My Hair, My story: My Hair-On-Experiences…

When I was born and my mother had her first look at me, my head to be precise, she thought she had given birth to a bear cub ( Post-delivery delirium I suppose if there is something like that)!!  I had more hair than most babies do at the time of birth. My mother tells me now that people who came to visit us in the hospital back then always noticed my baby hair and complimented me for the same. I remember nothing for obvious reasons. Coming to think of it, that must have been my first ‘wow moment’ and all credits to my hair.

I have had absolutely no problems, during my growing up years, regarding my hair. I had smooth, silky, lustrous hair until I was 13 years old. My mother oiled and shampooed it regularly. School was nearby, hence exposure to pollution was minimal. So, till 13, all I received was compliments for my hair.

When it came to high school and college, I had to travel long distances. This is when my hair started to lose its shine and turned dry very quickly. All thanks to Bangalore’s ever-growing pollution and my stubbornness to not oil my hair regularly since I considered it old-fashioned for college-going girls to have oily and sticky looking hair!!

By the time I started to work, a year and half ago to be exact, my hair was in its worst condition ever- dry hair, split ends, hair fall, colour change from jet black to lighter tone of black and dandruff. The compliments dwindled. 

It was time to act and I turned to my crisis manager, my mother. She gave me some tips which I have personally tried and am going to share them with you here:

Oil your hair regularly: Apply oil onto your hair, massage gently and leave it for a minimum of 20 minutes before washing your hair.

Rub your scalp with lemon soaked in lukewarm oil: Cut lemon into thin slices, soak it in lukewarm oil, rub it on the scalp and leave it on for about 15 minutes before washing it off. It is known to reduce dandruff and increase the shine of your hair.

Apply a mask of hibiscus leaves: Grind fresh, green hibiscus leaves and apply the thick paste onto your hair and keep it on for atleast half an hour before washing it off. This works as conditioning for the hair.

Wash your hair atleast thrice a week using a mild shampoo and conditioner: I know washing hair daily is not feasible for working professionals like us. So thrice a week is fine to maintain them in good condition.

Comb regularly: Comb your hair regularly to keep it untangled. But, do not over-comb as it can stress the hair roots.

Use only lukewarm water for washing your hair: This I can vouch for. I am a Biochemist and I know that heat causes proteins to denature and constant hair-wash with hot water can do the same to your hair since hair is nothing but protein, keratin to be specific.

Lifestyle: Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Drink lots of water ( I need to work on this myself), eat less junk and sleep well.

All the above worked really well and my hair started to regain its lost texture. But, I found the first three tips very cumbersome  and they dirtied my bathroom floor and I hate cleaning oily and messy bathroom floors. Also, the overall process of retexturing took months together.

I wanted something more effective and less time consuming. And lo, when I was thinking of what next, I received the New Dove Nourishing Oil Care Range, a set of 4 awesome products – Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Vita Oil Serum and Dove Nourishing Oil Care Repair Mask. I have used these personally and by my hands on experience , err, hair-on-experience, I can tell you that my hair started to look more healthy, more smooth, more shiny and more black just after 2-3 washes. I will not go into the details of the products or the contents (Remember I am a Biochemist, so I tend to get carried away when talking about the ingredients. I will be a little thoughtful of my readers :)  For more info, you can login here).

The best part, I don’t have to worry about my hair looking oily and sticky because the products seem to absorb quickly into the hair leaving no traces of oil on surface. Also, no more dirty and oily bathroom floors. The end result is just smooth, silky and shiny hair and an add on bonus is that it doesn’t leave my hair smell of oil; instead, it leaves my hair smelling lovely. My only concern was the pricing but I think it is realistic in today’s market.

And yes, the compliments are back. Just the other day, my friend asked if I was in love since she felt I looked more happy and more confident. I said ‘yes’ and it is true- I currently am in love with the way my hair feels. It is time to let my hair down. Well…literally.

PS: This is my entry for  Dove and IndiBlogger present the “Love your Hair and it loves you back” contest . The opinions presented here are solely mine and are based on my personal use of the above mentioned tips and products.