Ayurvedic Hair Care

            by Sheela Rani Chunkath

Almost anyone I meet complains about their hair. They all talk about how they had thick hair while in school and now there was hardly any left. Nobody seems happy with the state of their hair. I wonder whether it is the diet, the lack of proper nourishment to the hair, the chlorine in the water, the chemical shampoos or the frequent straightening and curling which has brought the hair to such a pass. I remember as a kid when combing the hair was a daily exercise where a considerable time was spent applying oil and massaging the hair.

Sundays would mean an oil bath where even more oil was applied on the hair and shikakai powder was used to remove the oil. This left the hair still soft and somewhat unctuous unlike shampoos which leave it bone-dry.

I was intrigued by the fact that all those who make their own hair oils add very similar ingredients. Apparently it is a long ayuvedic tradition. Ayurvedic acharayas have classified some herbs as keshyam meaning herbs which help maintain healthy hair. The chief among them are Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba), Japa pushpa (Hibiscus sinensis) Amlaki (Emblica officinalis) Madayantika (Lawsonia inermis) Nimba (Azadirachta indica), Saireyaka (Barleria cristata).

Bhringaraj is an ingredients in many hair oils. It is a small plant found bordering rice fields with a small white flower. If you squeeze the leaves in your hand it will leave a black mark. It is supposed to help keep your black and shiny. It is also an ingredients in natural hair dyes that some people manufacture though I haven’t seen any without some other chemicals in it.

Hibiscus, the old fashioned red variety is what we need, not the fancy hybrid varieties that are now found in our nurseries. Since the flowers are mucilaginous it leaves the hair silky soft. This flower also helps in keeping the hair dark and shiny.

Amlaki is the wonder herb that has a myriad properties. From being an antiaging dravya it is also a keshya drug. It helps prevent hair fall.

Henna is something that everybody is familiar with. It helps to keep everybody is familiar with. It helps to keep the scalp cool. It helps in promoting hair growth and in imparting a lovely glow to it. Nimba helps in keeping the hair free from dandruff.

Saireyaka or December poo as it is called in Chennai is a flowers from the 80’s. Everybody used to wear strands of these beautiful mauve and pink flowers on their hair. The flowers while beautiful has no scent. It you happened to have a plant in your house it was fun to pluck them and suck the mild nectar form the back of the flower. With newer trends I do not find many people wearing them in their hair. However I recently read an article where an Indian had managed to plant a pink Barleria cristata in her house in U.S. and being very happy about it. It is a thorny shrub and will grow well in a large pot. Maybe one could try growing it on our terraces. Then we would readily have the flowers to use in our hair oil.

So if you manage to collect all the herbs grind them to a paste and add them to coconut oil. You can use about 100-200 grams of the paste to a litre of oil. Let it soak overnight. The next day add a litre of water and heat it till all the water evaporates heat on a low flame you will be left with about 800-850 ml of oil. To know if the oil is ready, remove a little paste and roll a bit between your fingers. It will look like a thin wick. It is fun to make and great for your hair.

--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/