefits for your entire body due to its unique genetic makeup. And so many people attest to the benefits! I decided to do some of my own research about the benefits of celery and celery juice so here are my findings. In this article, I will be focusing on the benefits that celery juice provides for your hair and give you some ideas on how to incorporate celery into your diet.

Celery Speeds Up Hair Growth

Celery has many properties that help speed up the hair growth process including the abundance of nutrients it contains, its antioxidant properties, and the healing, soothing powers celery juice contains. All of the following benefits work together to make your hair growth more efficiently.

Nutrients Contained in Celery

Because celery is full of vitamins and minerals, it supports hair growth. Celery is full of vitamin B. Vitamins that are part of the vitamin B family, (especially vitamins B6, B12, and folate) are especially important for hair growth. Other vitamins in celery include vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Celery also includes at least 10 different minerals (5) including iron, a mineral that directly benefits and encourages hair growth. 

Celery is an Antioxidant

Celery is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants slow down the aging process by pairing with and thus stabilizing something called a free radical. Free radicals are molecules that are unstable because they have at least one unpaired electron. To make itself stable, the free radical steals electrons from other molecules, which leaves deficiencies and ultimately leads to the aging of your body. When you eat celery or any other antioxidant, it pairs up with the free radicals and stabilizes them so they don’t try to steal electrons from other molecules, like your hair follicles. In short, the antioxidant properties in celery eliminate the bad cells so that your hair growth rate can be maximized.

Celery Reduces Scalp Inflammation/Hair Thinning

Celery alkalines your body and helps keep your pH levels balanced so your systems (including the ones that grow your hair) work smoothly, calming your body. Celery juice reduces inflammation through relaxation in the hair follicles, roots, and scalp.

Celery is a popular ingredient used in many hair and skin products because of its ability to soothe. Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center found that celery relaxes the muscles that line blood vessels so that blood pressure is lowered (1). Multiple studies have found that high blood pressure is correlated to hair loss (specifically the hair on the top of your head) (2) so celery is important in fighting hair thinning.

Celery Strengthens Hair Against Breakage

Often, hair breakage is caused by the hair and scalp being too dry. Celery juice is very hydrating due to the high water content celery contains so when you massage it into your scalp and through your hair, it makes your hair not as brittle and less prone to breakage.

The antioxidant properties in celery juice also help to strengthen the hair because, without them, free radicals take important elements away from your hair cells that are supposed to reinforce and stctrengthen your hair.

Celery Smooths Out Frizz

When you apply celery juice 20-30 minutes before washing your hair, it calms down the frizz and helps in straightening your hair. This is a result of celery’s high water content and also antioxidant properties.

Celery Enriches Hair Color

Because of the rich supply of vitamins and minerals, celery juice helps your hair keep its color. When you don’t get enough vitamins, your hair can fade and look gray and dull. When you apply celery juice, you are supplying your hair with the nutrients it needs to keep a vivid color.

The texture of your hair is also softened and made smoother to the touch when celery juice is applied. (7)

Celery Controls Dandruff

The water, vitamins, and minerals in celery juice work together to minimize dandruff in a couple of different ways:

The water in celery juice hydrates your scalp. Hydrating your scalp is important because just like hair breakage, skin breakage (dandruff) is dependant on the dryness of the skin. 

Celery juice’s vitamins and minerals nourish your scalp’s skin so that it dries out and flakes off less frequently.

Celery Has Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties

Another thing that contributes to dandruff is fungi and damaged skin. A study found that celery (for the study they used it in the form of an essentail oil) inhibits the growth of Pityrosporum ovalea, a naturally-occuring fungus that causes extra dandruff. (3)

Other antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties also exist and help the general health of the body. (4)

Celery Helps with Follicle, Blood Cells, and Scalp Health

Vitamin B12 creates red blood cells and keeps them healthy so that they can effectively bring oxygen to your cells and hair follicles. Not enough oxygen and bad circulation to your hair follicles slows the rate at which your hair grows (9).

When you apply celery juice directly to your hair consistently, it heals imperfections on your scalp and any damaged hair follicles.

Celery vs. Celery Juice

Eating celery as a whole veggie gives you more fiber so it is a good food to promote weight loss.

The biggest reason for juicing celery is that you can drink a lot more celery juice than the equivalent in whole celery. Basically, you can fit in a lot more nutrition when drinking celery juice. For example, 9 stalks of celery make 16oz of celery juice. Even though you may have trouble eating 9 stalks of celery, it is fairly easy to drink 16oz of juice.

When applying celery directly to your scalp, it needs to be in a liquid form so that you can apply it. When applying celery directly, juicing it also helps you get the full benefit from the celery because you are opening up the celery and utilizing the vitamins inside.

How Long Before I Can Feel and See the Benefits?

There are so many variables that it is hard to tell how specifically long it will take to recognize the benefits. However, from the first time you drink celery juice it begins healing your body – internally or externally. Some people can feel the benefits after their first day of juicing (11). One of the most common immediate benefits is reduced blotaing. You will most likely see some sort of benefit from drinking celery juice within the first week.

You can see the benefits of celery juice on your hair in as little as one week, but most of the time it takes one month of consistently drinking celery juice to see and feel improvment on your hair.

Getting Started with Celery

Ready to get started? 

First, there’s one thing you need (besides celery, of course)! A juicer or a blender!

All of these preparation methods require a juicer or a blender. So if you don’t have one, consider investing in one. I have a Blendtec blender. A blender is a lot more versatile than a juicer as it can make not only juice but also smoothies, ice cream, nut butter, sauces, etc. Another benefit of using a blender is that it doesn’t waste any of the celery. So not only is a blender’s up-front cost cheaper than that of a juicer, but it is also cheaper in the long-run.

The benefit of a juicer is that it also strains the juice for you so that it doesn’t have pulp.

How to Use Celery Juice

There are a few different ways of using celery juice. Some people prefer to apply it directly to their scalp while others drink the celery juice or add it to meals so that their entire body reaps benefits. Cut-up celery is a great addition to salads and soups, or even just eaten as a snack with your favorite dipping sauce. 

It is so easy to make celery juice! Here are some ways to prepare it depending on what you are using it for:

To make celery juice for hair growth, you can use a blender, a juicer, or a food processor to grind up one stalk of celery. 

Add-ins: Essential oils – the most popular essential oil to add is lemon, but all essential oils make great additions.

Application: Before washing your hair, apply the celery juice liberally to your scalp. Make sure you get it to all your roots by applying it to small sections at a time. Massaging it in for a couple of mintues. Then using the remaining celery juice, rub through the ends of your hair. For best results, leave the celery juice in your hair so it can soak into your follicles. Wrap your hair in a bun and wait for 30-60 minutes before washing your hair as normal. Do this 2-3 times per week.

To make celery juice soup stock, after washing your celery, juice it. Add water until it is a good stock-like consistency. Flavor it with butter. You can warm it up over the oven or in the microwave and drink it just like that or make it into a soup by adding cut-up veggies and noodles. My favorite veggies to add are carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. There is something called celery soup too. Look online for some yummy celery soup recipes!

To make celery juice to drink, wash one large bunch (about 9 stocks) of celery and cut off both leaves and base (you can leave the ends on if you want, but it will be a little bit more bitter. Using the small stalks in the center of the bunch will also make it more bitter). Then use a blender or a juicer to liquidize your celery (depending on the texture you want – for a thin juice use a juicer, for a thicker, pulpy texture use a blender. You can also make it thinner by adding water and/or straining it). Depending on the size of your bunch and how much you juice, this should equate to about 16oz of celery juice. Try starting with 8oz (so use half a bunch of celery) and work your way up if you need to. Try drinking celery juice every morning and be as consistent as you can.

Pure celery juice tastes just like whole celery – it’s just a different consistency. It also has a salty element to it because celery has a high sodium content. Also, you can store celery juice in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 days (10). To get the best results, drink the celery juice right after you juice it! Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach and wait 20 minutes after drinking the juice to eat or drink anything else. The effects work best if you don’t add anything to the celery juice.

For Better Taste: Try adding apple and cucumber to your celery juice to make it taste sweeter. Also, you can add ice to make it colder. If you like a sour tang to your drinks, add a slice of lemon or lime!

1. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/09/health/a-new-look-at-an-ancient-remedy-celery.html
2. https://www.capillus.com/blogs/all/hypertension-and-hair-loss
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325928624_Celery_herb_essential_oil_in_the_formulation_of_anti-dandruff_hair_tonic_against_Pityrosporum_ovale/fulltext/5b2cf7b10f7e9b0df5bbbc2b/Celery-herb-essential-oil-in-the-formulation-of-anti-dandruff-hair-tonic-against-Pityrosporum-ovale.pdf
4. https://www.ijcmas.com/vol-4-3/Naglaa%20H.%20M.%20Hassanen,%20et%20al.pdf
5. https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2396/2
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871295/#:~:text=Celery%2C%20because%20of%20compounds%20such,can%20have%20varied%20healing%20effects.
7. https://hairstylecamp.com/celery-juice-benefits-for-hair/
8. https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-celery-juice-for-skin-hair-and-health/
9. https://myhairdoctor.com/vitamin-b12-for-hair/
10. https://goop.com/wellness/health/the-medical-medium-on-the-virtues-of-celery-juice/
11. https://www.celeryjuice.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-feel-the-benefits-of-drinking-celery-juice/