Hair Care - The Unani Way.
Nature has provided us with the excellent gift of hair, and certain simple formulations from Unani medicine are well equipped in preventing hair fall to some extent
The hair sticks up to the comb as if hair is made up of iron and comb of magnet?
Funny it may sound, the bitter truth is that most of the men folk today are facing the problem of severe hair fall, and ultimately falling into the category of “Bald Men”. Another common problem is of premature graying.
Let us see how the Unani form of medicine deals with these two important grey areas!
According to Tibb-e-Unani, hair fall is classified into two groups as primary and secondary, the primary being getting bald due to certain hereditary factors whereas, secondary baldness arises due to some fungal infection of the scalp (e.g. Tinea cruris).
Nature has provided us with the excellent gift of hair, and certain simple formulations from Unani medicine are well equipped in preventing hair fall to some extent. But, before that, let us first get acquainted with some basic hair facts:
What is dandruff?
Dandruff, the most common hair menace seen today is affecting people across all age groups. It is a normal process to shed off dead skin cells as very small aggregates, which are normally too small to be seen. But, in the case of dandruff, however, the shedding of the dead cells from the scalp is in larger visible aggregates and also there is an excessive production of dead cells.
What causes greying of hair?
The colour of the hair depends on the presence of pigment granules (termed as Sauda in Tibb-e-Unani). With age, there is a gradual dilution of pigment in the hair that causes graying. Nowadays, environmental factors and excessive stress also leads to a decrease of hair pigment, causing premature greying.
Hair Loss
It is normal to lose up to 100 hair per day, but any excessive hair loss which cannot be replaced leads to baldness and is termed as “Alopecia” in medical terminology.
How often should you wash your hair?
This depends on the type of hair, the scalp and also on the external environment. If the hair is greasy then one should wash it frequently at least about 3-4 times a week.
There are certain oils (Roghaniyath) that can be used externally and certain semi solid preparations that can be used internally for improving hair growth and avoiding hair loss.
Here are a few self-help remedies from Unani archives to avoid hair loss to some extent and also for improving hair growth.
Hair Conditioner and Natural Dye (External Application)
Ingredients used
Henna: 1 teacup
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Methi seeds- 1 teaspoon
Water- as per need
Method of preparation
Cumin and methi seeds are fried till golden brown on a pan and soaked in water overnight. Next morning a fine paste of it is made and mixed with henna and applied to the scalp for 2 hours.
Here, the henna acts as a dye and a conditioner that helps in building the melanin (Sauda) and retention of hair colour from the root base. Cumin seeds are responsible for improving the blood circulation and hence promote hair growth. The methi seeds help in cleaning the scalp from the dirt accumulated on the scalp.
Hair oil for improved hair growth (External Application)
Ingredients used
Drumstick plant leaves -dry powder, 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves -dry powder, 1 tablespoon
Hibiscus flower petals -dry powder, 1 tablespoon
Coconut oil-250 ml
Almond oil—25 ml
Method of preparation
The leaves and the petals are dried under shade and finely powdered. Both the oils are mixed and heated with continuous stirring. The powder is mixed with the resultant oil on low flame. On cooling, the oil is filtered with a thin muslin cloth and used.
Here, the drumstick leaves act as conditioner and help in building the melanin pigment and retaining the roots of the hair firm in the base. Curry leaves give a good shine to the hair. Hibiscus petals act as a natural dye to the hair that helps in retaining the natural black colour of the hair.
Note: The oil is to be applied with gentle massaging to the scalp over night and washed off in the morning with warm water.
Unani Tips for preventing Premature Greying of Hair:
• Crush a tablespoonful of pomegranate bark and mix it 250 ml of coconut oil and boil for 15 minutes. Massage the scalp with this oil about half an hour before bath, and then wash off. This oil prevents premature greying of the hair.
• Crush a handful of Jamal gotta leaves (nutmeg or jaiphal, easily available at the raw drug stores), mix them in 250 ml of olive oil and boil for 20 minutes. Filter the oil and massage the scalp at night before going to bed with this luke warm oil.
• Mix a tablespoon of Brahmi leaves paste to a tablespoon of lemon juice and apply this to the scalp for half an hour before bath. This mixture provides good strength to the hair roots and also prevents premature greying.
• A paste made of curd and sandalwood powder when applied to the scalp helps to cure any kind of fungal infection of the scalp. This paste should be kept applied on hair for 20 minutes.
( courtesy :Dr Amina Ather, Bangalore)