Ayurveda and Hair Care
Jeevaka was an ardent student of Ayurveda. Belonging in the 5 th century BCE,
he understood the Science of Life or Phytoscience like many few do.
A rather interesting tale about his education in the field makes an appearance
in some primary school textbooks in India.
He was assigned the task by his teacher- to find “a plant or a part of the plant
that has no medicinal use”. Obeying him, Jeevaka inspected every plant and
each of its parts carefully. He walked for miles from sunrise to sunset, searched
for nearly two weeks but couldn’t find such a plant. He could not have
returned to the teacher without completing the assignment. So at last, he was
called back by his teacher. The teacher then revealed, “You have passed the
test, Jeevaka. There is nothing more you need to know. Your education is
complete.”
Jeevaka then goes on to become one of the legendary Ayurvedic Doctor in the
history and also, the personal Physician of Gautam Buddha.
The beauty of this tale is that it not only encapsulates the richness of ancient
Indian Ayurveda but also portrays the pure bond that our ancestors shared
with nature. The ancient Ayurvedic treasure is rich and lush with solutions to
plenty of healthcare issues we face in modern times. Like, Hair Care.
Ancient Hair Care stories and techniques
Oiling. Hair oiling has been an integral part of hair care in Indian and Middle
Eastern households. The secret to thick, glossy, beautiful hair almost always
lies within practices that are passed on by mothers to their children. The cure
to a throbbing headache or the pleasures of a lazy afternoon are often hair oil
massages from mothers. These oils are commonly infused with extracts of
Sesame, Coconut or Mustard and occasionally some herbs. Alertness ahead of
a busy day could be brought forth by some Brahmi in them, destressing could
be achieved by Bhringraj etc.- The plethora of Ayurvedic oils available in the
market are customized in such ways, re-engineered to one’s lifestyle needs.
Hair oiling and massaging calms the mind because it is believed to activate the
seventh chakra connected to the pineal gland. Its importance is mentioned in
the Charaka Samitha- an Ayurvedic medicine book, for wellness of hair and
prevention of hair fall and damage.
While liquid shampoo originated in the 1900s, the earliest cases of dry
shampoo was in France in the 17 th and 18 th century. In ancient Greece, Olive oil
was used for the purpose of conditioning the hair. Ancient Indian households
washed their hair with something as raw as clay or soil. In the BCE eras, hair
was rinsed with flowers and other nourishing herbs. Fermented Rice water was
used by the Chinese to accelerate hair growth. A hair rinse in the form of burnt
dried stalks of rice and its overnight soaked ashes was used by ancient
Javanese.
Hair disorders and Treatments
The hair disorders in Ayurveda are as mentioned below:
Khalitya meaning hair loss,
Palitya- the greying of hair
and Indralupta meaning Alopecia.
Dandruff is a hair condition that needs no introduction. According to a survey
done by Moneycontrol, about 70% of the Indian population have dandruff. It
can be identified by the characteristic scaling of the scalp which is caused by a
yeast Pityrosporum ovale. This fungal infection of the scalp causes a condition
called Seborrheic dermatitis. Pityrosporum ovale feeds on the lipids and
proteins of the dermis and facilitates lipase activity. Now that the dermal lipids
are broken down, the dermis gets inflamed and there is tissue damage. More
recent studies also speculate bacterial involvement in the development of
Dandruff.
Broken hair causes thinning of hair. Put accurately, it is broken hair shafts. The
growing end of the hair continues to grow in the hair follicle.
Split ends are the result of dry hair which makes them brittle.
When the moisture level of the hair is low, it causes frizzy hairs.
Alopecia Areata (AA) and Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) or pattern baldness
(forms of Indralupta/Alopecia) in males has factors like stress, genetic
tendencies, hormones, etc. that cause its occurrence. The presence of an
enzyme called 5-reductase is responsible for the conversion of Testosterone to
Dihydrogentestosterone (DHT). DHT, in turn, is the main Androgen responsible
for AGA. Androgenetic Alopecia affects a vast portion of the male population-
as many as 50% of Caucasian males are affected by the age of 50. This
percentage goes up with age.
This condition arises due to the shortening of the Anagen phase. The duration
of the third stage of hair cycle, Telogen, either lengthens or remains the same.
The length and strength of hair is determined by the length of the Anagen
phase. With every passing cycle, the length of the new hair is shorter than its
predecessor. Later on, the Anagen duration becomes so short that Telogen
constitues the ongoing phase for vast majority of growing hair (which are now
only long enough to barely reach the dermis).
FPHL or Female Pattern Hair Loss (an analogous to AGA) is less common among
females. Although the relationship between FPHL and Androgens is more
complex.
Here are some of the contemporary hair treatments for AGA or AA or Hair
Loss:
Transplants and Synthetic Drugs
Problems like Alopecia or Hair Loss has been present in raging numbers for
entirety of mankind. The causative factors remain unclear and the treatment
options are not barred from side effects. Treatments like Hair Transplant and
Scalp Reduction offer promising results and a staggering success rate yet may
result into complications. They also aren’t cost efficient.
Synthetic Drug treatments include administering Anti-Androgens and Growth
Stimulators. Compounds like prednisolone and diphenics in these, often
produce adverse effects like Eczema, Acne, Hypertension, etc.
Herbal Hair Care methods
Ayurveda being more culturally accepted and better compatible with the
human body has around 70-80% of the world population under its haven.
Embellica officinalis (Amla), Lawsonia inermis (Henna), Nardostachys jatamansi
(Spikenard/Jatamansi) and Corchorus when combined have proven to reduce
hair fall.
Extract of Amla at its minimal effective concentration has shown to be more
nourishing to hair than Vitamin C extracts. Madhuca indica or Mahua has been
proven to be effective in treatment of Alopecia.
Bael/Bili, Jatamansi, Licorice and Nutmeg when used together produce a
synergistic effect of adding to the Hair volume.
Coconut (Cocos nucifera) has a good saponification value and hence is
commonly used in Shampoos.
Eucalyptus produces impressive results when used for Dandruff.
Shikakai is a detangler and cleanser of hair. It finds its way in majority of
natural hair products.
Iyuraa Phytoscience Hair Vitalizer or Hair Oil has extracts of Sesame, Amla,
Shikakai, Brahmi, Bhringraj and Reetha. For a dandruff free scalp, darker
pigmentation of hair and maintenance of pH- avail the product here:
https://www.iyuraa.com/iyuraa-hair-vitalizer/
Or visit our official website: https://www.iyuraa.com/