Saffron Benifits For Hairs

Saffron Benefits For Hair

Saffron is beneficial for your hair and helps in stimulating hair growth.

Combats Hair Loss

Saffron can be mixed with licorice and milk and applied to bald spots. This will combat hair loss and promote hair growth.

How To Select And Store?

Selection

Saffron is the most expensive of all the spices. Hence, proper selection is vital in order to get your money’s worth. Saffron is available all year round in supermarkets and specialty stores. This is available in three forms – saffron threads or stigmas, saffron tips, and saffron powder.

Saffron threads or powder should be purchased from a reputed distributor. It should be packaged in foil to provide protection from air and light. Bulk saffron is usually sold in wooden boxes.

When purchasing saffron threads, ensure that they are dark red in color. These should have orange tips and should not have any color variation. There should be no traces of yellow as they have no utility except adding dead weight. The redder the color, the better is the quality of saffron. If the tips are not orange, it means that the saffron is of inferior quality and has been dyed. Saffron threads with white spots and those with yellow stamens attached should be avoided. Saffron threads should be hard and brittle to touch.

It is a bit difficult to discern powdered saffron based on color as it is more likely to be adulterated. It generally has a lighter color than the saffron threads or tips. To ensure superior quality, it should be bought from a reputed brand or merchant. The next step is to examine its aroma. Saffron should have a strong and fresh aroma. It should smell sweet and not musty.

Though saffron is available in both thread and powdered forms, it is advisable to prefer the thread if possible, as ground saffron has a shorter shelf life than the dried threads. It is usually mixed with other ingredients and lacks the quality and flavor of saffron threads. Moreover, saffron is an expensive spice. Thus, if it is available at a cheaper price, it is likely to be of inferior quality or may even be a fake.

Storage

Saffron should be stored in an airtight container, preferably in a glass jar in a cool, dark and dry place. The ideal storage temperature for saffron is below 68F and in less than 40% humidity. Like other herbs and spices, saffron is also sensitive to light so it should be wrapped in a foil if kept in a transparent container. If the saffron stigmas are compressed together, they should be loosened and separated a bit before being transferred to the jar. This will make it easier to pull or shake out a few threads at a time. Though saffron can last several years if stored properly, it is advisable to use it within two years as it will increasingly lose more and more of its flavor with age.