The miraculous powers of the good old champi or hair oiling are familiar to every Indian and it is an indispensable part of any Indian beauty routine. A perfect hair oil massage has benefits that go beyond just healthy hair — it increases blood flow in your scalp, reduces hair fall, encourages hair growth, relaxes the muscles and eases stress and anxiety as well. So here’s a deep dive into the most common mistakes to avoid, that prevent you from getting the most out of each champi, along with some bullet proof DIY hair masks.
Avoid leaving oil in overnight
The longer, the better — that may be true for some hair treatments but not for hair oiling as the oil can block your hair follicles. Unless an ayurvedic doctor or expert has asked you to leave a medicated oil overnight, wash out the oil within 3-4 hours. Personally, I keep it on for 30 mins to 1 hour.
Dr Sandhya Lakshmi, ayurvedic doctor, says, “Hair oiling is best done as a part of the dinacharya, or daytime routine, with warm oil suitable to the hair type and the season. It is important to avoid oil application post food consumption or post sunset, as the hair follicles naturally close towards the end of the day and the oil will not be metabolized or absorbed well. It is to be completely avoided by people who tend to get body allergies, cold, cough, asthma, sinusitis, neck pain and neck muscle stiffness. Oiling overnight will cause dust accumulation and thus weakening of hair.”
Avoid hair oiling with an oily scalp
Oily hair, oily scalp — bad combo for a champi. But even if you have dry hair and an oily scalp, oiling will seldom lead to any good as it can further clog pores. Applying aloe vera gel is your best bet as it soothes the scalp and softens hair without making it greasy or clumpy.
Avoid oil if you struggle with hair fall
The way hair oiling works is it strengthens the roots and prevents hair fall, just like the right food and nutrition does. In the case that you are already struggling with hair fall, I personally find that oiling does not help. Instead, use a mask of yogurt, soaked fenugreek and kalonji seeds. Alternatively, whisk one egg to a frothy liquid and add mashed avocado or bananas. Apply this to your scalp and wash off after 20 minutes.
However, Dr Rekha Radhamony, a 4th generation ayurvedic doctor, says “Anything dry and brittle breaks." There can be multiple reasons for hair fall and if the cause of your hair fall is a dehydrated or dry scalp and hair, your hair needs oiling. She also mentions that some ayurvedic hair oils work for hair fall as they are infused with herbs that penetrate deeper than just a carrier oil like sesame oil, olive oil, or avocado oil (which are okay if you do not have hair fall).
Avoid if you have dandruff
Oiling the scalp when you already have dandruff will just make the dry buildup worse. Instead, use a cleansing combination of aloe vera gel and crushed neem leaves or neem oil. If you’re using homemade aloe gel, remove the sap and blend the gel with water before sieving it out. Your scalp will feel much cleaner but just remember neem does dry your scalp, so use this mask once a week.
Avoid going overboard with oil
A little goes a long way with hair oil and just like moisturisers, you don’t need to slather yourself in oil. Start with a palmful of oil and focus more on massaging it in deeply, adding more where you feel there are dry spots. Remember that the more oil you use, the harder it’ll be to wash off and you’ll just end up using more shampoo that’ll further dry out your hair. I recommend applying oil on damp scalp and hair, so it glides on smoothly, requires less oil and is absorbed better. Sometimes, I add some yogurt or aloe vera gel to my hair oil so that I can use less hair oil, and makes it much easier to wash off.
The ideal champi includes 10-15 minutes of a gentle massage and needs just 3 hours or so to work it’s magic. Make sure you tie your hair in a loose braid afterwards instead of tight buns, and only use hair oil once or twice a week!
Also read:
From root to tip: Vogue India deep dives into the ancient practice of hair oiling
This 5-step soothing haircare routine will give you the glossiest hair of your life
Deepika Padukone swears by the traditional coconut oil champi—here are 3 ways to add the ingredient to your DIY recipes
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