Quinoa Seed Extract for Hair: Benefits and How to Use It

You may be familiar with quinoa, a delicious and nutritious grain often found in overpriced salad bowls. But did you know that its extract is an amazing ingredient when used in haircare products like shampoo and conditioner? Quinoa is considered a complete protein, meaning that it contains all the essential amino acids. Since our hair is made out of keratin (a protein), reinforcing it with quinoa extract adds strength and protection. 

During these hot summer months, taking care of your hair may seem like a drag, but quinoa extract might be the easy fix your dry hair has been begging for. We turned to three hair experts for their advice on using the miracle grain for hair.

Benefits of Quinoa Seed Extract for Hair

Just like quinoa is great for us internally, it can also be externally - but there's a catch. “To be effective in haircare, it needs to be hydrolyzed, a process that breaks down the quinoa and extracts the acids,” explains Holden. When shopping for haircare products that contain quinoa extract, make sure there’s a meaningful level to get the benefits it delivers (like, it's not the last ingredient listed).

• Repels free radicals: Thanks to its high levels of vitamin E and other antioxidants, quinoa seed extract can repel free radicals, the harmful molecules that damage your hair and skin. This helps keep your hair follicles healthy and strong, so they’re equipped for steady hair growth. 
• Hydrates hair and scalp: The humectants in quinoa seed oil attract moisture from the air, making it an excellent source of hydration for your scalp and strands. “Because it smooths the cuticle, it can also support curls and eliminate frizz,” explains Shapiro. 
• Helps retain moisture: Additionally, it’s a storehouse for essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. Shapiro says that these acids are known to reduce water loss, so your hair can retain moisture and have a softer, silkier quality overall. Because the hydrolyzed quinoa protein molecule is very small, it can penetrate low-porosity hair and provide needed moisture beneath the cuticle better than thick, hydrating oils and butters, which can often build up on low porosity hair. It also works beautifully for those with high-porosity hair who lose moisture quickly from strands and can benefit from the flexible film coating hair that traps moisture in and releases it slowly. 
• Strengthens your hair: The proteins in quinoa seed oil form a protective barrier around your hair, making it strong and protecting against potential damage. “Quinoa is chock-full of the amino acids our hair needs for strength, elasticity, and resilience. Without them, our hair health is lacking and we will be more prone to dry brittle hair that breaks and splits,” says Ziering. 
• Supports healthy blood flow in the scalp: Quinoa extract contains vitamin B3, a compound that’s commonly known as niacin. “Niacin is known to help dilate blood vessels and support healthy blood flow in your scalp. This allows for more vital oxygen and nutrients to travel to your hair follicles,” explains Shapiro. This strengthens and nourishes your follicles, supporting their ability to grow hair. 
• Protects your hair: Holden explains that quinoa extract helps to block out environmental stressors and provides protection from heat, while it locks in moisture and seals the cuticle for smooth, pliable, more elastic strands. “The amino acids in quinoa extract deliver on diverse benefits; some penetrate into the hair to fortify our strands and repair, while others within the same ingredient act as a barrier to protect the hair from environmental stress,” clarifies Holden. 
• Reduce scalp acne: Quinoa extract is also known to aid in the balance of sebum control, therefore helping to reduce the appearance of acne from face to scalp, Ziering explains. 
• Helps preserve color: Quinoa seed extract’s high protein content makes it ideal for preserving color treated hair. It can also help protect your strands from the damaging effects of heat styling.

Hair Type Considerations

Great news! Quinoa seed extract can be used for pretty much any hair type around. It may be especially useful for those with dry and breakage prone hair since it can amp up moisture retention and contains loads of protein to strengthen those strands.

It can also be nerve wracking to use certain products on our color-treated hair, but quinoa seed extract may actually help your color stay around a bit longer.

How to Use Quinoa Seed Extract for Hair

Quinoa extract can be found in shampoos, conditioners, masques, leave-in conditioning treatments, hair shields, and curl creams. Quinoa extract is typically seen on product ingredient labels as “hydrolyzed quinoa protein.” Quinoa, like most proteins utilized in haircare products, needs to be hydrolyzed for the molecules to be small enough to penetrate below the cuticle layer. Hydrolysis happens either through acid, water, fermentation, or in the case of some ingredients, it is prompted by microorganisms which not only break down the proteins but also help to release lactic acid from the quinoa, which provides hydrating benefits. 

• Create a rinse: Fill a container with quinoa, water, a starter, or a little apple cider vinegar for a few days to ferment, and then use it as a hair rinse in the shower for stronger, more hydrated hair.
• Use the extract solo: “Quinoa extract, usually found with water and glycerin, can be applied to hair or scalp as a pre-treatment. It’s water soluble, washes out well, and it is gentle enough not to need a carrier oil,” explains Ziering.
• Add to shampoo or conditioner: while quinoa seed extract works great alone, it also pairs well with your other fave hair products. Adding a splash to your shampoo or conditioner can provide all it's benefits without needing to add an extra step in your haircare routine.

The Best Products with Quinoa Seed Extract

Aveeno Blackberry Quinoa Protein Blend Conditioner $7.00

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This conditioner will make your color-treated look like it just left the salon everyday. The oats and quinoa extract provide protein to keep your hair color from fading.

ALURAM Leave-in Conditioner $15.00

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Not only will you get hydrated hair from a powerhouse of ingredients such as quinoa extract and coconut oil, but you're also making it super soft to fend off tangles.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Quinoa Frizz Control Gel $22.00

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Get yourself a gel that doesn't leave a sticky residue and instead leaves your hair frizz-free and nourished. This curl charisma gel does all that and more with ingredients such as rice amino acids and quinoa extract.

FEKKAI CBD Scalp Calming Hydrating Mask $28.00

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It only takes 5 minutes for this mask to destress your strands and provide major hydration without weighing it down.

PURA D'OR Natural Hold Styling Spray $15.00

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A little spritz of this styling spray will give you voluptuous hair with no dryness thanks to the quinoa and rice protein.