5 Top Anti Dandruff Shampoos You Should Try For Indian Hair !

 

Dandruff affects young and old and though it is not a serious condition, it can be uncomfortable as it causes itching and severe flakiness. We get plenty of dandruff shampoos in the markets to treat it but we can easily make our own anti dandruff shampoo that treats dandruff very effectively without any of the harmful chemicals. All the ingredients given for the recipes below can be easily got here in India and they work perfectly for Indian hair. The most common symptoms of dandruff are appearance of excessive amount of white flakes in the scalp and extreme itchiness. You can read about all the causes and treatments available for dandruff here. Since one of the most common reasons for getting dandruff is a fungal infection, most of the shampoos contain ingredients that contain anti fungal properties. Some of the common ingredients used in anti dandruff shampoos are zinc pyrithione for mild dandruff, ketoconazole for severe dandruff, coal tar but it smells bad and selenium sulfide. But almost all of the anti dandruff shampoos available in the markets comes with a long list of chemicals that we can't even pronounce along with synthetic fragrance and colors. All we need is a powerful anti fungal to treat the dandruff and we can easily do it by including fresh neem leaf or rosemary or poduthalai extract. I also love to add tea tree essential oil as it has powerful anti fungal properties. I use liquid Castile soap as a base for making the shampoo. Castile soap is natural bio degradable soap made with olive oil as a base, you can easily order it online. Make small batches of this shampoo and use it with a week, if you want to improve the shelf life you can refrigerate it. Though this shampoo might look a bit runny compared to commercial shampoos, it foams and cleans well. It also helps get rid of dandruff very quickly and permanently. If you like to get to know all the other amazing home remedies for dandruff, you can read it here.

How To Use Rice Water For Hair Growth | 3 Top Rice Water Hair Treatments

 

Rice water is one of the cheapest but most effective hair care treatments that we can do at home. All you need for it is handful of rice, using rice water for stimulating hair growth and to condition our hair has been done for centuries. It has been popular in many Asian countries like India and Japan for stimulating hair growth. What Is Rice Water? The water in which rice was boiled is called rice water. In olden days, when the concept of rice cooker was not known, rice was boiled in clay pots with large amounts of water and once the rice got cooked, the water was drained. Since rice was consumed on a daily basis, rice water was always there at home and it was extensively used for both skin and hair care. Types Of Rice Water: There are actually two types of rice water. The first is the water in which the rice was used to soak before cooking. It is also called rice water and it will be slightly cloudy as rice releases little bit of it's starch in it. The second is boiled rice water got when we drain the water after the rice is cooked. I prefer the boiled rice water as it is more creamy and thicker. Rice water has amazing hair benefits especially if we use it regularly: 1. Rice Water For Hair Growth: Rice water is rich in amino acids and vitamins which helps in hair regrowth. If you are suffering from hair fall, I would suggest using rice water regularly for hair care 2. Rice Water For Split Ends: Rice water especially cooked rice water is very very nourishing and super conditioning. When we use it as a shampoo mixed with shikakai powder, it prevents dryness which leads to split ends. 3. Makes Hair Super Shiny & Glossy: When we use rice water as a final hair rinse, it coats the hair and makes the hair super shiny and glossy. You can use either one of the three methods mentioned for the hair rinse. 4. Rice Water Repairs Damaged Hair: Rice water contains a compound called inositol which helps repair damaged hair really effectively. When we use it as a hair rinse, it forms a protective coat and helps heal and repair damaged hair. 5. Strengthen Hair Roots: When we use rice water on our scalp along with other conditioning ingredients as a hair pack, it greatly helps strengthen the hair roots. 6. Treats Dandruff: Fermented rice water when applied directly on the scalp is an amazing home remedy for dandruff. It is a traditional remedy that has been done for many years in our village. 7. Natural Hair Conditioner: If you are looking for a natural but effective hair conditioner then I would highly suggest using rice water as a final hair rinse. If you have extremely dry hair, you can mix one vitamin e capsule in it and use as a final hair rinse. 8. Arrests Hair Fall: If the hair fall is caused due to scalp problems using rice water regularly will greatly help. I would suggest mixing amla powder and rice water and using it as a hair pack, it will arrest hair fall immediately. What Is Fermented Rice Water? When we leave the rice water to ferment, it is called fermented rice water. Both types of rice water I mentioned can be left to ferment for a day and then can be used for hair care. Fermenting the rice water increase the nutrient profile of rice water which in turn helps nourish our hair follicles even better. It also brings down the pH level of the rice water almost close to that of our scalp which makes it very effective. Fermented rice water also contains pitera which is a natural by product of fermentation. Pitera has amazing hair and skin benefits and greatly helps protect the hair. You can use any type of rice to make rice water, I prefer hand pounded rice.....

DIY: Homemade Hibiscus Shampoo Recipe

 

 

I have always tried to use homemade, natural products on my son, when he was a baby. For his hair wash I used to use gram flour mixed into a paste with little water. But as his hair started growing, washing the gram flour out of his hair was quite difficult as he had quite thick hair. It was also quite drying on the hair, when used separately as a paste. I started using arappu and this hibiscus shampoo to wash his hair. If I didn't get hibiscus flowers that day or if I am out of station, then I will switch over to arappu powder. Most of the Indian homes will have hibiscus plant and especially the red hibiscus flower is very common. Out of all the varieties of hibiscus, the red color hibiscus is used the maximum for herbal remedies. Please try growing hibiscus plant in you garden, it produces flowers year round and it needs very less maintenance. This hibiscus shampoo is very very mild on the hair and it is perfect for washing babies hair. Hibiscus flowers are good hair conditioners, so I always add a hibiscus flower for making this shampoo. The leaves of hibiscus produce a very slight lather and it helps clean the hair very well. To make this shampoo, first take the required amount of hibiscus leaves and soak them in water for 5 to 10 minutes, this will help to grind it to a smooth paste. Now take the soaked leaves, a hibiscus flower (remove the stigma) and grind to a smooth paste. To use it as a shampoo for babies, wet the hair in lukewarm water and then apply this hibiscus shampoo and gently massage their hair. Rinse off. If you are giving an oil bath, you can even use the shampoo twice.

DIY: Homemade Natural Shikakai Shampoo Recipe

 

This homemade shikakai shampoo can be done very easily if you have the ingredients at home. This shampoo is made with natural ingredients and it doesn't have any harsh chemicals in it. This shikakai shampoo cleans the hair really well. All the ingredients for this shampoo are already dried, so you can buy them in bulk, store and use it year round. The ingredients for this homemade shampoo are shikakai, soap nuts and dried amla (gooseberries). We call dried amla "Nelli mulli" in Tamil. To make this herbal shampoo, take out the seeds from soap nuts and soak it along with shikakai and dried gooseberries, the previous night. The next day boil them, till they turn soft and you will see foam forming on top. Strain this liquid, cool and wash your hair with this herbal shampoo. Soap nut is an excellent cleanser and shikakai has been used for centuries for hair wash in India. Dried gooseberries condition the hair leaving it soft. This homemade shampoo will not lather like the regular surfactant based shampoos, but it will cleanse the hair well. I find that after using this shampoo, it does leave my hair a bit dry so I use a conditioner and would suggest the same to everyone who experiences dryness after using the shampoo. Update: I would suggest adding 1 tbsp pf fenugreek seeds to the mixture as it greatly prevents drying of the hair. 

  

DIY: Shikakai Powder Hair Wash for Hair Growth

Shikakai means fruit for hair and it has been used as a hair cleanser for centuries in India. Traditionally, for our oil bath, after massaging our hair with this massage oil, we have our hair wash with a mixture of arappu powder and shikakai powder. We have arappu tree in the farm and we usually collect the leaves, sun dry and powder it for the whole year's use. Good quality arappu powder made with tender leaves, cleans well and it is easy to wash the hair only with it. But store bought arappu is usually not that good and it is getting increasingly hard to get good quality arappu. If we buy arappu from the shops, we usually mix it with home made shikakai powder. Even older people will find it easier to apply/ wash their hair with arappu, if it is mixed with shikakai powder, as arappu mixture is pasty. We never use shikakai powder alone, as it can be a bit drying, especially if it is used without the oil massage. It is always mixed with arappu powder. Shikakai cleans the hair well and produces good lather, though not like surfactant based shampoos. This shikakai blends prevents hair loss and promotes hair growth, if used regularly. Make shikakai powder for hair wash, during the hot summer months. It should be sun dried till crisp. If you are making it in small quantities, powder it in a dry mixer after sun drying it well.

Arappu

 

The word "Arappu" always brings a smile to my face. Because even now, if my elders find out that I am having hair wash with shampoo, I get a good scolding. Arappu is a powder made from the leaves of arappu tree. It's botanical name is Albizia amara. Arappu acts as a natural conditioner. After having a nice hot oil massage, having hair wash with arappu powder is the most relaxing thing I can think off. I think you should experience it, to fully appreciate having hair wash with arappu. We get arappu powder even in cities now. Some people mix it with shikkakai powder to get good lather. But if you make arappu powder with tender leaves, you don't need shikkakai powder at all. It's sad to see, using arappu is slowly diminishing. I agree that it takes some time to massage the oil and have hair wash with araapu, but it's totally worth it. Arappu cools the body and it's chemical free. I read an article few weeks back, saying how you should use a clarifying shampoo to remove the build up in the scalp due to regular shampoo and conditioner use. It really made me laugh. I think we should follow our traditions, whenever time permits to keep ourselves healthy. Arappu powder keeps well, for more than a year.