Why I began my ayurvedic hair routine
In late 2020, I came across a few articles on the internet describing women growing their naturally curly hair to lengths they’ve never reached before. For many women of color, hair can be difficult subject considering the lack of education in the hair industry for our hair, the racial biases around super coily, kinky hair, not to mention the overall struggle of managing a mane that defies gravity by it’s very natural existence. When I saw that women with hair as kinky and curly as mine were able to have healthy, strong, long curls to their waist… I was shocked. And thus, I began my own journey of incorporating ayurvedic herbs into my hair routine.
What is an Ayurvedic hair routine?
An ayurvedic hair routine is simply a hair routine that incorporates any kind of ayurvedic herbs and natural ingredients over store-bought, chemically-packed products. For some people, including ayurvedic herbs in their routine is as simple as adding one herb to their shampoo or conditioner each week; while for others, an ayurvedic hair routine may include a complete removal of store-brought products in exchange for natural herbs and ingredients only. There are many reasons for the return to natural and ayurvedic ingredients over store products, but there’s two that I’ll emphasize here.
The main reason why ayurvedic ingredients are so popular right now, is herbs such as neem, amla, fenugreek, henna, and more are SO potent and are packed with nutrients that give scalp and hair follicles long-lasting benefits. The second reason many are making the switch from store-bought products to ayurvedic is because most store-bought hair products are full of crap– very little is actually beneficial for your hair. With an ayurvedic hair routine, the emphasis is about putting the best, most natural ingredients in your hair that will make it thrive. For most women with curly or damaged hair, the goal is typically just length retention- to keep what’s already grown. But with ayurvedic hair routines, you can move past that and start to see your hair in a whole new way.
My ayurvedic hair routine
Since the late December of 2020, I started working on creating my own hair oil, deep conditioners, and incorporating herbs in my weekly washes. After a few months of trial and error, I finally landed on a routine that works for me. I still use some store-bought products for my weekly routine, but I’ve done my research, experimented and found that this routine and these products work for best for my hair right now.
Note: My curl type is mixed with some 3c and (mostly) 4a curls, and my curls are dense but fine. Also, I have experienced alopecia in the past (back in 2016, due to stress) and I should’ve known then that an ayurvedic routine was best when the only thing that grew my hair back was carrier oils with rosemary essential oil mixed in. Anywhoooo 😉
My current weekly ayurvedic hair routine includes the following:
Prepoo:
– The day (or night) before I wash my hair, I’ll prepare my hair with a prepoo either of the following:
-Spray sections of hair with Aloe vera juice and warm water, finger detangle and wear in bun or twists
OR
-Massage scalp and ends with my mixed oils treatment for 1 hour with hot steamer to penetrate hair
Shampoo:
Next, I wash with Mielle organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo, mixed with 1 tsp brahmi & 1 tsp shikaikai. If there is a lot of build up, I will sometimes go in first with a scalp scrub that gently removes any build-up. I try to limit my shampoo use on my hair to only 1x a week (so, no rinse and repeat). After you shampoo, your hair and scalp should feel squeakyyy clean. There shouldn’t be any dandruff or build-up so make sure you’re focusing on the scalp when washing.
Deep Conditioner:
Next it’s time for your deep conditioner (aka, DC). A good deep conditioner can do so much good on it’s own, but if you add in some ayurvedic herbs, consider it an extra punch in your weekly routine. For me this has been the game changer. I’ve found that my favorite brand for deep conditioner is TGIN, and I switch between their DCs every other week to give my hair different nutrients from them. With that said, I always add a 1/2 cup of premade ayurvedic goodies which includes henna, coconut oil, EVOO, amla oil, rosemary & peppermint essential oils and african shea butter. Once I mix those items together into my DC, I put this in my hair in sections and then wrap it in a plastic bag with a hot towel over my hair. If I have time, I’ll sit under a heater while this sits in my hair. You need to leave your DC in your hair for at least an 1 hour, but not more than 4. I typically stick to 1-2 hours, and will use this time to read/study.
Note: If you’re using henna in your deep conditioner, please know it stains and WILL leave color on your hair. Since my hair is dark brown it’s hardly noticeable but there is a red tint in my hair, when I’m in the sun. But I always, ALWAYS wear gloves, an old t-shirt and recommend buying black towels for this process (trust me, it’s worth it).
When you’re done with the DC process, wash your hair out carefully (with gloves again!). If I feel like the herbs are still in my hair, I will go in with a cheaper but solid conditioner to co-wash it out. Any conditioner will do, so don’t use your expensive DCs for this and just try to avoid any with silicones/parabens.
Styling:
Once, I’m done washing and deep conditioning, all that’s left is to style my hair for the rest of the week. I typically will add a leave-in conditioner such as the Mielle Organics Pomegranate and Honey leave-in conditioner and then seal it with a oil such as my pre-poo oil or just a castor oil mixed with rosemary essential oil. Then I style it as I want (twists, braids, or my go-to style: a bun, lol).
Protection/ Upkeep during the week:
If I need to refresh my hair during the week, I’ll hit it with a mist bottle filled with warm water and aloe vera juice, and then apply the same steps. I don’t typically use gel, but if I must I really like this homemade flax-gel recipe that’s so easy to make and goes on my hair really well with the other products I use.
At night, I sleep with a satin pillowcase that I bought from Amazon. Although I have purchased quite a few headscarves, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up and it’s not on my head, lol.
How to begin an ayurvedic hair routine of your own
- Do your research! No hair routine is perfect and I’m sure mine will change over time, but as you learn and begin your own journey, you’ll start to know what works best for you.
- Do the KISS strategy: Keep It Simple Sis. 😉
- Start with one or two main ayurvedic herbs and see how your hair reacts to those items.
- Don’t buy everything you read on youtube or online, you won’t know what actually worked for your hair if you’re doing too many things at once.
- Patience. I know it feels like it’s taking forever, but the journey is beautiful.
Hope you enjoy your curls and embrace your hair every step of the way!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or hit me up! 🙂
Leave a Reply