Hi everyone!
I have some tips for some of you that may be having problems with hard hair when using Ayurvedic products. I have finally found a regimen that works for me, so here are some things that I have done that really helped. My hair does not get hard at all anymore when any mixture is in my hair, it is soft the whole way through.
Strain everything.
This sounds like common sense, but my dumb self used these mixtures straight
Since I like to make my own teas, rinses, and oils from powders, it really helps to strain it before you use it.
Use 40:60 ratio of water and oil to make mixtures.
All of the rinses and teas I use in my hair are strained, and heavily diluted with oil and water. I still get the benefit of the powders without getting this stuff stuck in my hair. I tried making pastes but that just does not work at all. The more diluted the mixture, the better. The consistency is very watery.
Add these teas and rinses to oiled hair.
I know a lot of you oil your hair overnight with coconut oil or amla oil. I suggest not washing out the oil before adding the teas and rinses to your hair. It does not prevent the teas/rinses from working, and keeps your hair pliable and easy to work with, acting like a "buffer" against the mixtures.
Big thanks to Whimsy
She suggested that I do the overnight oil treatment on dry hair as opposed to wet/damp hair. It really does work better. Although my hair uses a lot more oil when dry than when wet, my hair felt much softer doing it this way. Thanks, Whimsy!!
With that being said, here's my regimen. It's very low-maintenance and very very simple.
- Apply Ayurvedic oil mixture to dry, dirty hair for 1 hour-overnight.
- Apply Ayurvedic wash mixture to my hair for an hour (don't rinse out the oil that was in your hair previously).
- Rinse out the Ayurveda wash mixture for 5 minutes with hot water.
- Deep condition.
- Rinse out with cold water.
- Airdry.
I just named them this cuz I dunno what else to call them
Nothing special, just a whole bunch of oils/powders that I mixed together.
Ayurvedic oil mixture: Dabur Amla Oil, Parachute Coconut Oil, Vatika Coconut Oil, Dabur Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Shikakai Oil
Ayurvedic wash mixture: I mix henna powder, indigo powder, amla powder, shikakai powder, neem powder and ritha powder in a bowl, maybe 2 tablespoons of each. Add 3 cups of water and let this sit overnight. The next day, strain it very well and add 2 cups of the Ayurvedic oil mixture. Pour this mixture in a bottle and use it as needed. This last me 6-8 washes. The only time I get in the shower is to rinse out the conditioner, I hate jumping in and out of the shower.
I will be adding more oils and powders as I buy more things
I just get the benefit from everything by mixing them all together, no need to do separate treatments. I hope this helps you guys out.
Remember, K.I.S.S.!!!!!