Goodbye grey hair

Premature greying in today’s world is, unfortunately, as common as a cold! I have come across people in their early twenties with their hair greying at an alarming rate. There are a number of factors that lead to grey hair and I have enlisted here some along with some tips to try.

Causes of grey hair

If your diet is full of fast foods,white flour, aerated drinks and sugars, there is no way that you can have healthy hair. A diet of rice, B12, iron, and omega 3 is essential. Start to eat plenty of fresh salads, lean meats like fish and chicken, fruits and green vegetables. Restrict alcohol and encourage your tastebuds to enjoy coconut water, lemon water, chaas (buttermilk) or fresh juice.

We all are leading stressful lives. But it’s important to find alternatives to reduce it. You can listen to soothing music, take up a hobby, meditate, exercise, do yoga, or anything that will make you switch off for some time and ease the stress and pain in your shoulders. If you have been suffering from virals, colds, flu, etc you might just be prone to an early greying of the hair so keep a check on these and take adequate vitamin supplements to remain healthy.

Haircare tips

You could try just some of the fabulous recipes from my beauty cookbook and see how your greying hair slowly darkens. Take one cup amla powder, and burn it in an iron vessel until it turns to ash. Add 500 ml of coconut oil and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 24 hours. Then cover it, strain the next day into an airtight bottle, and use this twice a week for hair oil massage.

Another tip is to take a bunch of curry leaves and grind them in a mixer with two teaspoons of amla powder and two teaspoons of Brahmi powder. Apply this as a hair mask on the hair being careful to cover the roots. Leave on for an hour and rinse with a mild herbal shampoo.

Further, Indigo (neel) is a natural colourant used for years to colour the hair. It creates a blue-black colour and can be mixed with henna to cover grey hair and make the colour darker.

Coconut oil and lemon juice when mixed together also helps to darken the hair. I have also seen the use of black tea to darken the hair and have used it as an after-shampoo rinse. Take a tea brew of approximately 200ml and use it as a leave-in conditioner on the hair after shampooing. You can also soak black tea for two hours in warm water and grind it to a smooth paste. Mix with lemon juice and apply it as a hair mask for 40 minutes before rinsing the hair.

The following herbal brew is excellent to slow down the greying process; take one teaspoon amla powder, two teaspoons of black tea, one teaspoon of strong coffee, half an inch piece of kaththa, a piece of walnut bark, one teaspoon of indigo, one teaspoon Brahmi powder, and one teaspoon triphala. Add all the ingredients to two litres of water and simmer on a slow fire for 30 minutes. Let it cool and strain and pour it into an air-tight bottle. Apply on roots and hair for 30 minutes before shampooing. You will see a marked difference in the colour of your hair! So now you have these wonderful natural recipes, take them seriously and enjoy using them!