Tips to oil hair the right way by Jawed Habib

Give your hair the much-needed TLC with a 'champi'. Here are tips to do it the right way.

The famous Indian 'champi' or head massage is a practice passed on from generations, and many of us still make it a weekly ritual to oil our hair before we wash it. Oiling the hair is believed to prevent hair from premature greying, strengthen its roots and massaging the pressure points also relieves stress. But one needs to know how to oil hair the right way to get its benefits. Jawed Habib, a well-known hair expert with hair salons across the country, doles out tips to oil our hair the right way. He also suggests specific oils for different hair types in his book 'Hair Yoga'. Here's an excerpt.

• There is no particular technique to apply oil. However, it is important to understand certain points to have optimum results:
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• The oil should be lukewarm by slightly heating it.
• Dip fingers in the oil. Make a partition of your hair with your hand and apply the oil to the scalp.
• Do not just pour oil on the head. Use oil in adequate quantity only. Using too much oil will mean you ll need to use more shampoo. Gently massage the scalp with your fingertips.
• Never rub your hair with your palms as it can break. Massaging is essential as it improves blood circulation in your scalp area. You should massage your hair for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Leave the oil in your hair overnight. You can wash it off the next morning. However, it is always better to leave the oil on the scalp for a longer period but not more than 24 hours as then it ll start attracting dirt, in turn it ll make the hair weak. Are you making these ten haircare and skincare mistakes?
• Steaming your hair with a hot towel after oiling is excellent as it helps hair to absorb the oil. Just wrap a warm towel around it for 10 minutes. Make sure that the towel is not too hot as too much heat can harm the hair shaft. Here are five wonders of steaming for your hair and skin.
• Oil at least once a week, but you can go ahead and do it more frequently.

Oils for Different Types of Hair

Normal Hair: This type of hair is neither greasy nor dry. It holds its style and shine. He recommends jojoba, almond and amla oils for the normal hair type.

Dry Hair: This type of hair is very dull, tangles easily and is prone to split-ends. The oil required for this purpose is the one that stimulates the sebaceous glands in the scalp to produce more oil. Use almond, jojoba, coconut, sesame, mustard, cocoa butter oils for the dry hair type.

Oily Hair: This type of hair looks greasy which is generally because of over production of sebum by the sebaceous glands. So the kind of oil that is required should be able to restore the sebaceous glands to normal. Apply olive, sesame, and jojoba oils if your hair is of this type.

Dandruff Hair: Essential oils can be very effective in minimizing or halting this problem. The best essential oil for treating dandruff is tea-tree oil. You could also try out bhringaraj oil, know how it increases hair growth here.

You should avoid oiling of hair if the climate is humid. Also avoid oiling when your skin texture is oily as the scalp would produce oil naturally. If you work outdoors for long hours, then do not keep the hair oily as it will attract dust and cause hair fall.

So oiling of hair and scalp is an essential activity that involves the selection of right hair oil and correct way of application. Other than taking care of hair, oiling hair serves certain ancillary purposes too. It additionally contributes to relaxation, curing headache and migraine by giving relaxation. Know easy ways to deal with a headache, here.

It is helpful only if you learn how and when to use it. Oil is not the only thing that helps in hair growth. It certainly improves blood circulation and relaxes the mind, but there are other important reasons and methods to promote hair growth.

Oiling tips

After oiling your hair, wrap a hot, wet towel around it for 2 to 3 minutes to get it absorbed in the scalp. But always check the temperature of the towel. Too much heat is harmful to your hair.

If you already have oily hair, do not massage your hair with more oil.

Mix Vitamin E in any oil and massage. It s superb for hair.

Hair Yoga is authored by Jawed Habib and published by Random House. You can buy it here.

Click on the picture below to view photos on six home-made honey packs to nourish your skin and hair.

Image source: Getty Images

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