Caring for your hair, the Ayurveda way

There are three basic steps to caring for your hair:

• Oiling
• Cleansing
• Conditioning

Oiling is the first step because if you cleanse your hair without oiling, you will make your hair dry. Natural oils like sesame, sweet almond and coconut are best for use on hair. They can be infused with your favorite herb or bought already made, like Dabur's Amla Oil.

Massage the oil into your scalp to stimulate circulation. Indian head massage is becoming increasingly popular in the U.K. and there are many places you can pay to have it done. There are even videos on youtube and even for rent at Blockbuster on Indian Head Massage. Here is a video: Indian Head Massage. You can oil your hair at night before bed time and wrap your hair in a satin scarf to protect it.

Cleansing
You can make a tea rinse or paste with ayurvedic herbs to cleanse your hair. For a tea rinse, you can:

• Use an old coffee pot, put your herbs in a filter, add water and brew a tea rinse,
• Or you can simply add 1-2 tablespoons of herbs to hot water and steep and,
• You can also purchase empty tea bags and add your herb to them. Then boil your water and steep your bags.

For a paste, just add enough hot water to make a paste. Then rub the paste in your hair. You can store any excess tea or paste in your refrigerator.

The best herbs for cleansing are shikakai and aritha. Shikakai comes from a pod. It has a natural low pH, is extremely mild, and doesn't strip hair of natural oils.

Aritha is also known as soapnut. Just boiling the soapnuts will yield an excellent cleanser. It is also sold in powder form as is shikakai. Aritha and Shikakai have both been made into soap bars which are easy to use and very inexpensive.


You can mix these two cleansers together and add a conditioner such as amla to your cleanser.

Conditioning
There are many different herbs that condition the hair:

• Amla
• Hibiscus Powder
• Fenugreek Powder
• Brahmi
• Bhringraj, Bhringaraj or Maka (Eclipta Alba)

Welcome to Ruchita Ayurveda !

Here we focus on all natural beauty products and their uses, according to Ayurvedic tradition.

What is Ayurveda ?

Ayurveda is a more than 5,000 year old practice of traditional medicine native to India but influential in South Asia. The meaning of the word of ayurveda is "science of life" (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge). Recognizing that human beings are part of nature, Ayurveda describes three fundamental energies (doshas) that govern our inner and outer environments: movement, transformation and structure. Known in Sanskrit as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Earth), these primary forces are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body.

When it comes to beauty products, ayurveda practice is very simple. You will use herbs and oils that are all natural with many benefits. You have seen the beautiful skin and hair of the ladies of India and the Middle East. Following their practices will increase the strength, thickness and growth of your hair and give you clear and glowing skin without using harsh, expensive chemicals.