Hate Your Horsetail? Think Again!

It’s great for your skin and hair. Horsetail contains a large amount of bioavailable silica, which the body uses to build and maintain healthy collagen, connective tissue, and skin. It also contains smaller amounts of bioavailable calcium and other minerals such as potassium, manganese, sulphur and magnesium. It stimulates hair growth and shine, boosts collagen and skin elasticity. It is a healing astringent when used in the bath, creams and lotions.

Try a rinse of Horsetail Infusion for hair shine and strength, or massage Horsetail Tincture into your scalp to promote hair growth. You could mix a few drops of tincture with coconut oil and brush it through your hair, leave it for 2-3 hours and wash out as a split ends treatment.

Dab Horsetail Infusion onto weak and split nails to strengthen them and help remove ridges.

Horsetail is good for reducing cellulite. Add the infusion or a few drops of horsetail tincture to your bath.

Horsetail Tincture

Horsetail stems

Vodka (or brandy)

Put the stems and vodka into a blender and whizz them up. Pour into a clean glass jar, label and place somewhere cool and dark for 4-5 weeks, shaking daily. Strain into clean dropper bottles. Label. Store in a cool dark place for 2-4 years.

Horsetail Bath

1 litre water, boiling

100 gm fresh horsetail

Pour the water over the herb and infuse for 60 minutes. Strain and add the liquid to a warm bath and soak for aches, pains, rheumatism and gout.

Horsetail Foot Rub

100 gm fresh horsetail

100 ml rubbing alcohol

Put the herb in a jar and pour over the alcohol.  Infuse for 3 weeks, shaking daily.  Strain into a clean bottle.  This is good and cooling to rub onto sore and sweaty feet.

Horsetail Skin Toner

Horsetail stalks, fresh

Witch hazel

Put the crushed stalks in a jar and cover with witch hazel.  Leave 2 days and strain.

Horsetail Nail Oil

Handful of fresh horsetail, crushed

Grapeseed or almond oil

Put the horsetail into a glass jar and cover with the oil. Fit the lid. Leave in a cool dark place for 2 weeks, shaking daily. Strain the oil into a clean jar and label. using a cotton pad, rub this into dry, flaking nails daily to strengthen them.

© Anna Franklin, from the forthcoming Hearth Witch’s Garden Herbal, Llewellyn, 2023