HAIR CONDITIONING
Healthy hair is shiny, resilient and elastic, neither limp nor dry. Dry hair will have a fly-away look and acquire split ends quickly. It won’t be exciting and without lustre. In other words, healthy hair is balanced, with the sebaceous glands producing the right amount of oil to keep it glossy. The texture of healthy hair is smooth, with body and bounce. The delicate balance can be upset very quickly due to various reasons. Lack of care and harsh treatments are probably the most common among these. Treatments like perming, straightening and dyeing, and harsh shampoos, can remove the natural acid mantle of the scalp, leaving an alkaline residue. This can affect the hair’s natural elasticity, making it dry and brittle.
Conditioning is a way of giving the hair a more intense nourishing treatment. It helps to protect the hair by counteracting dryness, making it smooth and easier to manage. Herbal lore is replete with age-old conditioning treatments, some of which are followed even today.
Tea and beer rinses are also known to improve the look of the hair. Used tea leaves should be boiled again in enough water. Strain the liquid, cool and use it as a rinse after your shampoo. Beer is said to give the hair body and make it manageable. Lemon juice, added to a mug of water and used as a last rinse, helps oily hair, while honey water helps to moisturise a dry scalp. One age-old recipe suggests 40 to 50 drops of honey should be added to a pint of water to make this honey lotion.
Among the best-known conditioners is henna. It is a highly versatile product and benefits all kinds of hair. A henna paste mixed with other ingredients leaves hair supple, shiny,d easy to handle.
Henna can be mixed with yoghurt, lemon juice, egg and coffee. If the hair is dry, add a tsp. Full of pure coconut or olive oil. The paste is applied on the head and washed off after about 45 minutes to an hour. Henna helps to cleanse the scalp and remove impurities and wastes, thus improving the normal functions of the scalp. It is also an intensive nourishing treatment and helps to strengthen hair. Hair texture becomes smooth and silky and acquires a shine. The hair not only appears thicker but becomes more resilient.
Due to its versatility, henna has proved to be one of the best treatments for hair problems. Henna has been mixed with other valuable ingredients like amla, kohl, Brahmi and arnica into a conditioning powder to restore health and beauty to hair. It helps to stimulate hair growth and control various scalp disorders. Dandruff and other seborrhoeic conditions have been treated successfully by conditioning with this herbal powder.
The key to beautiful hair is a healthy scalp. If it is kept clean of accumulated glandular wastes and dirt, it will perform its functions well if the average balances are maintained. Therefore, the hair must be regularly given appropriate treatments to maintain its texture, health and beauty.
Hair care is effortless once you know the requirements and can relate them to appropriate products. It also entails an awareness of what can be wrought by harsh treatments and wrong effects. Each hair is made up of very delicate fibre that must be protected if its beauty is to be maintained. It is up to you to ensure it is always kept in top condition.