Ayurvedic hair oils are designed for a range of benefits including conditioning, anti-dandruff, reducing grey hair and reversing hair loss. Here are some tips to help you achieve optimal results when using these therapeutic oils:
- Apply oil before washing your hair.
Ayurvedic oils are prepared by cooking cold-pressed oils with herbs for a long time using a detailed process outlined in the original Ayurvedic texts. The oil takes on the properties of the herbs, which makes them potent and therapeutic. While you leave the oil on your head it is penetrating and improving the quality of your hair. This is why it’s important to leave the oil in your hair for a minimum of 3 hours or ideally overnight. Why not leave it on longer? Oily hair is susceptible to attracting dust and pollutants from the environment. We recommend washing Churna Hair Oils out of your hair with Churna Shampoo.
Note: If you are experiencing hair loss, it may be suitable to apply a very small amount of Bhringraj Blend Hair Oil to your head every night before bed. If your scalp or roots start to seem oily, then wash your hair. If not, you can go a couple of days without washing. We recommend that anyone who is experiencing significant hair loss to work with an Ayurvedic doctor or practitioner of their choice to address issues that may be going on beneath the surface.
- Saturate your scalp with oil.
Cover your entire scalp, especially the edges of the front, back and sides, which are often very dry and absorb a lot of oil. Apply oil until these areas no longer feel dry. Hair greying and thinning often starts at the edges. Maintain and preserve your colour, thickness and volume!
Once your scalp is saturated you can gently work the oil through your hair from the roots with your hands. Try to spread the oil down the hair shaft and don’t worry if it doesn’t reach to the ends. Once you are oiling regularly this can be accomplished with very little oil.
- Cover your head.
According to Ayurveda, oiled hair should be covered. Covering your head protects your hair from dirt, dust and wind. Adding this in to my hair care routine has been a game changer. The quality of my hair has changed for the better, and I don’t have any flyaway or broken hairs. Before I understood the importance of this, I went outside a few times with oil in my hair thinking that a mesh baseball cap would provide enough protection (it was all I could think of for summer morning dog walks!). I started to notice significantly more hair in the drain after showering. Once I started wrapping my head and covering all my hair in a scarf covered with a baseball cap, more hair started growing in and less falling out!
I also recently started covering my hair for sleeping. Our oil really does stick to your hair, so for years I slept with oil in my hair on my sheets without any concerns. My current apartment can feel pretty drafty, and I noticed that I was waking up with sinus congestion after sleeping with oil. Covering my head at night has helped my hair and sinuses. I’ve been using a satin head cover that ties at the back, which is comfortable and stays in place. Variations of this are easy to find at beauty supply stores.
- Use a traditionally prepared Ayurvedic hair oil.
These are not as widely available as other types of hair oils. Many of the hair oils available commercially today are prepared by frying herbs in hot oil, soaking herbs in oil, or blending various cold-pressed and essential oils. Choose your hair oil according to your needs. If you want to experience the magic of Ayurveda, use an authentic Ayurvedic hair oil!