I have a lot of hair on my head. It's also curly and unruly. And, it's only in the past two or three years that I have completely come to terms with the fact that my hair will never look straight and sleek. I kind of like it now and wouldn't dream of getting it chemically straightened, like I used to. It made my hair brittle enough to fall apart in pieces after about the third time. A lot of people have been asking me things about my hair lately. Randomly, at the mall, in restaurant bathrooms, movie theatres, you get the idea. I was at a bookstore one day and the proprietor, an elderly gentleman who was mostly bald came up to me and said, "May I ask you a personal question?"
"Yes, sure!"
"What shampoo do you use?"
I toyed with the idea of asking him why he needed to know, since he barely had any hair. But then I went with the straightforward answer. He was a bit disappointed that I use a cheap drugstore shampoo and there was no special magic potion involved. Let's not pretend that I don't lap up all this effing attention.
Still, since people are asking, I thought it might be good to let you know that part of it is genetic. My mum has great hair too. But I think, a big part of it is also that I follow what she taught me to ensure that I have a head full of hair like she does, even when I am 58.
1. Do not shampoo everyday. Please don't. I know sometimes people get into the habit of washing their hair every morning, especially people with short hair. What this does is, make your hair super dry and leads to chemical build up. It also often means stepping out with damp hair, which collects all the dust and pollution on your way to work and makes hair dull. When you do, use your regular conditioner and then tie a warm towel on your head for two mins, whenever you have the time.
Answer to what do I do: I shampoo twice, may be thrice, every week.
2. Do not blow dry/iron more than once a week or fortnight even. Air dry your hair. If you have frizz and cowlicks like I do, after it's dry but just the tiniest bit damp, take a brush and wet it under the running tap. With the wet brush, slick back you hair and tie a ponytail, high or low, depending on how much volume you want, tightly. The best way to achieve volume is to tie as high as possible. Wait till the now wet surface is dry to untie your ponytail and you'll have salon like set hair. Don't comb through, just run your fingers loosely.
3. Oil your hair with coconut oil before you shampoo. Even oily hair needs oil. In fact, if you have an oily scalp, and keep stripping it of oil, your scalp will try to produce more oil. If you are not convinced about coconut oil, use something lighter. But just coconut oil twice a week, will make the biggest difference. It also delays greys.
4. Hibiscus for jet black hair. If your hair is turning a bit brown or you've been getting greys at
an alarming rate, here's a little something Ma taught me. Take a few red hibiscus flowers (laal joba), available for Rs 10 a bunch from the guy who supplies the morning puja flowers. Boil them in just a little bit of warm water till the petals become mash. Then strain the jus into coconut oil and use this oil, with a hot towel if you want. Regular use will make your hair jet black. Trust me, this is insanely effective.
5. This one might be a bit odd, but change your pillow covers every weekend. Dirty pillow covers are the biggest culprits in causing dandruff and making hair dirty and brittle.
Here's me in all my hairy glory. Check back when I'm sixty, if you don't believe me.
