5. Yogurt + Black Seed Oil + Olive Oil
1 teaspoon black seed oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup yogurt
The lactic acid in yogurt helps even skin tone and tighten skin. Olive oil helps reduce the appearance of fine lines. Black seed oil, also known as black cumin seed oil, repairs free radicals that cause the skin to age and develop wrinkles.
Add 1 teaspoon black seed oil and 1 teaspoon olive oil to ¼ cup of yogurt.
Apply to your neck and rinse with water, when it’s mostly absorbed.
Repeat twice or thrice a week.
You can also use avocado oil or extract if you can’t get black seed oil.
Feel free to add tomato juice to all ingredients in the list to de-tan skin around your neck.
You’ve found new ways to hold your head high over a fab neck, but here’s how your state of mind will be:
When integrity is non-negotiable for you, you’ll bypass every problem with grace.
When you declare that your self-esteem is your biggest priority, you’ll have it your way and be respected for it.
Sure, you may have to allow people to get used to your ways, but when you get a hang of it, it’ll be your high and nothing average will either interest or impress you.
5
Hair
Wind in your hair, fire in your soul. Can they ever handle the #GoodHairDay you? You slay at a work meeting, rock a first date, get what you want while having a good hair day. You’re nicer when you like your hair, aren’t you?
Frankly, I think the power of good hair is still under-rated even when phrases such as ‘good hair days’ and ‘bad hair days’ are a part of daily conversations. How you’re going to wear your hair is planned in advance for every important occasion. From shampooed hair to third-day (greasy hair) styles, all of us give a fair amount of thought to how we do our hair while planning a look.
From feather hair and big hair from the ’50s to slick back ponytails of 2019, playing with volume and texture has proven how the volume and density of hair can change the game. The viral beauty videos feature all those over-the-top unattainable hair art, leaving us, from time to time, thirsty to simply achieve just regular luscious hair, if nothing crazy.
Honestly, we deserve a support group for handling all the tantrums of our hair. We get it set in a certain way, right when it’s time to step out and meet people, but more importantly, when finally taking pictures, it looks like something else. The curls open while the night is still young, and the straightened hair becomes frizzy before your shift got over . . . like we didn’t have enough things to control already.
With lack of time and motivation, some of us give up and go to work without spending too much time on how we wear our hair and then end up posting an Insta story saying stuff like, ‘Bad hair don’t care’—which we clearly lie about . . . it’s impossible not to care. Or at least it is for someone’s who’s reading this book right now.
But, denial ain’t good for you, girl, when looking the best and feeling the best has been the motto all along.
When the mane is the main concern, it’s best to be prepared for all challenges. So, be it pollution, heat or cold, this chapter will not only focus on the basic concerns of haircare, but also throw light on a haircare regime that you should be adopting quite early on to have a strong hair game for as long as you can.
1. Hair Growth Boosting Water
This may just be one of the easiest techniques in the book, but it’s super rare and surprising.
This two-ingredient hair growth water acts as a miracle solution for your hair growth plans.
Water + Dodders (Amar Bel)
Dodders is a parasitic plant that is a member of the ‘Morning Glory’ family and belongs to the Cuscuta group. It forms anchoring roots to grow in a rapid phenomenon until it reaches a host plant. Blooming between April and July, it is in this plant’s nature to grow and spread. In the concept of Ayurveda, this plant has proven to multiply the generation of follicles to prevent hair fall.
Cut and dip a few hundred grams of this plant in hot water for 20 minutes and let it cool off. Then sieve the plant out of the water and keep aside.
After your regular shampoo and conditioning rinse, go with the last and final rinsing with this water.
Repeat thrice a week for your hair to grow faster than ever.
2. Scalp Buildup Exfoliating Scrub
1½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon avocado oil
½ tablespoon coconut oil
A few drops of lemon juice (½ lemon)
Scalp buildup is a common hair concern. Just like your lips and face need exfoliation to breathe and make your make-up last longer, your scalp also needs scrubbing and exfoliation to feel fresh and keep excess oil at bay. This nourishing scrub will help you achieve exactly that.
If your scalp is too dry or too oily, this may help bring just the right amount of oil balance to make your life easy.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and apply to dry hair.
Scrub your scalp thoroughly but gently, and leave it on for 20–30 minutes.
Rinse with a shampoo, followed by your favourite conditioner.
Repeat twice or thrice a week to reduce scalp buildup and dullness over time.
3. Hair Masks
Dandruff, flakiness, scalp acne, dryness, hair growth, premature greying—here’s a mask for every concern.
Greasy scalp leads to loss of volume. I have been there where your scalp feels oily just a day after you shampooed—twice. And that has led me to believe that shampooing your scalp twice or thrice at once will not cut it.
Walking away from shampoos that have sulphate and masking your scalp to fulfil its needs is the way to go. Oily scalp behaves the way it does not because it has too much oil, but because it’s too dry and craving some hydration—the way it is with your skin.
I’ve got hair mask recipes for those who are facing the exact opposite of this situation and more. Try to mask your hair once or twice a week for best results.
a. To Treat Oily Roots/Flaky Scalp
MASK 1
People who have oily roots often complain about having a flaky scalp that makes all the freshness go away the very next day after the head wash. If your scalp produces excess sebum, you know what I’m talking about. Here’s how you can address that problem and control it with some very easily available ingredients:
2 teaspoons ritha powder
2 teaspoons amla powder
2 teaspoons shikakai powder
2 teaspoons multani mitti powder
10 drops lemon juice (always skip this ingredient if you have coloured hair)
1 cup aloe vera
2 tablespoons tea leaves simmered in water
Amla is a natural anti-oxidizing agent that gives your scalp stem cell therapy—a process that helps generate new hair and prevents hair from greying. Ritha, also a rich source of more antioxidants, happens to be packed with iron. All these mixed with shikakai and lemon juice (both bringing loads of Vitamin C to the table) make for a perfect paste for the ultimate weekly scalp cleanse.
Mix all ingredients together to create a paste.
And while preparing the paste, simmer 2 tablespoons of tea leaves in water for 15 minutes and keep it aside to cool off. You’ll need the tea solution after you’re done applying the paste to your hair.
Apply the paste on your scalp and wait for 25–30 minutes. This paste will not lather like your regular shampoo, but will totally clean your scalp leaving it fresher for longer.
If your scalp is super, super oily, you can use a mild shampoo to rinse off this mask.
After you’re done rinsing, use the tea leaf water as your hair conditioner. Unlike the regular conditioner you can work your way up to the scalp with this, as tea leaves won’t make your scalp oily. In fact, it’ll actually help reduce dandruff and make your hair more smooth and manageable.
For normal scalp, the same ingredients need to be used with a
further addition of hibiscus leaves, curry leaves, henna leaves and ber leaves (Indian jujube/zizyphus mauritiana) to make your hair more luscious than ever.
MASK 2
4 cloves of garlic
A few drops of eucalyptus oil
10-12 mint leaves
8-10 drops of lemon juice
1 cup curd
Garlic works as a natural antifungal agent, even for acne. It’ll refresh your scalp along with the mint, lemon and curd that’ll make for a complete formula for scalp cleaning. To keep excess oil at bay, eucalyptus oil comes in to control your scalp sebum. And to fully condition your scalp in a way that’s best for it, curd takes up the job.
Crush the garlic cloves and grind the mint leaves.
Add some curd, extract of 2 lemons and top the paste with a few drops of eucalyptus oil.
Apply the mask to your scalp 20 minutes before cleansing with a mild shampoo.
MASK 3
Apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon baking soda
Few drops of tea tree oil
Handful of rosemary leaves
Handful of mulberry leaves (shehtoot)
All these ingredients have a way of banishing scalp greasiness and oil.
Crush a handful of mulberry and rosemary leaves.
Add apple cider vinegar just enough to not make the paste too watery.
Add ½ teaspoon baking soda and a few drops of tea tree oil.
Apply the paste to your scalp for 20 minutes before you rinse with a gentle cleanser.
b. For a Dry Scalp
People with oily scalp wish to have a dry scalp sometimes. That is because their shampoo session means nothing by the end of day when all the oil makes a comeback. The grass on the other side always seems greener. But if you ask people with dry scalp, it isn’t pretty for them either. Dandruff always sitting on your shoulder and combs that feel like they’re painfully scratching your head? Dry scalp has its own share of challenges that can be fixed with these easily available hair mask recipes. These recipes are also effective in managing dandruff, although there’s a separate chapter for it ahead. So, mask away your dry scalps with these nourishing ingredients!
MASK 1
2 bananas
2 tablespoons of honey
¼ cup cucumber juice
Banana and honey can condition your scalp without making it oily, and cucumber can add freshness to it.
Slice up and mash 2 bananas well and mix 2 tablespoons of honey and cucumber juice just enough to make it a semi-solid paste.
Apply the mask and let it sit for 20–30 minutes before you wash it with a gentle shampoo followed by your conditioner.
MASK 2
4 slices of pineapple
4 drops lavender oil
½ sliced avocado
Pineapple has anti-inflammatory properties that are capable of soothing a dry scalp and avocado, with its fatty amino acids and antioxidant vitamins acts as a natural moisturizer for your scalp.
Put 4–5 slices of pineapples and avocados in a grinder and grind it for just a few seconds. Make sure the paste doesn’t look like a juice but a paste.
Add lavender oil and apply the paste to your scalp to keep frizz and scalp dryness at bay.
Keep this mask on for 30 minutes before rinsing with a shampoo.
MASK 3
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 egg
A few drops of olive oil
Mayonnaise fights dryness and frizziness and egg brings protein and lustre to your hair. The olive oil is to retain moisture.
Crack an egg and pour the yolk and white in a bowl.
Add the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and a few drops of olive oil.
Mix these ingredients well and apply on your scalp.
Keep it on for 30 minutes before washing with a shampoo.
Now, the smell of eggs could be an issue and it’s not something you can get rid of easily. But things we do for good hair, right? Don’t worry I’m not asking you to live with it. For you already have the will, let me show you the way(s). Apply one of these ingredients to your scalp and hair to help manage the smell: fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, Vinegar (mix 2 teaspoons with 1 cup of water)
MASK 4
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup black soil (kaali mitti)
Soak black soil in buttermilk overnight and wash your hair with the buttermilk-soaked black soil for a nurturing cleanse and conditioning.
Leave it on for half an hour and wash normally.
You may not need to follow up with a shampoo or conditioner after this—the mask is that efficient.
This two-ingredient recipe can eliminate oil, impurities and bring lustre back to your hair.
The ghee made out of cow milk is also the greatest frizz-managing, detangling agent for your hair. Just applying that to your hair will help you feed your scalp, tame unruly hair and beat dullness.
4. Dandruff
Dandruff is a casual term, but will you be more scared of it if I tell you that it’s caused by a fungus? Because it is! Malassezia, a type of fungus that thrives on and consumes the natural oils (sebum) that your scalp produces is the reason behind dandruff. That means oiling your hair with any random oil could be a wrong decision, unless the ingredients have dandruff-banishing properties.
Apart from smaller concerns of it falling on your shoulders and ruining your looks, there are more serious concerns to having dandruff. The worst part is that it gets worse around that time of the year when it’s difficult to take a head wash every day—winters!
But if you prep yourself through the year to fight these concerns, the problem can be managed by using the following DIY hair masks.
MASK 1
½ cup ber powder (Indian jujube)
Aloe vera
A few drops of glycerine
I just Googled ‘ber’ to find all its other names only to find that this super fruit is quite a diva!1
It is also known as: Chinese Apple, Jujube, Indian Plum, Masau, Korean Dates, Chinese Dates, Red Dates and Indian Dates. But, don’t let that confuse you! Ber is a humble fruit that has antioxidants, Vitamin C, phytonutrients and flavonoids that are great for your skin and hair. Eating it or applying it, both can do wonders for your skin and scalp.
Adding to that is another itchiness and flakiness fighting component—aloe vera—that helps reduce sebum, further making your fight against dandruff more effective.
Slice up an aloe stem and extract the pulp and mash it.
Add ber powder and mix well.
Add 10 drops of glycerine—that’ll help your scalp ease up on the irritation and flakiness.
Repeat 2–3 times a week, or before every head wash.
MASK 2
1 cup green tea leaves or green tea
3 teaspoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon coconut oil
Coconut oil hydrates the scalp; white vinegar helps balance your scalp’s pH levels; and like ber, green tea also has antioxidants. So, whether you crush the used green tea leaves or use actual liquid green tea, both can help you banish dandruff and frizz in this case.
Mix green tea, coconut oil and white vinegar to create a pre-shampoo hair mask-in-oil and then shampoo 30 minutes after application.
Repeat before whenever you plan a head bath.
MASK 3
½ cup bentonite clay
2 teaspoons wheat germ oil
1 melted camphor
¼ cup cucumber juice
A great summer hair mask, as bentonite clay, cucumber juice and camphor are cooling agents to your scalp. Just like coconut oil, wheat germ oil will also condition your hair to make it less flaky.
Mix bentonite clay, wheat germ oil, melted camphor and cucumber juice in a bowl to make a paste and apply to your scalp.
Rinse after 15–20 minutes, followed by a mild shampoo.
Repeat once a week.
5. Hair Conditioning and Polishing
Protecting your hair from sun damage and slee
ping on silk pillowcases are not the only easy fixes you can do to get shiny hair. Your hair that’s deprived of lustre is craving oil, nourishment and moisturization. As busy as our schedules may be, listening to our grandma/mama and oiling our hair before shampooing will always be the hero of all haircare advice. It’s an oldie but a goldie. Speaking of which, here’s how to help you get your hair to shine like gold:
15 hibiscus flowers
15 hibiscus leaves
15 neem leaves
15 curry leaves
15 henna leaves
5 amlas
A jar of coconut oil
Collect all the ingredients listed above. Chop (or grate) the amlas and mix all the ingredients in a jar filled with coconut oil.
Place the jar at a corner or near a window that gets decent sunlight. Don’t expose it to direct sunlight.
Close the lid of the jar and leave it for 1–2 months.
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s important that we extract the maximum goodness out of all the ingredients and the results will be worth it. And considering it’ll be a big jar (probably 2–3 litres) that can accommodate 15 leaves of each of the ingredients, you know it’ll have enough oil to have your haircare fix in place for another year, so a couple of months to wait for the oil preparation doesn’t sound like a bummer any more, does it?
Once your hair oil is ready, pour it into a lined fabric set on top of a large bowl to use as strainer.
When you’re done separating oil from other ingredients, you’ll unlock your way to having a good hair year rather than settling for just good hair days.
This oil has to be heated and massaged into your roots and ends. Doing so will help fix dullness, and bring shine back to your hair that pollution and stress has deprived it of.
Roots to Radiance Page 7