Fenugreek Curd Hair Mask {Reader's Tip}

Thanks Sonal for the wonderful tip :)

"The curd- methi powder mask works wonders for hair! Take 2 tsp of methi powder in a bowl of curd. Apply it on hair, wear a shower cap and wait for 45 mins. Wash it properly with ample water, a little messy & sticky but good for hair. Instead of shampooing right after, apply oil and wash it off the next morning :)"

Read more Reader's Tips here. 
PS: Don't forget to enter the Aloe Veda giveaway. And, sorry for not announcing the earlier giveaway winner. I am being really lazy :(

Image Courtesy:womanistan.com

Products which helped my hair {Hair Care}

I wanted to do this post long back after the one on home remedies for hair growth but somehow forgot. I would definitely recommend all the products I list down under here:

• Biotique Musk Root: helped combat my hair fall last year in January and really nourished my hair. You can read the entire review here. 

• Lush Caca Noir: Well, technically, this is just a hair coloring agent and nothing else. But, it improved my hair texture and made it so soft and shiny. I love it and I wanna lay my hands asap on Caca Maroon. It wasn't a first love and my first review was almost that all money spent on it went into drain. But, the second review which I did after using the noir again after a spell of 3 months almost was what made me a fan of this product. Read about the Caca Noir here.

• Biotique Mountain Ebony: This is one of the really un-talked product of Biotique but I love it to bits and it wasn't an instant love either. I took my own sweet time to analyze it and use it and decide on it. I bought it in December 2010 and used it sometimes and left it. Later, again started using it after a spell of almost 6 months and used it daily in fact. Read about it here. 

Update

• Rogan Badam Shirin: I really forgot to put about it. Padmaja asked me about hair oils and this is my one go to hair oil and the best ever which has actually shown me results on a long term basis. Read about it here. 

All the products mentioned above are tried and tested on a long term. I shall keep on adding if I find something equally good in the subsequent future :)

Hair Products and Hair {Hair Care}

Hey All!!!

Since it's been a long time I have written anything about hair and the situation I am going to talk about is something I have been facing recently so I will begin with asking a question - how many hair products do you use on your hair? Well, no the today's topic is not exactly this. I am going to talk about the myth that changing hair products frequently reduces the build up and keeps the hair shiny.

Well, from my personal experience, I don't really think it is true. The chemicals might end up coating each other on the hair instead of cleaning each other. Anyways, the best way to remove residue is to use baking soda or Apple Cider Vinegar. So, moving on from residue issue, the product cycle change is also advised coz the hair may get bored of the same products being used and stops behaving nicely after sometime. So, firstly, hair is a dead body part so it doesn't have a mind of its own that it will behave and stop behaving at will. Ok, one might say that products stop affecting the hair. May be its not the fault of the products but ours. Every product affects the hair differently so a major difference is visible in the first usage, consequently with the uses, the difference reduces because the hair is behaving in accordance with the product.

But, there is a major downfall to using and jumping on various brand wagons. Hair loses its own strength if you treat it with different products every time. So, sticking to one single product is a better idea. I have lately observed that people who stick to the same product for quite a lot of years have good amount of well-behaved hair. The problem arises only when one starts to experiment for the want of better products. Well, that did happen in my case. So, my advice to all of you is to stick to the products which have worked best for your hair and stop changing them often. It is not good for hair at all. 

And, the products I am talking about includes everything starting from the hair oils to the serums and other styling products you use. Shampoos and conditioners are the most often changed products and there should be a control over that too. Don't worry if your shampoo contains SLS / SLES coz there are hardly any products in the market without them including Lush and most of them do not work well with the hair. So, stick to your own shampoo whether its Pantene, Garnier or Dove and when combined with the home remedies and their corresponding conditioners, they yield good results. If you want to try salon products, I would suggest Kerastese which are costly but work really well with the hair. 

The reason I have written this post is that lately in the last few months, I had changed my shampoos pretty often from Biotique to Meera to Sunsilk to Dove and my hair has definitely suffered the consequences so I would really like to suggest you all not to make the same mistake. 

Hamdard Rogan Badam Shirin {Product Review}

Okay, so I love this product. I came to know about this product through my friend. She advised me to use this oil for my hair when I was going through one of the worst phases of hair fall. My hair had thinned to an extent of alarm. Still it is not as thick as I want to be but, definitely, my hair quality is better. And, since I have started using this oil, it has stayed on my 'must buy' list. I am sure many of you would already be aware of this oil and its benefits. I do have certain complaints like I am not sure if the oil is cold pressed or organic. But, still, I can not get rid of it. I thought of writing about this product after reading about its review somewhere else. This has become so part of my life that I forgot about this completely. 

The product does claim to do wonders to your brain and intellect along with relieving the muscle cramps and other pains in the body if taken internally. Well, I did take it internally (just two drops in milk every night). But, I was not very diligent in it so did not see the results. I shall try it again this Diwali and report back if I really see any difference. But, let me tell you, it tastes real bad. That was one of the main reasons I discontinued it. Anyways, regular application (twice a week) on hair made my hair soft and long. I also use it as body moisturizer too sometimes. It does feel raw in your hands (the oil is not soft to touch like the refined oils are soft to touch, if you know what I mean) so my guess is that it can be cold pressed or not completely refined. I am not even sure if they do have preservatives in the oil because it has a long shelf life (I forgot how exact and if it is just a year, I'll edit this line). It is a great makeup remover. I am not a makeup user but I do use almond oil to remove the sunscreen (if you remember I had mentioned that you need to use a makeup remover for removing sunscreen too). It does not sting much if it gets into your eyes accidentally. You can also use it to smooth out your wrinkles or to make your own lip balm at home.

Cost: 25ml of bottle costs 75 INR which makes it pretty costly but it is the best almond oil I have come across and a small bottle does last long enough.

Herbal infusions good for Hair

In this post, I have already listed various herbs good for your hair. But, I have not stated why. So, I'll address that aspect in today's post and would list down some other herbs too which are good for hair. I have categorized the herbs on basis of their usage. So, check for your immediate requirements and start from there. Many of the herbs share different categories so you can start choosing from them.

Hair Shine and Conditioning

Flowers: Rose, Marigold, Chamomile, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Lavender, Rosemary

Herbs: Basil leaves, Brahmi leaves, Bhringraj leaves, Henna leaves

Kitchen Ingredients: Curry Leaves, Indian Gooseberry (amla), Fenugreek Seeds and Leaves (methi), Lemon peels, Mint leaves

Hair Loss and Hair Growth

Flowers: Lavender, Rosemary, Hibiscus, Chamomile

Herbs: Brahmi leaves, Bhringraj leaves

Kitchen Ingredients: Curry Leaves, Indian Gooseberry (amla), Ginger cloves, Garlic cloves, Sesame Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Black Pepper, Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds and Leaves (methi)

Hair Coloring

Flowers: Hibiscus, Chamomile

Herbs: Basil leaves, Henna leaves

Kitchen Ingredients: Indian Gooseberry (amla)

Scalp Care (including Dandruff)

Flowers: Lavender

Herbs: Neem leaves

Kitchen Ingredients: Lemon peels

Tip: Every time you infuse your hair oil, use a different oil and a different herb. Otherwise, it would be like using a product which used to be good for your hair but is no longer great. Always make small batches. Read this for instructions on how to infuse herbs in the oil. 

I shall keep on adding to this list as I use various other things. In the mean time, you can also suggest some herbs which you feel would be worthwhile.

Parachute Head Massager Review

This might come as a very late news for you all because Parachute has been providing head massager along with its 'Advansed Cooling oil' since quite a long time. But, I found it in a shop only a few days ago. Consequently, I was very much interested and bought it. I did not try the oil yet. So, I will be writing only about the massager. Well, I would not say I was disappointed. The quality of the massager is obviously not so good but it does the job pretty well so I have no complaints. And, it is pretty handy and can be used for travel purposes too. Well, do not be deceived by the size in the snap because it is a cropped version.

The massager has a vibrator inside it. As you might have guessed the light blue area with the protrusions is the massage area. That part is all made of rubber and is very soft on the scalp and the hair. It does not snag and pull the hair. Instead, it can be used as a comb on the scalp while massaging. This way it does not create any tangles in the hair also. I massaged my scalp for around 15 minutes. And, after that, my hair was so unbelievably soft, it actually felt surreal. And, you can feel the hum in your head long after you are done with your massage. I guess that is the blood rushing. And, it also made my hair shinier and softer immediately. The effect did not wear off by the next morning also. And, using it is more easier than massaging your scalp with your fingers. Though, I would recommend to do scalp massage with fingers once a week too as fingers are more flexible and can reach points which a massager cannot.  It has two days since I have begun using the massager. So, it is too early to say if there is any change in my hair. I should be able to report a change in a month or at least two weeks. And, I am pretty hopeful for that. So, I would wind up by recommending you to buy the massager if you do not already possess one. It is not at all expensive. The oil costs 70 Rs. I think the stocks are getting over so if you want to lay hands on it, you would better hurry up.

Now, there are many drawbacks also. The massager did not really turn out as I had anticipated. I had expected the protrusions also to vibrate thus giving a more realistic massage feeling. But, the vibration is only limited to the body of the massager. That is one thing where Parachute should concentrate and I will say that achieving that would not prove very costly. And, another major drawback is that it works on a battery. And, it uses a lot of battery so you can not expect the same intensity of vibration everyday. It keeps on decreasing everyday. I wish there was a provision to be attached to the current source too. That would have proved cheaper and would have consistently given good results everyday.

But, there is one more advantage with this massager. You can use it for face massage also. I use it daily for a 5 minute face massage too. Having two different massagers for head and face is the best way to go about it but since I have not bought another one, I am currently using the same for both purposes. I would not say I have noticed any great changes on the face but it feels nice when you massage your face with it. If there is any change, I shall report back. In the meanwhile, you can use the massager for your head at least.

Disclaimers: This article is an account of my personal experience. I am not paid to write the review and I am not endorsing the product.  

Update: Buying batteries everyday or every week can become costly so I tried using my digicam's rechargeable batteries and they worked. My batteries were of the same specification as required by the batteries of the massager. And, the result was even better than using the normal batteries. The rechargeable batteries provide more power so the massaging action is even better.
I used the oil too but just once till now. I wanted to mask the egg smell on my hair during the deep conditioning treatment I was doing and I did not have any oil better than this one (Parachute). It works best because it has a very strong smell of camphor and easily masks the odor of egg. The oil has an aqua shade to it and is a little thick but if applied in appropriate amount to the hair, hair remains non-sticky. You can buy the oil at least for the massager.

Test for Damaged Hair

A very simple trick can tell you whether your hair is damaged or not. Many of you might already be aware of this. But, for those who are not, you can take a test.

Comb your hair and pick one strand of your hair from the comb. Drop it in a glass full of water. If the hair sinks, your hair is damaged. And, if it stays afloat, your hair is healthy. Caution: Do not pluck hair from their roots just to do this experiment. Plucking the hair damages its follicle and can impede future hair growth.

So, if your hair is damaged, start taking care of it from today. Egg Hair Mask or Egg Shampoo is the first step to beautiful hair.

Home Remedy for Hair Loss

I will be sharing with you a very simple home remedy for hair loss and promote hair growth.

• Collect the lime seeds and dry them in the sun for a day or two. 
• Mix the lime seeds with black pepper seeds and grind them or powder them. 
• You can store the powder for use but not more than a month. It is better to make a fresh batch every time.  
• For application, take an adequate quantity of the powder to cover whole of you scalp and mix it with water to make a paste. Apply everyday on the scalp for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  And, if  not everyday, make sure you use it once a week. Wash off with cold water. You need not follow it with shampoo. 
• Alternatively, you can take all the seeds (lime, black pepper and fengreek). Soak them in water overnight. Make a paste of the ingredients. Apply it on the scalp. Best results if done at least thrice a week.

Baking Soda for Voluminous Hair {DIY}

You can get a thick head of hair and increase hair volume by a very simple tip. Use baking soda (Eating Soda) in your conditioner. Mix your conditioner with a table spoon of baking soda and apply to your hair. Wait for 5 minutes and wash off. Your hair will be thick in matter of minutes. Do not worry about the texture of hair. Your hair will be soft and shiny. Baking soda creates a coating over the hair making it thick. But, baking soda does not harm the hair.

You can also use baking soda while shampooing your hair. Mix a table spoon of baking soda in your shampoo. It will clean your hair and scalp well. It removes all the product build ups. You can use it once a while. You can even devote one day to washing your hair only with baking soda. It makes your hair soft and shiny. And, cleans your hair so well that your hair squeaks when touched. You do not even need to follow up with a conditioner afterward. So, get beautiful, shiny and thick hair with baking soda.