Hair Beauty Secrets From The Amazon: Yucca

 

There’s a reason why beauty brands have been looking to Amazonian ladies for inspiration. That’s because these native women have been harvesting beauty secrets for centuries that the rest of us are only now discovering. During one of our Around The World Global Travel Adventures in Ecuador, we sat down with an incredibly friendly native woman who lives in the Amazonian rain forest with her family. To our delight, she often caters to tourists in search of a more local way of life. She welcomed us into her home, cooked us her favorite meal, and demonstrated some of her family’s more traditional dances. Little did she know, she was actually catering to a group of beauty explorers in search of the ancient hair regimens behind her long, lustrous locks; that appeared completely unfazed by the smoldering heat and humidity. Her beauty secret? Yucca.

Yucca is a tropical root vegetable found in many Latin American countries, like Peru and Ecuador. Not only is yucca used for cooking, but it has been used traditionally for health, hygiene, and beauty purposes for years. In fact, it’s commonly used as a natural cleanser for the scalp and hair – hence this woman’s strong and super shiny strands.

We were excited to learn more about this traditional go-to beauty ingredient and how it works to prevent hair loss, strengthens strands, boosts shine, and even treats dry scalp.

Check out some of the benefits below along with an easy-to-follow yucca hair remedy to try at home.

Some of the Yucca Beauty Benefits:

  • Yucca – thickens hair while adding volume (which who doesn’t love that?).
  • Vitamin C, B, and A
  • Saponins – natural compound that foams to cleanse the hair
  • Encourages hair growth
  • Helps protect against UV sun rays ( YEAH FINALLY SPF)

Just in case you get stuck in the Amazon and need a major hair cleanse

(THINK OF US)

Here is your step by step guide on making a hair wash using Yucca straight from the root:

  1. Gather your Yucca succulents ( Machete suggested: It’s super deep in the ground).
  2. Remove the outer layer.
  3. Wash the Yucca and grate it into a powder form.
  4. Using a strainer, or as seen in the picture an extra duty jungle strainer – strain the juice from the yucca.
  5. Voilà – Here is your shampoo!

Now for a little extra cleansing, you can mix in some of the powder onto the scalp and rinse out after 5-10 minutes.

Expert note: Your hair will need to get used to using this as shampoo, so don’t be surprised if it gets a little sticky the first time around. A little extra? Use is as a deodorant or save it for a day when you experience a headache or minor skin injuries. Just apply directly to the skin and it’ll heal from inside out. Great for inflammation.

Even some of our favorite products have Yucca as the main ingredient. Here is Shea Moisture Yucca and Plantain Collection

ATWB_Yuca3ATWB_Yuca2ATWB_Yuca1

Images from Around The World Beauty Tour to Ecuador 

Model: Angie Peek #BeautyExplorer

Photography: Stephanie Flor

Want more South American beauty secrets to add to your global beauty arsenal? Check out the video below:

Want to share your beauty and travel tips and advice? Have a beauty destination you want us to cover? Got questions?  Email us Hello@AroundTheWorldBeauty.com

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8 Comments
  • Mos Ogunlana
    Posted at 04:27h, 01 September

    Wow. Love the SPF protection for your hair. You don’t see many products doing this.

  • Rachel
    Posted at 00:09h, 12 April

    I eat yucca fries! Lol who would have known. Lord knows I need this! With all my bleaching ! Great beauty Secrets

  • Anita Pitt
    Posted at 11:28h, 19 March

    Wow! I’m definitively trying this! So awesome and useful information 😍😍😍

  • Anna Grigsby
    Posted at 01:56h, 23 February

    Haven’t heard of Yucca until now, thanks!

  • kimberly
    Posted at 20:47h, 22 February

    This looks so cool! It seems like it would be a great exfoliater for one’s scalp.

  • Missy Love
    Posted at 18:06h, 13 November

    I love it

  • Hair Tricks from Around the World You Should Be Using – Reader's Digest | Moroccan News Update
    Posted at 10:25h, 20 June

    […] the smoldering heat and humidity with the help of the yucca’s many nutrients. According to Around the World Beauty, a travel blogger who had the chance to try the yucca treatment firsthand in Ecuador, it […]

  • Pili
    Posted at 01:47h, 19 September

    Stephanie Flor: 3 trucos para un maquillaje de 12 horas: http://vidamoderna.com/stephanie-flor-3-trucos-para-un-maquillaje-de-12-horas

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