Do you suffer from dry hair? Does your hair become drier after colouring or perming? Have you been using hair conditioners that fail to have any effect on your tresses? If you face similar issues in the hair-care department, I recommend trying out a few home-made conditioners that will nourish the hair naturally.
Next time you start preparing a salad, take 4 to 5tsp of mayonnaise. Massage it along the length of your hair, and leave it on for about 30 to 40 minutes. Follow this up with a honey rinse, which you can easily make by adding 1tsp of honey to 1l of water. Leave this in your hair after shampooing, and let it dry naturally. Your hair will feel as soft as silk and shine naturally.
Many of you who colour and dye your hair not only suffer from dry hair but also split ends, which are a result of neglected skin and under-nourished hair. The drying effect of these chemicals-based products is immense and has to be dealt with carefully before it leads to hair loss. Make a hair pack with the following ingredients: fenugreek powder and 2tsp each of gooseberry (amla), soapnuts (reetha), and shikakai powder. Mix these ingredients in 2 eggs and 2tsp of honey. Apply this to your hair and leave it for 40 minutes; then rinse with a shampoo. This pack not only softens the hair but also helps strengthen the hair.
In most of my articles, I suggest a diet of fresh fruits. But, if you have dry hair, there is a super hair salad that you can make at home and apply to the hair. This will ensure your hair is super soft and will nourish those stubbornly dry locks. Take 1 mashed banana, 1 grated apple, 1 grated cucumber, 1 grated carrot, juice of 1 orange, 2 eggs and 3 to 4tbsp of fresh cream. Apply to the scalp and hair, and leave on for about an hour. The best is to use cling film to tightly wrap sections of the hair so that you don’t end up being a sticky mess. Believe me when I say that you will never need to use a conditioner once you start using this hair pack.
Most of us who use henna often oil our hair first to combat the naturally-drying effect of this product. However, this is a big mistake. You should not apply henna to oiled hair. In fact, your hair should be clean, and after you have applied henna, do not use a shampoo but rinse it out. When your hair is naturally dry, use oil to soften it and make the colour stronger.
Oil is a great source of nourishment for the scalp and hair. I highly recommend it although I am against leaving oil in the hair overnight. Massage the hair gently so that you do not end up breaking the hair and always try to follow this with turban therapy—a method of hair steaming by wrapping your tresses in a hot towel for five to seven minutes and shampooing it after about an hour.
Now that you have these simple yet effective remedies for dry hair, pamper your hair this week for a soft, natural touch.
The columnist is a beauty and nature care expert @suparnatrikha
Have a burning beauty question? Suparna Trikha can give you the expert answers you need. Send in your queries at tmsfeature@newindianexpress.com.