Long hair makes a woman feel feminine, beautiful , attractive and glamourous . Hair is the most important cosmetic addition to our appearance .Since healthy hair is a sign of a healthy body, it is important for us to keep our hair silky, shiny and thick. Ayurveda has classified the hair type according to the three basic body types-vata, pitta and kapha. People falling under any of the these body types have different hair features as per their doshas.
Hair of people with Vata constitution :
The hair is generally dark, coarse, wiry and frizzy. Such type of hair gets tangled easily and is prone to be dull with split ends , with a possibility of dandruff infection.
Hair of people with Pitta constitution :
Hair is generally brown, blonde , light , fine and silky. People with pitta constitution face problems like premature greying of hair and premature baldness .Hair tends to become oily particularly in hot and dry weather . This also leads to the dullness of hair.
Hair of people with kapha constitution :
Hair is generally dark or light ,thick ,heavy ,wavy and slightly oily. Hair is lustrous .
People are suffering from variety of hair problems nowadays like hairfall, premature, greying , baldness, dandruff, aloepia ,split ends , retarted growth , dull hair etc. Excess of pitta dosha in the body is the chief cause of hair problems . Intake of too many chemical medicines , low blood circulation , anaemia, general weakness after some diseases like typhoid , viral infections ,jaundice, surgery etc ,stress , anxiety, using of strong hair cosmetics ,dandruff and hormonal imbalance are also prime causes of hairloss. Blow drying ,straightening ,highlighting , perming regularly can wreak havoc on hair, leaving it brittle, broken and unmanageable .Excessive styling and heat can cause split ends , which occur when the protective outermost layer of hair is damaged and peels back.
Dry skin flaking off the scalp and itchiness is referred to as dandruff. The aggravation of vata generally causes this dryness . Take little camphor mixed with coconut oil and massage this on the scalp before bed. Mix one teaspoon of the coconut oil , keep for half an hour and wash with lukewarm water . Sometimes internal medicines have to be given to treat the fungal infection . One tablespoon of triphala churna can be taken internally at bedtime. One should use shampoo madeup of natural herbs like reetha , awala , shikakai , nagarmotha , henna , multani , neem and fenugreek in equal quantities . Soak it in water overnight and make a paste or decoction next morning. This is one of the best shampoos. A mixture of curd and besan can also be used for treating dandruff.
We have a specialized anti-dandruff procedure followed at our Antara wellness centre.
Here we administer various ayurvedic therapies which include head massage, gel therapy , medicated hair packs , hot oil therapy , hair spa , deep root conditioning , nasya , anti-dandruff therapy and shirodhara.
For head massage we use our home-made oil which contains 32 herbs like awala , hibiscus , neeli, brahmi , bhringraj , jatamansi , neem etc. Head massage is done with acupressure and followed by medicated steam . Massage greatly improves the blood circulation thus increasing the health of the blood circulation thus increasing the health of the hair and scalp. It relieves mental stress, improves eyesight, memory and concentration ,calms the nerve and relaxes the stressful muscles. Head massage is followed by medicated steam . We also use this oil in hot oil therapy in which we dip and soak dull, damaged hair with split ends for about thirty minutes thus repairing and rebuilding the hair proteins .
For treating aloepecia and baldness we have hair pack of fresh herbs like brahmi , awala , bhringraj, aloevera , neem , hibiscus ,marigold, pomegranate , gourd ie lauki etc. In deep root conditioning therapy we use a mixture of many different types of natural oils, curd , fresh aloevera, herbal juices and our home made aloevera shampoo which is applied on every single strand of hair. For natural conditioning at home you can take ¼th cup of fresh aloevera gel with the juice of half lime. Add any essential oil ( 3-5 drops). Apply this to freshly shampooed hair. Leave on for five minutes then rinse thoroughly . Aloevera has tremendous moisturising properties while lemon juice is quite purifying and cleansing.
In shirodhara medicated oil is poured in a rhythm on the centre of the forehead .Oil is chosen accordingly to the cause of hair problem . Lukewarm oil is continuously poured for around thirty minutes in a completely silent and calm atmosphere. This procedure is very relaxing on the agitated nerves and pacifies the vitiated doshas. It helps in reducing blood pressure , migraine and stress. People suffering from mental disorders , memory loss and sleep problems gain lots of benefit.
Another procedure of panchkarma practiced at our centre is nasya . In this medicated oil drops are poured in a planned way in the nostrils after face massage and hot fomentation .This is followed by inhalation of medicated steam. It removes all the toxins accumulated in the ENT region and stimulates new hair growth . It works wonders in allergic cold and cough , asthma, hair disorders , ENT problems , migraine , neck pain, sinusitis ,paralysis etc. we also provide natural hair colouring done with herbs like henna , mango seed, bhringraj ,neeli ,awala ,coffee ,beetroot etc for the graying problem . This pack is totally free of any chemical dye.
Home remedies:
Ayurvedic treatment considers the hair as a byproduct for bone formation. Therefore one should eat til or sesame seeds as they contain sufficient amounts of magnesium and calcium. Increase the intake of milk, yoghurt ,buttermilk , green vegetables , salad , soyabeans ,coconut , sprouts , dryfruits , ragi , groundnuts etc . Ayurvedic calcium tablets contain naturally available calcium sources like shankh , shukti , pravala ie moonga , laksha etc . Reduce intake of pitta elevating foods like non veg , spicy , oily and junk food and smoking. Awala or gooseberry is known to be an excellent hair tonic .Taking its powder internally or in the form of chyavanprash ,murabba etc as well as applying it externally makes hair soft and glossy as well as prevents hairfall and premature greying of hair.
Mix one tablespoon of awala juice , one teaspoon of almond oil and few drops of lime juice , apply on the scalp for half an hour . It acts as a good hair tonic. Medicines like bhringraj ,brahmi , awala juice , shatavari , guduchi, ashwagandha , yashti madhu etc are given internally.
Dr Geeta Verma, MD(Ayurved),CRAV (Kerala)
