Indian Haircare - The Regime
It's a fact I've quite an amount of Indian readers that can't find some of the products I've said so far. I like some Indian products a lot. Below I'll list you what kind of Indian - ayurverdic hair care products I like. Some are not only Indian but I'll list them all here.
Indian hair care consists of a pattern. Now things are changing so you might not see this everywhere. It would be nice my Indian fellows chime in and give their own tips too.
Oiling-
The first step to an Indian regime is oiling the hair. A day prior to shampooing or an hour before. This helps lubricate that hair and reducing the damage of its elasticity or the effects of a harsh shampoo. You can use various oils according to your preference and condition of your hair. Most Indian oils have a distinct smell for example mustard oil smells a bit smoky and amla oil has a unique herbal scent to it. These are some examples the basic oils like coconut e.t.c have fragrance or not according to how they have been processed. I'll list them ones i like and i'll let you look up for their benefits :) When looking for an oil note that cold pressed oils maintain most of their beneficial nutrients and vitamins.
The oils i like are :
*Almond oil. Gives my hair some shine and it's light if you don't use much so it's easy to leave a bit on your hair as a leave in. I don't like KTC almond oil that much so you can try another brand.:
*Mustard oil, works well for a pre-poo before shampooing. It's also said it stimulates hair growth. Watch out it doesn't go into your eyes because it burns a bit -_-:
*Vatika oil. This oil is loaded with many goodies and herbs :) It's basically coconut oil infused with various Indian herbs. It's said to strengthen the hair roots and help with dandruff. Can be used just about for everything
*Amla oil
Amla oil is said to promote hair growth, help darken and thicken the hair. It's good for a pre-poo but the smell is too much to use as a leave in. If you can find one without mineral oil (like the one I linked above) it would be great.
*Coconut oil -
The one raved about is the parachute one. I've tried KTC and it was too processed and my hair didn't like it at all. My hair like coconut oil i tiny bit not too much :) but it's one of my highly recommended oils to use specifically for pre-pooing. Organic oil is the best in the long run so if you can get cold pressed better go for it..
Amla oil is said to promote hair growth, help darken and thicken the hair. It's good for a pre-poo but the smell is too much to use as a leave in. If you can find one without mineral oil (like the one I linked above) it would be great.
*Coconut oil -
The one raved about is the parachute one. I've tried KTC and it was too processed and my hair didn't like it at all. My hair like coconut oil i tiny bit not too much :) but it's one of my highly recommended oils to use specifically for pre-pooing. Organic oil is the best in the long run so if you can get cold pressed better go for it..
These are just some of the oils...there are many more good ones like jasmine,bhringraj and more.
My favorite oil is not on the list though because it's not specifically an Indian oil.I'll surely note it in another post.
Massaging (Optional)-
Followed by the oiling come massaging of your scalp which help stimulate the follicles by increasing the circulation.
Shampooing-
Shampooing can be done with a mixture of shikakai and aritha (soap nut). Your usual shampoo also helps.
A good Indian produced shampoo for dry hair worth mentioning is Dabur Vatika argan shampoo.
A good Indian produced shampoo for dry hair worth mentioning is Dabur Vatika argan shampoo.
Powders-
I like Indian powers. There are various of it. Amla, neem, shikakai, maka, henna, hibiscus and more.
You might like to be cautious though when you buy them because in 2010 hesh was reported as might be having contaminated products with bacteria. You can read more by clicking here. Make sure you get the good stuff :)
Also researchers note that 20% of ayurvedic medicines were found to contain lead e.t.c so make sure what you get is trusty. Read more of it here
Some of the beneficial ones is kalpi tone in my own point of view because it contains a mixture of various powders so it's like all the powders in one box :) That's cool!
Here are it's property claims according to Hesh site
That paste might work as a hair cleanser too. So you can oil your hair then follow up with a powder and rinse.
Other good ones are henna (give a reddish color to the hair and it's conditioning. Jamila has a good reputation) and for those that don't want colour then neutral henna is good for it's conditioning properties.
Apart from the various homemade hair packs some worth mentioning indian hair deep conditioners for dry hair specifically is Vatika deep conditioning (the one with the purple cap)
My additional things to put into hair packs is coconut milk or even better cream.
That's it. If you try any of those comment and let me know how they worked for you.
What are you favorite Indian products? Have you tried any of these?
Ps. These products are recommended because I know they work. Some of the links are affiliate links. Everything does not work the same for everyone. Do a patch test before introducing new products and do your own research.
You might like to be cautious though when you buy them because in 2010 hesh was reported as might be having contaminated products with bacteria. You can read more by clicking here. Make sure you get the good stuff :)
Also researchers note that 20% of ayurvedic medicines were found to contain lead e.t.c so make sure what you get is trusty. Read more of it here
Ayurvedic medicines are divided into 2 major types: herbal-only and rasa shastra. Rasa shastra is an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals (eg, mercury, lead, iron, zinc), minerals (eg, mica), and gems (eg, pearl).4,5 Rasa shastra experts claim that these medicines, if properly prepared and administered, are safe and therapeutic.4,5 Of 70 Ayurvedic medicines manufactured in South Asia and sold in Boston, Massachusetts, stores in 2003, we found that 20% contained lead, mercury, and/or arsenic.
Some of the beneficial ones is kalpi tone in my own point of view because it contains a mixture of various powders so it's like all the powders in one box :) That's cool!
Here are it's property claims according to Hesh site
Adds a dark tinge to hair and gives a natural dark shade. Made from natural ingredients like amla, aloe, brahmi, shikakai and other herbs. Kalpi tone helps control dandruff, hair loss and premature greying.- Gives a dark tinge to the hair- Strengthens hair roots- Promotes hair growth- Controls hair loss & premature graying- Relieves headaches & induces sound sleep
Ingredients: amla fruit, maka leaves, mandoor, japakusam flower, narangichal, shikakai fruit, kumari leaves, kapoor kachli, brahmi leaves, methi seed, wala, khadir stem, chandan, neem leaves, sitaphal seed powder, sughandi dravya.
Other good ones are henna (give a reddish color to the hair and it's conditioning. Jamila has a good reputation) and for those that don't want colour then neutral henna is good for it's conditioning properties.
Hair Masks -
Apart from the various homemade hair packs some worth mentioning indian hair deep conditioners for dry hair specifically is Vatika deep conditioning (the one with the purple cap)
Additional things.
My additional things to put into hair packs is coconut milk or even better cream.
That's it. If you try any of those comment and let me know how they worked for you.
What are you favorite Indian products? Have you tried any of these?
And don't forget feel free to comment and follow the blog :)
Please do not copy or re-post without permission.
written by Glorious Angel for http://beautybookworm.blogspot.com
9 comments
Hello im Dayanara you answered a question for me on yahoo about getting shine and I found your blog very great and informative! So I was wondering if you recommend using the indian oils for prepooing or if there other products better off for prepooing. Would you use conditioner if you prepoo? Also where I could fine these products any specific beauty stores?
ReplyDeleteHi Dayarana, thanks. I basically use various things for pre-pooing when i do it ( i don't do it all the time). Sometimes i use plain oil other times conditioner mixed with oil; i do various combinations. Because you have dry hair i suggest you incorporate either co-rinsing or co-washing too into your regime. I've written some articles about what are these. For very dry hair a conditioner mixed with oil would be a great pre-poo. You can get oils like coconut,argan,olive,almond ...from health food stores or ethnic aisles in super markets. For example you can get coconut oil at trader joes.
DeleteI was just wondering..have u actually tried all the products u mention in ur blog or are they just recomendded ones??
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous. Yes i have tried them :) Except the vatika mask,oil and shampoo since it was not accessible. I had several people with dry hair try those and they really liked them. I said i liked the vatika oil specifically because I've looked it up and it has some really good ingredients. Those 3 are extra things i would love to personally try one day and believe they work well. I've tried the kalpi tone,coconut milk and rest oils. As i said i don't like the KTC brand because the oil is very processed. If you can get them cold pressed in any brand it would be way better and has preserve more of its vitamins,nutrients.
DeleteQuestion.
ReplyDeleteI have white hair and love it. But I have hears so many good things about washing hair with shikakai and amla powders. But I'm scared because some say it will darken my hair. Will it ?
They both have some amount of natural dye in them i.e. staining properties. You might like to apply a small amount in a small patch on the back of your hair to test if, if you want to see how it affects your hair. But it does have high chances of staining your hair.
DeleteI have been using ayuverdic powders for several months and you kinda freaked me out with the whole lead and arsenic thing! :(
ReplyDeleteHello Unknown,
DeleteThe intention of that research shared was for awareness and not to freak you out.
I try Almond Oil, the best thing out there in natural skincare. I use it as a body oil, pre hair treatment, moisturizer and when i take a bath i mix a few table spoons of it with my favourite essential oils
ReplyDelete