Ayurveda is a way of balancing our life with nature. From different hair types to vital steps to achieve a healthy mane, here are Ayurvedic hair care tips!
Hey gorgeous! Maintaining a hair care routine is very much essential. Whether it’s for hair growth or maintaining long and silky hair, natural hair care is the best way to do it. In Indian culture, homemade and natural ingredients are preferred.
The most ancient Indian tradition, Ayurvedic treatment has gained a lot of popularity in modern times. With the increase in environmental pollution and unhealthy lifestyle, going back to the roots is the best option.
A History of Ayurvedic Hair Care Tips | Indian Traditional System
Ayurveda is one of the oldest holistic healing systems in the world. The Ayurvedic tradition believes that health and wellness depend on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit. The main goal of this tradition is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve your immunity power.
The age-old grandma’s secret to long luscious and healthy hair is the natural hair care routine. But before diving into these tips, let’s check out the vitalities of Ayurvedic treatment.
In Ayurveda, it’s believed that every person is made of five basic elements found in the universe – space, air, fire, water, and earth. These elements combine in the body to form three life forces or energies, called doshas. They are Vata dosha (space and air); Pitta dosha (fire and water); and Kapha dosha (water and earth). They control how your body works.
Usually, one of the energies or forces will be higher compared to the other two. This will also determine the functions carried out by your body and also help to determine your hair type. Here are the three types of Ayurvedic energies –
A. Vata Hair Type
You will have vata hair type if you have vata-dominant energy. The vata hair type usually will be thin and straight. Proper nutrition to the hair follicles will keep vata dosha in balance. Any imbalance will result in dry and frizzy hair, split ends and hair loss.
B. Pitta Hair Type
Pitta is responsible for the production of pigments and hair proteins. This hair type tends to be wavy with a medium thickness. Imbalance in pitta leads to hair loss and premature greying.
C. Kapha Hair Type
Kapha energy is responsible for your hair structure. Usually, this type of hair is thick, lustrous, and curly. Any imbalance of kapha results in the overproduction of oil in your scalp, which will lead to oily dandruff and greasy scalp, hair fall, etc.
Vital Steps to Achieve Long and Shiny Hair
Along with a healthy lifestyle, skin and hair care routines are also a part of Ayurvedic treatment. We explore the best Ayurvedic hair care tips for you! Ayurvedic culture relies on the interdependence of hair health with what you eat and your lifestyle. Let’s check out a few hair care tips to maintain healthy and shiny hair!
1. Regulate Dietary Habits
Diet plays an essential role in hair growth. One of the most important Ayurvedic hair care tips is to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. Consuming protein-rich food is a good idea.
Foods like spinach, eggs, avocados, sweet potatoes are great for hair growth. Avoid fried and greasy food and include lots of fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet. In Ayurveda culture, it’s also believed that food should be eaten in a quiet corner without any other distractions.
2. Hydrate Well
Along with a well-balanced diet, it’s really important to hydrate well to maintain long and healthy hair. Water is a key ingredient that supports hair growth. Drinking at least 2 liters of water will help in hair growth and to strengthening the roots. Our hair needs moisture and water makes up almost 25% of the weight of a single strand of hair.
When you’re dehydrated, you will end up with dandruff and an itchy scalp. So, it’s important to stay hydrated.
3. Adequate Sleep
Lack of sleep will lead to poor health of the hair. You should get at least 6-8 hours of sound sleep everyday. In Ayurvedic culture, it is believed sleep is vital for the well-being of our body.
Try to have your at least dinner two hours before your bedtime. Avoid using your phones or watching TV in bed. Instead, read a book or sip a hot cup of chamomile tea and journal your thoughts before going to bed.
4. Manage Your Stress
Stress has become a part of our daily lives. Unfortunately, we are always busy and hardly take time off. Excessive stress leads to hair fall, premature graying, and dry scalp. Try to relax by meditating for at least ten minutes daily. You can also try other relaxation techniques like music therapy in your garden or guided imagery. Ayurvedic hair care tips suggest consuming herbal teas to relieve stress. Also, meditation and pranayama practices help to relax.
Also, read: Herbal Tea and Infusions
5. Wash Your Hair Less
Less is more should be your mantra when it comes to washing your hair. If you have the habit of washing your hair too frequently, then your scalp tends to become dry if you’re using a shampoo that’s filled with chemicals. This will lead to hair loss. Also, more oil gets produced and you tend to wash your hair even more. This is a never-ending cycle.
Instead, wash your hair once or twice a week and try an herbal shampoo or cleanser. The main reason to wash your hair is to get rid of all the dirt from your scalp. So, avoid washing it daily.
6. Oil Your Hair at Least Once a Week
One of the essential Ayurvedic hair care tips is oiling your hair regularly. Massaging the scalp with natural oil or Ayurvedic oil is a practice that has been followed for centuries. This is one of the main reasons that our moms and grandmas have thick hair, no matter what their age is.
Oiling also helps to nourish and rejuvenate your hair. Try to oil your hair at least once a week. Oiling not only helps to strengthen your hair but also deep conditions your hair. Apply and massage the oil only to the scalp and avoid applying the tips of your hair. You can even try Ayurvedic hair oils that promote hair growth, with their nourishing and conditioning properties. Wash it off with a mild chemical-free shampoo. You can also try Ayurvedic based shampoos.
7. Braid or Tie Your Hair Loose Before Bed
Loose braiding or tying your hair into a loose ponytail is essential for frizz-free hair. If you have long hair, then you should braid your hair before going to bed or your hair will get tangled and damaged.
8. Exercise Regularly
Along with maintaining a proper diet and hydrating well, exercising is also important. The Ayurvedic hair care tips stress being physically active. Exercising helps adequate blood flow, which supports the nutritional intake to the scalp and promotes hair growth. Also, when you exercise, you sweat a lot, which will detox your hair follicles. Yoga along with kapalbhati are believed to detox your body and improve overall health.
9. Comb and Detangle Your Hair Daily
Enhancing blood circulation in the scalp promotes hair growth. Combing your hair daily is essential to keep your scalp clean and detangle your hair. It also helps in distributing the natural oils in the scalp to each strand of hair. Ayurvedic hair care tips suggest using a wide-tooth wood comb and washing it frequently to avoid the accumulation of dirt.
Ayurvedic Hair Care Tips
1. Know Your Hair Type
Knowing your hair type is very important as it is vital to understand your hair health. You can consult an Ayurveda practitioner to know your hair type. Check if your hair is vatta, pitta or kapha hair type. Based on your hair type, choose the oil, shampoo and conditioner that contains the appropriate Ayurvedic herbs.
2. Massage Your Scalp Regularly
Massaging your scalp often will circulate blood to the roots of the hair, encouraging hair growth. You can massage while oiling your hair or while washing it, too. Try to massage the roots with the fingertips twice or thrice a week.
3. Condition Your Hair with Natural Hair Masks
Hair masks are a personal favorite. I love trying natural and homemade masks myself very often. Applying masks to your hair helps in deep conditioning and maintaining long and silky hair. Ayurvedic hair care tips recommend applying hair masks once a week or fortnight.
You can try natural powders like fenugreek, amla, neem, hibiscus flower, etc. to apply as hair masks. You can mix them with curd or plain water and apply from roots to the tips of the hair. Leave it for 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm or cold water.
Also, read: Natural Hair Masks
4. Ayurvedic Oil Treatments Right at Home
Ayurveda promotes oil treatments to the hair. It recommends oiling your hair at least 2-3 times a week. You can try oil treatments depending on your hair type. Vata hair type needs more oiling compared to pitta or kapha. And kapha hair type can be oiled less frequently compared to the other two types.
You can try coconut, olive, sesame, almond, olive oil or any oil that suits your hair type and massage right at home. Warm the oil for 20-30 secs and apply to the scalp. You can even try any Ayurvedic hair spas for a rejuvenating experience once in a while.
5. Wash Your Hair thoroughly with Natural Cleanser
Your scalp is prone to dirt if you don’t wash your hair regularly. Try to wash your hair once a week. You can use herbal or paraben-free shampoo. But you can also try natural cleansers like shikakai and reetha powder. You can mix both of these powders in equal amounts and wash your scalp.
Washing with this mixture may take more time compared to shampoo. But this natural cleanser will help to keep your hair clean and reduce hair fall.
6. Ayurvedic Hair Therapies/ Spa Treatments
It’s great to have a hair spa treatment once in a while. Just like the modern salon treatments, Ayurvedic hair care also has hair spa therapies. The Ayurvedic culture believes in the process of detoxing, rejuvenating and balancing the body energies.
Apart from your daily hair care routine at home, you can visit any Ayurvedic wellness center and try their therapies. Usually, the hair treatments involve oil massages. But there will be other benefits based on the service you choose. Like a mud pack, fruit diet and many more.
Since Ayurveda believes in the whole body nourishment, you will find services that offer calmness and relaxation to both your body and mind.
7. Set a Hair Care Routine
Setting a hair care routine is vital to maintain strong and healthy hair. First of all, try to maintain a well-balanced diet, hydrate well, exercise and get adequate sleep daily. This ensures you have set your base right. Comb your hair and detangle twice a day.
Massage your scalp with warm oil and wash your hair gently twice a week. Apply hair masks once a month and try to get hair therapy from professionals once in two months.
By setting this hair care routine, your hair will shine for sure. But do not expect the results in a short period. Wellness is a way of life and is a never-ending process. So, be patient and check out what works for you and set your hair care routine accordingly.
So, these were a few Ayurvedic hair care tips for you! Try them and let us know your thoughts. We would love to see your luscious hair pictures if you have tried any of our Ayurvedic hair care tips. Post your pic on Instagram and tag us @shilpaahujadotcom!
Sahana is a Senior Staff Writer at ShilpaAhuja.com. With an experience in fashion and lifestyle writing, Sahana is responsible for Indian and international fashion week coverage every year, and is developing an expertise in apparel trend forecasting. She also writes about health and fitness, having pursued yoga for 6 years now. She’s not a gym person at all but is all for “running in the park” and is an amateur cyclist. Books and coffee are her other passions. She’s also an amateur photographer. She’s a hardcore Bollywood fan and she loves to cover the nostalgic topics on the same. From fashion trends to famous characters, she can make anyone love Bollywood! Her best article has been 90s Bollywood fashion, a readers’ favorite so far! Prior to her experience with ShilpaAhuja.com, Sahana has written as a freelance author for online magazine, Mashup Corner, and interned at EventsHigh as a content writer. Her blogs on basic fashion, makeup, fitness and city’s food joints that gave her a chance to experiment with her writing. She also has voiced her opinions about feminism and equal rights for men and women at PolkaCafe journals and after quitting her job, she decided to take up writing as her full time career.
Sahana is an engineering graduate and has worked in an MNC, Tesco, for more than a year as an Operations Support. It was her sheer love for fashion that made her quit the monotonous 9 to 5 job to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She’s originally from Bangalore and is currently settled in Chennai (she’s loving the city)! For any queries and discussions, contact her at [email protected] You can also tweet her at https://twitter.com/Sahana_17
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