Beauty / Home Remedies for Stronger, Healthier Hair

Home Remedies for Stronger, Healthier Hair

Beauty Feb 10, 2015

by Soriyya Bawa

Skip Expensive Hair Treatments And Show Your Strands Some Homemade Love.

If winter is wreaking havoc on your hair, you’re not the only one. But before dishing out more money on expensive hair treatments, try one of these home remedies instead. They’re easier, cheaper and, best of all, they work.

Home Remedy #1: Coconut Oil

I’m sure I’m not the only South Asian girl who remembers her mom putting amla oil in her hair. I’ll admit that it did make my hair look silky-smooth, but I could never get past the smell, which is why I stopped using it the minute my mom stopped forcing me to. Now I use natural coconut oil instead. Aside from the fact that it smells better, coconut oil contains a fatty acid called lauric acid, which has been scientifically proven to have an affinity to hair proteins and penetrate the hair shaft rather than just coating the surface of strands. This means that coconut oil can help strengthen the shaft of your hair and reduce breakage and split ends.

Coconut oil usually comes solid, but it melts very easily. When hair is damp, massage the oil into your scalp, making sure to work your way down to the ends. Leave it in for 30 minutes (longer if your hair is extra dry or brittle) with your head covered. For thinner hair, focus just on the mid-shaft and ends of hair. Then shampoo to wash it out.

Home Remedy #2: Yogurt

A lot of South Asian women — myself included — have been blessed (cursed?) with frizzy, unruly hair. Although styling tools are an easy fix, they’re also a short-term solution that can sometimes leave your hair feeling dry and damaged, especially in the middle of winter. On a tip from a friend in the beauty biz, I recently tried a homemade deep conditioning treatment using plain Greek yogurt.

Put a bit of yogurt in a bowl and stir it to smoothen it out. Separate your hair into sections and apply the yogurt to each part, covering from root to tip. Then twist it all together, pin it up, and cover your head with a shower cap. After about 30 minutes, rinse it out and shampoo. You’ll notice when your hair dries that it feels softer, looks shinier and is easier to comb through.

Home Remedy #3: Mustard Seed Oil

Mustard seeds are a staple in a lot of Indian cooking, but mustard oil is a little harder to find — probably because it isn’t really recommended for consumption, thanks to its high erucic acid content. But using it externally for hair care is another story.

The idea behind mustard oil is that it can condition and promote hair growth. It’s a rich source of selenium, an antioxidant that can strengthen hair and protect the cells to prevent damage. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can nourish and hydrate hair. The healthier hair is, the faster it’ll grow.

Simply massage the oil into your scalp, working your way down to the ends. Leave it on for at least an hour and then wash your hair as usual. Mustard oil does have a bit of a smell, so you may want to use it at night.

^{_{Feature image: WikiTricks

Coconut oil image: Phu Thinh Co

Yogurt image: Elizabeth Towle}}
^{_{Mustard seed image: Brian Lynch}}

Soriyya Bawa

Author

Soriyya Bawa has been featured in national publications including ANOKHI Magazine Tribute Magazine and Canadian Family Magazine. Soriyya currently works as a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto, Ontario and also specializes in customized web content and socia...

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Home Remedies for Stronger, Healthier Hair

by Soriyya Bawa

Skip Expensive Hair Treatments And Show Your Strands Some Homemade Love.

Soriyya Bawa

COMMENTS

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