Which Hair Growth Oil Is Right For Your Dosha Type?

That huge chunk of hair going down the floor every time you comb or wash is a reality, right? We understand. According to Ayurveda, you need to know the root cause of your hair fall first before zeroing down on the best hair growth oil for you.

Dr. Zeel Gandhi, Chief Ayurvedic Doctor at Vedix, says, “Just as a balanced meal is a harmonious blend of tastes, nutrients and vital life forces, providing satiety to the mind, body and soul, an Ayurvedic hair oil is a balanced blend of herbs that nurture your hair and scalp.”

In this article, let’s discuss the Ayurvedic route to healthy, long and lustrous hair.

Highlights:

• How Do Hair Growth Oils Work?
• Benefits Of Ayurvedic Hair Oils
• Finding The Root Cause Of Your Hair Fall: Ayurvedic Approach
• Symptoms Of Ayurvedic Doshas
• Ayurvedic Ingredients For Each Dosha
• How To Apply Your Ayurvedic Hair Oil For Maximized Results?
• How Often Should You Oil Your Hair?
• Tips To Boost Effectiveness Of Your Hair Growth Oil
• Additional Factors For Hair Growth
• Customization Of Your Ayurvedic Oil As Per Your Doshas

How Do Hair Growth Oils Work?

Hair growth oils play a predominant role in rejuvenating and protecting the hair follicles, which undergo miniaturization[1]. They open the blocked pores over your scalp and trigger new stem cells to grow by providing necessary nutrients, besides reducing inflammation.

But compared to general oils, a pure Ayurvedic hair oil has a unique and holistic approach to deal with your hair issues, while accompanying many benefits as listed below.

Benefits Of Ayurvedic Hair Oils

Besides promoting hair growth and consisting of pure and natural ingredients, Ayurvedic hair oils have many other benefits. Some of them are:

• They have a calming effect on your mind, besides enhancing your sleep quality and relieving you from headaches.
• Free from harmful chemicals like SLS/SLES (sulphates), parabens and mineral oils.
• Prevent hair breakage and repair damaged hair strands.
• Tackle premature greying issues.
• Keep your scalp consistently hydrated and add natural shine to your hair.
• Ayurvedic oils with anti-bacterial/anti-fungal ingredients relieve you of dandruff, itching, and irritations.

Finding The Root Cause Of Your Hair Fall: Ayurvedic Approach

There could be many factors, internal or external, which result in hairfall. Unlike general hair oils which focus on reducing symptoms, Ayurvedic hair oils have a different and holistic approach to target the primary cause of the problem and help you combat hair fall permanently.

According to Ayurveda, every individual has Vata, Pitta and Kapha elements in a certain combination. When there is an aggravation or imbalance of any element, it results in doshas that reflect on the health of your hair. So it is important to know what your current elevated dosha is.

Symptoms Of Ayurvedic Doshas

Your hair health depends on your current aggravated doshas. The table below shows a few characteristics of hair as per doshas:

Ayurvedic Ingredients For Each Dosha

Ayurvedic hair oils focus on optimizing aggravated doshas externally, thus fixing your individual hair issues and helping you attain healthy hair naturally. Let’s see which ingredients work to pacify each dosha.

1. Vata Dosha

When your diet lacks important nutrients like protein, iron, zinc and calcium, it leads to Vata Dosha. “This is because your blood fails to supply the required nutrients to your hair follicle, resulting in weakening of roots and improper hair growth,” says Dr. Zeel. Even the natural oil (sebum) produced by your scalp depletes due to insufficient fat supply, resulting in dry scalp and hair.

Here are the main ingredients that can pacify Vata Dosha:

A. Palandu (onion):

An excellent source of protein, vitamins A, C, E & B1, minerals like calcium and iron, along with numerous antioxidants that are required for your healthy hair growth. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, while reversing miniaturization of your hair follicles.

B. Gunja (jequirity bean or rosary pea):

Improves your hair quality by treating your split hairs, premature greying and baldness. Gunja [2] also helps rejuvenate your morbid hair follicles efficiently. While the seeds of Gunja pacify both Vata and Kapha, the leaves of Gunja pacify all the three Doshas.

2. Pitta Dosha

Factors like extreme use of chemicals, heat treatments, prolonged exposure to pollution and sun in conjunction with a highly acidic diet (excessive spice, salt and sour foods) lead to Pitta Dosha.

Dr Zeel explains, “Aggravated Pitta Dosha results in excess heat production in the body, which eventually leads to inflammation and damage of the hair cells.” In this case, your Ayurvedic hair oils should predominantly act as a coolant.

Here are the main ingredients that can pacify Pitta Dosha:

A. Nimba (neem):

Because of its coolant nature, Nimba or Neem is very useful in treating inflammatory conditions. Also, with its antifungal properties, it is the best relief from dandruff. Nimba repairs your damaged hair cuticles and strengthens the hair from the roots.

B. Yashtimadhu (liquorice):

It is very effective in treating issues like chemical damage on your scalp, which causes Pitta Dosha and controlling premature greying. Rich in flavonoids, phytoestrogens and many other essential oils required for rejuvenation of hair cells, Yashtimadhu’s demulcent and anti-inflammatory properties help in reducing conditions like scabs and dandruff.

C. Lodhra (Symplocos tree):

Lodhra contains Astringent (Kashay Ras), which is useful to resolve the Pitta aggravation and its ill effects on your scalp. This powerful herb from the North East region of India is best to deal with scalp infections like ulcers, boils, and dandruff.

3. Kapha Dosha

Kapha Dosha in the body is usually a result of high cholesterol circulation, hormonal imbalances and sugar imbalances. The aggravated Kapha dosha leads to build-up of toxins (Eg: DHT hormones), which blocks blood supply to the hair follicles at receptors.

“This stops the supply of important nutrients, oxygen and energy from the blood to the hair cells, which in turn results in weak hair roots and hair fall. In this case, your Ayurvedic oils should have ingredients that unclog the receptors and support healthy blood supply,” says Dr Zeel.

Here are the main ingredients that can pacify Kapha Dosha:

A. Karpoora (Camphor):

Karpoora balances Kapha dosha by controlling the level of cholesterol and prevents clotting at hair receptors. It dilates blood vessels and improves blood circulation, while it also induces soothing and cool sensation to your scalp.

B. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri):

Asiatic acid, which is one of the active components of Brahmi, influences collagen synthesis on the scalp to provide essential protein for your hair and roots. Brahmi effectively provides strength and nourishment through the scalp. It also helps in better blood circulation in the brain, relieving you from anxiety and stress.

Note: Besides the above-mentioned ingredients, Ayurveda has many powerful medicinal herbs like Bhringraj, Jatamansi, Karanji, etc. which in the right blend, helps you overcome hair fall through ultimate detoxification and rejuvenation, while balancing your elevated doshas.

In winters, you can prefer Ayurvedic oils which are heavy like coconut, Castor, Jojoba, etc. In summers, when your scalp could be more sticky and oily, it is better to prefer light oils like Almond.

How To Apply Your Ayurvedic Hair Oil For Maximized Results?

Regular massaging of your scalp with the best Ayurvedic hair growth oils increases the blood circulation tremendously, thus, resulting in an abundant supply of nutrition, oxygen and energy.

Here is a step-by-step procedure of the most common Ayurvedic massage technique [3] for effective absorption and nourishment:

Step 1: Massage At Crown Chakra Region

The crown chakra region is the point which is approximately eight fingers above the center of your eyebrows.

Take the oil into your hands or directly on to the scalp and tap it on to the crown chakra region around eight times. Then, slowly massage the region with a horizontal rubbing motion.

Step 2: Massage In The Apex Region

The region which is four fingers behind the crown chakra is the Apex point.

Repeat the above method of eight taps and massage the apex region with a horizontal rubbing motion with your Ayurvedic hair oil.

Step 3: Massage At The Middle Line

Apply the ayurvedic hair oil through the entire scalp, ensuring it is spread across uniformly.

Now, stroke down the middle line through rapid rubbing motion. Do the same in the opposite direction of the previous movement by starting at the center of the sides and moving up towards the middle line.

Step 4: Massage The Entire Scalp

Repeat step 3 from all the sides - front, back and side of the head by massaging across the scalp area through rapid rubbing motion.

Step 5: Massage At Crown Chakra Region

Now, massage the Crown chakra region again with a horizontal rubbing motion.

Step 6: Apply Oil To The Hair Shaft

Finally, apply some ayurvedic hair oil to the shaft portion of your hair and gently massage without applying excessive pulling force.

How Often Should You Oil Your Hair?

According to Ancient Ayurvedic scripts, it is ideal to oil your scalp and hair everyday. Since that is not practical in today’s modern world, you need to oil your hair at least the night before you plan to shampoo your hair. The ideal frequency also depends on the season. This means that winters may require more oiling than summers.

You can also choose Vedix hair oil and use it by itself to strengthen your hair. The customized oil contains natural herbs to target the root cause and pacify your elevated Doshas.

Note: Do not apply oil when you are suffering from conditions like fever, cold, sinusitis, anger and grief. Especially avoid using heavy hair growth oils like coconut oils during such illnesses.

Tips To Boost Effectiveness Of Your Hair Growth Oil

• Ensure the ayurvedic hair oil is warm before applying. Warm oil triggers the pores to open up and easily slide into the hair follicles.
• Avoid using too much oil at once.
• Do not wash your scalp immediately after applying ayurvedic hair oil. For best results, leave the oil overnight and wash off the next day. The longer the ayurvedic hair oil stays, the better it soaks into your scalp.
• Also, applying hair oil right after washing your hair isn’t advisable. Oily hair attracts dust which makes it rough and brittle.
• Tie your hair with a hot wet towel after applying the oil. It helps the oil penetrate deep into your scalp, nourishing the hair from the roots to the length.
• Stay away from using harsh chemicals shampoos.

Additional Factors For Hair Growth

Ayurveda is not just about applying herbal medicines externally, but also about following a strict lifestyle and diet regimen. According to Ayurvedic experts, following Dinacharya (organizing your daily activities based on two cycles) and Ritucharya (Lifestyle regimen based on season), ensure ultimate health benefits in the long run.

Dinacharya [4] includes waking up early (close to sunrise), maintaining bodily hygiene, exercise like yoga and pranayama, a prakriti-based balanced diet that includes a lot of seasonal vegetables and fruits, relaxation, sleeping and so on.

Ritucharya includes following a specific lifestyle to adapt your system to the seasonal changes in the environment. For example, doing abhyanga or self-massage with warm oils and bathing with lukewarm water in the winter season.

So besides using an Ayurvedic oil created to pacify your individual doshas, you need to have a well-functioning body system with the right diet and lifestyle to maintain healthy hair. Despite this, if you experience hair loss, it can be due to factors like genetic disorders, aging, etc.

In such cases, accept yourself gracefully and come to terms with your hair loss. Real beauty is when you are not afraid to be who you are and carry yourself with confidence. Also, consult your Ayurvedic doctor in case of any side effects.

Customization Of Your Ayurvedic Oil As Per Your Doshas

Picking up any natural or herbal oil may not help as you may end up with unwanted side effects if the oil doesn’t contain balancing ingredients [5]. Sometimes, your hair can also exhibit a combination of dosha imbalances causing your hair fall. Also, the composition of hair growth oils for men may differ from the hair growth oils for women based on the differences in the levels of various hormones. This is why Vedix customizes Ayurvedic hair oils with ingredients targeting your individual doshas.

Quick Ayurveda

• Hair fall causes according to Ayurveda: Aggravation of Vata, Pitta or Kapha Doshas
• Main objectives of Ayurvedic hair oils: Detoxification, Rejuvenation and Dosha balancing.
• Ayurvedic Approach to fight hair fall:
  a.Know your Dosha based on symptoms.
  b.Identify the root cause.
  c.Use customized oils with natural herbs to target the root cause and pacify your elevated Dosha.
• Additional factors influencing hair growth: Dosha balancing with the right diet and healthy lifestyle.