Does your bedroom floor look like the floor of a salon? Are you horrified every time you comb your hair as most of it seems to be in your hand rather than on your head?! If you are, don’t fret.
Every single person experiences some amount of hair fall on a daily basis – in fact, even animals do! The question is the extent of hair loss. They say as many as a hundred strands a day is normal! So, the problem is when you have more hair loss than that. Or, when there is no compensating hair growth.
Many people, today, show signs of early greying and balding of hair as well. This can be embarrassing and distressing. So, what should you do? Well, one possible solution is Ayurveda for your hair loss woes.
Causes of hair fall
Hair fall may be due to several reasons:
- Poor nutrition
- Erratic and irregular lifestyle – late nights and long hours
- Environmental factors such as pollution and climate
- Stress, anxiety and tension and inadequate sleep or rest
These factors can lead to excess toxin build-up in the body.
In Ayurveda, hair fall is a direct by-product of the quality of your bone tissue. If there is weakness in the bone tissue, hair loss is a natural result.
What does the Ayurvedic treatment for hair fall depend on?
In Ayurveda, the texture of your hair will depend the imbalances that you have in your constitution. Therefore, it is important for you to know the prakriti and balances/imbalances in your constitution to come up with a remedy. For example,
- If you display an imbalance in Vata dosha symptoms, your hair is susceptible to become excessively dry, frizzy and brittle. Normal vata hair is dry and brittle.
- If you display an imbalance in Pitta dosha symptoms, you are likely to have receding hairlines and a thinning texture in your hair. The heat in the scalp leads to colour changes. For instance, your hair might manifest a brownish tinge/shade, if it is not normally brown. This can lead to greying of hair and balding. Normal pitta hair is thin and can be brown.
- If you display imbalance in Kapha dosha symptoms, you are likely to have excessively oily and sticky hair. This can lead to blocks in the follicles of your scalp. This leads to hair fall. Normal kapha hair is thick.
| Type of Dosha | Hair qualities | How hair becomes when doshas are in imbalance |
| Vata (air and space elements dominate) | Tendency to become dry and brittle | Frizzy and brittle hair with dandruff and split ends |
| Pitta (fire element dominates) | Tendency to become thin, oily and silky | Premature greying and balding of hair |
| Kapha (earth and water elements dominate) | Tendency to become oily and thick | Clogged and extremely oily scalp |
In every condition, there is a need to remove toxins from your system, whether you know the cause of it or not. So detoxification is of the essence.
Ayurvedic remedies for hair loss
There are various treatments available in Ayurvedic hospitals. Thorough cleansing with different oils can also help you. Here are a few procedures to give you a well-endowed head!
1. Shirodhara:
‘Shiro’ refers to head and ‘dhara’ to flow. Here, warms oils are poured on your head and your head is massaged. This increases circulation and leads to better hair growth. This is one of the most effective Ayurvedic remedies for hair loss.
2. Shiro Abhyanga
Here, oils like Bringamalakadi Taila, coconut and til (sesame seed) may be used to massage the head. It is to nourish the roots and scalp. It will help in preventing heating up of the scalp, helps in preventing greying hair and nourishes your sensory organs. Your head remains cool. It also supports hair follicles and nourishes nerve endings. The hormones released keep you happy. This Ayurvedic remedy for hair loss helps you counter your hair loss woes by enhancing blood circulation to your nerve ends.
a. Brahmi Bringaraj Taila – This oil is made of herbs and is one of the most effective Ayurvedic remedies for hair growth. It nourishes the root of the hair and reduces hair fall by preventing a dry scalp. It helps destress you and, also, helps prevents premature greying.
b. Bringamalakadi Taila – This oil is made of Ayurvedic herbs that check premature greying. It not only helps promote hair growth but also helps in treating arthritis and back pain.
3. Shirolepa hair pack:
Here, a paste is applied on the entire scalp of your head to help cool the head. This Ayurvedic remedy for hair growth helps eliminate dandruff, controls frizz, repairs split-ends and reduces hair fall. It is also useful in treating multiple ailments like migraines, insomnia and headaches. With improved blood circulation, it helps eliminate the toxins in your body, and, also, helps improve your skin texture.
Hair packs can be very effective Ayurvedic remedies for hair loss. Try some of these pastes.
- Soak methi or fenugreek seeds overnight in boiled rice water. Grind it. Then, apply to the entire scalp and wash your hair. You can, also, mix this with curd.
- Make a paste of besan, lemon and tender coconut water.
- Mix besan with amla, reetha and shikakai.
- Mix walnut and amla with curd or water.
- Soak amla in curd and grind it. Add reetha, shikakai, neem and fenugreek to it.
4. Nasya
Quick Tips:
- Don’t brush your hair when it is wet.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Avoid unhealthy practices such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Consume raw vegetables and salads regularly.
- Sleep adequately and, preferably, at night.
Here, oil is instilled through the nose as a daily practice to provide relief from various ailments. Desi ghee and Anu Tailam can be instilled into the nose.
There are some other Ayurvedic treatments for hair growth to help you sport an enviable crown.
5. Ayursoundarya Program
This workshop has been designed to help women follow healthy practices in their pursuit of beauty and health. Beautiful hair and skin is a result of eating right, breathing right and using natural products on your hair and skin. You are sure to discover some Ayurvedic treatments for hair fall.
6. Herbs
You may use herbs such as Aloe Vera, curry leaves, hibiscus, amla (gooseberry leaves), methi (fenugreek leaves), coconut oil and til (sesame seeds) oil. They are nourishing for the head. These herbs may be consumed or applied on the head. Find out how these herbs may be used as hair cleansers and hair packs.
7. Hair cleansers
a. Shikakai – This is a natural cleanser and removes excess oil off the scalp. If your hair is already frizzy and dry, use this in combination with reetha (a soap nut, similar to shikakai), amla and hibiscus.
b. Aloe vera – Take fresh gel and apply it over the scalp; leave it for a few minutes and, then, wash it off. It is a cooling and soothing scalp cleanser, good for a heated-up scalp, associated with redness, itching, rashes or scalp pimples.
c. Hibiscus leaves and some flowers – Grind these to a slimy paste. It lathers well. Wash your hair regularly with it for well-nourished, strong and black hair.
d. Amla or Indian gooseberry – This can be used as a paste/ concoction with tea or you can combine it with reetha or shikakai.
e. Besan or gram flour – Mix this with water and use it to wash your hair after an oil massage.
These cleansers can be used as stand-alone Ayurvedic treatments for hair fall or as a mix. For example, reetha or shikakai can be used alone or as a mix with amla, yastimadhu (licorice), and neem and so on.
Along with these Ayurvedic treatments for hair growth, your diet and your food habits are major factors in determining the quality and quantity of your hair. After all, for healthy growth of hair, you must take care of the agni or fire metabolism inside you.
These Ayurvedic treatments for hair loss and growth can be availed at the Sri Sri Ayurveda Panchakarma Center.
(This article was written with extensive inputs from Dr. Sharika Menon, Ayurvaidya, Art of Living Organization)
