Spend an hour in the traffic and all the City’s grime is probably settled on your hair. At the end of the day, it’s not just your mind that is exhausted; your hair is equally worn out. But instead of using hair serums, masks, conditioners and shampoos that are loaded with chemicals, one can try something more natural or organic.
Many people are opting for home remedies and homemade products while are giving the big names the boot. Ingredients like honey, tea, curd and eggs are used to give the hair that extra shine and protect it from the harsh environment. Shalini D’Souza, a young professional, observes that the increasing pollution levels can leave lasting damage on the hair. “It is important to keep one’s hair protected from the dust and smoke. Along with covering my head with a stole or scarf, I apply castor oil and leave it on for some time. After this, I make a hairwash out of hibiscus,” she explains.
Called ‘Chembarathi thali’ in Malayalam, the flower and its leaves are crushed by the hand and are mixed with a little water. “This gooey paste is applied to the scalp and hair. The hibiscus doesn’t allow all the oil to be washed off so there’s a shine to your hair,” adds Shalini.
Priya Jain, founder of ‘Mishikrafts’, uses ‘henna’ to condition her hair. Once every two or three months, she uses a ‘henna’ mix and calls it her ‘hair spa day’. “I specifically use a Rajasthani ‘henna’. I mix it with pure essential tea tree, lavender oil and curd and leave it on for about 2 hours. It leaves the hair shiny and soft.” She explains that people of all hair kinds can use this mixture. “People with dry hair would do well to add curd into the ‘henna’ mixture, while oily haired people can use it with water and tea tree oil. And those with thin hair can add lavender oil. My hair, which was brittle and thin, has gotten better now that I’ve reduced on the chemicals,” she adds.
While some have seen a drastic change in hair condition, other aren’t so sure. Sneha Paul, who has been using organic hair care for the past year, says that she doesn’t see any visible change but is willing to keep trying. Even though the price of natural and organic products tends to be on the steeper side, people don’t mind.
“I started losing hair so I switched to natural products. I don’t know if they’ve made a difference but they don’t promote as much as the bigger brands so they feel more genuine,” she says.
Jocelyn P Prasad, on the other hand explains that when she started losing hair, she made homemade hair oil from coconut oil and curry leaves. “I realised that the commercial shampoos were making my hair rough, frizzy and dry. It’s been about a month now and my hair is smoother and my dandruff hasn’t come back.”
It’s just the pollution that can ruin your hair; the weather, age, food habits and water can also play a role. Which is why many people are making their own herbal shampoo bars. Priya Iyer makes herbal shampoo bars from yogurt, honey, green gram flour, hibiscus, aritha, fenugreek, amla, shikakai, basil, tea tree oil, rosemary and juniper berry essential oils. “Every ingredient helps keep the hair and scalp healthy, dandruff-free and it promotes hair growth.” Adding that she likes to know what she puts on her skin, Priya also makes herbal hair packs with 15 ingredients.
Explaining the different types of hair conditions, Preeti Robert says, “For an oily scalp, a person needs to wash their hair daily with coconut oil, jojoba oil and aroma oils. Lemon and rosemary will also help. For dry hair, a person needs to use a combination of coconut, almond and castor oil along with aroma oils like hibiscus, lavender and sandalwood. For fragile hair (often abused by perms, colours and gels) jojoba and almond oils with cocoa butter will stimulate and encourage new hair growth.”