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My Hair Diary – January 2014

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Huh….I have been too busy to take care of my skin or my hair!! Ok, that is not entirely correct and no one is really so busy that they do not have time to do something they really want. If you want to do something, you will always find a way for it. 

Anyways, coming to the point, I found that the hair diary series has been ignored since October. I do not think I did anything specific for the hair during the past three months. When I was in home, I used my mom’s oil and the kamini shampoo. When in Hyderabad, I simply neglected my hair. When in Vizag, I got one hair spa done just before the wedding and used to use some oil which was made by one of my cousin which was also pretty good. Have to ask the recipe!! 
After the wedding started my hair woes. I caught lice from my niece 🙁 Poor girl is suffering from a major case of lice and apparently nothing is working out. I did not stay long enough to actually know her case or propose any solution to her.

Later I got dandruff as well coz of extremely dry hair. I have not used conditioner since December and have oiled my hair like 2-3 times in the entire month before leaving for Delhi. So, you can imagine the hair to be just like jhadooo (a broomstick). My entire December I spent my hair scratching. And, O started facing a major case of hair fall.
Once I came to Delhi, my mom took care of the lice issue and my hair felt a little better with regular oiling. Since then I have made the resolution to take better care of the hair. So, in my case, regular oiling has definitely shown a marked improvement in dryness of the hair, the dandruff and also the hair fall. I think the hair fall was due to dandruff.

Products Used
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From the Archives : Aloevera for Hair : a quickfix {DIY}

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As you all know, I swear by aloevera anytime of the day for hair. This was a tip I had found works really great when I had been at home and was trying out aloevera gel on my hair. I realized that applying aloevera gel is really messy but the gel dries off after a little while leaving really soft and really shiny hair. 

The best part is you can use the aloevera gel on the not-freshly washed hair to give it bounce! It can be applied everyday as well and you can use essential oils as well.

Also, when removing the gel from the leaf, the yellow parts or the green sticky messy parts should be avoided and only the clear gel be removes otherwise they get tangled in the hair.  

A quick fix to make your hair beautiful and style it in a short time is to apply Aloevera gel. Take a little of Aloevera according to your hair length in the palms and apply it to the hair. Massage some of it into the scalp and apply the rest on the hair. Pay special attention to the ends. Aloevera makes the hair sticky till it gets absorbed into the hair so you can style your hair in the mean time. It takes around 5-15 minutes for aloevera to get absorbed into the hair and does not weigh your hair down. After getting absorbed, Aloevera makes your hair shiny and bouncy.

Aloevera conditions your hair, makes hair smooth and soft and protects it from sun. It also stimulates hair growth if used on a regular basis. Aloevera can be used to moisturize hair. It is a natural humectant like honey and retains moisture. It can also be used on a daily basis. The gel from the plant can be applied directly on the hair. If bought from store, ensure that aloevera is pure and does not contain artificial additives.

Have you applied aloevera gel on your hair?

PS: The italicized paragraphs are the new updates. Rest of the post is same as it was originally published. 

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5 FAQ’s on Conditioner and Hair Care {Five Series}

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I have been really taking care of my hair this year and I am so happy about it that I have been boring you time and again 😀 Anyways, this was requested by Pallavi and it has been a long time in coming. So, here it goes!
What is a Conditioner?
A treatment which follows the shampooing routine to restore the oils of the hair after washing it. Shikakai is the traditional conditioner which was used to compensate for the harshness of reetha or soapnuts.
Now a days, we have two classes of conditioners. One is a post-shampoo treatment and another is pre-shampoo treatment and one can go for either home remedies or get the commercially available products!

The home remedies are nourishing for hair and the commerical products have hair-friendly ingredients or ones which coat the hair strands to shield it from the external elements. You also get products which claim to restructure the hair collagen using chemical compounds like peptides and keratin.
How to apply the conditioner?
Well, this is something I have already discussed but it is still a huge doubt for me. So, the simplest thing I do is divide my hair into two sections and take a dollop of conditioner and smooth on one side and repeat the same for other. I do this very gently but still some hairs do fall so I gently remove them and wash them off.
I do not use comb in the shower as many people suggest. I think it is a bad idea because hair is most delicate when wet and howsoever gentle one might be, its totally impossible not to break the hair.
How often should conditioner be used?
Well, generally, the answer would be every time you wash your hair. But, honestly, I do not use it every time. Sometimes, I am just too lazy or sometimes I want to treat my hair to henna or something else so I simply skip. In those times, I make sure I do a leave-in treatment for the hair.
For oily hair as well, finding a conditioner which is not heavy for hair is very important! Or, they can make do with a leave-in treatment and some people do a pre-conditioning like applying egg or henna or curd or some other hair pack for an hour before wash it off.
I think how often you need to condition also depends on the quality of your shampoo. If it a drying type, you would obviously need the conditioner but if the shampoo simply cleanses the hair and doesn’t remove the natural oils, one can make do without conditioner.
I have been using SLS-free shampoos for long and yes I do think I can make do without conditioners if I want. But, a drop or two of some oil acts a leave-in agent in my hair otherwise my hairs do dry out a lot but then my hair is not oily but dry and curly/wavy as well.

Does skipping conditioner affect hair?
Yes, actually! I have seen that personally and have mentioned it already on the blog. But, this point applies only when you are missing the leave-in treatment as well. The hair is prone with split ends and thin hair especially on the ends which leads to breakage! For hair to remain beautiful, both internal and external nourishment are equally important.
Eat omega3 rich foods and foods rich in Vitamin B and E. They help in hair growth and keep hair moisturized and hydrated all the time. Eating protein-rich foods also helps in maintaining body of the hair strands. And, protect hair from the external damaging elements like pollution and dust and sun.
    
How to select a conditioner for my hair?
Now, this is the most difficult question to answer! There are no guidelines to select a product which will suit. So, I can just mention a few salient points! First, it is not necessary that the shampoo and conditioner should be from the same brand and range. If your hair reacts well to a particular shampoo and some other conditioner, go ahead with that as well.
Second, always buy the products depending on your hair type and issues. You can always rotate them one after another as well like using a volume boosting conditioner and then color protecting conditioner and then conditioner for curly hair if all those issues pertain to your hair condition.
And, lastly, in my opinion professional range products are always better investment if you are looking for some serious hair care. Yes, they are more expensive but then the companies spend quite a lot of amount in decent research. And, do not get involved into the good ingredients and bad ingredients debate because its just not worth it!
So, these were my few pennies on the topic and hope the post is clear enough. I have written it with a muddle-head! Drop down your comments and see ya tomorrow 🙂
Add your questions to the above-mentioned ones and let me know your answers as well for the questions above!
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