Ayurvedic Hair Care - Part 5

If there are cuts or grazes on skin you can use usilam powder obtained from usilam tree leaves. This powder can be used instead of soap during the Friday/Saturday bath.

In case of skin conditions like scabies or eczema, iluppai oil cake obtained from Indian Butter tree can be an alternative for the usual soap.

Shikkakai powder or boondhi kottai powder can be used for cleaning if you are using herbal oil.

For those using cow’s ghee, green gram powder can be used for cleaning.

The Don’ts

On the day of this special weekly bath you have to observe the following dietary restrictions. You should not have vegetables like ash gourd, snake gourd, bottle gourd and milk. Salt, sour and pungent tasting foods should be reduced to the minimum. No daytime nap and no sex on those days.

The vegetables to be avoided are

Ash gourd
Brinjal or eggplant
Pumpkin
Cluster beans
Mango
Coconut
Bottle gourd
Bitter gourd

Onions should not be taken. Green gram, mustard, fennel seeds, sesame, groundnut, palm candy, milk, curds, tobacco, crab, fish, chicken, mutton, pork etc should be avoided.

Avoid alcohol and all other such products that induce an altered state of mind. You should not loiter around in hot sun after this bath.

The Do’s

You can have

Tender broad beans
Tender drumstick
Tender brinjal
Tender mango
Indian gooseberries
Sundakkai (Devil’s fig)
Manathakkali (Black Nightshade)
Pepper
Cumin seeds
Fenugreek
Cardamom
Asafetida
Fried salt
Cow’s ghee

As for non-vegetarian stuff you can take quail or iguana in moderation.

Adopting these dietary restrictions on Friday/Saturday bath can help fast and natural hair growth. Some more hair growth products will be detailed in my subsequent posts.



Technorati Tags:
, , ,

Ayurveda Hair Care - Part 4

There is a saying in Tamil ‘sani neeradu’ which means ‘bathe on Saturdays’. Some conveniently take it to mean to bathe only on Saturdays, while others see this as a way to conserve water during the dry summer season. But the saying lays emphasis on a complete bathing after application of oil on scalp and the whole body. And it is an experience in itself. This Saturday bathing is meant for men, and women are supposed to have this bath on Fridays, I do not know why this is so.

Apart from the regular bathing on all the other days, this Friday or Saturday special bathing is still followed in many households in Tamil Nadu, India. It is followed as a ritual and when combined with other useful practices recommended by the Siddha system, this is found to re-establish a sort of harmony in the human system. The whole process takes at least 3-4 hours. It is a wonderful relaxing experience.

Proper and regular ‘Saturday bath’ strengthens your body. The mouth and jaws are strengthened. The eyesight gets sharper. The respiratory system improves. The hearing capacity improves. It helps hair growth. It is an excellent hair loss treatment.

With this bath, dry skin problems become a thing of past. You can prevent eczema, scabies and other such skin diseases. You won’t suffer from itchy skin. The body becomes clean and fresh. There is reduction in stress. It cools the brain.

Some things to keep in mind before taking bath

The oil has to be bearably warm
Place a bit more oil on the crown
Also apply some oil to the soles of your feet
If herbal oil you can instill two to three drops in your nostrils
Also instill two to three drops in your ears

Similarly use warm water for this bathing.

Herbal oil can work wonders on proper application. When applied on the soles of your feet it cures diseases of the eyes. It improves the eyesight. When a few drops of this oil are instilled into the eyes it cures problems of the ears. A few drops to the ears cure ailments that afflict the head and scalp. It gives you a clear mind. When the oil is applied on head, it cures most of the diseases that affect the whole human body.

Sesame oil and coconut oil are the best ones for application on hair and scalp. Neem oil is also a good alternative except for the smell, which some may not like. Pure cow ghee can also be used as an alternative.

Pancha karpa oil is a Siddha preparation that can be safely used on hair that can benefit you in many ways. With regular usage it is found to strengthen the hair.

Ingredients:

Kasthuri manjal (turmeric)

Pepper

Neem seeds

Kadukkai (chebulic myrobalan)

Kernel of Indian gooseberry seeds

The above items are taken in equal quantity by weight. Cow’s milk equal to the total weight of the five ingredients is taken. All the five ingredients are ground to a fine powder. This powder is dropped into the milk and allowed to boil. This is allowed to reduce to two-thirds of the original quantity. This would have reached an oily consistency by this time. Now it is removed from stove and allowed to cool and then stored in a bottle. This is applied on hair and scalp. Regular application benefits the scalp and hair immensely. This helps to stop hair loss.

My next post will elaborate on the diet and other things to be observed after this special bath.

P.S: I had erroneously mentioned ‘linseed oil’ in some previous posts where it is supposed to be ‘sesame oil’. I have corrected the mistake.




Technorati Tags:
, , ,

Ayurvedic Hair Care - Part 3

For healthy hair growth you should adopt certain healthy practices. The most important one is to apply oil to the scalp before bathing. Oil should be applied at least 15 minutes before a bath. Similarly the hair should be patted dry thoroughly after a bath. After this you can apply hair oil. You should ensure that the scalp does not remain dry for quite too long. The scalp and hair should have oil always.


Cleaning your hair is very essential to keep it healthy. Since India is a hot country, and more so the southern part, people sweat a lot and the dust gets settled on skin and scalp very quickly. Bathing twice a day would be ideal. One thing you need to keep in mind is that you should not bathe immediately after some strenuous work which had involved physical exertion. Do not bathe when you are dripping with sweat. Rest for a few minutes to let the body come back to the normal temperature and then have your bath. Also do not bathe immediately after a full meal.


After bathing use a towel to pat your hair and scalp dry. Ensure that the scalp is thoroughly dry. Do not use a hair dryer for this purpose. The hot air can damage the hair roots. Apply oil only after the scalp is patted dry.


Given below is a method to prepare the oil that is applied to scalp before bathing.


The ingredients are dried Indian gooseberry, fenugreek, and dried lemon peel. 50 gm of each of these are powdered and added to a liter of sesame oil. This oil is then applied to the scalp and allowed to stay for some 30 minutes and then washed off.


Another way is to apply sesame oil to hair. Now add soapnut powder, green gram powder, bengal gram powder, and powdered rice to rice congee. Make a thick paste of good consistency and apply the paste onto your hair and scalp. Wash it off after 30 minutes.


Another alternative is to apply sesame oil to hair. Then collect henna leaves, sesame, athimathuram, Indian gooseberries, and make a fine paste of these with cow's milk. Heat this fine paste a little and once it reaches a bearable level of heat apply it on the hair and scalp. Leave it for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off.


Another herbal preparation found to be very effective is to make a paste of karisalankanni leaves, nelli mulli and anthimathuram and applying it on the hair after the usual application of oil. This is then washed off after 10-15 minutes. This helps in luscious hair growth. The hair will have a nice fragrance and it will keep away diseases that affect your hair.


You can try a simple preparation to stop hair loss. For this you need to make a paste of split red gram (thuvaram paruppu in Tamil). Red gram is soaked in water the previous night. The next day morning it is ground to a fine paste and applied to scalp and washed off after 10 or 15 minutes. If you do this frequently, it will help in arresting hair loss and also aid in hair regrowth.




Technorati Tags:
, , , ,

Ayurveda Hair Care - Part 2

A healthy body begets a healthy mind. I would like to add healthy hair. A comprehensive hair care in Ayurveda starts inside out. Hair weakens with deficiency of vitamins or minerals in the body, or changes in food habits. Some common hair problems are hair fall, inadequate and lackluster growth, change of color, gradual receding of hairline leading to baldness, alopecia or round shaped small bald patches on scalp, dandruff and head lice, graying of hair.

Though many reasons could be attributed to the cause of the above mentioned conditions, the basic one according to Ayurveda is the body ‘heat’. A ‘heat body’ is somewhat akin to an acidic body, and this body ‘heat’ increases with anger, anxiety, confusion, jealousy, depression and such emotions. Some physical reasons could be constipation, walking barefoot in hot sun for long, etc.

Leading a stress free life is essential for good hair growth. Meditation or other such practices can help in managing stress in your life. Also you should start eating more fibrous foods and drinking more water. This alone can take care of constipation most of the time. Stubborn cases of constipation can be treated with some Ayurvedic laxatives. For people who walk too much in hot sun, one way to reduce their body ‘heat’ is the application of sesame oil on the soles of their feet. For this purpose they should clean their feet before going to bed and pat them dry with a towel. Sesame oil is then applied to the soles of both feet and rubbed vigorously for a minute or two. This is said to have a soporific effect and can induce a good night sleep. In addition, it reduces the body ‘heat’ too.

Is it necessary to apply oil to hair? While there is an ongoing debate on whether you need oil for hair growth, Ayurveda does suggest application of oil to help healthy hair growth. One of the famous hair oils that aids in hair growth is the neelibringadhi oil. This can be applied to the scalp after a bath. This oil is found to help arrest hair fall and activate luscious hair growth.

Application of oil to your hair helps in reducing the body ‘heat’. It keeps the hair fresh. The hair would not get tangled. The color of hair improves with regular application of oil. Since the oil strengthens the hair root, there is a reduction in hair loss.



Technorati Tags:
, , ,

Ayurvedic Hair Care Tips - Part 1

Human hair grows to half an inch per month. The hair can be divided into three parts, the bulb, the root and shaft. The bulb is the swelling at the base below the root that comes up from the dermis, the root is the portion of hair beneath skin surface and shaft is the hair above skin surface. Life span of a human hair is said to be between two to three years. It is normal to shed 50 to 70 strands per day.

Excessive hair loss can be attributed to weak hair roots. Some of the reasons for hair loss include heredity, infection of scalp, certain drugs, stress, environmental pollution, chlorine in water, hormonal imbalances, menopause, pregnancy, diseases like typhoid, flu etc.

Some more reasons for hair loss include

lack of essential nutrients in body
dust that is not cleaned off from scalp
cleaning hair with excessive hot or excessive cold water
scalp not patted dry after a bath
application of oil on scalp after a bath without proper drying

Some precautions to be observed:

Do not allow others to use your comb, keep it to yourselves.
Avoid combs with very sharp teeth.
Never use a dirty comb
Change your comb after a month.
Do not use combs of others.
Do not comb in a hurry. Take your own time to comb your hair.
Run your comb gently through your hair. Never test your strength with your hair.

Coconut oil has been used from time immemorial for luscious hair growth. Application of coconut oil on scalp nourishes the hair roots and strengthens hair follicles.

One inexpensive way to have a soft and shiny hair is to apply not so sour curd obtained from cow’s milk onto to your hair. After about fifteen minutes you can clean off the hair with lukewarm water.

Records show that our ancestors cared for their long hair with the help of herbs and oils. They took time to dry their hair and expose it to scented fumes. They prepared herbal oils that nourished the hair roots and hair follicles. Above all they led a stress free life which should have been the primary reason for their healthy hair.



Technorati Tags:
, , ,

Hair Care in Ayurveda

Human hair has had an important social significance for human beings throughout the history of mankind. It has been a symbol of love and respect in many traditions. In the Hindu tradition, the first born son tonsures his head on the death of his father or mother. This rite of tonsuring the head is done on the day of cremation. He also shaves off his mustache. The next day, the son is taken in procession from his home to the crematorium to take part in the rites and ceremonies performed at the crematorium. You can find this act of giving away of hair as a sign of respect, mourning and for various other reasons in different cultures throughout the world.

The biblical character Samson was said to have had his strength in his hair. When his hair was cut he lost his strength. He regained his strength when the hair grew back again.

Pictures of Lord Jesus depict him with shoulder length hair. The great gurus and rishis were said to have had thick lock of shoulder length hair. The great Fathers of the Church were always found with long hair and beard. The pictures of the great poet Thiruvalluvar show him with shoulder length hair which is tied at the top as a knot.

Devotees in India offer their hair as a token of love and thanksgiving to Lord Balaji in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. Men of certain religious faith like Orthodox Jews and Sikhs for example may never cut their hair or shave some or all of it. Womenfolk of orthodox Christianity and Judaism cover their heads using headscarves as a sign of modesty.

Cutting off hair or tonsuring in public was meted out as punishment. Heads were shaved in the concentration camps of Second World War. Long hair of women was cut as a sign of punishment.

More recently, Yoko Ono, wife of John Lennon cut her long hair on her husband’s assassination. She said “John loved my hair, so I gave it to him”. Hippies of the 60s and 70s grew long hair to show their antipathy towards the mainstream society.

Though hair is not considered necessary for survival, loss of hair or baldness does cause a lot of stress in most of the people.

Women tend to be more careful in the upkeep of their hair. Women with long hair clean it regularly and take extra care in maintaining it. Hair grows and stays well in a healthy body. Care should be taken to keep the scalp clean and free from dust. Frequent usage of shampoo with chemical contents can harm the scalp. Dry scalp is a fertile place for dandruff. Dandruff on scalp can lead to weakening of hair root and result in hair loss. It is very difficult to eradicate dandruff once it has set in. It can also lead to baldness.

Hair loss due to hereditary genetic condition like male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness can be can be reversed with judicious use of excellent herbs and oils. Ayurveda and Siddha manuscripts mention number of hair oils as well as oral preparations that help in restoring hair and preventing hair loss.

Mainstream system utilizes oral drugs like finasteride or minoxidil for hair growth. These drugs were originally meant for treating BPH and high blood pressure and the hair growth was a side effect. The side effect of using these drugs for hair growth remains to be seen. Finasteride is found to cause birth defects in unborn baby of pregnant women. This drug can be absorbed by the skin and so pregnant women should not handle this drug.

I will introduce you to some herbal preparations that help in hair growth as well as prevent hair loss in my subsequent posts.



Technorati Tags:
, , , , ,

Home Remedies For Acne

Home remedies for acne work wonderfully well on skin. With proper supervision, you can get back the natural sheen and color of your skin with no side effects. With a two pronged approach of treating the problem internally as well as complementing it with external herbal application you can cure almost all of the skin afflictions that trouble mankind. This inside out approach cures the system of the basic defect that has caused this manifestation in the first place. In this article I will share with you some home remedies for acne.

Acne affects most of the population at least once in their lifetime. Teenagers are particularly prone to this problem due to the sudden spurt of hormonal activities in their bodies. There is a tempting desire to pop the acne cysts in spite of the eventual pain and infection. There is an unbearable itching sensation around the cysts.

An Ayurveda expert would advise you not to scratch the area or pop the cysts. If the white pus is expressed out by pressing the acne, it could lead to formation of black spots in those areas. These marks thus formed may remain stubborn in some cases and would worsen the appearance. If the cysts are left alone, they would gradually subside with appropriate care. It goes without saying that one needs to practice adequate self-discipline for an effective cure.

Regular application of Ayurvedic products like ‘kumkumadi lepam’, ‘chandanadi thailam’ etc on acne boils help in their subsidence. The skin will regain its lost luster over time. Also application of sandalwood paste is a good alternative. In this case, the paste is to be applied immediately on preparation. Tablets of sandalwood paste available readymade in shops will not suit this purpose.

Reduce the frequency of using soap to clean your face. Soap can remove the oil from the surface of skin. This would result in dry skin and can aggravate the acne boils. Instead just wash the face with plain cold water. Limit usage of soap on your face to twice or thrice a day.

Neelibringadhi oil can be gently massaged onto the hair roots once in two or three days. This will help in hair growth as well as clearing of dark rings around the eyes. This oil also helps in clearing up dark spots and blackheads. A warm water bath an hour after this application is found to yield good results.

Taking natural laxatives once a month for elimination of toxins is a very good practice which should be observed for at least three months. Kashayam made of tender kadukkai or chebulic myrobalan, curry leaves and grapes is a good laxative for this purpose.

Drink one or two glasses of water first thing in the morning. This helps in proper bowel movement and elimination of waste matter. Add more of greens and coconut to your regular diet. Avoid oily food substances. Tender coconut water and bananas in the mornings and wheat kanji in the evenings would be ideal.

Apply skin of milk on affected areas before going to bed. Splash cold water and wash the area off the next day morning. Rub a turmeric finger on rough surface and obtain a fine paste by adding a drop or two of linseed oil to it. Apply this paste to the pimples and leave it dry for 30 minutes. Clean off the area using green gram powder.

Mahathiktha gritham is taken 10 mg everyday morning on empty stomach. This helps in curing blackheads or comedones.

In the coming days I would share with you some time tested home remedies for acne.


Technorati Tags:
, , , ,