Unlocking the Secrets: Ayurvedic Rituals for Luxurious Hair Growth

Are you concerned about your slow-growing hair? Do you dream about getting those gorgeous locks one day but are tired of using chemical-based products?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then you have arrived at the right place. In this article, we’ll bring to you some ayurvedic practices that may help boost your hair growth and, with it, your self-confidence.

Ayurveda focuses on holistic wellness, which means that it tries to promote both physical and emotional health through its methods of treatment. Practitioners of Ayurveda believe that illness is born out of the imbalance of the three doshas (constituents or humors) of the body—the vata, the pitta, and the kapha.

Each one of us has these three humors in varying proportions, and the dominant one out of them determines our body type. While you may be concerned only about your hair’s health at the moment, an ayurvedic treatment will focus on your overall wellness.

The reason behind this is that hair problems may only be a noticeable manifestation of the internal imbalance within your body. Thus, it becomes necessary to restore the balance first.

Ayurveda divides hair into three types based on the dominant dosha. These are:

1. The vata hair type: thin and straight hair.
2. Pitta hair type: wavy hair with a moderate thickness.
3. The kapha hair type: thick and shiny curly hair.

It is important to recognize your hair type before proceeding with Ayurveda for hair care. You may seek an ayurvedic-naturopathic physician’s help if you aren’t sure about your body or hair type.

Having gained some basic understanding of the workings of ayurvedic treatments, let us now explore the practices in ayurveda for hair care.

Here are some simple and effective practices that you can include in your daily routine for better hair growth.

An ayurvedic hair growth oil may help moisturize the scalp and nourish the hair follicles. If you have a dominant kapha dosha, your hair may require less oiling than the pitta or vata dosha types. The common oils thought to promote hair growth include coconut oil, almond oil, and oils containing extracts of bhringraj (false daisy), amla (Indian gooseberry), and hibiscus.

The effectiveness of coconut oil containing extracts of amla, nut grass, and gotu kala (Indian pennywort) in promoting hair growth was tested on albino rats in a scientific study. The results obtained were comparable with the standard treatment using a 2% minoxidil solution, making these herbal products a potential treatment option for hair growth.

You may use an ayurvedic hair oil for hair growth twice a week before shampooing. Apply warm oil to the scalp with your fingertips and massage lightly in a circular motion. Either go with just a base oil or add an essential oil to it according to your requirements and convenience.

Ayurvedic preparations in the form of shampoos and hair masks are used to achieve better hair growth. These include the herbal triphala shampoo containing amla (Indian gooseberry), bahera (beleric myrobalan), and harad (chebulic myrobalan) and hair masks with extracts of aloe vera, sandalwood, neem, and lemon, etc.

Triphala may help in

• Promoting good hair growth
• Preventing greying of hair when applied externally to the scalp or taken orally.
• Aloe vera gel helps with hair growth by increasing blood circulation in the scalp and by nourishing it.
• Neem leaf extract has antifungal properties and can be used for the treatment of dandruff.

Mix the triphala powder with a small quantity of water to form a thin paste, and apply it to your scalp. Keep it on for about 15–20 minutes before washing your hair. You may also consume it orally by mixing the powder with honey. Other ayurvedic herbs for hair, like aloe vera, hibiscus, and bhringraj, can be found in commercially available herbal cosmetics and can also be used directly in their natural form

Ayurvedic head massage, or Shiro Abhyanga, as it is originally called, focuses on the marmas (pressure points) present in the head, neck, and shoulders. It is believed to activate these points, improving blood circulation and promoting hair growth.

Scalp massage can help increase hair thickness, according to a Japanese study. Here, a massaging device was used on 9 healthy participants, and they received 4 minutes of daily massage for a period of 24 weeks. It can also help lower the blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone cortisol, inducing a sense of relaxation.

Gently massage your scalp in circular motions by applying herbal oil to your fingertips. Here, you can use sweet almond, coconut, or sesame oil as a base oil and add a few drops of an essential oil like chamomile, peppermint, or lavender to it for added benefits.

In line with conventional wisdom, Ayurveda also stresses eating the right kind of food at the right time and in the right quantity. Nevertheless, it is distinct in its assertion that a balanced diet is contingent upon the individual's body type. The 3 doshas, or humors, that play a central role in ayurvedic medicine are also used to determine the ideal diet type.

Apart from the dosha-specific diet, Ayurveda recommends certain food items for hair growth, such as:

• Protein-rich foods: green gram and dairy products.
• Foods containing vitamins and anti-oxidants: amla, curry leaves, triphala, pomegranate.
• Healthy fats: ghee, flax seeds, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts.

Some other ayurvedic dietary guidelines that you can follow are:

• Avoiding leftover, processed, and cold food items.
• Following a 3-meals-a-day routine.
• Keeping the dinner light and having it at least 3 hours before sleep.
• Cooking and eating in a calm and stress-free environment.

Ayurveda assigns great importance to emotional health and views the imbalance in the doshas as linked to emotional issues. According to it, the buildup of amas (toxins) and the imbalance of doshas in the body are what cause hair-related issues, just like other physical illnesses. They may result from improper eating habits, inadequate hair care, or excessive stress.

Stress affects the life cycle of a hair follicle by inhibiting its normal growth, according to a study on mice. It also harms the hair follicle by causing inflammation in its surroundings.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet, following a daily routine, and practicing yoga and meditation can be some effective stress-reduction measures that will also be beneficial for hair growth and your overall health.

Ayurveda recommends about 6 to 8 hours of sleep, again depending on your body type (vata, kapha, and pitta). Those with a dominant kapha dosha are believed to require shorter sleep durations than those with a vata dosha. Avoid staying up late and sleeping till noon, and try to go to bed by 10:00 pm and wake up by 6:00 am.

Insufficient sleep or erratic sleeping patterns are considered to imbalance the doshas, which in turn causes physical and emotional problems, including reduced hair growth.

Finally, we’ll offer you some useful tips to make your Ayurveda hair growth journey more effective and safe.

Ayurvedic hair products and hair-care practices may help you achieve better hair growth, but they should only be employed under the supervision of a licensed natural medicine practitioner.

Additionally, if you have a skin or scalp problem and are allergic to certain substances, it would be best to consult a doctor before going ahead with an ayurvedic hair growth oil or other product.

When it comes to buying ayurvedic hair products, always choose a reputed manufacturer. Taking care of these simple things will help ensure that your experience with Ayurveda for hair growth turns out to be safe and satisfactory.