Keep your follicles healthy all year round

Dear friends,

We all want a healthy, full head of hair, but so many out there suffer from hair loss. There are thousands of hair products and styling tools in the market, yet hair issues remain a major concern for both men and women. There are many contributing factors for hair loss, such as pollution, food, lifestyle, and stress.

However, there is still a lack of understanding about using the right haircare products and our negligence in practicing self-care. I always suggest to my patients that they put aside 4-5 minutes a few times a week for a head massage. An oil massage enhances circulation and delivers essential nutrients to the scalp. It can make a significant difference to hair health.

You can use natural agents to nourish your hair, such as coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, amla oil (Indian Gooseberry) or fortified oil with a few drops of rosemary essential oil. Simply warm a small amount and apply it directly to your scalp. Leave it on for at least 20 minutes. I recommend doing this every time before you wash your hair, at least once a week. For those who want to boost their hair growth naturally, I suggest applying green tea extract mixed with rosemary oil onto your scalp after shampooing. This will ensure that your hair roots and follicles are well nourished and healthy.

Why not try a simple homemade avocado and honey hair mask? Simply peel a ripe avocado and mash it, add honey and mix together. Apply it to your hair and concentrate on the ends. This will help to prevent split ends and frizzy dry hair and will instead give you natural, healthy volume. Or try my homemade natural hairspray recipe! Just mix 50ml coconut water, 100ml rose water and a few drops of rosemary essential oil into a spray bottle. Give it a shake and your natural hair spray is ready to use to instantly revive dull hair.

Even with all these external remedies it is very important that you put the right nutrients into your body. Like I always say: “You are what you eat and drink”. Eating foods high in protein provide our bodies with amino acids that will make keratin. Keratin is a group of tough fibrous protein that is generally found in hair, skin and nails. Foods such as fish, meat, lentils, beans, nuts, nut butter and quinoa are great for hair health. Eat biotin-rich vegetables such as cauliflower, kale, broccoli and onions. These foods work as catalysts to help improve the properties of keratin in the body which stimulate natural hair growth.

The main reason for hair loss is genetics, but another important factor is inflammation. Various studies have shown that chronic inflammation leads to the epithelial cells of the scalp to activate a self-destructive mechanism that causes damage to the hair shaft and their follicles too. Nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the few herbs that can combat the phenomenon of inflammation in hair follicles. Nettle and amla also contain a very high amount of vitamin C, which directly contributes to healthy shiny hair.

Take care of your scalp and you’ll look dazzling for Christmas and New Year’s Eve with luscious locks of hair. Just remember to treat your scalp to oil massages, hair masks and eat protein packed food.

Merry Christmas and see you in 2018!

With Love,

Vidhi Patel