HEALTHY HAIR IS LOVED AND DESIRED BY ALL, AND IN OUR CULTURE, THROUGHOUT HISTORY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MAKING USE OF VARIOUS OILS, HOMEMADE PASTES CONTAINING HENNA, ALOE, ONIONS, AND EVEN HIBISCUS FLOWERS TO TACKLE THINNING HAIR, SLOW GROWTH, AND TEXTURE DAMAGE
Appalled by what stress and neglect have done to the quality of your hair? Fear not, Jannatul F. Akbar, owner of Gaea Botaniques, is here to help drive your worries away!
These days, no matter the age or gender, hair issues plague us all, and despite pushing self-care down the priority ladder, most of us still fret over lacklustre, damaged locks and hair loss. Healthy hair is loved and desired by all, and in our culture, throughout history people have been making use of various oils, homemade pastes containing henna, aloe, onions, and even hibiscus flowers to tackle thinning hair, slow growth, and texture damage.
Self-care, or the act of taking time out of our busy schedules to nurture our mind, body and heart, comes in many shapes and forms. However, most of us fail to prioritize self-care in our daily lives, and slowly but surely, that lack of care starts to show as we age, especially on our skin and hair. This is why I’m here to tell you that just a little care goes a long way; so please, take a little time out to show yourself some love.
Historically, hair has been always been quite significant and was even thought to have special powers! In the Bible, Samson and Dalila’s tale associated hair with strength and power, while according to some Native American beliefs, hair is a sign of spiritual energy. Some ancient Greek and Egyptian rituals even required giving pieces of hair to the gods in exchange for blessings.
To help nudge you along, here is a recipe for a moisture restoring protein hair mask you can easily whip up at home to give those tresses the nutrition it deserves after the onslaught of styling, coloring and pollution damage it goes through.
WHAT TO DO WITH IT:
Take one egg, half a cup of aloe gel, two tablespoons of plain yoghurt, and a tablespoon of an oil of your preference and mix well. Adjust the proportions according to your hair length. Apply the mixture thoroughly on partially dampened hair (you can use a spray bottle, or instead simply take some water in your hands and run it through your hair) by first parting your hair to put it all over your scalp, and then the rest of your hair. Make sure all of your hair is well covered with the mixture. Keep this mask on for at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. Wash off with cool water and mild shampoo. Do NOT use hot or warm water as it will cook the egg and make it very difficult to remove the mask from your hair.
After shampooing, you may use your desired conditioner only on the ends of your hair, never the scalp. I recommend using a vinegar wash as a natural conditioner instead, which you can make by mixing one part of vinegar with three parts of water. You may use regular white vinegar for this, but I highly recommend using apple cider vinegar. Pour this rinse over your scalp and hair, leave on for two to three minutes, and rinse off with cool water. The vinegar wash helps return the scalp’s pH balance back to its slightly acidic state, which gets thrown off balance due to alkaline shampoos and other cleansing agents and lead to hair friction, breakage, and dryness if it is not addressed. It also helps to kill fungus and bacteria, which cause itchiness, flakiness and dandruff, and eventually hair fall.
Use this mask once every two weeks, and your hair will thank you. Also, I recommend using hair oil regularly (at least twice a week) to maintain its health. Remember, your hair is the crown you wear every day. Make sure it’s at its best!
WARNING: Avoid contact with eyes as it may burn. In case it does occur, quickly wash it out with water.