Benefits of Neem Oil For Skin, Face and Hair Care

Benefits of Neem Oil For Skin and Hair Care:

The first thing that comes to our mind when we say neem is its bitterness. The next thing that comes to our mind is that neem has many medicinal qualities and is used for its antifungal, antiseptic, antipyretic (reduces fever) and antihistamine (reverses allergies) properties. Every part of the neem tree, the neem leaves, neem fruits, neem flowers and even the neem bark is used to cure several ailments. It is used in Siddha and Ayurveda to treat skin diseases, pain, repellant, fever, vomiting, diabetes, gum disease, heart problems, remove intestinal worms, cold, eye disorders and so on.

Neem Oil Benefits for hair and skin

Neem tree is considered to have many medicinal properties. Neem oil extracted from its seeds consists of many healing and medicinal properties. Neem oil can be helpful in relieving problems associated with skin, and hair disorders.

What is Neem?


Neem, otherwise known as Indian Lilac is native to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and has the scientific name Azadirachta indica. It is a fast growing tree and is known for its drought-resistant nature.

Neem tree is green throughout the year and bears small white flowers and oval, small yellowish fruits.

What is Neem Oil?

A product of the Neem tree is the Neem oil. Neem oil has several health and skin benefits and you don’t have to worry about the bitterness as the oil is used only for external purposes.

Neem oil is a vegetable extracted from the fruits and seeds of the neem tree. It is golden yellow, brown, dark brown, reddish brown or greenish brown in color and has a strong odor.

Neem oil cannot be used for cooking purposes and the various fatty acids make it beneficial for the skin and hair. Neem oil is mainly used in making cosmetic products like soaps, shampoos, and creams due to its high nutrient value.

Benefits of Neem Oil for hair care:

Some hair problems for which neem oil is beneficial, are listed below.

Benefits of Neem oil for Dry Hair:


Dry hair requires heavy conditioning. Hair conditioners in the market consist of fatty acids such as stearic acid, oleic acid, etc. Neem oil consists of, all kinds of fatty acids which are responsible for, conditioning the hair.

The conditioners moisturize a rough and dry hair, giving them silky texture. To achieve this, one has to mix neem oil with coconut oil and apply on the scalp so that it spreads into scalp properly and then proceed to wrap with a warm or bearably hot towel for few minutes. This helps the oil penetration to the scalp. You may wash it later, to get rid of neem odor.



Benefits of Neem oil for Hair Growth, Hair Regrowth, Hair Loss, Hair Fall control & Baldness:


Neem oil has anti-microbial property. It is helpful for hair loss and hair fall problems by treating the root cause of the problems in case of infections, dry scalp, and other similar problems. Neem oil can be used for hair growth, hair regrowth, and baldness treatment.

Benefits of Neem oil for Hair Fungus and Scalp infections:


Neem oil helps to get rid of hair fungus and scalp infections. Neem is known for its antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties, which is why all kinds of infections and irritations to the scalp can be treated by use of neem oil. Neem oil is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve painful conditions affecting the scalp. This oil is also antiseptic in nature, which helps heal all kinds of infections and their after effects.


Benefits of Neem Oil For Dandruff:


Neem oil regulates sebum production and fights itchy and dandruff in the scalp. When one uses Neem oil daily on their scalp, sebum secretion is regulated, which helps overcome dry or oily scalp.

Neem oil works against candida and a variety of fungi and bacteria. Dandruff in a scalp is a result of inherent inflammation. Neem  oil overcomes dandruff generation due to its anti-inflammatory property and hence controls itchy feeling accompanied with dandruff. Hence, Neem oil is good for dandruff problems.

How to use Neem Oil for dandruff?

Add neem oil with coconut oil and apply it to the scalp directly. Leave it for 2 hours and rinse with mild herbal shampoo or shikakai thoroughly. Apply it at least twice in a week.

Neem Oil for Lice and Nits:


Neem oil is a natural killer of lice and nits. Neem has Azadirachtin, an active ingredient, which works against the growth of insects and lice. It kills them in a natural manner. It works to inhibit the consumption pattern in lice by affecting their appetite and reducing it to zero.

Eventually, lice are starved to death. Neem oil has a strong odor, which drives the lice away, even when moving in close proximity.

How to use Neem Oil for lice and nits removal?

Add neem oil with coconut oil and apply it in the scalp directly. Leave it for 2 hours and rinse with mild herbal shampoo or shikakai thoroughly. Apply it at least twice in a week.

Regular application of Neem oil along with coconut oil can help for head lice and nits treatment, prevention, and removal.

Benefits of Neem oil for skin and face:

Some face and skin problems for which neem oil is beneficial, are listed below.

Benefits of Neem oil for anti-aging, aging skin and aging spots:


Neem oil has excellent anti-aging property. Antioxidants present in neem slows the free moving radicals which cause the skin to age. The various Vitamins and essential fatty acids are easily absorbed by the skin and provide nourishment from the inside.

Neem oil also improves the skin elasticity preventing wrinkles and fine lines. Like every other oil, it moisturizes the skin and everyday use is recommended for long term effect.

How to use Neem Oil for aging skin? 

Check to see if the neem oil is free from other chemicals. If other compounds are present, make sure that it is safe to apply on the skin especially face. Apply on the skin based on the concentration. If the neem oil is too concentrated, mix with equal portions of olive oil or coconut oil.

Benefits of Neem Oil for Eczema treatment:


Neem oil helps to provide relief from Eczema. Eczema is a medical condition where the skin becomes inflamed forming blisters. This causes itching and sometimes even bleeding. It is a hereditary disease and the severity varies from person to person.

Being an anti-inflammatory, neem oil penetrates the skin and reduces inflammation. The Vitamin E along with the fatty acids nourishes the skin and moisturizes it. Neem is also an analgesic (pain killer) and its antibacterial property prevents infections.

How to use Neem Oil for eczema treatment?

Add few drops neem oil to warm bath water. Use chemical free neem oil and use it at the end of your bath. Neem oil is concentrated and applying directly is not advisable especially in people having sensitive skin.

Benefits of Neem Oil for Acne | Pimples:

Neem oil is very good for acne prone skin. It is one of the best natural medicine for acne/pimple treatment. The anti-bacterial and anti-microbial property of neem destroys the harmful bacteria causing the acne. It keeps the skin clear and moisturized. It reduces inflammation caused by the acne and also clears the acne scars it leaves behind.

How to use Neem Oil for acne/pimples?

Apply the oil on the acne every night before bed. Wash with a good neem soap. To clear the skin and prevent acne, apply the oil to the whole face.

Benefits of Neem Oil for Skin Pigmentation:

Neem oil is found to reduce pigmentation and improve your skin tone. Melanin, a substance responsible for producing pigmentation is slowed giving a fairer tone to the skin. It also reduces the pigmentation in scars and other wounds.

How to use Neem Oil for skin pigmentation?

Apply the oil on the skin directly. Avoid if it is mixed with other chemicals and if it is highly concentrated. Mix few drops of neem oil to the bath.

Benefits of Neem Oil for Skin Fungus:

Neem oil is good in treating skin fungus as it has anti-fungal property. Neem oil can be regularly used by people who are prone to get more fungal skin infection to avoid skin fungus. It has anti-parasite property too.

Benefits of Neem Oil for Blackheads, black spots, and pores:


Neem oil reduces blackheads, black spots, and pores easily. As the neem oil is easily absorbed by the skin, it kills the bacteria and removes dirt. It makes the pores smaller thus making the skin look clear. It reduces both the blackheads and whiteheads.

How to use Neem Oil for Blackheads, black spots, and pores?

Mix the neem oil with orange juice and apply on the face. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes and wash the face thoroughly. Repeat the same for a week for visible effects.

How to make Neem Oil at home for hair?

Let us see how to prepare Neem oil at home for healthy, lice free hair and glowing skin.

Preparation of neem oil may be a time-consuming task, but given the benefits one can reap by its use, all the efforts seem worthwhile.

  • To prepare neem oil, one has to collect clean and ripe seeds from the neem tree. They must be dried in the sun so that crushing it becomes an easy process. This drying can be done in an electric dryer if there is no sunlight.
  • After drying, slight pounding is enough to separate neem seeds from its shells and clean the seeds to remove sub-standard quality. One can also buy separated, good quality neem seeds, to skip these steps.
  • By making use of a food processor or chopper, these seeds must be crushed, not too much so that oil oozes out just yet. A Magic bullet grinder can crush these seeds into semi powder state.
  • Next step is to, use a metal based mixer, and grind, the powder with some water. For ten measures of ground seeds, one measure of water is enough to grind it. After grinding, this mixture must be squeezed hard to extract oil.
  • To be able to extract its oil completely, one should repeat grinding and squeezing procedure a number of times, to obtain pure organic neem oil.
  • This oil can be stored in an air-tight bottle and stored in cool dry place. When using this oil, a little warming(not boiling) may be necessary.
Does it not sound interesting? Now you can make neem oil at home to get a pure neem oil of course with some effort.


Where to buy Neem Oil?

Neem oil can be bought in grocery stores and country medical stores.

Names of Neem in different Indian Languages:

Neem in Tamil - Vembu, Veppai, Sengumaru
Malyalam - Ariyaveppu
Telugu - Vepa
Marathi - Kadunimba
Punjabi - Nimm
Sanskrit - Nimbaka, Pakvakrita, Arishta
English - Margosa, Indian Lilac, Neem
Bengali - Nim
Hindi - Neem
Kannada - Bevu

Neem Oil Side effects:


Although topical application of neem oil does not have scary side effects, in-take of neem oil requires supervision of doctors.  Neem Oil poisoning is rare in adults and common in children. The side effects include vomiting, seizures, metabolic acidosis, and toxic encephalopathy.

Reference here.
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