| |
Herbal Remedies For Hair  In the olden days, one of the most important aspects of beauty was greatly ignored - good health. A vital part of beauty is said to be clear skin, shining hair, sound teeth and nails along with slim figure.
The purpose of cosmetics should be to complement ones natural assets, not disguise them. The cosmetics should be used to help improve and enhance the face and body. To do this, it is, necessary that what we put on our bodies should be made of natural ingredients. It is therefore, a good sign nowadays that commercially viable cosmetic companies are including, in their products, more and more natural ingredients such as fruit, honey, vegetables and herbs.
Many herbs, flowers and fruits have soothing, healing and beautifying qualities. Modern western medicine (allopathic) is firmly rooted in herbalism and many common drugs, such as Aspirin, were originally derived from plant sources.
The uses and effects of herbs are well documented. Any possible side effects, after a long-term use, are far more predictable than those caused by certain synthetic products. Herbs on the other hand, are generally known for their gentle action. If you have sensitive skin, herbal cosmetics do have a distinct advantage over commercial ones. Many skins are allergic to substances such as alcohol and salts, which are more often not used in these products.
Apart from these considerations, making up your own cosmetics can be both fun and economical. Many ingredients, like fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, rose sandal-wood, witch-hazel, aloe, coconut, honey, borax, alum are usually on hand or easily available at local stores.
Hair care
A few basic rules for all types of hair
• When you wash your hair, have the water comfortably warm; very cold or very hot water is too much of a shock for the scalp.
• Wet hair thoroughly before applying the shampoo; use shampoo sparingly.
• Rinse the shampooed hair very thoroughly, until the water runs absolutely clear.
• Pat the hair dry with a towel; do not rub hard at the hair or scalp.
• Use a wide-toothed comb to gently untangle the hair.
• If you are using a hair dryer, hold it away from the hair - at a distance of at least 4-inch; this applies in particular if you have the dryer
set on a high temperature.
It is best to avoid using curling-tongs and heated-rollers. Use them only in case of a dire emergency and not every time you style your hair.
Avoid using chemicals, bleaches and dyes. The chemicals in commercial colourants can cause skin irritation in some people, and may even result in dermatitis; there are good herbal alternatives. Moreover, a good cut does wonders for the body and shape of your hair.
Normal hair
Normal hair has well-balanced sebaceous glands, which provide just the right amount of sebum to lubricate the hair shaft. This type of hair usually looks and stays clean, and the ends are mostly resistant to splitting.
Basic shampoo recipe for normal and dark hair
A shampoo with proper blend of good cleansing ingredients can be made at home by combining the following;
•Olive oil 1 fl oz (30 ml)
•Castor oil 1 fl oz (30 ml)
•Water 2 fl oz (60 ml)
•Aloevera 4 fl oz (120 ml)
•Mix all the ingredients in a blender and its ready for use.
Dry hair
This is a very common hair type, which not only benefits from external treatments, but also from the regulation of a good diet with plenty of protein, cereals, nuts, lean meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Bleaches, dyes, perms, heated-rollers, tongs, and back-combing can have a devastating effect on dry hair.
To the basic shampoo mixture for normal hair you can add or substitute an infusion of elder flower or mallow or comfrey root and leaf. All of these will help to improve the dry hair condition.
A scalp massage will also help keep dry hair in a better condition; also whenever you have a spare moment, press your finger-tips against your scalp and rotate the scalp underneath them gently - the scalp has a natural elasticity and movement in it. When brushing your hair, use a good, quality bristle-brush and bend over forward from the waist, to allow the blood to flow down to your scalp. Brush your hair in long strokes, following and smoothing the action with the other hand. This helps to cut down any build-up of static electricity. Various conditioners have also been listed a little later in this article, which are good for dry hair.
Oily hair
This hair type requires some patience, as its treatment must achieve the correct balance in order to give it health and shine. Some people find that too much washing at times can make the condition worse because the sebaceous gland become over stimulated. However, just leaving the hair alone and hoping that not washing it will correct the condition often results in a lank and unseemly mess. The best thing then for it is to wash the hair as often as is required, with a gentle shampoo. The soapwort-based basic shampoo for normal hair is excellent; the herbal infusion part of the mixture uses rosemary, lavender, lemon or yarrow. After shampooing, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or cider or vinegar to the final rinsing water.
Be gentle when drying your hair-mop out the excess water, and then dry naturally or gently with a hair-dryer set to warm. When you brush your hair, do not scrape the scalp with the bristles of the brush. Lean forward and brush gently so that the oils are taken down to the ends of the hair.
Watch your diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Drink plenty of water to keep the body clean from inside. Some oily hair conditions are purely temporary - during puberty, and during and/or immediately after pregnancy - the hair often goes back to its normal condition very quickly after these phases.
Conditioners and tonics
A very effective conditioner for normal and dry hair, especially if it is looking a bit lackluster, is mayonnaise.
To make the mayonnaise conditioner
Take 1 egg, 6 teaspoons cider vinegar, and 2-teaspoon honey. Mix everything together, then add olive oil, a drop at a time mixing continuously all the while, until a thick, creamy mixture is obtained.
Use the mixture before washing your hair; brush your hair our before, then put the mayonnaise mixture and spread it our through to the ends. If possible take a plastic shower-cap and cover the hair with it and then wrap a hot towel (water should have been wrung out) around your head. The warmth from the outside and your own body heat will allow the conditioner to do its work. Leave it on as long as is possible, then wash it out thoroughly with the herbal shampoo mixture.
Coconut oil and peach-kernel oil also make excellent bases for conditioners for 'hungry hair'. Your can substitute either of the aforementioned oils with olive oil, and combine them with an egg, vinegar and honey in the mayonnaise mixture recipe given and apply it in the same way.
If you want to massage oil alone into the scalp, wet the hair thoroughly with hot water first; this will keep the hair shaft from being smothered totally by the oil, whilst opening up pores and making them more receptive to the oil. Keep your head warm; put on a shower-cap and wrap hot towels around your head for as long as possible before shampooing thoroughly.
For oily hair your will usually find that a gentle shampoo, herbal rinses of rosemary, lavender, yarrow, etc, and cider vinegar used in the finally rinsing water prove to be very helpful.
However, to give yourself a more substantial treatment, you need:
• tbsp of a strong infusion of yarrow
• tbsp lemon or vinegar
• egg-yolks (keep the egg whites separately)
Mix together the yarrow infusion, lemon and egg- yolks very thoroughly. Comb your hair into manageable sections, and apply the mixture to the scalp with a ball of cotton wool, which has been wrung out in water before. Massage the mixture into the scalp. Then pin that sections out of the way and move on to the next section. Concentrate particularly on the oily areas around the front of the scalp, above the temples and the crown. Wring out a small, thin towel (or a thin gauze nappy) in a hot infusion of rosemary and wrap it around the hair. Now put on a shower cap. You can put on another towel or put a piece of aluminum foil around the cap to maintain the heat. Keep the treatment pack on for as long as possible- at least an hour.
To shampoo the pack from your hair, beat the egg whites with juice from half a lemon until stiff. Use this frothy mixture to wash out your hair. Finally, rinse your hair thoroughly with some cider vinegar mixed in water. This treatment gives the hair body and a very healthy sheen.
If you have long hair, the ends may very well be dry and split, even if your scalp is oily. Have the ends trimmed regularly and make sure that when you apply oil you hang your head downwards and brush it gently to distribute the oil evenly.
|
|
