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Wash your hair with Baking Soda

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What to use to wash our hair? This is a great concern. No one definitely wants to put any kind of chemicals on hair but then, we are not sure that the herbal shampoos are actually herbal or just a marketing tactic. And, some do not want to give up on their favorite brands. In one of my earlier posts, I told you how to convert your regular shampoo into a herbal one. But, again its not a completely herbal shampoo. I have bee wanting to wash my hair with sole baking soda since a very long time. So, yesterday, I finally decided to put it into action.
Well, the results are fabulous. No frizz, no hair maintainence and management issues. Just soft and shiny hair. But, washing with baking soda is quite a challenging job. It takes time to get used to a non-foaming shampoo. (Even the herbal ones foam.) And, for the first time, it took more time for me to shampoo my hair. I took an approximate quantity of baking soda and mixed it with little water to make a paste. Do not add more water. It will turn into liquid and you might not be able to wash your hair properly. I divided my hair into sections especially on the scalp. Make sure your hair is wet through and through. Then, took a little of the paste and rubbed it on the scalp. Section by section, I covered my whole scalp. Then, applied the paste on the hair body and waited for around 10 minutes. Your hair would feel dry at that time as opposed to using shampoos because of the powdery texture of  baking soda. But, it does not make your hair dry. Handle your hair gently to prevent breakage. Stand under the shower and wash off all the baking soda from your hair. Massage your scalp well to make sure it is thoroughly clean. Your hair would take a little more time to dry too. Do not oil your hair too much before washing it. You will need a huge amount of baking soda to clean it and it would take lot of time.You need not follow with a conditioner. Baking soda acts as a conditioner too.
Your hair would be more shine, bouncy and healthy after washing it with baking soda. Regular usage of baking soda also helps prevent split ends. You might take little time getting adjusted to baking soda as it does not foam and you might not be sure of the exact amount to use for your hair. After two-three trials, you would find that using baking soda is way more rewarding and guess what, you are not using anything chemical on your hair. So, go ahead try it and share your experiences.

Is Mustard Oil good for skin?

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I have read about so many oils being good for the body but never heard from anyone about the usage of mustard oil on the body. But, when I ‘googled’ it, I found so many references for its usage on skin. Ok, lets talk first about its use on hair.

Mustard Oil is considered extremely good for hair growth. Using it regularly will keep your hair from going gray. Yes, if you want a proof, you can ask your grandmothers and ladies of the same age who have been using mustard oil since years and still have dark hair. Of course, it also depends on your diet. But, instead of dying, you can saturate your hair with mustard oil every night before you shampoo your hair and enjoy the benefits. Mustard Oil does not allow fungal growth making it useful for avoiding scalp infections. The oil is considered to be highly beneficial in treating dry and damaged hair. It is known to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. You can couple the mustard oil with castor or coconut oil to massage on your hair for beautiful shiny smooth hair. And, you may even infuse the mustard oil with various herbs as instructed in the Hair Oil recipe for Faster Hair Growth for better results.
Coming to skin care with mustard oil, its a very debated topic that whether it should be used on skin or not. Actually it depends on how the mustard oil has been produced or extracted. The cooking oil is produced by simply pressing the seeds and extracting the oil where as the essential oil is produced by mixing the seeds with water which produces a compound Allyl Isothiocyanate which irritates the skin. So, if you are planning to use mustard oil on your skin, go for the cooking oil which is available in the general stores. Make sure that you do a patch test before using the oil. If your skin is sensitive and hypoallergenic, its best not to use the oil.  You should stop using the oil immediately if you suffer from any skin reaction. Always prefer a cold pressed mustard cooking oil. Though mustard oil has been used for centuries for massaging purposes, I would advise you not to use this oil on children and babies or you can perform a patch test before you use it on them since their skin is much more sensitive than ours. One thing to consider is that if you feel warming sensations after applying the oil, it is not the skin reaction but the increase in blood circulation which is a good thing and surely not a reason to stop using mustard oil.

And, I surely invite your opinions on the usage of mustard oil on skin.

Strawberry Hair Mask for Oily Hair

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Well, care for oily hair is the exact opposite of care for dry hair. So, we need kind of ingredients which can soak up the oil and balance the sebum production in the scalp. For one, I have written about using Clay masks as hair masks. They work wonderfully. The home remedy I want to share today will not only control the oil in your hair but also make your hair glossy and shiny.
Ingredients:
– 5 Strawberries
Method:
You can blend the strawberries in the blender till they become of watery consistency. Take a little of the pulp and start applying it on the scalp and massage gently. Cover the complete scalp portion by portion. Then, take your hair section by section and dip it into the blended strawberry pulp and cover the hair body thoroughly. Let it stay on your hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour or till it dries off (it will take a long time to dry). Do not go in the sun. The liquid will drip a lot because of the watery consistency. To avoid this problem, you can gently blot your hair once you finish applying the strawberry mask to your hair. That will remove the excess of liquid. You can use this liquid as a hair rinse. After the stipulated time, you can just wash your hair with cold water. The acids in the fruit will clean your hair. The mask will not stink in your hair.
Variances:
– You may mix the strawberry’s with honey for dry hair.
– You can also include lemon juice with the strawberries. That will take care of the dandruff also.