Best Practices in Ayurveda for Hair Growth

Hair problems like dandruff, hair fall, split ends, and frizzy hair have become common nuisances these days.However, Ayurveda can solve your hair fall problems without any side effects.

This ancient Indian medicine system treats the whole body by recognising doshas in one’s body and finding remedies based on them. Moreover, it does not offer generic solutions for everyone, so you can try Ayurveda for hair growth.

According to Ayurveda, our hair is a by-product of bone tissues. Moreover, our nails and teeth are made of the same material, which is why all these are connected. Our hair is also connected to our gut and nervous system. So, if the health of any of the tissues from these systems declines, our hair health will also deteriorate.

To reap the benefits of Ayurvedic for hair growth, you need to know your Ayurvedic hair type. Ayurveda states that the three elements in the human body, which are the Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which constitute the Prakriti of a person. Based on these three elements, we can determine seven different kinds of Ayurvedic hair types, and they are:

• Vata type- Here, the Vata dosha is dominant.
• Pitta type- In this case, the Pitta dosha is dominant.
• Kapha type- The Kapha dosha is dominant in this case.
• Vata-Pitta/Pitta-Vata type- In this case, either of the two doshas needs to be dominant.
• Kapha-Pitta/Pitta-Kapha type- One can have a dominant Kapha dosha or Pitta dosha in their body in this scenario.
• Vata-Kapha/Kapha-Vata type- In this scenario, either of the two doshas is dominant.
• Vata-Pitta-Kapha type- All three doshas are equally dominant here.

Ayurveda involves the concept of a healthy diet and lifestyle alongside using topical hair treatments like medicinal herbs and techniques. The following are some of the essential Ayurvedic hair growth practices:

1. Know Your Hair Type

Ayurveda divides hairs into seven types based on the three types of energies. These three energies determine your hair type as well as your hair health. If you have a Vata imbalance in your body, your scalp will be dry, and your hair will produce less sebum. Eventually, it will lead to dry, frizzy and split ends that will make you lose hair.

On the other hand, a Pitta imbalance in your body will result in inflammation, premature greying of hair, redness of the scalp and clogged hair follicles, leading to bacterial build-up and eventual hair loss.

Similarly, a Kapha imbalance will result in a greasy scalp, oily dandruff, and itching, eventually leading to hair loss. Knowing your hair type will help you to regulate your energies.

2. Choose the Right Hair Care Products

Now that you know your hair type, it will be much easier to select the right kind of hair, oils, shampoos and hair masks. Next, you need to make sure all the products you are using for hair care contain Ayurvedic herbs that will work on your aggravated dosha levels. Opting for a product with the wrong ingredients can cause you more harm than good.

If you have Vata hair type, you should look for products containing onion, black sesame, cedar or Devdar, rose pea, Ashwagandha and liquorice. On the other hand, some Kapha pacifying herbs to look for in hair care products are; fenugreek, camphor, grapeseed and Daru Haridra.

For people with Pitta hair type, one should look for products containing hibiscus, neem, liquorice and Karanja. Besides these three basic hair types in Ayurveda, if anybody has the Tridosha Haras or three dosha hair types, one should look for them made with aloe vera, Brahmi, Bhringraj, Amalaki and Tagara.

3. Keep a Healthy Mind

Ayurveda firmly believes in holistic healing and cure. This medicine discipline has always stated that the human mind is the place from where all diseases originate. That means all the dosha imbalances begin from one’s mental state and emotions.

You might feel that your mental state hardly has much to contribute to your hair health, but a study shows that hormones greatly influence one’s hair. Other than hormones, a few factors that can cause hair loss include excessive stress, extreme exercise, drinking and smoking.

4. Change Your Eating Habits

An individual’s diet also greatly affects the hair condition. It is often noticed that people who consume excessive amounts of junk food tend to have lacklustre hair. Moreover, junk and unhealthy foods can easily create an imbalance in one’s doshas.

To reap the benefits of Ayurveda for hair growth, practitioners suggest consuming dosha-specific food items to help them balance the elements in their bodies. Additionally, eating healthy foods will nourish your hair follicles and lead to hair growth.

Also, include healthy fats like ghee; it will strengthen your hair from the roots and provide shine to your hair. In addition to this, you can also intake herbal supplements like Triphala.

5. Wash Your Hair Regularly

You will want to avoid Western practices where people wash their hair once in one or two weeks. This is a very unhealthy practice as most parts of India are hot and humid most times of the year. Moreover, Indian hair type is very different from western hair types, so something that works for them will not work for Indian hair.

Ayurveda suggests washing your hair regularly as hair follicles get clogged easily with excess build-up. Besides, you can use Ayurvedic shampoo and oil your hair with natural oils like onion or coconut oil to give it nourishment. You should wash your hair at least twice or thrice a week.

6. Oil Your Hair Regularly

Regularly massaging your scalp and oiling your hair is essential to maintain its good health. It is easy to get hold of Ayurvedic hair oils from the market. Look for a product containing all the essential ingredients like fenugreek, camphor, neem, etc.

Moreover, you can massage your hair and scalp with simple coconut oil. Even that will be quite effective as it will strengthen your hair from the roots. It will also provide shine to hair and get rid of frizz and knots.

7. Use Conditioning Hair Mask Frequently

A hair mask, or Shiro Lepa as we call it in Ayurveda, is a great Ayurvedic treatment for hair loss. These hair masks provide deep nourishment to your scalp and hair. Moreover, it is suggested in Ayurveda that one should apply a hair mask to their hair at least once a week or every fortnight.

Whether it is hair care products or planning a proper diet, Ayurveda incorporates dosha-specific ingredients for making hair masks. It is easy to make Ayurvedic hair masks at home with ingredients like henna, Amalaki, fenugreek, aloe vera and egg whites. You can apply the mask for 30-45 minutes and then wash it off.

8. Trim Your Hair Frequently and Learn to Comb Properly

Split ends are one of the most common reasons for your hair not growing properly. The split ends give a rough look to your hair tips and weaken your hair. You should remember to trim your hair every 8-12 weeks.

Secondly, you need to frequently comb your hair properly. It is an effective way to increase blood circulation on your scalp. Regular combing also helps to detangle your hair. However, do not brush your hair vigorously. Use a blunt wooden hair brush to comb your hair.

9. Go for Ayurvedic Therapies

The principle of Ayurveda is rejuvenating, detoxifying and balancing the three energies in the human body. Alongside doing the above practices regularly at home, you should also opt for Ayurvedic therapies at least once a month.

A few Ayurvedic treatments for hair loss and regrowth are Nasya, Basti, Shiro Abhyanga and Shirodhara. These therapies purify and balance the doshas in your body.

10. Avoid Using Chemicals and Heat Styling

The harsh chemicals in shampoos and conditioners that you get from the market can change the pH level of your scalp. These chemicals also strip off the natural oils from one’s hair and scalp.

On the other hand, heat styling strips off the moisture from one’s hair. It turns the hair dry and brittle and also aggravates the Vata doshas.

Ayurveda believes in aligning your body rhythms with nature’s rhythms. You can achieve this by adopting the routines that will suit your Prakriti. To use Ayurveda for hair growth, you need to properly understand your hair type and doshas.