Egg Hair Pack for extremely silky and shiny hair {DIY}

Eggs are really great for hair as we are all aware of. Now, when I used this hair pack on my hair, I kept it for around 3-4 hours, though not intentionally. So, I believe that the results of this hair pack are more due to the time it stayed on my hair rather than the ingredients. But, the ingredients are also fabulous and just two in number!!!

Ingredients: 

• 3 eggs
• amla powder

Method 

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk them into a smooth consistency. Add amla powder so that it becomes a smooth paste. Make sure it is not clumpy at all otherwise the whole thing tends to clump on the hair. Never make your hair packs clumpy. They do not deliver results properly as hair is not able to absorb it as well as it absorbs a smooth paste applied on it. So, after you make this paste, apply it on the scalp and along the whole length of the hair concentrating on the roots and the ends. I kept it on 3-4 hours but you can also make do with one or try to keep it for longer periods on weekends or at nights. Eggs make hair amazingly silky if left on for longer period of time, as my experience goes, though, I know it is difficult with the smell :(

Results

Extremely silky, soft and shiny hair which lasts for weeks together. I did this routine before April 10th and my hair is just the same even now and I have not applied anything extra to my hair in the meantime. And, the shine is unimaginable. It makes your hair more shinier than any leave-in or any hair product. Of course, using amla made my hair look darker too so the shine reflected better. And, I have wavy to curly hair. So, straight-haired gals, your hair is literally gonna shine like a lantern!!! Ok, bad joke :D but the results are just amazing and a lot can be attributed to the fact that we are using 3 eggs instead of just one which we customarily use. More the eggs, better coverage and better results. So, guys, try it and share your feedback!!! Don't forget to cover with a shower cap. And, for even better results, steam your hair before applying the pack to open the cuticles for better absorption.

READ MORE - Egg Hair Pack for extremely silky and shiny hair {DIY}

Parachute Head Massager Review

This might come as a very late news for you all because Parachute has been providing head massager along with its 'Advansed Cooling oil' since quite a long time. But, I found it in a shop only a few days ago. Consequently, I was very much interested and bought it. I did not try the oil yet. So, I will be writing only about the massager. Well, I would not say I was disappointed. The quality of the massager is obviously not so good but it does the job pretty well so I have no complaints. And, it is pretty handy and can be used for travel purposes too. Well, do not be deceived by the size in the snap because it is a cropped version.

The massager has a vibrator inside it. As you might have guessed the light blue area with the protrusions is the massage area. That part is all made of rubber and is very soft on the scalp and the hair. It does not snag and pull the hair. Instead, it can be used as a comb on the scalp while massaging. This way it does not create any tangles in the hair also. I massaged my scalp for around 15 minutes. And, after that, my hair was so unbelievably soft, it actually felt surreal. And, you can feel the hum in your head long after you are done with your massage. I guess that is the blood rushing. And, it also made my hair shinier and softer immediately. The effect did not wear off by the next morning also. And, using it is more easier than massaging your scalp with your fingers. Though, I would recommend to do scalp massage with fingers once a week too as fingers are more flexible and can reach points which a massager cannot.  It has two days since I have begun using the massager. So, it is too early to say if there is any change in my hair. I should be able to report a change in a month or at least two weeks. And, I am pretty hopeful for that. So, I would wind up by recommending you to buy the massager if you do not already possess one. It is not at all expensive. The oil costs 70 Rs. I think the stocks are getting over so if you want to lay hands on it, you would better hurry up.

Now, there are many drawbacks also. The massager did not really turn out as I had anticipated. I had expected the protrusions also to vibrate thus giving a more realistic massage feeling. But, the vibration is only limited to the body of the massager. That is one thing where Parachute should concentrate and I will say that achieving that would not prove very costly. And, another major drawback is that it works on a battery. And, it uses a lot of battery so you can not expect the same intensity of vibration everyday. It keeps on decreasing everyday. I wish there was a provision to be attached to the current source too. That would have proved cheaper and would have consistently given good results everyday.

But, there is one more advantage with this massager. You can use it for face massage also. I use it daily for a 5 minute face massage too. Having two different massagers for head and face is the best way to go about it but since I have not bought another one, I am currently using the same for both purposes. I would not say I have noticed any great changes on the face but it feels nice when you massage your face with it. If there is any change, I shall report back. In the meanwhile, you can use the massager for your head at least.

Disclaimers: This article is an account of my personal experience. I am not paid to write the review and I am not endorsing the product.  

Update: Buying batteries everyday or every week can become costly so I tried using my digicam's rechargeable batteries and they worked. My batteries were of the same specification as required by the batteries of the massager. And, the result was even better than using the normal batteries. The rechargeable batteries provide more power so the massaging action is even better.
I used the oil too but just once till now. I wanted to mask the egg smell on my hair during the deep conditioning treatment I was doing and I did not have any oil better than this one (Parachute). It works best because it has a very strong smell of camphor and easily masks the odor of egg. The oil has an aqua shade to it and is a little thick but if applied in appropriate amount to the hair, hair remains non-sticky. You can buy the oil at least for the massager.

READ MORE - Parachute Head Massager Review

A simple recipe for Hair Growth

Well, if you will recall, I had posted a rather elaborate hair oil recipe for faster hair growth. Not that the ingredients would not be available easily or it does not work but it might seem cumbersome to make in short batches and you might be tempted to make a very large batch. And, apart from all these things, with my experience since I have posted the recipe, I have realized that instead of adding a whole lot of different things in a mix of oils, it would be better to focus on a combination of one oil and one herb. Otherwise, the concoction can become too heavy for the hair and the herbs might counteract their effects. So, I have just reduced the elaborate recipe into something very simple and basic.

Hair Oil Recipe

- Any one base oil of your choice (Coconut oil, Mustard oil, Olive oil, Sesame oil, Almond oil or any other)

- Any herb of your choice (Huge Range of Herbs depending on your hair need)

Infuse the herb in the oil according to these instructions. And, voila, your hair oil is ready. 

I have talked about too many herbs in the earlier hair oil recipe itself including various flowers, leaves and other herbs. You can choose any one of them at a time and make the infusion. I have few pointers which you should read before embarking on infusions:

• Never use oils like Vitamin E oil, Evening Primrose oil, Fish Oils for making any infusions. Just stick to the basic oils. 
• Do not even use Castor oil as it is very thick and sticky like goo and is very difficult to wash off if used individually. Though Castor oil has myriad benefits for hair, you need to mix this oil with any other light oil like coconut, almond, olive, jojoba, mustard and such. Either use 50-50 or 75-25 concentrations of base oil and Castor oil respectively.
• Avoid mixing other oils as they might get heavy too. 
• Each time you are making infusions, choose a different oil and different herb. This way you will be giving the much needed benefit of various herbs and oils to your hair and will also come to know how your hair reacts to each one of them so that you can choose only the best for the next time.

READ MORE - A simple recipe for Hair Growth

Cold Water for Shiny Hair?

Are you aware of the theory that cold water can bring shine to your hair. Yes, I have read countless of the places that cold water is good for sealing the cuticles after washing and conditioning of the hair and thus, helps in bringing shine. I tried it and as usual with every new product you try, the results were fabulous up to a certain time. But, later on, it too became monotonous and not so amazing. That made me think what is the truth behind such a myth. And, recently, I read somewhere that this theory is actually a myth. Cold water does not help in sealing the cuticle or for that matter, even bringing shine to the hair or preventing frizzes. Cold water helps our hair temporarily until the hair dries be it air-dried or blow-dry. So, in case you are a fan of final cold water rinse, try replacing that with room-temperature hair rinses which will do a whole lot of good for your hair.And, if you are one who can not tolerate cold water on head, do not torture yourself just for the sake of beautiful hair as it would be of no use.

Now, let me make you aware of the reason why the starting results of using cold water rinse were fabulous for me. I was used to using medium to hot water on my hair to wash it and changing that to cold, obviously, gave my hair a boost. But, then, I got used to reduced water temperatures and started using almost lukewarm water and the results stopped showing. The motive in telling you this all was that do not burn your hair using really hot water to wash hair. Use lukewarm water or water at room temperature to wash your hair. Bot excess hot and excess cold are bad for your hair and cause dryness so instead of preventing frizzes, that practice would increase them.

A note to my readers: Due to other commitments, I am unable to post regularly and you must have noticed the irregularity in my posts. Thus, I have decided to write posts once a week instead of everyday. Hope you all will keep with me and enjoy reading my posts. Thanks a lot to you all.

READ MORE - Cold Water for Shiny Hair?

Strawberry Hair Mask for Oily Hair

Well, care for oily hair is the exact opposite of care for dry hair. So, we need kind of ingredients which can soak up the oil and balance the sebum production in the scalp. For one, I have written about using Clay masks as hair masks. They work wonderfully. The home remedy I want to share today will not only control the oil in your hair but also make your hair glossy and shiny. 

Ingredients:

- 5 Strawberries

Method:

You can blend the strawberries in the blender till they become of watery consistency. Take a little of the pulp and start applying it on the scalp and massage gently. Cover the complete scalp portion by portion. Then, take your hair section by section and dip it into the blended strawberry pulp and cover the hair body thoroughly. Let it stay on your hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour or till it dries off (it will take a long time to dry). Do not go in the sun. The liquid will drip a lot because of the watery consistency. To avoid this problem, you can gently blot your hair once you finish applying the strawberry mask to your hair. That will remove the excess of liquid. You can use this liquid as a hair rinse. After the stipulated time, you can just wash your hair with cold water. The acids in the fruit will clean your hair. The mask will not stink in your hair. 

Variances:

- You may mix the strawberry's with honey for dry hair.

- You can also include lemon juice with the strawberries. That will take care of the dandruff also. 

READ MORE - Strawberry Hair Mask for Oily Hair

Dry Shampoo - What is it and should you use it?

Ok, so shampooing is a really bad practice to follow everyday with products laden with loads of chemicals. But, we can not leave our hair dirty just so. So, Dry Shampoo is becoming popular as one of the ways to get rid of the oil (greasy hair) and dust in the hair.

What is Dry Shampoo? 

It is a mix of ingredients which are good at soaking oil in the hair and trapping dust so that they can be brushed off immediately. Most common of the homemade dry shampoo are corn meal, baby powder, orris root powder and ground oatmeal. You can store mix these ingredients or use them individually. You can also mix hair-nourishing ingredients like essential oils or aloevera gel. The powder soaks the oil from your scalp and also the dirt from your hair strands.

How to use a Dry Shampoo?

The quantity of powder to be used depends on the length of hair. Take two heaped spoons of the Dry Shampoo you have made for hair length which reaches up to mid-waist. Increase accordingly for longer lengths. But, make sure you do not get too much on your hair. It would become difficult to brush off. Rub most of it on the scalp. And, put some on your hair strands. Now, brush your hair to free it of tangles and spread the Dry Shampoo evenly on your scalp and along the hair body. Let it stay for 10-15 minutes. After the waiting time is over, flip over your head and brush off all the shampoo from your hair. Keep brushing till you are sure your hair and scalp gets rid of the shampoo. Your hair should look clean instantly.

Advantages of using Dry Shampoo

• saves a lot of time so is best as a quick fix
• hair-nourishing ingredients can be fed to hair anytime
• can add volume to hair and make hair look puckered up

Disadvantages of using Dry Shampoo

• is lot messy and needs a lot of cleaning up to do
• may not suit some of the hair types as it can be little drying 

Most Important: Dry Shampoo, since being a mixture of various ingredients in their powdered form, when applied to scalp may sit on the scalp and not get brushed off effectively. This causes the hair follicles to clog and the scalp to become dry. And, ultimately, it needs a proper shampooing regimen. If Dry Shampoo is used quite frequently, it can lead to severely clogged pores and other scalp problems like dryness, itchy scalp or scaly scalp. It can, also, effect the hair growth and health of the hair overall. So, in my viewpoint, Dry Shampoo should only be used when there is an extreme emergency. Otherwise, either stick to shampooing your hair alternate days or you might consider co-washing your hair regularly.

READ MORE - Dry Shampoo - What is it and should you use it?

Natural way to bring Shine to your hair

This blog is dedicated to being natural and make the most of the natural resources. Now, a question to ponder upon; how much do we really make use of the nature around us like sun, water, food or wind? They are the best nourishment you can give to your body and yes, today's post is dedicated to some of these nature's forces and their benefits on hair.

Have you ever been on a walk out in the early morning at sunrise? If you have, you would know how serene, soothing and calm it feels. The breeze is relaxing and the sun invigorating. You do not need to exercise. You can just take a walk and enjoy the sun and wind. And, while taking walk, open your hair and let your hair also feel the sunlight and wind. Fresh air and sun in mild amounts are very beneficial to the health of the hair and its growth. Let every strand of your hair get sunlight and the air and see the difference in your hair. Your hair would also feel rejuvenated and lively. It will shine with all its health.

Next time you get out of the shower, let your hair air dry your hair in direct sunlight till it becomes just near to damp and finger comb your hair while you are at it. This would contribute to increasing the shine of your hair. But, always remember, do not over do it. Sun in excess quantities is really not good for hair or skin so keep it mild and enjoy the benefits.It also helps to promote hair growth.

Tip for straight hair people: Let your hair dry naturally in direct sun and finger comb while it dries. This would make your hair naturally wavy without styling it.

READ MORE - Natural way to bring Shine to your hair

Pep up your locks for that special event {DIY}

Today, I am going to share a tip with you to make your locks look great for that extra special event you are going to attend the next day.
Mix a shine serum with your deep conditioner in equal quantity and apply it on your hair the night before. Cover your head with a shower cap. And, put a hot towel on your head. This will ensure deeper conditioning treatment. Let it stay for 30 minutes. Wash off thoroughly with cold water to seal the cuticles. Voila, your hair will be shiny and healthy.

A tip: You can leave the conditioner on your head whole night. And, wash off the next day.

READ MORE - Pep up your locks for that special event {DIY}

Lemon juice: drink a glass daily {Ingredient}

Today, I would be talking about the benefits of lemon juice for our body. We are all advised to drink a glass of water with lemon juice and honey mixed in it in the morning to lose weight. Right? Does it really work? Well, it did never work for me. But, I have found other benefits of doing the same. Or, probably a little different. Because, I am pretty lazy so I squeeze a half lemon into a glass of warm water and drink it. I do not bother to mix honey in it as I do not like to take much of sugar and am too lazy. And, guess what. It has done wonders for my skin and body.

Drinking lemon water in the morning has cleansed my body inside out. Lemon helps in the detoxification process of the body. And, it has helped to bring a glow in my complexion internally. Lemon has Vitamin C which is also responsible for building up collagen in our skin. Collagen is necessary to keep the skin firm and young. So, lemon is necessary to stay young. Forget Botox and surgeries. Stick to lemon and you will never really need any of them. Moreover, it is necessary to keep our digestive system in the right order and our metabolism high.

There are many other benefits of lemon juice apart from the above-stated.

• Applying lemon juice to the skin helps in lightening the blemishes and any scars or dark spots. But, do not apply lemon juice alone. Mix it with honey or any face mask and then apply.
• Lemon is good for bleaching the facial hair. Mix honey and lemon juice and apply it over the face and you would find in a month, the facial hair is no more. It actually does not go away but simply gets bleached and is not any more visible to the naked eye unless looked from very close.
• Lemon juice when applied to hair helps in curing dandruff.
• Lemon juice can be used as a last rinse to bring shine in the hair.
• If you want to lighten your hair color, apply lemon juice on your hair and go and sit in sun. The heat will help lemon bleach your hair. If you do it pretty frequently, you might even end up with blond hair color.
• Mix it in face masks. It helps bring a glow on your face by cleaning your skin right down to the pores.
• Lemon peels can be infused in hair oil to get its benefit stated above in point no. 3 and 4.
• You can grind the dried lemon peels and use it as a body scrub. They leave a refreshing scent on your body.
• Pour lemon juice into the bath water to experience a refreshing bath.

Caution: Use lemon juice externally on the body only at night. It makes your skin photosensitive (sensitive to light). Exposure to sun would be extremely harmful so use sunscreen diligently after using lemon on your skin. 

And, if you know any more uses of lemon juice, please feel free to share them. I shall be glad to know more about it.

READ MORE - Lemon juice: drink a glass daily {Ingredient}

Natural Shampoo-cum-Conditioner to increase hair growth {DIY}

Some days back, I had posted about the need of co-washes. Today, I am posting a recipe for a natural conditioner which can be used during a co-wash. Actually, it can also be used as a shampoo. We all know how good is hibiscus for our hair. Yes, you guessed it right. The natural shampoo-cum-conditioner is made from hibiscus flowers and leaves.

Method: Soak some hibiscus flowers and leaves (around 5 flowers and 15-20 leaves) in 2 liters of water overnight. Make sure that the leaves are thick and use the fresh flowers. Next morning or evening, boil the water till it remains half in quantity. The liquid would be green in color and thick in texture. Strain it in a bottle and store it in the fridge. Use this liquid while co-washing your hair. You can also substitute your shampoos with this natural shampoo. It can also remove a little oil in your hair. But, mind you, it can not remove a oil from a well-oiled hair. Then, you have to switch back to your own brand of shampoo. So, I prefer this natural shampoo for a co-wash. Prepare small batches of the shampoo and use it within a week or two.

It makes hair smooth and soft. It hydrates the hair well. You do not need to follow up with a conditioner. You can instead use a few drops of oil at the ends. It also helps in hair growth and reduces the risk of hair loss. You can use this shampoo to dilute your own shampoo too. This way, the chemicals in the shampoo would be less harsh on your hair.And, moreover, it controls the oil in your hair. If your hair is oily, it tries to neutralize it.

READ MORE - Natural Shampoo-cum-Conditioner to increase hair growth {DIY}

How to massage your scalp? {Health}

Scalp massage increases blood circulation (blood carries nutrients vital for hair) to your scalp, relieves you of mental stress, reduces hair loss and aids in hair growth. If done everyday for 15 minutes, it can help the hair growth tremendously and relax your mind and prepare you for a good sleep. There is a technique of performing scalp massage.

Spread your fingers on the scalp and use your finger balls (tips) to move the skin of your scalp gently. Do not use the nails as they may cause hair breakage. Do not move your fingers but the skin under them. Start from the middle of your hairline and proceed to the sides. Then, move your fingers a step back from hairline and repeat the same. Continue doing it till you feel hot or tingling sensation in your scalp. This means that blood is rushing to the scalp. You will definitely get a nice sleep.

You can use a few drops of any cold pressed vegetable oil (coconut, almond, mustard, olive or any other of your choice) mixed with few drops of Lavender or Rosemary Essential oils and massage into your scalp. This will encourage healthy growth of hair.

READ MORE - How to massage your scalp? {Health}

Millk for Shiny hair {DIY}

Immerse your hair completely in a wash stand full of milk and leave it on for 30 minutes. Wash off. Your hair would become shiny instantly. You can use a cup of milk as a last rinse also.

READ MORE - Millk for Shiny hair {DIY}