Haircules Speaketh!

Since time immemorial, cultures cutting across Race, Religions, Clans, Geographical areas and even Gods above in the Heaven have shared one thing in common : Hair is looked upon as a subject area of beauty.

1. The Greek Gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hercules etc) had long hair and full beards, which personified their beauty in a masculine way and goddesses, but of course in a more feminine way. 
2. The native Americans had a theory that intelligence (spiritual and material) flowed out of the head and chiefs usually had long lustrous hair that personified the same. 
3. In India too, Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna (Keshava - literal meaning long haired), Gautam Buddha all have been reported as having long hair. Their hair have been objectively defined as to the purpose it served in the mythology too.  

In the same sense, even Hollywood and Bollywood have epitomized hair with romance and eternal beauty. Numerous songs, ghazals, sher-o-shayari have been filmed on the subject matter. And hair loss, balding heads etc have always been made fun of to a cruel extent like wise.

So deep rooted is the Hair psychology that Humans define their own and of people's persona's according to the hair they have. Opposite of the same (personality defines hairstyles and hair cuts) is also true. Stereotypes and cliches were thus made some where back in time (Metal Heads and Beautiful women - Long Hair, Mohawks - Punk Rockers, Crew cuts - Armed forces / Soldiers) etc.Breaking away from stereotypes, at least with respect to hair, is something, even though being in 21st Century, is thus a daunting task.

Although we know that Hair is ideally a weighty issue with respect to our personality, psychology and society in general, and yet, hair may very often be considered one of the most neglected part of our bodies too. In today's "fast food" world, people often tend to try quick fixes for either hair care or hair treatment and but obviously - " Seven Day Hair Solutions" throng the market trying to fulfil market's demands. How helpful and healthy are these "quick fixes" is often understood by people at a very high price - damaged hair and / or hair loss.

Did you know that when we use normal shampoos, we actually strip our hair of their inherent moisture? All the "pH" balancing - The alkali - Acidic balance leaves our hair dry and imbalances our natural oil production in the scalp and leaves us with frizzy, rough and dry hair?

Well, here is a compilation of some tips which can easily make way in to our day to day life, does not take more than 5-15 minutes of our time and help us keep the hair as they should ideally be - Beautiful, thick, dense, lustrous and smooth! I use some of the tips given below and I have seen my Grandmother / Mother / Sister / Wife uses most of the tips in their day to day life which are known to me. Some of the tips below are new to me too, which I came across while researching for this blog post and would soon become part of our family's hair care solutions.

5 Tips for Hair Care : -

• Tel Maulish - Hair Oil head massages. The age old way of relaxing the head and also caring for hair and the scalp. Massage takes not more than 5 Minutes of your time and serves an important purpose - It promotes blood circulation in the scalp and also helps our glands to efficiently produce natural oils which are important for our hair growth. This by far is the most common hair care technique used in our family and you might as well see 3/4 generations massaging and applying oils to each other in permutations and combinations. :). Getting Hair oil massages on head is definitely my "Wow" moment when it comes to nourishing hair.

       

• Ayurveda believes Hair formation takes place due to bone tissues (Asthi) and our food intake and digestive processes play a vital role in formation of the same. Hair loss / Hair fall / damaged hairs are thus believed to be caused due to hormonal imbalances and skewed energy ratios of digestion and metabolism. Keeping a check on oily foods, spicy foods, alcohol, sour foods intake on a day to day basis helps tame this characteristic in person. So we always try to have a healthy lifestyle and consume a balanced diet. 
• Regular Exercises - Regular physical exercises helps balancing energies in our body and  is  indirectly helpful. I personally prefer swimming daily for about 45 minutess. As a Mumbai,-kar it also helps tame that humidity quotient for me. But, this poses a problem in itself. Chlorine & Sea-water removes moisture from the hair and hence I generally use hair oil after a swim. My wife generally uses oil rich conditioners and hair oil before and after the swims (home blended part almond oil + part olive oil). 
• Maintaining a regular bowel movement every day helps. If you suffer from constipation etc, use of mild ayurvedic laxatives like "Tripahala" will be helpful too. Also it is preferable to increase protein rich foods like cereals, fishes etc and maintaining adequate intake of vitamins A, C, E which are helpful in hair growth directly and indirectly. Do not forget water intake (7/10 glasses per day). It hydrates our body and also helps keep our hair shiny and silky.
• Most important is to avoid chemical rich hair care products and preferably use natural shampoos and conditioners to nourish hair minimum 3 to 4 times a week. Lemon extracts, Amla, Shikakai, Bhrungaraj, Urad dal paste, egg whites etc to wash your hair. I prefer some hot water for shampooing and then regular water for conditioning. Just gives me awesome deep sleep later on after the massage actually. So this is also one of the WOW moments for me when it comes to hair care.  

5 Things to Avoid

• Avoid frequent coloring your hair and that too at home. Hair dyes may cause allergic / chemical reactions to the users.Furthermore, inferior quality products actually damage the protein strands  during coloring. Especially avoid if you are just doing it to make your black hair look brown or opposite. If you have excessive grey, you should visit salon of repute, who only use quality products.
• Please avoid caps. Our hair too need some breathing and a cap etc acts like a plastic bag on head choking the air movement. Thinning of hair is often a hazard people face when excessive cap usage is there. I suggest an umbrella as much as possible and / or try hats rather than caps. 
• Avoid excessive exposure to Sun. It too, as mentioned above, strips our hair of moisture and  increases drying of scalp. as mentioned above, use hats and umbrellas. But not caps.
• Avoid styling wet hair. Excessive use of hair gels etc should also be avoided. It is not good for hair in a longer run. Even when applying hair oils, do so only on towel dried hair first. 
• As already mentioned above, decreasing intake of fast food helps in the longer run. 

Lastly, while hair care may seem serious business, there is no reason to go about it that way. Enjoying the time spent to nourish your hair will help you nurture your soul in general actually. Me and my wife, we like to sing our "duet songs" when we go about the hair care business. Easily yet another of the our collective "WOW" moment.  Or, I tell her tales about the Kung-fu masters from the far east who use their  tied up long tresses as lethal weapons. Of course I make up stuff as I go about it. Its all good fun none the less. After all, its about embracing the inner beauty. That is what, indeed, defines us.

The new Dove Nourishing Oil Care Range: -

  What do you do every time you Shampoo!

Vita Oils - the most promising component in the new Dove Nourishing oil range products, which are newly launched in India after becoming immensely successful in Canada, U.K and Thailand and world over.

What "unique factor" does Vita Oils bring to Dove products and how does it help nurturing and preserving hair quality and quantity ? Check it out here. Some Excerpts are reproduced below : 

• Vita Oils contain processed jojoba oils which are free from contaminants and microorganisms. Natural oils can easily get contaminated if water mixes with the same.
• Vita-Oil contains other ingredients which help it’s effectiveness.  One is lecithin. This is a natural phospholipid quite similar to the lipid in our epidermal barrier. Lecithin also acts as an emulsifier.  What this means is that it allows water on the skin to bind with the jojoba oil. As every one knows, water and oil do not mix. Water is what hydrates the skin. Oil prevents the water from evaporating. Vita-Oils will mix with the water because of the presence of this natural emulsifier.
• Vita-Oils also contains other ingredients which serve as anti- oxidants.  Aside from the lecithin which is also an anti-oxidant, the others are esters of vitamin C & A. Anti-oxidants are important in a product to prevent uptake of oxygen which causes degradation of the oils causing rancidity.  They also have beneficial effects on the skin.  During formulating stage of Vita-Oils, one of the criteria is to have a simple product with as few ingredients as possible. This is critical for hypersensitive skin. The few ingredients included serve a purpose.

The newly launched Dove Nourishing Oil Care range of products containing the above mentioned Vita-oils is reproduced below. The same data is also available on their website.

Dove Nourishing Oil care Shampoo

 1) Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo - Dove nourishing oil care shampoo with Fibre actives and Vita Oils give vitamin enriched nourishment to make your hair resilient to damages. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo is enhanced with Vita-Oils that go deep inside the hair fiber and help lock in the nourishment of oil; making hair smooth, shiny and beautiful with every wash.

Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner

2) Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner  -  

Dual stripe conditioner with power of double nourishment.

Dryness, which is the very first sign of damage, makes your hair look dull and feel rough. The reason behind this dryness of hair is lack of nourishment. That's why treat your hair with Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner that has the power of double nourishment. It is the next generation conditioner with golden ribbon inside that contains Vita-Oils to nourish your hair from deep within, leaving no greasiness on the outside. Its white ribbon that contains the conditioner locks-in the nourishment to keep dryness at bay. So, restore your hair's smoothness and softness with Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner.

Oil Care Vita Oil Serum

3) Dove Nourishing Oil Care Vita Oil Serum -  

Smoothens up to 99% roughness - Hair that appears dry and dull on the outside are actually damaged from the inside. To combat this dryness of hair, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Vita Oil Serum gives instant nourishment to your hair. It has revolutionary Vita-Oils that get easily absorbed to replenish essential oils.

 This nourishment smoothens up to 99% of roughness leaving your hair softer and shinier!

Oil Care Repair Mask

4) Dove Nourishing Oil Care Repair Mask -  

Gives advanced care and repair for beautiful hair - Your hair turns rough and dull on the surface when it is damaged from the inside. To restore your hair's softness and shine, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Repair Mask gives advanced care and repair that your hair needs. Its revolutionary Vita-Oils nourish your hair from deep inside and effectively repair damage for 99% smoother hair.

Note - Above info taken from Dove India website - Based on lab test, improvement of hair smoothness comparing damaged hair treated with non-conditioning shampoo vs Dove Nourishing Oil Care!

So what are you waiting for - be the Hercules / Helen of troy that you always wanted to be. Flaunt the real you confidently in front of the world and watch the world get smitted by your beauty. Hey, otherwise, you always have the option of using the Kung-Fu - Hair style, right ? The Wooowwwwwwww moment to Waaaakkkkaaaaaw moment! Dove India will help you throughout the way.

Love is a two way street: Love your hair and it loves you back!

Do you attempt to love your hair and often get caught? I mean hands get stuck in to tangeled hair ? If you are a guy like famed bollywood persona Anil Kapoor, may be you face the same troubles with body hair. Heck, forget the days when men had problems with body hair. These days most men are facing troubles with balding head, that too, at a tender age of 26. Just about the time when they are looking out for girls to settle down with. I know this one for sure as because in our group of 7 friends 3 have already gone a little bald and 2 of them are not even married yet.

Now this blogpost is more about loving and caring your hair and how I go about it. Its about Hair care. So hair hear ye. Its more about how I have nourshied my hair throughout the years and how my experience should help you to start immidiately doing the same.  Its more about how not to come to a position where your desperation might take you to Dr. Batra's Clinic for hair treatment. If you want to know more about hair damages and to pin point your hair damage problems, please visit the Dove Page. Its better than wikipedia on the subject matter.

Now I consider my self the most un-metrosexy guy alive on the planet. I don't even live in a Metro. maybe GramPanchayat sexy, or, Zilla Parishad Sexy. However, since I was born, one practise has not changed till date for me. Hair Oil massages on the head. Yes. The best way to nourish yourhair and rejuvenate. Since child hood, my mom used to give me oil massages on the head on almost daily basis and now its my wife who does that. Its by her free will she does it. Just ot be clear. It is one of the reason 99% of my hair are still black and touch wood I have not once used hair dye products nor do I face a balding problem.

Now the best way to go about head/hair massages is to first nicely shampoo & condition and then apply the oils. As you close your eyes, sitting on the floor, eased up against the bed and wifey goes about massaging your head - Its pure bliss. For those moments mind roams around the most beautiful imaginery places  - maybe Alice's wonderland.You murmur something and wife retorts, "Who the fuck is Alice?". You come back to reality. All good fun. 

Now to enhance this experience I have meddeled around with soaps, shampoos, conditioners and oils a lot. While I started off with just Lifebuoy / Detol Soaps and Parachute hair oil, well  I had not reached puberty then and such decisions were beyond my worldy worries then...I have come a long way since though. Apparently, there are plethora of products available in the market which claim to strengthen your hair, decrease hairfall, add lustre and shine, prevent dandruff etc and generally have ingredients ranging from lemon extracts, herbal essences, brahmi, amla, shikakai and what not. Searching for hair oils too, can become a cumbersome process and the self blending at home does help a little. My wife mixes olive oil + Almond oil to make her own special poition, which does not smell one bit and has an relaxing effect.



Remember the rage with Jojoba oils some years ago? Well, I too, got caught up in the rage, may be like Mr. Steve Martin, a.k.a Inspector Jack Clouseau. The jojoba oils / shampoos / conditioners are really do nourish your hair unlike any other products available in the market. The difference I felt was, albeit, remarkable. The only problem was that these products were way too expensive and weren't easily available in the market.

Do not get carried away watching the video!

Thats when my frantic searches led me to Vita oils. The best search on the subject matter led to the manufacturers of Vita oils extracts. Here is the link to understand Vita Oils Vs. Jojoba Oils. While the pros of using vita oils are much more, the biggest deterrent, again, is the costs involved. Just to sum up the pros here from the website:
1) Vita oils do contain jojoba oils, although, they are processed to remove all the contamination and microorganisms, if any.
2) Vita-Oil contains other ingredients which I believe help it’s effectiveness.  One is lecithin. This is a natural phospholipid quite similar to the lipid in our epidermal barrier. Lecithin also acts as an emulsifier.  What this means is that it allows water on the skin to bind with the jojoba oil. As every one knows, water and oil do not mix. Water is what hydrates the skin. Oil prevents the water from evaporating. Vita-Oil will mix with the water because of the presence of this natural emulsifier. This is the rationale for my advising the consumer to use Vita-Oil on wet skin.
3) Vita-Oil also contains other ingredients which serve as anti- oxidants.  Aside from the lecithin which is also an anti-oxidant, the others are esters of vitamin C & A. Anti-oxidants are important in a product to prevent uptake of oxygen which causes degradation of the oils causing rancidity.  They also have beneficial effects on the skin.  During formulating stage of Vita-Oil, one of the criteria I had was to have a simple product with as few ingredients as possible. This is critical for hypersensitive skin. The few ingredients included serve a purpose.


During searching for products that have extracts of Vita Oils, I stumbeled upon Dove India's new launch of shampoos, conditioners, oils and repair therapy . Vita Oils seems to be the promising ingredient in their products which I do not believe any one else n the market is offeriong as of now. These products seems to be assuring, effective and most importantly, cost effective.

BTW, did you know that Doves and Pigeons can actually, by choice, stall their flight to divert the attacker (Eagle etc). While this fact is not relevant here, Dove does, indeed, bring to market something unique and promising.



Other References you may like to see:


1) What I suggest is make a note of the type of hair you have and use the shampoos and conditioners accordingly.
2) Try this Helpline page,
3) Experiment with some home remedies (all of them take less than 20 mins of your precious time).
4) If you are not sure, raise a query, it gets answered too.

"What the Fuck" Ranting Series - 1

This rantish cribbing is about the fact that these days I don't have anything to crib about. A cynic's worst nightmare is that he does not have anything to be cynical about. That is my state these days. I hate it, being in such a state. And when I refer to a State, being in Maharashtra does not help one bit. The state does not give a fuck. Nobody does these days. About anything. Nobody gives a fuck about anything these days. Remembering the old Chris Rock joke about giving a fuck here. 

A famous Marathi laureate P.L. Deshpande once said, "Parastithi ha Ashroon cha pran vayu asto" translated means: Circumstances are life force of tears. While this phrase has whatsoever nothing to do with me at this juncture, I just thought it was cool and hence quoted it. It does make a connection on a wider basis though. Since I am in such a state as I wished I would not have been, I am ranting about the state I wished I would not have been - as am in today and blaming not just the circumstances, but also, the very state, in a broader sense ofcourse.

Remember the "I cry in the rains to hide my tears" phrase on the internet. Firstly, what the fuck have rains got to do with crying anyway? Secondly, if you are in the tropical part of the world, like India, does that mean you get to cry only 3 months in a year? What do you do for rest of the nine months if you have strong urges to cry? Plan it for the monsoons. Short weekend crying trips? If you are rich enough, you can always visit Cherapunji or the Amazon to cry. But then again, why not cry in the shower? Yes. “I cry in the shower to hide my tears.” “I sing along too.” I sing and cry in the shower to hide my tears. So does Himesh Reshammiya. But he is making money off of it now, is he not? Or worst instead, what if you have to do some emergency crying and the only available place to console was the restroom, pardon the pun; where the only showers available are the hand jets. Would you dare to try and cry in that ghastly piece of plumbing's presence? Would you? 

All this crying in rain stuff is nothing but a justification of what a double wuss a person is. Firstly they cry. Remember, this is India. In India no one cries. We reproduce. That’s the answer to most of the problems. The boss is screwing you. You screw too. All screw. Secondly, you are scared to show you are crying and want to hide your tears. Wo(Man) did invent handkerchief somewhere during the Neanderthal ages. USE IT. Better even. If you have an urge to cry, make love. Or just love. Love the animals, love the trees, love the people. Of course hate the bastards who have brought you in to such situation in the first place though. Apart from them, spread love. Its better than blowing noses when crying and spreading common colds around. 

If that does not help, Think ash-abhi's child calls his/her father, Beera and his mother, Jodha. That has to help. Or Imagine that Himmesh Reshammiya is crying and singing in your bathroom whilst in the shower. If this fails too. You are not human. Since I read somewhere that people have no time and generally stop reading stuff after about 500 words, I shall stop now. More of What the Fuck Rants later. 

As you all know, I rant in 140 Character on twitter @rantingindian . Follow me.