AYURVEDA TO FIGHT HAIR LOSS

Hair plays a big part in our appearance and personality, so much so that it also has a psychological hold on us. A ‘bad hair day’, in fact, is one where nothing seems to go right. So we lavish care on it, copy popular styles or go against them, are ‘carefully careless’ about it and spend considerable time thinking about how to keep it healthy and beautiful. Remember “Hair Is Everything” (as in from Fleabag?).

Hair is basically a dead protein. But it is like a seed, it responds well to the care that we give it.

Hair loss is a natural thing that everyone goes through, no matter how healthy our scalp. It is a cycle of growing, falling out and regenerating. Losing between 50 to 100 strands of hair daily is normal. Hair loss occurs when new hair does not grow once hair has fallen out.

Why does hair loss occur?
This could be caused by a variety of factors from hereditary, age, hair treatments, tight hairstyles, ailments, stress, pregnancy, hormonal or thyroid imbalance, unhealthy scalp, medication or external factors, such as the quality of water or pollution.

Ayurveda and Hair

According to Ayurveda, hair is considered a by-product of the bone tissue, known as the asthi. People with excess pitta (muscular body types with oily skin) are more prone to premature hair thinning, greying, and hair loss and this is aggravated by hot weather, food that is too spicy, salty and sour food, tea, coffee, alcohol, meats and smoking, augmented by the earlier mentioned factors.

So the first thing would be to watch out for the triggers that cause hair fall. Once you are able to zoom into what might be the reason behind it, try to work on making the necessary changes. There are Ayurvedic tonics that can be recommended by physicians.

How to combat hair fall the natural way?
Food is medicine, according to Ayurvedic principles, and nothing beats a healthy diet. A diet rich in iron and protein, which includes leafy vegetables, nuts rich in omega-3, beans and eggs, is ideal.

A mild shampoo with natural ingredients, such as amla, shikakai, hibiscus and fenugreek, prevent hair loss and promote growth, and is also good for combating premature aging. These also make for amazing hair conditioning ingredients. If you are a die-hard hair fan, see if you can source the ingredients and do DIY versions of the shampoo or conditioners. They can be a bit messy, but once you get used to it, they can even be fun to do, once in a way, and more rewarding than their store bought counterparts.

But the age-old custom in Indian homes, of massaging warmed up oil before a bath, is one of the best methods to prevent hair loss. It is a safe and comparatively inexpensive practice that most mothers start us off on from babyhood.

The Ayurvedic bhringaraj oil is popular in different forms, and can be mixed with coconut, sesame, almond oils, and can be gently massaged into the hair roots. The difference it makes to the hair is almost instantly visible.