Why Traditional Ayurvedic Hair Oils Are The Best Natural Oils For Hair

Today, our hair endures many nuisances of a modern lifestyle, from air pollution to chronic stress. We use chemical-laden treatments like deep conditioners, protein masks, and hair glosses to cope with hair fall, dandruff, premature greying, and other hair issues. 

But in Ayurveda, the holistic medical system of ancient India, the solution to a huge variety of hair woes has been the organic, cold-pressed oil extracted from potent natural ingredients. But that’s not all. Like all Ayurvedic treatments, these hair oils nourish your body inside as well as out. 

Are Ayurvedic Oils Really The Best Natural Oils For Hair?

What makes Ayurvedic hair oil so special is that, unlike other oils, it is not produced through a heat-intensive, fully-mechanized process that destroys most of the oil’s most valuable properties. Instead, it’s extracted through cold-pressing from the highest quality organic produce.

Cold-pressed Ayurvedic oils can do wonders for damaged hair. But, the principles of Ayurveda tell us to use them regularly to prevent damage in the first place instead of trying to revive hair that has already been ravaged by heat, sunlight, dust, and harsh chemicals.

How Should You Use Ayurvedic Hair Oils?

Ayurveda recommends oiling your hair daily as part of a holistic health regimen, but this may not be possible in most of our fast-paced lives. A once-a-week schedule is more realistic and will still impart great benefits to your hair.

Warm the oil up before you begin to apply it to improve absorption into the skin. Begin by massaging a dime-sized amount of the oil onto the crown on your head, which is about eight fingers above your eyebrows. 

This area, also known as the ‘Sahasrara’ is the most important of the seven bodily chakras of yoga and is the center of consciousness and enlightenment.

Next, locate the apex of your head which is four fingers behind the crown chakra or, as the name suggests, at the highest point on your head. Massage another dime-sized blob of the oil into this part of the scalp.

Then, spread the oil evenly across the rest of your head and continue massaging it in with gentle, circular motions for several minutes. This is critically important because it makes sure the oil sinks in rather than simply coating the hair shaft and stimulates the roots of the hair for accelerated growth.  

Leave the oil in for as long as possible, preferably even overnight, and rinse off. You will have bouncy, soft, and strong hair.

Best Ayurvedic Hair Oils 

There are almost as many oils as there are plants in the world, but here are a few of the best natural oils for hair to get you started:

Coconut oil

The most popular hair oil used in South Asia, maybe even the world, virgin coconut oil is a mild, neutral, and relatively inexpensive oil that still packs a punch when it comes to caring for your hair. 

Its low molecular weight allows it to penetrate the scalp and hair shaft quickly, and the lauric acid in it thoroughly moisturizes from root to tip. 

Coconut oil can even be used as a carrier oil for more intense oils, particularly essential oils like lavender and cinnamon, and prevents them from hurting your hair or skin. There’s a reason this classic is called the best natural oil for hair.

Bhringraj oil

Despite being passed down from mothers to daughters in India for millennia, Bhringraj’s oil’s almost miraculous potential as a hair fall treatment was virtually unknown in the rest of the world. But today, you can incorporate this powerful ingredient into your hair care routine too.

Castor oil

Another hair fall hero, the nutrients in castor oil like vitamin E, increase blood flow to the scalp, and even occasional use can boost hair growth several times. In addition, the antioxidants in castor oil reduce inflammation, and its omega-6 fatty acids do the same, along with further boosting regrowth.

Onion oil

Onion oil may sound more at home in a cookbook than a list of hair products, but the very chemicals that make the allium so delicious in our favorite dishes make it amazing for hair, too. The sulfur, for instance, prevents breakage and reduces split ends and thinning of the hair. 

Moreover, onions are chock-full of powerful antimicrobial properties that could aid stave-off many bacterial infections of the scalp. In addition, onion oil nourishes the scalp, reduces hair breakage, and prevents premature graying.

There’s much more to be said about Ayurvedic hair oils, from selecting them based on your dominant ‘dosha’ or life energy to combine the oils with other powerful ayurvedic ingredients like herbs, spices, and even dairy products. 

But we hope this idea has given you an introduction to the beautiful world of Ayurveda and helped you figure out why Ayurvedic oil is the best natural oil for hair.

To make the best of these ancient techniques, though, you need also to find a product that is as close to the oils painstakingly extracted by hand thousands of years ago. 

Life & Pursuits is a USDA and India Organic certified natural wellness brand that does precisely this, the fantastically affordable prices are just the cherry on top.