Hair Spa for Dandruff {Hair Care}

The reason I am doing more posts on dandruff these days is because I have ignored this issue for long as I never faced it and these days I am getting more inspirations on the issue. So, I was talking a few days back with a girl and she told me what helped with her dandruff. She has had an issue of severe dandruff since she was in 10th and she has taken numerous treatments, none of which had worked. 

So, as a last resort she went for L'Oreal Hair Spa. And, she has taken around a month of the sittings. The L'Oreal Hair Spa was used with the dandruff treatment ampules. But, she initially did not see any improvement. But, after one month of no change and after leaving the treatment, she gradually noticed the changes in her hair and scalp and found that the entire dandruff issue had disappeared. 

I wanted to share this in case if anyone has the issue and is tired of going through all the treatments, they can give the L'Oreal Hair Spa treatment a try. The entire service costed my friend around 8k (the whole package, not each sitting) with every sitting lasting about an hour to hour and a half. She, in fact, asked me to get a hair spa done for my hair as it really helped her hair (even the texture) and she is using the L'Oreal range of products only (meant for dandruff).

Image Courtesy:all-informationz.blogspot.com

Related Posts:
Some Remedies for Dandruff
How to get rid of Dandruff?
Aloevera Scalp Gel for Hair Growth
Hair Tips for Monsoon
Best way to deal with Dandruff??
Essential Oils for Hair Growth

Best way to deal with Dandruff?? {DIY}

So, yes, I know most of you are facing this problem right now or would be in the coming subsequent months of August-September depending on when monsoons hit your town. So, be armed with this simple DIY to get rid of dandruff. 

Ingredients

• Apple Cider Vinegar / Fruit Vinegar / Vinegar
• Water

Method

Add 2 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl and take a cotton and apply it to your scalp half hour before you shampoo your hair. To avoid dryness (vinegar is acidic so drying for scalp), you can apply this treatment on well-oiled hair. Do this every time you are going to shampoo. This helps with long standing issues of dandruff too. 

Remember the Kamini aunty treatment? Yes, it involves this ginger hair tonic which I had told you was ginger infused in vinegar. My mom has even prepared the dupe for it :D We are calling it dupe coz the actual treatment might have other additives. I shall share it soon :) Till then, let this treatment help ya!!

Image Courtesy:jdc325.wordpress.com

Hair Tips for Monsoon {Hair Care}

I am loving, adoring and blissfully bathing in Hyderabad weather after the sultry Delhi :) Ok, yes, its humid and that does increase the suffocation at times but the cool breeze in the evenings and the lovely rains are just too romantic too ignore!!! But, then, monsoons always bring a spate of hair problems with them. 

Humid Hair

The scalp gets all dirty very soon even though the pollution is in control. The reason for this is because of the amount of humidity which accumulates the dust and sweat in the hair and makes the scalp dirty very quickly. So, hair wash should be frequent, preferably on alternate days and you should always make sure to leave your hair open for at least an hour everyday to let the roots and the scalp get some air through them and get dry.

If you get wet in the rain, let your hair air dry and then go for a hair wash. Immediate washing is generally not preferable as it may lead to diseases and illness.

• Hair Fall: This is the most common problem of hair in monsoons and even I can see those effects. One way to control it is to keep the hair and scalp always clean as mentioned above and to keep the hair always dry as even a little wet hair is also prone to a lot breakage. Do not comb your hair immediately on returning home after a long day. Leave your hair untied for a good half hour to an hour and let it dry thoroughly before running a comb. 

• Dandruff: Even though the weather is humid, the scalp can dry out easily because of the climate changes and weather fluctuations. And, that can lead to a lot of dead skin being accumulated on the scalp and leading to dandruff issues. This also contributes to hair fall in the monsoons. Ultimately, this issue can also be resolved by keeping the scalp and hair clean and dry at all times.

Hair Accessories

Avoid using scarfs and stoles to keep your hair protected from rain or even pollution. Because, lack of air circulation causes the sweat to get entrapped and accumulated on the scalp. Instead, carry an umbrella to protect you in sudden rains. And, pollution is anyway in control in monsoons so don't worry about that. Btw it may be necessary for you to wash your hair everyday at times. Go ahead and do it. Only make sure that you use a good quality shampoo, preferably a high-end brand or an SLS-free shampoo.

Keep your hair tools clean and dry

Clean your comb, hair brush and even the scrunchies and hair clips you use as they gather the sweat when you use them on dirty hair!!!

Image Courtesy:idiva.com

Essential Oils for Hair Growth {Hair Care}

Since I have started putting up posts on Essential Oils, I have received so many queries regarding essential oils amazing for skin and hair and acne. So, I decided that I shall do a post on them. This post would contain essential oils I have explored as of yet which are amazing for hair growth.

For all hair types

• Ginger: It stimulates the hair follicles, makes the scalp feel a little warm and helps promote hair growth. It may also tingle the scalp. Ginger is mostly suitable for all hair and scalp types. It needs to be only applied on scalp. Helps with dandruff too.

• Cinnamon: Similar to ginger in all properties, but it can be a little irritating for the sensitive scalps. It helps warm up the scalp and should only be applied on the scalp. Suited to all scalp types.

• Rosemary: More suitable to oily scalps and hair but doesn't dry out the dry hair either so can be used for all hair types. Helps in controlling dandruff, promotes hair growth by helping in scalp stimulation and also conditions the hair and makes it look darker. Brings shine to the hair as well over long term use.

Oily Hair

• Lavender: Suitable for oily scalp. It helps control the oil production in the scalp. Conditions the hair and promotes hair growth. Also, makes the hair shiny in long run. 

• Ylang Ylang: One of my most favorite EO's, it helps a lot with oily hair and scalp by not only promoting hair growth but also making the hair smell really awesome and controlling the oil on the scalp. 

• Cedarwood: I haven't yet used this EO so I have no idea how it works. Its supposed to control hair fall and thus, aid hair growth in reverse. Also, its great for preventing dandruff and hair lice and other fungal and bacterial infections!!

Dry Hair

• Myrrh: Probably the only EO suitable for dry hair. It helps promote hair growth and stimulates sebum production as well. I haven't personally tried this product so I have no idea how it works.   

Related Posts:
Hair Types and their Hair Care Routine 
Hair Textures

My Hair Diaries - May 2012

that's without flash in normal tube light at night

Products Used

I have already talked about my hair treatment. And, I have since then received many queries regarding how well did it go and if its worth the expense. To answer that question, I need opinions of people I can rely on and I don't generally discuss such things with anyone else so you guys will have to wait till I go to Delhi next week :) I shall publish the results ASAP.

My Opinions on the Treatment

• I think I can definitely see some improvement. And, I have not even used the treatment as I was supposed to (oiling and washing hair on alternate days). That's way too much work. But, I shall confirm about the results in detail only after next week.

Now, there are some cons which I would better specify in case you decide to go for the treatment. 

• The oil has something sticky in it. If I keep the oil overnight, my clothes and the pillow get stained badly and they get really sticky which doesn't ever happen with any other oil. My mom said that it might have gond or edible gum resin in it. That makes it impossible for me to keep the oil more than 2-3 hours in my hair. Well, in a sense, its good as well but it, like, takes me around an hour for application of oil according to the instructions I shared here. So, it feels pretty bad to wash off the entire oil within another hour :( But, otherwise, keeping the oil overnight in this heat is not exactly feasible enough either so its fine!!!

Btw, I did check up on edible gum resin and found out that it is healthy for hair growth and also adds body to the hair. 

• The vinegar used in the ginger tonic is probably not that great an idea coz they ask you to apply half a cup of oil and then follow it with ginger tonic but I don't apply that much of oil so the vinegar can dry out the scalp as well. But, again, vinegar is amazing for dandruff so probably not that bad an idea if you strictly don't keep it above half hour. 

• I like the shampoo and conditioner. They both are chemicals free and the weird thing is that I have a hunch that probably the shampoo has gelatin in it. Because, I dilute my shampoos with water (its become a habit now) and whenever excess of shampoo is left, I leave it in the container only and in some hours, I find that shampoo dries off completely, somewhat like a gel or powdery. It smells nice as well. 

• The conditioner is amazing. It is not heavy and spreads easily on my hair and doesn't have any smell in particular but I would definitely like to know what it is made up of. I think it does have some hibiscus as it does lather a bit just like hibiscus lathers. But, I am in no way saying that my hunches are correct. 

• The hair mask is good but since, its made up of grains, its a pain to wash off if it dries off completely. 

• The only issue I have with the whole product range thing is that they do not have entire hair mask (the above hair mask is only for scalp). Because, it is very important to have a deep conditioning treatment for hair even if one does oil the hair very regularly. That's why, I am thinking of going for Biotique musk root again as it is entirely herbal and suited me perfectly. 

I shall be continuing this treatment till I am back from Delhi and then, I shall start on the part two of the treatment which I had discussed here. I shall follow the same routine with the normal hair products and see if they give me the same results. I guess I might keep the shampoo same as I don't have any other shampoo in my target (organic surge is pretty expensive otherwise I do have it in my list, lets hope I get it soon). And, instead of the ginger hair tonic, I shall be using my DIY Aloevera Gel I had shared little while back.

My Hair Texture

Leaving all the above pros and cons, I would like to say that my hair texture has improved a lot!! As you can see in the pics, my hair is amazingly soft and shiny. But, yes, my hair does get weighed down in a day which is pretty bad. But, I guess, I do use more conditioner. And, I am not even using any leave-in right now since the time I started the treatment and my hair doesn't get dry or rough any time. So, overall, I am happy with the treatment :) But, again, I would reiterate that whether its worth the cost or not, I shall confirm only after next week.

Related Posts:
My Hair Dairies - April 2012
My Hair Diaries - March 2012
My Hair Diaries - February 2012
My Hair Diaries - January 2012

Aloevera Scalp Gel for Hair Growth {DIY}

This is my first DIY which includes essential oils and are the heart and soul of this DIY after the perfume oil DIY.

Ingredients

• Aloevera Gel
• Rosemary EO
• Lavender EO
• Cinnamon Bark EO
• Ginger EO

Method

I used the Rustic Art aloevera gel for this recipe. I would not recommend fresh aloevera gel because of two reasons - first, preservation issues and second, you are not sure of how much quantity you have and how many drops of EO should be added. Thus, its better to use the commercially available aloevera gel. Take 100gms of the product and remember my guidelines to using EO's. 

In skin or hair care, you should use only 1-2% concentration of EO's and do not exceed as it can actually be allergic and harmful. So, for 100gms of aloevera gel, we can add 2 gms of EO and we use the equivalence of 1ml = 1gm though that's strictly not true. So, according to the 2% concentration, we can add 2ml of EO's. 1ml has 20 drops so 40 drops of EO per 100ml/gm of any product.

Add 10 drops of each essential oil to the aloevera gel. Mix it and leave in a dark place for 24 hours. Rosemary takes care of dandruff, Cinnamon and Ginger stimulate hair follicles and increase blood circulation and Lavender is conditioning for the hair besides helping in hair growth. Do not use more than 3-4 EO's per DIY as too many EO's might interact negatively with each other and can make the product extremely potent as well.

Results

Apply this gel on your scalp right after you finish with your entire hair wash and shower. Do not apply it when you hair is dripping. Wait the hair to get dry a bit and then apply to the scalp so that it doesn't cause breakage. There are two advantages - your scalp is clean so the product gets absorbed quickly and without any fear of trapping dust and since the base of the product is aloevera, it moisturizes the scalp nicely and prevents itching, flaky scalp and other scalp problems.

I made this DIY before I left for Delhi and have used it just once. Now that I am on a hair treatment, I am not using anything except the products prescribed. That's mainly to test the efficacy and worth of those products. But, I can vouch for one thing that this scalp gel does help in hair growth. Why? Remember the ginger tonic I mentioned? 

We are using ginger essential oil in this recipe and when I had applied this gel, it had tingled my scalp and gave me the feeling of warmth more than that ginger tonic does. Don't worry regarding the tingling. Its just coz of ginger. Even if you apply ginger juice or onion juice, the scalp tingles a bit and also makes the scalp warm meaning the blood circulation has increased. And, the gel doesn't make the hair heavy or greasy or anything. In fact, it keeps the scalp moisturised and the hair around the roots soft. It can be applied daily as well.

And, I am really hoping that you will give it a try :)

How to get rid of Dandruff? {Hair Care}

This has been a continuous requests on my blog but I couldn't really post on it because I have personally never suffered from this problem so I have no idea how to deal with it. But, again this week I got a request on this topic so I thought its a high time to do a post on it. But, think of this as a disclaimer, none of the remedies have been personally tried by me and may or may not work. I definitely shall try my level best to write only about the things which will not have negative effects in the short or long term.

[Source:hair-loss-alopecia.com]

What is Dandruff?

Dandruff is the flaky skin which is the result of shedding of the skin cells ont he scalp. Even the skin on the scalp gets replaced. Consequently, if the skin cells get replaced too frequently or quickly, the dead skin cells tend to accumulate on the scalp and create a flaky scalp. This leads to the condition of dandruff and the most common symptom is itchy scalp. [That reminds me that I had been having a really annoying time with my scalp lately!! It used to itch badly.]

How to treat Dandruff?

Dandruff, most commonly, occurs in people with oily skin and oily hair as opposed to the popular belief that dandruff is a symptom of dry scalp. Dryness is definitely a condition which encourages dandruff but it is an acquired dryness, not the naturally dry scalp, in general. So, instead of treating dryness, it is better to clean the scalp more frequently to remove the dead skin cells from the scalp which keep on accumulating on the scalp. 

• Wash hair Frequently. This might not sound as a remedy but instead look as a tool to worsening the condition but it is actually true. Washing hair more frequently ensures cleaner scalp and the removal of the older dead skin cells.Alternate days or once in three days should be sufficient if the problem is not severe. 

• Use mild products. This is extremely important since you would be washing your scalp more frequently. Milder products which do not dry out the scalp and hair altogether should be preferred.

• Hair Oils. Oils, if used in excess, can cause dry hair in the long run. And, oil is also known to have aggravated the problem of dandruff. So, either keep away from oils or use the oils which you know have been working for you since quite long.  

• Hot Water. Stay away from hot water as it can increase the dryness of the scalp and also induces itching.Try to wash your hair in colder water or water at room temperature, whichever is preferable and comfortable for you. 

• Nizoral. This is one medicated shampoo which I have heard works really well for every kind of scalp problem so one can definitely give this a try. Weekly usage of the product should be enough. I have personally used the product and I do like it except for its price. 

• Underlying Skin Conditions. Psoriasis, Eczema and other skin disorders or infections can also cause dandruff so it is best to take a dermatologists advise in such cases.  

And, when it comes to hair, everything takes time and diet is very essential so eat healthily and live happily and all would be well. Pin It

Lemon and Coconut Oil for Dandruff {Reader's Tip}

This is given by Monali. This is what she says:

When I face dandruff, I use the mix of coconut oil and half a lemon's juice and leave it on my scalp and hair over night. And, in the morning, I wash it. Lemon is a bit drying that's why I use it with coconut oil to prevent the drying. I use it continuously for 3-4 days. Then, for 2-3 days I use it every other day. By then, my dandruff is gone and I am with happy hair once again :)

Some Remedies for Dandruff {Reader's Tip}

This was posted by Ramesh very kindly as a comment but instead I am choosing to make it a post. This for people who are suffering from dandruff. 

• apply onion juice on the scalp 2 times a week
• drinking 4-5 liters of water everyday
• taking a balanced diet and not indulging in junk foods
• taking biotin tablets

Well, drinking 4-5 liters of water everyday is something of a feat to achieve rather apart from the fact that it will make you feel bloated but I guess drinking more than adequate water (around 3-3.5 liters a day) would answer. A good start anyway!!! And, the difference, according to him, would be visible in 15 days.

Hair Care in Winters

Personally, Winter is my favorite season in all the year. I love the snow and snuggling inside the big thick blankets with the blowers switched on. (I do not like heaters because they dry the skin horribly !!) How I miss my childhood when I had to do nothing but sleep and read and eat :) I love being lazy but growing up is far from such luxuries. Only if I had realized that when I was young and naive. Huh, the irony!!

I have already talked about skin care in winters. So, let  let us continue with the topic of the day.  Hair in Winters. Winters is the most difficult time for hair. The growth slows down, winter dandruff comes up (in many people except lucky few), it always looks like we have had a 'centershock' :D and one is always struggling to keep it in place. Seriously, it is difficult. Moreover, I do not even feel like combing. It creates even more static. The woolens are so heavy on the body itself but they are even worse for hair. Splits increase in the hair, the dryness for dry hair increases by a notch, they look dull and lifeless and many people suffer from winter dandruff. Worst of all, the cold makes oiling of the hair also very difficult. Ok, so all these scenarios are for hills not plains. But, people in plains also suffer with same problems, only the intensity is a lot toned down according to the temperatures. Still, I love winter and I am glad it is back :) Can't believe a whole year has passed off so quickly. Time seems to fly away. In just a month, we will bid farewell to 2010 and welcome 2011. God, I do not know what has happened but you can get me started on this topic for hours together. So, I'll again come back on the track. So, how do we care for hair in winters. 

It is a difficult and time consuming task but not an impossible one. You need to devote time to your hair. So, let us start with oiling your hair. Regular oiling will keep the frizz away. Dryness in the hair is also controlled. Use warm oil to massage your hair nicely at night and then out a scarf on it and go to sleep. You can also do the hot oil treatment if you feel like. Do this for at least two times a week or whenever you shampoo your hair. Do not shampoo often. Shampoo hair when the need arises. Due to pollution, you might need to wash your hair twice or thrice a week. To reduce this need, use a silk scarf.

Shampooing your hair. Use a very mild shampoo. Either go for a herbal shampoo or use soap nuts. This prevent your hair from drying excessively due to the use of excess chemicals. Dry your hair gently. Keep a hand towel in the bathroom and after shampooing, squeeze all water from the hair. Wait for a few minutes and then apply conditioner on the hair. Wait for another 15-20 minutes (if you can), wash off the conditioner properly and come out. I would not advise you to go for a cold water rinse in case you might catch a chill and I do not want to be blamed for that :) Use baking soda in your shampoo once in every two weeks. Use only luke warm water. Hot water would be drying for your hair and skin both.

Drying your hair. Try to air dry your hair in little of sun which will provide shine to your hair too. Or, if you are in extreme hurry or feeling too cold, blow your hair dry just to the point that it becomes damp. Keep the setting of the drier to warm and not hot to avoid extreme temperature variations. Use a hooded drier as it controls the air circulation properly and does not direct a stream of hair to just one place. Another very useful trick while blow drying is to keep the drier moving. Do not direct it to one place or the hair would become excess dry there. To reduce the time of blow drying, squeeze the water from your hair properly before starting the drier. End with a cold air setting on the temperature. Then, use a comb or a finger and remove all the tangles. Your hair will dry sooner that way. Do not blow dry your hair excessively or it makes your hair frizzy. Use a heat protection product or something of the like before blow drying your hair.

Use a leave-in conditioner. I would advise this for people with extreme dryness and frizz in their hair. People with manageable hair can definitely give a skip. No point applying products which will give no results, right? If it satisfies you, go ahead but honestly, no point wasting money if you do not really need that product.  You can even make your leave-in conditioner at home. A tip for people who keep on buying thins which they do not need: Think about how much money you could save by not buying these products and then you might get your favorite dress or camera or watch or something which might be really useful to you. I do use this tip now a days and it is definitely working :)

Do not use excess products on your hair. A conditioner then a leave-in then a mousse then a styling product then a mist or a hair spray then something else. If you do that, the barrage of the products would not end but the things piling on your hair would definitely increase which would make the hair even more drier by blocking the hair follicles. So, stick to a single product in the winters and apply any product on the hair except a shampoo starting from your ears down. And, use only an appropriate quantity. 

Hair Accessories. This is one of the most important things. You hair bands, rubber bands, hair clips, clutchers, etc., whatever you are using on your hair might cause frizzes and splits so be very careful about what you are using on your hair. No harm in spending a little money to buy a good product. I would mention one thing here: Buy whatever you feel like but just remember to check for the ends or any edges in the accessory. Any sharp edges or protrusions in the accessory makes it unworthy for your hair. Same goes with the hair bands. They have comb structure underneath them which snag at your hair every time you remove it. Look for cloth covered accessories. They are soft on hair and do not cause static. Look for good quality hair brushes and combs. For curly and wavy hairs, do not use brushes. This is very important as they snag at your hair. Brushes are great for straight hair but curly and wavy haired people should stay away from them.

Keep your hair covered. Leaving your hair loose is a sure shot way to get hair breakage so keep your hair covered at all times in the winters. Either use scarves or go for braiding your hair. Silk scarves add a lot of charm to your dressing and braiding can be done in lot chic ways these days. Avoid wearing hats and tight caps as they stop air and blood circulation in the scalp. When your are wearing your clothes specially woolens, put your hair up, wear your woolens, cover your shoulders with the scarf, pull the hair down, tie it or braid it and then, tie the scarf around. This way you can avoid static and splits in your hair due to woolens. Do not let your hair be in contact with your woolens. Not only that, scarves also keep your hair and scalp clean in the pollution so use them regularly whenever you go out. Go for a trim the moment you spot a split in your hair.

Winter Dandruff Control. This is one of the most difficult tasks. Dry scalp and dry hair contributes to dandruff but this does not mean that oiling your hair would make dandruff disappear. For this, you certainly have to use an anti-dandruff hair cream. I would recommend Himalaya Anti-Dandruff Hair cream. Besides that, you can mix lemon juice with your hair oil before applying it on your scalp. Use a good conditioner which can prevent dandruff. Using soap nuts to wash your hair will definitely cure this problem. So, go ahead and give it a try but otherwise you would have to depend on some hair cream only.

How to wash your hair with soapnuts (reetha)?

I had bought soapnuts (they are environment friendly and natural detergents) and shikakai a year back with the resolution that I would use only these things to wash my hair. Well, as you might have guessed, it never happened!! (till now) But, yes, I was successful in making homemade shampoo with soap nuts and shikakai and other ingredients. 

A few days back one of my friends informed me that she has bought soap nuts to wash her hair regularly. And, I remembered my long forgotten lot of soap nuts and shikakai. Now, the reason I could never use soap nuts was because I never knew how to use them. I had asked a lot of people and they told me correct procedure but still I could not bring myself to use them. So, there was no harm in asking one other person, right? I asked my friend how to use soap nuts to wash hair. And, she told me. Strangely, you have some people in your life who assure you of things without really doing so. She is one of them and I decided to follow here advice to the letter.

So, what did she advice me? Quite simple: Soak soap nuts and then use the liquid to wash your hair. When the liquid gets finished, use the soap nuts to lather a batch of water again and use it again and again as many times as you want. No details, nothing. But, still, I decided to go with it. So, what did I do? 

• I put 3 soap nuts and 2 shikakai fruits (vary according of the length and thickness of your hair, my friend said it is very less, she has shoulder length hair - shorter than mine and she used 10 soap nuts so you can go for 15 too if you have waist length hair) in a cup and covered them with boiling water and left them overnight. I deseeded the soap nuts before soaking them. You can throw away the seeds or grow your own soap nut tree.
• In the morning, during my shower, I shook the soap nuts in the water and then put them in little water in another mug. (Do not throw away the soap nuts.) 
• Now, I took the liquid (it has very less foam in it) and applied on my scalp and started massaging. It does not lather at all in the starting. So, you have to just work your way through your hair very thoroughly. Then, I dipped my hair strands into the liquid and shampooed them as well as I could. Yes, the whole procedure is a lot more messier than using a shampoo. And, it might tangle your hair. (There is a surprise there!!) Then, I rinsed it off. 
• Now, I took the other mug in which the soap nuts were transferred and used that liquid for the second round and simultaneously, transfer the soap nuts into the first cup in some water. Shake the soap buts a bit to bring out the lather. Again follow the same routine. This time your hair might lather. Mine did not because I had oil in my hair. The time soap nuts will take to lather depends on the oiliness if your hair so it might lather for you int he first time also if your hair is not very dirty and free of oil. 
• So, this way, I followed the shampooing of my hair six times though I could have probably stopped at third or fourth. Well, that would come with experience.I would aim for less times the next time I shampoo.
• I did not condition my hair. I wanted to see the results without the effect of any conditioners and such.

The results: 

• Soap nuts are also washing agents. Though they are natural, they also clean your scalp. So, excessive washing is not recommended. If you do try this, stick to three. That is enough to clean the oil from your hair also. I overdid in my naivety.
• My hair was shinier and softer without using any conditioner.
• Now comes the surprise!! There was minimal tangling of the hair which was easily resolved in a minute which is really less as compared to ones I get while using a normal shampoo. 
• There is no frizz in the hair even though I overdid my shampooing.
• Manageable hair.
• There was less hair fall in the bathroom as compared to using shampoos.

Advantages: 

• Completely natural and non-toxic.
• Soap nuts and shikakai condition the hair very well and promote hair growth. They also help stop hair loss and treat scalp infections and dandruff.
• If you use organic soap nuts, I think the results would be even better.
• Do not throw away the soap nuts after your hair wash is over. There is a lot of lather left in them. So, use them to wash your utensils or put them in a cotton bag and throw in a cycle of laundry. You can give your detergent a miss. Clothes come out really clean and bright if you use soap nuts.

So, I have decided that I would use soap nuts whenever I do not have to rush anywhere. I will keep a bottle of shampoo for emergencies. You really need time to wash your hair with soap nuts. Be careful not to get the liquid into your eyes or it stings the eyes pretty bad. I'll give an update the next time I'll wash my hair. 

Lemon juice: drink a glass daily {Ingredient}

Today, I would be talking about the benefits of lemon juice for our body. We are all advised to drink a glass of water with lemon juice and honey mixed in it in the morning to lose weight. Right? Does it really work? Well, it did never work for me. But, I have found other benefits of doing the same. Or, probably a little different. Because, I am pretty lazy so I squeeze a half lemon into a glass of warm water and drink it. I do not bother to mix honey in it as I do not like to take much of sugar and am too lazy. And, guess what. It has done wonders for my skin and body.

Drinking lemon water in the morning has cleansed my body inside out. Lemon helps in the detoxification process of the body. And, it has helped to bring a glow in my complexion internally. Lemon has Vitamin C which is also responsible for building up collagen in our skin. Collagen is necessary to keep the skin firm and young. So, lemon is necessary to stay young. Forget Botox and surgeries. Stick to lemon and you will never really need any of them. Moreover, it is necessary to keep our digestive system in the right order and our metabolism high.

There are many other benefits of lemon juice apart from the above-stated.

• Applying lemon juice to the skin helps in lightening the blemishes and any scars or dark spots. But, do not apply lemon juice alone. Mix it with honey or any face mask and then apply.
• Lemon is good for bleaching the facial hair. Mix honey and lemon juice and apply it over the face and you would find in a month, the facial hair is no more. It actually does not go away but simply gets bleached and is not any more visible to the naked eye unless looked from very close.
• Lemon juice when applied to hair helps in curing dandruff.
• Lemon juice can be used as a last rinse to bring shine in the hair.
• If you want to lighten your hair color, apply lemon juice on your hair and go and sit in sun. The heat will help lemon bleach your hair. If you do it pretty frequently, you might even end up with blond hair color.
• Mix it in face masks. It helps bring a glow on your face by cleaning your skin right down to the pores.
• Lemon peels can be infused in hair oil to get its benefit stated above in point no. 3 and 4.
• You can grind the dried lemon peels and use it as a body scrub. They leave a refreshing scent on your body.
• Pour lemon juice into the bath water to experience a refreshing bath.

Caution: Use lemon juice externally on the body only at night. It makes your skin photosensitive (sensitive to light). Exposure to sun would be extremely harmful so use sunscreen diligently after using lemon on your skin. 

And, if you know any more uses of lemon juice, please feel free to share them. I shall be glad to know more about it.