Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

Using different herbs, plants, oils and spices for your Ayurveda treatment is the best method to get the hair you want. Moreover, they are paraben-free and developed through ethical process.

Three Ayurvedic Hair Types:
Vata: Hair that is thin, dry, frizzy and prone to split ends.
Pitta: Hair that is fine and prone to premature thinning or graying.
Kapha: Hair that is very thick and oily.
You should definitely try using herbs, oils and different spices if you want to apply the concepts of Ayurveda in your hair . Ayurveda for your hair necessitates the use of herbs.

When it comes to Ayurveda, the concept is pretty simple and that is by improving your overall health, you do wonders for your hair . Ayurvedic hair oil is amazing to relieve yourself of any stress and at the same time, it serves a dual purpose and that is to strengthen one's hair roots .

In this thread, i am just trying to add herb names one by one- with images of them and their uses. If anyone has any more recipes with this herb you may add them. Also if there are any errors, please let me know, so that I can correct them.

Amla(Hindi)/Amalaka (Sanskrit)/Amlaki (Bengali)/ Botanical name: Emblica Officinalis/ Nellikaai (Tamil)/Indian Gooseberry (English)
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The Indian gooseberry is indigenous to India. It has been used as a valuable ingredient in various medicines in India and in the Middle East from time immemorial. Shusrut, the great Ayurvedic authority considers it as the best of all acid fruit and most useful in health and disease. It is chiefly valued for its high vitamin C content.

Amla stimulates hair follicles thus promoting hair growth and also improves texture of the hair. It also prevents premature graying of hairs and dandruff. Indian women generally use Amla to wash their hairs, which act as natural hair conditioner.

Recipes
(1)Hair Tonic:

Take equal weights of Avuri (Indigo/indiofera tinctoria) leaves, Bringhraj (Wadelia calendulacea/eclipta prostrata), fresh amla and hibiscus flowers and grind to a paste. Mix the paste with an equal quantity of coconut oil and heat on a medium fire till the moisture evaporates. Cool, filter and store in a bottle. Rub on the scalp and hair daily.

(2) Homemade shampoo: For clean and shiny hair, make this shampoo at home. Soak Shikakai seeds, soapnuts (ritha) and dried amla overnight. in the proportion of 2:2:1. Next morning, boil them in water for 15 minutes. Remove the seeds and blend the pulp in a mixer. Store this mixture in the refrigerator and use once a week.

3) HAIR OIL WITH DRY AMLA: The amla fruit cut into pieces is dried in shade. These pieces are boiled in coconut oil till the solid matter becomes like charred dust. This darkish oil is an excellent oil to prevent graying.

(4) AMLA RINSE WATER: The water in which dried amla pieces are soaked overnight is also nourishing to hair. This water should be used for the last rinse while washing hair.

(5)Fresh Amla Massage: Regular massage of Amla (fresh) ground to paste and rubbed into the scalp has worked wonders in many cases frequently reversing the process of greying or falling off of hair.

(6)Amla-Milk Paste: To encourage growth of hair and to make hair dark, soak a few amlas in a little milk for a couple of hours, then drain and grind to a smooth paste along with a handful of mehendi leaves, mix well and rub into the roots of the hair one hour before you wash hair (either shampoo or herbal hair wash).

sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

[FONT=&quot]Shikakai (Hindi) / Cikaikaai (Tamil) / Soap-nut acacia (English) / Botanical name:Acacia Concinna / [/FONT][FONT=&quot]<v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" oreferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><vath o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1149" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1427/shikakai1va6.jpg" style="width: 240pt; height: 180pt; visibility: visible;"><v:imagedata src="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C02%5Cclip_image001.jpg" o:title="shikakai1va6"></v:imagedata></v:shape></vath></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></v:shapetype>[FONT=&quot]
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Acacia Concinna (Shikakai) is a small shrub-like tree, which grows in the warm, dry plains of central India. For centuries the people who have had access to this tree have used its pod-like fruit to clean their hair. They collect, dry and grind this pod into a powder, which is considered a superior cleanser for "lustrous long hair" and has been reported as "promoting hair growth and preventing dandruff". Because of these benefits, this powder was named "shikakai" which literally translates as "fruit for the hair" .

The Shikakai Fruit is famous as the best herbal shampoo to treat dandruff & hair loss. It is used as a hair cleanser, which promotes hair growth and makes hair more healthy and shiny. Typically, shikakai is mixed with water to make a paste, which is worked through the hair. It lathers moderately and cleans hair beautifully. It has a natural low pH, is extremely mild, and doesn't strip hair of natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since shikakai also acts as a detangler. This ancient product is probably the world's original pH balanced shampoo. It is very effective in removing oil and dirt from hair.

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sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

Bhringraj/[FONT=&quot]Botanical name: Eclipta alba or Eclipta prostrata /Tamil: Karisalanganni/ English: eclipta/Hindi: bharangraj/ Malayalam: Kayyoni/ Sanskrit:Bhringraj
This plant has white flowers.

There is also another variety of Bringhraj with yellow flowers.
The Bhringraj plant with yellow flowers is the Wedelia calendulaceae. The two varieties of karisalankanni (Bhringhraj) belong to the same family - Asteraceae.[/FONT]<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C09%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C09%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C09%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><style>  </style>[FONT=&quot]

[FONT=&quot]Bringhraj grows in India, China, Brazil and Thailand. The medicated oils of bhringaraj are widely used as hair tonic and to prevent hair shedding and premature graying of the hair. Bhrngaraj is the most common ingredient incorporated in numerous market preparations of various hair oils.

An oil prepared with amla, bhringraj and sometimes with brahmi is well known in India as Amla Bhringraj oil, which is said to blacken the hair.

Some Recipes:
(1) A herbal hair oil preparation: The ingredients — `karisalankanni'(Bringraj), curry leaves, awuri, poduthalai, karunchembai, black jeera, vettiver, vilamichaiver, cardamom, athar and coconut oil — help keep dandruff at bay, reduce hair fall and delay graying.

(2) For some, Karisalai or Karisalankanni (Bringraj) hair-ointment will promote hair growth gradually. You may also prepare the oil as follows: Dried Karisalankanni AKA Bhringraj (the one with white flowers) powder - 25 gm, Vettiver (cut into pieces) - 10 gms, Sandal pieces or powder - 10 gms make in to pieces all and mix with 250 ml gingelly (sesame) oil or coconut oil and put it in the open sunlight in a enamal plate around 45 days and filter the oil and then use. You will get good hair growth. If there is not much sunlight, try heating on low flame.

(3) The bhringraj leaf powder can also be mixed with coconut oil, and heated, cooled and bottled for use –and applied on scalp, for healthy hair.

(4) One formula for hair growth used from time immemorial is given here below.

The four main ingredients needed to prepare this concoction are

1. Juice of henna leaves 200 ml
2. Juice of bringraj leaves (white false daisy or swamp daisy) 200 ml
3. Juice of hibiscus flower and buds 200 ml
4. Juice of curry leaves 200 ml.
Add all the juices to 800 ml of coconut oil and heat the combination.

(5) Another Homemade Hair oil:

Take a bunch of trailing eclipta (bringhraj). Wash and clean the plant thoroughly. Grind it to extract the juice. Grinding should be repeated a few times to take out as much juice as possible. A little water can be used towards the end of grinding.

For six cups of the about juice, take an equal quantity of coconut oil and mix together. Similarly extract juice from green amla berries. Two cups of this juice can be added to the oil. Heat the mixture and bring it to boil. The boiling should go on for half an hour. Take out and allow to cool. Repeat this for three successive days till all the moisture is removed. On the fourth day, while boiling, stir it all the time so that it does not stick to the pan. Remove from fire after 30 minutes, cover with a thin cloth and cool the oil thoroughly. Store in a bottle and use daily.[/FONT]
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dhani · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

Wow.....Very Nice...

Thank You Very much for sharing..It's very useful to me and my sister.
Thank you again to add the herbal images and their language names.

great thread....keep it up...:thumbsup

Best regards

sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

dhani said: ↑

Wow.....Very Nice...

Thank You Very much for sharing..It's very useful to me and my sister.
Thank you again to add the herbal images and their language names.

great thread....keep it up...:thumbsup

Best regards
Click to expand...

Thanks dear for liking the thread but i want all the IL's to participate here.

sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae)/Semparuththi (tamil)/Gurhal (Hindi)/Bunga Raya (Malay): <v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" oreferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><vath o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1697" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7709/redhibiscusgu6.jpg" style="width: 240pt; height: 180pt; visibility: visible;"><v:imagedata src="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C08%5Cclip_image001.jpg" o:title="redhibiscusgu6"></v:imagedata></v:shape></vath></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></v:shapetype>
The natives of southern India uses the Red hibiscus for hair care purposes: the red flower and leaves, extracts of which can be applied on hair to tackle hair-fall and dandruff on the scalp. It is used to make hair protective oils. A simple application involves soaking the leaves and flowers in water and using a wet grinder to make a thick paste, and used as a natural shampoo.
Shade-dried and powdered flowers are used for cleaning the hair and to prevent hair loss (alopecia).

Dried hibiscus is used as an ingredient in the Meera Herbal Hair wash powder.

Hair Oil: (taken from a magazine)
Grind hibiscus flowers and take the juice. Take coconut oil in equal quantity to the juice, and boil together on low flame. Before the smell of the coconut oil comes out, remove from fire. Using this oil daily will stimulate hair growth.
If you use this oil with a few drops of vitamin E oil, and massage scalp and use the hot towel treatment on scalp, and then rinse in plain water (twice a week), the oiliness in the scalp will be reduced and you will have shining hair.

Prepare a hair oil with the following ingredients: a)Coconut Oil / Sesame oil (Which ever you prefer). Coconut oil is better for long term use. b)Curry leaves c)Shoeflowers
In an iron skillet mix the following ingredients in the 3:1:1 ratio. that is 100 gms of shoeflowers and 100 gms of curry leaves for 300 gms of coconut oil. Heat on medium flame till it stops forming bubbles. Do not heat beyond this point. Remove from the fire. Cool and strain into a clean bottle using a muslin cloth.
Apply this oil using your finger tips or using cotton swabs on ur scalp. Massage gently for 10 minutes with your fingers. Do not hurt you scalp with your nails while massaging. Wash with cool water after an hour. You can use any mild herbal shampoo or herbal hair-wash powders, while washing.

Hibiscus Hair Pack:
Hibiscus leaves – 10, henna leaves – 20, full Shikakai – 2. Grind all three together and apply on scalp as hair pack. Rinse after 10 minutes. Wash your hair this way once a week. Hibiscus removes the dandruff and makes the hair shiny. The Shikakai cleans the hair.

Homemade hibiscus leaves-shampoo for silky shiny hair:
Boil 10 hibiscus leaves in water. The leaves will become soft. Discard the leaves, add shikakai to the water and use it to wash hair.

Hibiscus Hair tonic:
Hibiscus flowers = 10 gm, cinnamon stick – 10 gm, fenugreek – 5 gm, dried champak flowers (Michelia Champaca) – 5 gm. Put them in ½ liter of coconut oil and keep in the sun daily. After a week, the essence will blend into the oil.
Use this oil daily. Hair will be clean, and will start growing well. Hair will be fragrant. [FONT=&quot][/FONT]

sweetoo · Jul 16, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

Soapnut (English)/Aritha/Reetha (Hindi)/ Boonthi vidhai (Tamil)/ Botanical name: Sapindus Trifoliatus or Sapindus mukorossi

Reetha powder is prepared from dried fruit of Reetha. It can be used as a face pack to improve facial complexion. It is used as a hair application to make hair shiny. It also removes dandruff and lice in hair. It can also be used to clean jewellery and for washing woolen clothes. It is used in Ayurvedic preparations and Herbal Shampoos. Soapnuts are known as excellent hair tonic .

Why Wash with Soapnuts?
I've actually found soapnuts to be superior to all commercial products I tried! And shampoo bars, too! Some of the things I love about them are:
-way less shedding!
-nice clean scalp
-gently cleansing
-the SHINE!
-the BODY!
-all natural, and has very little processing
-it's cheap!
-no need for conditioner or acid rinse

How to use:
MIXING YOUR PASTE with Aritha powder :

1: Place required amount of powder in a bowl then add water and mix well to create a thick paste.

2: Gently massage the paste into the hair and scalp rotating with your finger tips.

3: Wait for 2 to 5 minutes.

4: Wash thoroughly with water

With the aritha powder, shikakai powder and amala powder can also be mixed. Equal portions of each can be used.

Making the Soapnut Liquid (for oily hair and scalp) is 1 c. soapnuts (approx. 22 nuts) soaked overnight in 1 c. water. (I just use lukewarm tap water). This will make 8 - 16 washing's worth!
<u1></u1>NOTE: Be sure your soapnuts do not have seeds inside - if they do, crack them open with a nutcracker and throw the seeds out.

Strain out the soapnuts (I use a strainer and a funnel)

Add 1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice[FONT=&quot] to the liquid. The lemon/lime helps cut grease, although it also seems to really help add shine and avoid dryness for me too - my hair looks and feels much better with the juice added. FYI -lime juice works really great and is my preference!
<u1></u1>The liquid will be a medium brown color and will make 8 oz. total (which makes 8-16 washings!)
<u1></u1>Store your liquid in the fridge for best preservation (some ppl even store it in ice cube trays in the freezer - each cube will equal 1 oz.). Some folks have had success leaving it out of the fridge for up to one week.

Leave on between 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then rinse out. (If you've oiled, it works well to leave it on longer before rinsing out, as the longer time helps remove the oil). No rubbing or friction needed while rinsing! As the liquid is already acidic, I find no need for conditioner or acid rinses.

And here u get !! Shiny, bouncy, naturally and gently cleaned hair and scalp!!

How long does this liquid last in the fridge? Well, I've never had mine go bad, but I usually use it up within 2 weeks.

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inertia2009 · Jul 17, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

Excellent sweeto. Can you tell me where to get the soapnuts, and reeta from? I am living in the US and have no idea where to get these from. I want to grow my own bring raj and bramhi plants at home, but where do i get it from?

Can you show me how to make aloe vera oil and shampoo as well, with the detailed explanations and pictures? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!!!

abinayaaa · Jul 18, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

:hiyaDear Sweetoo,:hiya
Can I know the tamil word for bringaraj?
Very very useful tips and very very easier ones to prepare. Thank You very much. You are making a very very useful work. Keep it up dear!:coffee

sweetoo · Jul 19, 2010

re: Herbs & their uses for healthy Hair

inertia2009 said: ↑

Excellent sweeto. Can you tell me where to get the soapnuts, and reeta from? I am living in the US and have no idea where to get these from. I want to grow my own bring raj and bramhi plants at home, but where do i get it from?

Can you show me how to make aloe vera oil and shampoo as well, with the detailed explanations and pictures? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks inertia,

it's something you have to get at Indian grocery stores. I buy my aritha powdered & whole nuts at my local Indian store..u can also try Amazon.com !
For growing Bhringaraj & Brahmi at home u need to buy their seeds, u can either purchase them from any good ayurvedic store in India or buy them online from this site:

Aloevera shampoo recipe for dry hair :

Ingredients:

1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap

1/4 cup aloe vera gel

1 teaspoon glycerin

1/4 teaspoon sweet almond oil or other light vegetable oil

1 tbsp of honey

Directions:
1. Mix together all the ingredients;
2. Store in a bottle and always shake well before using;
3. Apply to hair and allow to sit for a few minutes;
4. Rinse well with cool water. Please make changes to it to suit your needs.

For aloevera hair oil recipe use aloevera powder ( u can get Hesh brand in any indian grocery store) & combine it with different herbs in a suitable base oil to make your own hair oil..
Take 5% of your chosen herbs/flower e.g amla, brahmi, aloevera, hibiscus petals and infuse into 95% of your chosen base oil ....so that would be 5g to every 100g. Place the herbs/petals and oil into a heatproof dish and heat gently for about 1 hr over a pan of simmering water (the double boiler method) and then strain with a sieve or muslin cloth. Your infusion can then be used as a simple hair oil.
I hope it helps..