Hair Care With Herbs

Some Ayurveda herbs used for haircare are fenugreek, karisalankanni, henna, hibiscus, soapnut, Indian gooseberries, neem, and lemon etc.

Ayurveda approaches haircare holistically and takes into account the body types before prescribing a regimen. The person is treated externally with medicated hair oil and treated internally with specific herbs to rectify deficiencies if any. This results in overall improvement of health as well.

The lifestyle of an individual plays a major role in health of his/her hair. Major portion of his/her diet should be of greens like spinach, lettuce, karisalankanni (by the way karisalankanni is an excellent herb for liver) and fresh vegetables and fruits. This takes care of premature graying, dandruff, thinning of hair etc.

‘Lohasavam’ taken after food two times a day (morning and night) helps cure anaemia and aids hair growth.

After applying hair oil, massage the scalp with your finger tips. This will help improve blood circulation and strengthen the hair root. Then comb your hair.

Regular washing of hair helps it keep clean. Pollution and dust can settle on the scalp very easily and washing them away keeps the scalp clean.

After washing, rinse the hair with a mixture of warm water and lemon juice.
Avoid constipation. Take plenty of water.

Hair Care for Dandruff

The dead cells that flake off of outer layers of the scalp is known as dandruff. This is caused when the scalp dries up due to body heat. Excessive use of shampoo also can result in drying up of scalp. In such cases, use Bengal gram powder, green gram powder instead of shampoo or soap. This helps in preventing drying up of scalp.

In one of my previous posts I have mentioned about durvadhi kera thailam which is useful in combating this menace.

For Itchy Scalp

This can be due to pollution, stress, excessive use of shampoo, etc. It is considered as an aggravation of pitta dosha.

One hair oil I had mentioned in my previous post helps cure itchy scalp to a large extent.

These are some of the natural ways to take care of your hair using ayurvedic herbs.


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How to Make Ayurvedic Hair Oil

Some methods to prepare Ayurvedic hair oil have been detailed in couple of previous posts.

'Some ayurvedic home remedies for hair loss and hair growth' explains a simple way to prepare ayurvedic hair oil for premature greying. Also it shows another variation of hair oil for healthy hair growth. Another variation of hair oil using kuppaimeni is useful in preventing hair loss. 'Siddha Remedies for Hair Problems' explains two hair oil preparations that help hair growth for the bald.

I will explain below a couple of variations of hair oil that helps luscious hair growth as well as arrests hair fall.

250 gm of fresh leaves of eclipta prostrata (bringraj in Hindi) karisalankanni is ground to a paste and then made to a cake and dried in shade. Once dried, put this cake in coconut oil (500 ml). Regular application of this oil helps hair growth.

250 gm of henna leaves also can be used instead of karisalankanni leaves.

For premature greying 1/4 litre lemon juice, 1/4 litre karisalankanni juice, 1/4 litre milk all the three are added to 1 1/2 litre sesame oil and heated to almost boiling level. Remove from fire and allow the oil to cool. Regular application (at least for six months) will help premature greying, as well as good hair growth.

Expect some more variations to make 'Ayurvedic hair oil' very soon.

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Benefits of Panchakarma

Panchakarma is the process done by an Ayurvedic expert.

Given below are some of the benefits of Panchakarma
  • It restores your constitutional harmony thereby improving health and wellness.
  • It flushes out toxins from your body.
  • It neutralises the negative effects of stress and retards the aging process.
  • It strengthens the immune system and builds a resilient you.
  • It relaxes you and keeps you calm.
  • It improves your health, boosts your energy levels and gives you a clear mind.

Purvakarma is the term that denotes the measures to be followed before a full blown Panchakarma. Snehana or oil massage and swedana or sweating (akin to sweating in a spa) are the two processes that facilitate easy elimination of toxins.

Vamana, virechana, snehavasti, kashayavasti and nasya are the five processes of Ayurveda for elimination of toxins from body and mind.

Panchakarma helps in restoring back your lost vitality.

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What is Panchakarma

The aim of all systems of medicine is restoration of normalcy in an individual. This normalcy should reflect in all spheres of life, physical, mental and spiritual. Ayurveda as a holistic system strives to restore normalcy in the individual and it achieves this by the process of Panchakarma. This word Panchakarma means five actions. It is a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and spirit.

The old adage ‘microcosm mirrors the macrocosm’ is the basic premise on which Ayurveda and Siddha systems were built. Ayurveda and Siddha systems try to establish the harmony of macrocosm in the microcosm. Everything in nature has its own rhythm. Panchakarma eliminates toxins from an individual’s body and restores the lost harmony.

An ideal personality is one who has a body clear of toxins, a calm mind, stable emotions. His/her system eliminates waste efficiently. All organs function normally.

Toxins get accumulated in one’s body due to environmental pollution and stress. The accumulated toxins weaken all the systems and create an ideal setting for development of chronic and degenerative diseases. The individual’s health is compromised in the process. When left unattended they develop into serious ailments which destroys one’s health and wellness.

Panchakarma is the ayurvedic way of removing accumulated toxins. By cleansing the body of all accumulated toxins, this process restores the lost vitality and improves bodily function. A subsequent change in lifestyle helps maintain this ideal state of health.


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