When my hair called out for help!!
I love styling my hair. But all the blow-drying, curling, straightening, use of all sorts of chemicals, did damage my hair. On top of all that, I was using a very strong shampoo and not pampering my hair at all. As a result, my hair resembled some sort of hay. The term ‘shedding hair like a dog’ was so apt for me. The dark, black hair, I was so proud of, was gone missing.
I tried all sorts of treatment and when nothing worked, as well as I would have wanted it to, I followed what my grandmother suggested, “the magic of four simple ingredients”.
I took a small piece of aloe vera; one egg; about 10 to 12 curry leaves and 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil. (I use coconut oil). I blended all four things well (in a blender) to form a paste and applied it to my hair, starting with my scalp. I massaged my scalp for good 10 mins and then left this paste on for about 45 mins to an hour. To avoid the smell or the paste from dripping, I wrapped a thin cloth around my head.
Before washing, I would again massage a bit, mainly to loosen the dried paste. I feel it always makes it easier to wash the mixture off.
I followed this routine twice a week.
Along with this, I also changed a few things in my hair care routine.
=> I switched to a mild herbal shampoo with hair moisturizer.
=> I applied a little bit of conditioner (about a dime size amount) near the strand ends; left it for about 5 mins and washed it. I did not put conditioner on my scalp.
=> I stopped using hot water for hair wash. In cold weather, the water was always a tolerable temperature and never too warm.
=> I deep conditioned my hair once a week.
=> I stopped brushing it right after washing, as wet hair is more prone to breakage and damage.
=> I started to use a heat protectant before styling my hair with anything warm, like a straightening iron or a curling rod… Also, any styling gadget I used, I made sure it was not at the highest temperature setting. ( I tried using as little of these as possible)
=>I was very careful about towel drying. I would gently dry with the towel and then let the hair dry on its own.
Within two weeks, my hair falls lessened, my hair was softer and I could even see a bit of shine.
It’s been more than two months now that I have been using this pack made of ‘four magic ingredients’ and have been following the hair care routine. Now I have almost no hair fall, my hair is soft, non-frizzy and shiny, it doesn’t resemble hay anymore and because the hair is healthy, it falls well; I rarely need to use any harmful product to style it.
Looking at my hair, my grandma is certainly very happy and I often see her looking at my hair and saying in her mind: “I told you so!”.