Towards Longer, Stronger, Thicker Hair
Hair today and Tomorrow!
It’s the grouse of every woman – falling hair, brittle hair, dull hair, everyone seems to be having a bad hair day. Some blame the water, some blame air pollution, some attribute it to stress. There’s no denying that these may be the cause of your weak and dull hair, but there is more to the story.
Not just women, but more and more men in today’s age are battling with receding hairlines and are going bald prematurely. Thankfully, there is no cause for despair; you can have healthy hair without undergoing expensive chemical treatments in the beauty salon.
Hair fall Causes
1. Feed the Crown
The biggest contributor to hair loss is inadequate nutrition. In today’s age of fast food and instant gratification, it is very rarely that the body gets the nutrition that it needs to function at an optimum level. As resources in the body get diverted to keep vital organs working in such conditions, secondary organs like hair take a hit.
2. De-stress your Tresses
Stress is another cause. Work pressure, strain in personal relationships, money worries can surely take a toll on your health and hair. Bad sleeping habits and insufficient scalp cleanliness also contribute to hair loss.
What Not to Do
There are plenty of small things you can do to make your weak and dull hair strong, shiny and lush again. But here is what you should stop doing. The first thing is to stop using chemicals on your hair, which means stop bleaching, coloring or straightening your hair. That’s the only way you can save hair fiber. Also, stop subjecting your hair to intense heat. This means you need to start planning your mornings to allow enough time for your hair to dry out after shampoo without using a hair dryer.
Natural Solutions
Naturopathy is replete with solutions to hair problems. All you have to do is get to know about them and take out a little time from your busy schedule to implement them. Here’s what you can do:
- Scalp Massage – A gentle massage after shampoo keeps the sebaceous glands active and maintains healthy blood circulation. You don’t even have to use oil, just ensure that your or someone else’s fingertips come in contact with your scalp and gently rub it. This helps the hair roots release natural oil to keep it nourished.
- Mustard oil and henna remedy – Your grandmother was right when she would ask you to apply these traditional ingredients to create oils at home. Boil 250 grams of mustard oil with 60 grams of henna leaves and preserve this mixture. Regularly apply it to your scalp as an oil.
- Mighty Onion – Onions have Vitamin B6, an essential vitamin for healthy hair. Squeeze out the juice of an onion, mix it with honey and apply it gently on the scalp. This remedy helps to fight baldness in both men and women. Remember to wash out your hair well after some time to get rid of the smell.
- Coconut Treatment – There is a reason our elders swear by coconut oil. Coconut has powerful hair strengthening properties. Mix coconut oil and coconut milk together. Heat it and gently apply to the scalp to provide nourishment to dry and brittle hair.
- Olive oil – Massage warm olive oil on your scalp and leave it on for at least 30 minutes, or preferably the whole night, before washing it off with a mild shampoo. Olive oil gives volume to your hair while strengthening and softening it. You can even mix some honey into the olive oil before use.
- Egg treatment – Whole egg can be beaten and applied to wet hair once or twice a week to enrich the protein content. Alternately, separate the egg yolk and mix it with some hair oil and water before applying it to your hair. Eggs are not for everyone, but they do help your hair.
- Lemon solution – Lemons have Vitamin C which the body and hair need in plenty for healthy growth. Dandruff and itchiness of scalp can be prevented with the application of some lemon juice on the head.
- Other kitchen remedies – Spinach, lettuce, carrots, amaranth, avocado, fenugreek (methi) seeds, Indian gooseberry (amla) and red gram are all handy in the fight against hair fall due to the necessary vitamins and minerals they contain. Juice them or make a paste for regular application on your head. You will see the results in a few days!
Apart from these remedies, here’s what you can do to bring about the change from within your body.
Diet Changes
Examine your diet to check if it is balanced. In today’s hectic life when even meals are eaten on the run, are you getting enough proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals in addition to carbs? If you are a vegetarian, ensure your body gets its fill of plant proteins from whole pulses. Always include a generous helping of fiber and green leafy vegetables in your food. Sprouts, dates, ghee, nuts and fruits are extremely beneficial for overall health as well as hair growth and strength.
Unless you incorporate changes in your diet, there is no use only applying things to your hair from the outside. Any change has to be brought from within. Then, the path to longer, stronger and thicker hair will no longer to be arduous.
