We are always banging on about seasonality in this blog, and for very good reason. When you buy fresh produce in season, you are getting the food item in its very best condition, most nutritious and tasty, plus it’s plentiful, so it tends to be cheaper. How much more reasons do you need?

In our quest to bring you interesting facts about the seasonal foods we talk about and promote, we sometimes unearth other things that aren’t related to eating but are related to the use of good clean healthy food. We like to tell you about them. This particular blog is a case in point.

Beetroot is in season now. These deep red root veggies have a variety of uses in the kitchen, from making healthy vitamin-packed juices and soups to boiling or roasting as side veg, preserving in vinegar to serve with cold meats and grating raw into salads. These are just a few suggestions for the versatile beet!

But did you know that you can actually use beetroot juice to cure dandruff and flaky scalp conditions? Beetroot is rich in vitamin C, which is good for healthy skin and boosting the immune system. Many natural remedies recommend it for skin conditions like dandruff.

How to use Beetroot as a natural remedy for dandruff

Our research unearthed several recipes. Cider vinegar and ginger are usually included in them, which makes sense. Cider vinegar is also well known for its considerable health properties and antiseptic qualities. Ginger is an ingredient used in many natural remedies, from drinks to help digestion and chesty coughs to cleansing the blood, and skin preparations that boost circulation to promote healthy skin.

There are two easy ways to use beetroot in dandruff treatment:

1. Boil the washed beetroot, including the green tops, then cool, chop and blend with grated fresh ginger and some cider vinegar, to make a paste.
2. Alternatively, use a good quality bought beetroot juice, with cider vinegar and grated ginger.

Both these remedies are recommended to be applied to the scalp at night, and then wrap hair in a towel. Wash off in the morning, using a very gentle non-chemical based shampoo, which you will find in a good health food shop. Commercial shampoos can be harsh and may aggravate any scalp condition.

It’s recommended you repeat the treatment for about five days, and you should see some improvement in your condition. Hopefully, you won’t get red hair! And if you do, just think, you could pay a fortune in a professional salon to achieve that colour!

If you’re brave enough to give this natural remedy a try, find the best Irish Cider Vinegar in good food shops and farm-based outlets like The Apple Farm Shop in Cahir and Ballycross Apple Farm Shop, among others. Fresh Irish beetroot juices can be found in some of our Farm Shops.