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From the Archives : Turn your regular shampoo into a homemade herbal shampoo {DIY}

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Today, I would be sharing with you a recipe which I have been using for long for my hair and believe me, it has done wonders. I no longer believe in buying hair products according to your needs like a hair fall shampoo as a solution to hair loss or a damage repair shampoo for a heat burnt hair. I have got rid of these things using simple home remedies and I would suggest you to practice them regularly to see quick and long lasting results. You can use tomato repair the dry dull hair or fenugreek for hair loss. If you feel like, you can top your treatment with such fancy hair products too. They might do you some good, who knows!!!

Coming back to the topic, the recipe is very simple.
Ingredients (practically everything you think is good for hair and worth boiling in water)
– Indian Gooseberry (fresh or sun-dried amla) 
– fenugreek seeds and leaves (methi)
– curry leaves
– sage leaves / basil leaves (tulsi)
– hibiscus flower and leaves 
– mehendi leaves (henna)
– jasmine flowers and leaves
– rose petals
– lavender and rosemary flowers (if available)
Method
Soak them all the ingredients in two liters of water overnight. Boil next morning till water remains half of the original quantity. Let the water cool and strain. You can use this directly as a shampoo but it would not lather and I don’t know if it removes the oil completely. And, you might not get satisfied with it.

So, take a fresh clean bottle. Pour your regular shampoo to a one-third quantity of the bottle. And, pour this liquid over it. Shake well. Your herbal shampoo is ready. Do not worry about diluting your shampoo. It is good for you as less number of chemicals are applied on your hair and your shampoo lasts longer.

This shampoo works better than the regular shampoo. And, it will definitely give better results than the regular application. Do not judge it until you try this out. It might sound weird to some people. But, if you have ever heard, many people advice that one should dilute the shampoo with water to decrease the harshness of chemicals on the hair. I will request you all to give it a try.

You can use a shampoo sachet for a trial. And, then, you can decide for your own self whether this shampoo will suit you or not. And, it surely does help in hair growth too.

Words of Caution
Please refrain from using any ingredient, which you already know, you will be allergic to. If you want to dye your hair some color, you can continue with using henna leaves. But, remember that though henna is conditioning for hair, it is extremely drying too. So, you can skip it.

You may put some green tea (or your favorite flavor) too in the boiling water. Do not add anything which has short shelf life as it will spoil the whole recipe like lemon peels, soapnuts or shikakai. Use them fresh. You can use lemon juice as a hair rinse for shine. But, lemon causes hair to get dry. So, you might want to try out other remedies for shiny hair.

Have you tried something like this ever?
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My Hair Diary – July 2013

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So, I am again pretty late in putting up the hair diary post this month. Anyways, Suhani had a few questions for me when she read the last hair diaries. So, lemme just answer them for everyone’s benefits.
Does oil not attract dirt?
Yes, it does. But, I use only 5 drops at max so I doubt it would do any harm but point taken!
How do I do the scalp treatment?
I take a few drops of oil (2-3) and rub the finger tips against each other to spread the oil and then massage the scalp and then pass the hand over the strands to spread a light film over the strands, especially on the ends!
Ok, there is one point which I wanted to discuss. Why SLS-free shampoos? Actually, I had read it long back but I think there is something in that. SLS makes the hair very dry which is something well known but apparently it also impedes hair growth. I have to say that I have definitely noticed my hair to be in better health since I have shifted my shampoos. And, I do believe my hair has dried up a bit in this one month of change of shampoo!!
Ok, a day back I also read that changing shampoos is good for hair because it keeps on changing the chemical composition of hair. Being used to one shampoo alters the composition in only way which is why you do not notice that bounce after a bit of getting used to any product. Well, honestly, I have no idea if it is true or not but if you do have 3-4 choices of great shampoos, go for it!!

When you repeatedly use one shampoo, you are altering your hair’s chemical balance and changing the results of the shampoo. Obviously we want to see results from our shampoo, but if you don’t alternate them, then your hair’s chemical balance will work against you and you will see different results with the same shampoo over time. In a sense, you are changing the effect of the shampoo by using it for too long. In certain instances, the effect can be harmful to your hair. (Source)

Products Used
  • Hair Oil – Neelibrigandi Oil
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Hair Combs and Brushes {Reader’s Query}

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Hi Swati, I coundn’t find an appropriate post in which to ask this question, so I’m asking here. You’ve written a lot about hair care, but I couldn’t find any post about hair brushes/combs. I’ve been reading that boar bristle brushes are really good for hair. What are your thoughts on that? What brushes/ combs do you use? Do you find that good quality ones aid in maintaining good hair health or is it unnecessary? I’ve seriously been considering purchasing a boar bristle brush (regular brushes cause more hair fall for me compared to combs), but I couldn’t find a single Indian blog that had mentioned anything about it. 

So, first of all, thanks Poohkie for pointing such a pertinent topic. And, I am so sorry it has already been a month that I have not reverted back! Now, let me get back to the topic. Long back, I had discussed a bit of history on the combs and the ones I have used subsequently! I am really sorry about the missing pics in that post but I had deleted a pics folder in picasa because of which many of my posts have missing pics!

Wooden Combs

Apparently, the Indian artisans in history used to make wooden combs which had a sort of string of holes through the base of the teeth. One could pour a drop or two of oil through the first hole which used to travel down the comb and when used on the hair, the oil gets applied to the roots and hair strands evenly, nourishing the hair!

I have come across quite a number of wooden combs by now but still the TBS one remains my fav! I think its mainly to do with the finishing of the product. I recently got one for my friend as well and she has been finding a considerable difference in her hair. So, yes to wooden combs compared to the plastic ones! But, whatever you choose, make sure they are wide-teethed.

How to choose Hair Brushes?
Ok, the first rule with brushes is that if you have curly hair, its better to avoid one! Otherwise, I have heard natural brushes or boar-bristle brushes are really good. So, I did find out a long long time back that Denman and Mason Pearson are the two best brands when it comes to hair brushes but unfortunately I have no idea where they are available online. TBS carries wooden quilled brushes as well, one of which I had bought but use it very occasionally.

A flat brush or paddle brush is great to tame the hair and distribute the natural oils from the roots to the tips of the strands. The bristles of the brush can be nylon or wooden or natural hair like boar bristle or horsehair. Also, the base of the brushes should be rubber preferably because that allows the bristles to move more flexibly and damages the hair lesser comparatively!

How much brushing is good?
Hundred brush strokes a day is said to do amazing things to hair but I think that’s just overdoing it. Excess brushing can actually damage the hair. First, brush the hair only when it is dry and it is straight.

Brushing curly hair can harm its cuticles because the hair strand is uneven and the brush quills can rip it off! That is why natural hair is preferable on the brush.

Also, a few brush strokes a day does help distribute the natural oils evenly on the hair. So, make sure you do not brush your hair excessively as it flattens the hair. If you have fine hair, remember that it can look very weighed down if you brush it more often, especially when it is a day old.

How to clean the brush?
I have to say that this is the one part which stumps me completely and discourages me to use my TBS brush. But, you do not have to worry if your brush is not wooden.

After every brush stroke, make sure you remove the hair strands caught up in the bristles. Ignoring them too much can lead to lot of accumulation of hair strands.
Also, soaking them and washing them once in two weeks or a week depending on how frequently you use it or how dirty it has become is good. I use a discarded tooth brush to clean the base of the brush and even my comb and nails. 
Do you use a brush? How do you choose your hair brushes? How often do you use them and how do you clean your brush?
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