Ultimate Guide to Restore Hair Health with Natural Remedies

It is very much necessary to understand the whole science behind hair health and the causes behind its degeneration. It is well established fact that an average person has around 1,00,000 hair over the scalp & loses up to 100 hair on an average per day. This loss is normal if the pattern remains consistent. However, compromised hair health can result from illness, emotional stress, certain medications (like antidepressants, beta blockers, chemotherapy), thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune conditions, genetic disorders, and deficiencies in iron, zinc, protein, biotin, niacin, fatty acids, selenium, and vitamin D.

Hair Follicle Growth Cycle

A hair follicle is a tube-like skin pore that encloses the shaft and root of the hair & each hair follicle undergoes repeatedly a growth cycle comprising 03 phases that are Anagen, Catagen & Telogen. During anagen the hair within the follicle grows about one centimeter per month. The hair follicle then enters second phase of catagen during which the hair detaches itself from blood supply & during the final stage of telogen the follicle sheds the hair and in healthy person it takes four months to re grow a new hair follicle. If there is any condition enumerated above, the period of inactive hair follicle may become longer and it gradually leads to baldness.

Hair Follicle has power to regenerate itself with the help of stem cells but if stress persists and cortisol level increases, growth of hair follicle gets hampered.

Modern Remedies and Therapies

Modern remedies for hair health include:

• Drugs: Finasteride, Minoxidil, Spironolactone (for females), and Baricitinib.
• Cold Laser Therapy: Enhances blood circulation and encourages hair growth.

Essential oils can also help, but they should be diluted with carrier oils like coconut oil or jojoba oil. Recommended essential oils include:

• Rosemary Oil
• Peppermint Oil
• Cedarwood Oil
• Lavender Oil
• Holy Basil Oil
• Thyme Oil

Some natural components are considered great for hair growth viz. onion juice stimulates hair follicles, caffeine promotes cell proliferation & hair growth, ginseng promotes hair wellness, and capsaicin is a component of red chili peppers which is good for hair wellness.

Various practices which are detrimental to hair health like excess shampooing, bleach, relaxers & hair dyes, use of high heat blow dryers, straightening & curling irons should be avoided.

Traditional Hair Care Practices

Traditional hair care methods include:

1. Oil Application: Instilling a few drops of recommended oil into each nostril, massaging lukewarm oil onto the scalp with a cotton swab (without touching the scalp with nails), followed by soft massage, combing, and steaming. Leave overnight and wash with cold or lukewarm water.
2. Hair Packs: Recommended packs include:

• Fenugreek Seeds Powder Paste
• Fresh Aloe Vera Gel
• Hibiscus Leaves and Flowers Paste
• Curd with Triphala Powder
• Curd with Amla Powder and Neem Powder
• Egg White with Curd
• Hibiscus and Hina Powder Pack

Apply these packs to the head for 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

DANDRUFF & AYURVEDA: Dandruff may be simple dandruff or it can be a type of dermatitis (dry eczema), thin mica like scaling is seen on the scalp on scratching.
Varios medicated Lepan have been recommended for Dandruff problems, These medicated pastes should be applied to scalp and left for 20 minutes, then it should be washed thoroughly either with lukewarm water or with alkaline water prepared from 5 types of grasses viz. dermostachiya, bipinnata, saccharu, mofficinalum, buckwheat, arundo donax. Medicated pastes formulations can be prepared in any of the following ways:-

(1) Milk with paste of mango fruit seed & Harad(Terminalia Chebula)
(2) Paste prepared with Kerria Lakka, Cassia Tora, Aanwala.
(3) Emulsion prepared with sandalwood oil with lemon juice.
(4) a little quantity of honey and rock salt added with powdered form of buchanania lanza, Glycyrrhiza Glabra, Saussurea lappa, phaseolus mungo.
(5) Nymphea Stellata, Messua Ferrea, glycyrrhiza glabra, sesammum indicum in equal quantity and equal to all the herbs Gooseberry powder should be added.
(6) Oil prepared with paste of Gunja Phala & juice of bhringaraja.
(7) Oil prepared with eclipta alba, hemidesmus indicus, triphala, iron powder, saussurea lappa.
(8) Oil prepared from jasmine grandiflorum, nerium odorum, plumbago zeylanica, pongamia glabra

Patches of Hair Loss or Partial Alopecia:- it is a condition in which hair loss occurs over certain areas of scalp.

In case of patchy hair loss due to Vaataj dosha- the patch of hair loss becomes dry and whitish, Ayurved recommends that such patch should be washed with decoction prepared from ocimum sanctum, Dried Ginger, juice of Citrus medica & old jaggery.

In case of patchy hair loss due to Pitt dosha- The patch of hair loss becomes reddish with burning sensation. A decoction prepared with gooseberry & mulethi(Yashtimadu) in which some milk, butter & Rocksugar (mishree) is added should be prepared and this patch of hair loss should be washed with it at regular intervals.
A paste prepared from Sesamum Indicum, Juice of Eclipta Alba, Juice of Zingibera Officinale & Sauvirak Rasa is also recommended to be applied over scalp for 30 minutes and then should be washed with lukewarm water.
Another paste is prepared for lepan with Trichosantus Dioica leaves, Azdirakta Indica, gooseberry, ghrit & rock sugar.

In case of patchy hair loss due to Kafaj dosha- a decoction is prepared with Triphala, Acorus Calamus, Tecomella undulate & Jaggery and If itching problem is much dominant then decoction should be prepared with Anogeissus Latifolia, Terminalia Arjuna, Neolamarckia cadamba, Albezzia lebbeck, Teccomella undulata and should be used for washing the patch of hair loss regularly.

Besides above washing decoctions some other combinations have been recommended for partial alopecia:

• Flowers of Barleria Prionites (Vajradanti) & Hibiscus rosasinensis (Gudhal) is rubbed over the hair loss patch regularly, it will help in regrowing of hair.
• Juice of the leaves of Trichosanthus dioica (Tikt Patola) is rubbed over the hairless patch over the scalp.
• Oil prepared from Myristica Fragrans, Crataeva Nurvala, Pongamia Glabra, Nerium Odorum should be used for head massage.
• Oil Prepared from Jasminum Grandiflorum, Nerium Odorum, Pongamia Glabra should be rubbed over patch of hairloss.
• Paste prepared by the use of Smicarpus Anacardium, Solanum Indicum fruit, Abrus Precatorious & honey applied over affected scalp then washed after 30 minutes.
• Hair Pack prepared with leaves of Datura metel, piper longum, curcuma longa, seeds of Holarrhena Antidysentrica, Saussurea lappa to be applied over head and leave it for 20 minutes & wash it with lukewarm water.

TOTAL ALOPECIA (SEVERE LOSS OF HAIR):

Regular use of massage oil prepared in base oil of TILA (sesame Oil) with the composition of, Gloriosa superb, eclipta alba, aconitum ferox, abrus precatorious, citrullus colocynthis, barassica compestries, Acorus calamus & Latex of euphorbia nerifolia & of calotropis procera.

FOR INCREASING THE VOLUME OF HAIR:

• Sesame Oil, Ghrit, milk, glycyrrhiza glabra, nelumbium speciosum, vitis vinifera mixed together applied over scalp makes hair thick & strong.
• Hair pack prepared with black sesame seeds, embelica officinalis, nelumbium speciosum, glycyrrhiza glabra & honey should be applied over hair.
• Hair pack prepared with nardostachy jatamansi, saussurea lappa, black sesame seeds, hemidesmus indicus, nymphea stellata,milk & honey.
• Paste or powder of leaves of ficus bengalensis & nardostachys jatamansi are mixed with sesame oil and kept in sunlight for a week and then fresh juice of tinospora cordifolia is mixed and the whole preparation is boiled. This prepared oil is applied to the scalp regularly promotes hair health.

FOR EARLY GREYING OF HAIR:

• Roots of hair should be smeared with paste of glycyrrhiza glabra, gooseberry & honey. Then should be washed after 30 minutes
• Paste of sesamum indicum, gooseberry & honey may be applied over hair & should be rinsed after half an hour.
• Powder of iron, eclipta alba, triphala, black soil/mud should be mixed with sugarcane juice and kept for one month. It should be applied over hair for 30 minute and then thoroughly washed. Repeated application over hair with this combination darkens the hair.
• Paste prepared with the use of iron dust, gooseberry, hibiscus flower should be applied to the hair roots and after half an hour it should be washed with lukewarm water.
• These are some gems from the ancient texts of Ayurveda which can help you a lot in hair health.