GOOD HAIR DAYS – THE CONTINUING SAGA
Good old Ebay…
All the supplies I ordered for my new hair regimen have now arrived, with the exception of the scalp massager, which should arrive any day; unfortunately it has not arrived in time to use it during my first alternative wash on Monday.
Goodness inside and out
I have been taking Vitamin C and zinc tablets for several days now. Not only are these two supplements excellent for the health of one’s immune system (especially important during the flu season and for other reasons), but they are also good for healthy hair, skin and nails.
Fenugreek
This Indian spice, also known as methi, has long been known to be good for healthy hair growth. It is consumed regularly as part of many Indian and Middle Eastern diets and it is delicious. This small seed packs a punch when it comes to nutrition. It is rich in manganese and magnesium, iron, protein and fibre. It also contains flavonoids and saponins, which are believed to promote hair growth due to their anti-inflammatory and antifungal effects. Iron and protein are essential for hair growth.
It can be used topically and/or systemically to get the best benefit from its nutritional value for the hair. Obviously you can cook with it, adding it as recipes indicate. The seeds are too hard to be eaten raw, but you can grind them (I used my Vitamix high-powered blender but any spice grinder would do), and I have been sprinkling this on food, and also adding it as an ingredient to my daily rehydration drink that I make – having an ileostomy I need to guard against dehydration. This has made the drink ultra-creamy with a slight spicy kick to it which is delicious, but the first time I added it, I didn’t notice how it had settled at the bottom, and my usual quick shake of the bottle wasn’t sufficient to mix it in properly, and I ended up with globs of glutinous stuff which wasn’t too pleasant to drink! A good shake will disperse it properly, though, and then it’s fine.
Sprouting seeds and grains increases their nutritional value greatly. I have a sprouter consisting of several stacking plastic trays with drainage holes (see picture above). I rinsed some seeds through the first tray and left it a couple of days before adding the next, and finally the third tray, so that they would sprout in rotation. I rinse them through morning and evening each day to keep them fresh and hydrated while they sprout, and when they are ready, they go in a container in the fridge. When the top layer is ready, I simply remove the sprouted seeds, add fresh seeds to it and put it to the bottom of the stack. These sprouts have a pleasant taste and texture and can be added to salads, or used as toppings for soups and other dishes.
Hair and scalp treatments
The main problem with modern commercial hair products is that they are full of harsh chemicals which strip the hair of its natural sebum (an oily substance secreted by the scalp which keeps the hair moisturised and healthy) which can lead to breakage and damage, further compounded by incorrect detangling, heat treatments, too frequent washing, and tight styling which can cause breakage. Many people get very frustrated because they cannot grow their hair beyond a certain length. The ultimate length to which anyone’s hair can grow is genetically determined but most people never achieve this. The hair continues to grow from the scalp, but its length will not increase. This means that it must be breaking off.
Traditional methods of hair care in the past included the addition of oil, combined with frequent brushing with boar bristle brushes which distribute the oils, both added and natural, throughout the length of the hair. The boar bristle brushing method serves as a dry shampoo as it removes dust, debris and dirt, leaving the hair clean and manageable, and well moisturised.
Rosemary and cloves
Both of these are excellent for promoting healthy hair growth. I have followed some online instructions for making an infusion of these:
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tabs whole cloves
- 500 ml boiling water
Allow to stand for several hours until cold. Strained either into a spray bottle or an applicator bottle, it is applied to the scalp and massaged in well. I do this as part of my detangling routine, starting with finger detangling and then using the infusion, and finally brushing. It is supposed to restore lost hair and promote growth. I haven’t been using it for long enough yet to see the benefit but reports are very favourable.
In the following photo there is a selection of bottles. I tried using the spray bottle but then thought it would be easier with an applicator bottle, and finally settled on the multi-pronged one – it does come out in a rush so I have to be careful! These applicator bottles are all from my hair colouring days.
Oils
The lightest oil, and the most similar to natural sebum, is jojoba oil. This is often used as a carrier oil when using essential oils which must always be diluted before being applied to the skin. In the photo you can see how I have added some rosemary essential oil to jojoba – I occasionally use this on my scalp instead of the infusion. Because my hair is straight, rather fine and thin, I do not want to over-apply the oil to my scalp. It can be applied just to the length of the hair and the ends, avoiding the scalp if it is becoming too greasy. The jojoba oil can be replaced by other oils such as melted coconut oil or castor oil. More about oils a bit later.
This is my hair after unbraiding it. It looks waist-length but when the kinks are pulled down, it reaches the top of my hip.
Scalp comparison photos.
I can’t say I notice much difference yet, but it’s early days. I did notice a couple of days ago that there was a small tuft on my hairline just to the right of the centre, which certainly wasn’t there before, and it can’t be due to breakage as I am being extremely careful about that now. It’s about an inch long. It’s hard to see if there are any more areas of regrowth anywhere else but I live in hope!
The Inversion Method
This is something I came across just over a week ago. The idea is that you position your head lower than your heart so that the blood goes to your head. You can do this either by lying on the bed with your head hanging over (which I found pretty uncomfortable) or by sitting and putting your head between your knees (standard treatment for fainting!) which I found a lot more comfortable. You then massage your scalp vigorously for four minutes, using a little oil for hair growth promotion. You do this every day for one week, and then stop. You repeat the process every month. If you do the scalp massage more than seven days in a row, your scalp becomes accustomed to the stimulation and the process ceases to work.
People are reporting amazing increases in the rate of growth of their hair using this method. On average, human hair grows at the rate of 1/2 inch per month, but people are claiming 1-2 inches of growth in a single week, and adding the normal 1/2 inch, there can be 2 or more inches of growth in a single month. It sounds almost too good to be true, so I decided to give it a try.
You begin the process by measuring your hair. The easiest way is to put a tape measure on the tip of your earlobe and pull the tape measure down with a lock of hair, while looking straight ahead, smoothing out any kinks in the hair, grasping the end and then having a look. On the first day, mine was 23 1/2 inches.
I began the massage by first detangling my hair with my fingers, then I applied a very small amount of jojoba oil with rosemary onto the tips of my fingers and after setting my timer, began the massage. It’s no great hardship, and it feels really good. When you’ve finished, you have to get up slowly and carefully in case you feel faint.
After the massage I detangled the hair again with my fingers and gave it a good brush (100 times with the pure bristle brush), braided it and left it till morning. I did this early evening before we ate, at the time I usually visit my bathroom to deal with Kermit’s bag (my stoma), and get the bedroom ready for night-time.
I finished my week of the Inversion Method yesterday evening, and with some trepidation, measured my hair again. It has grown A WHOLE INCH!!! This actually works! It’s incredible! Of course, just looking at my hair, you can’t see much difference yet, but I have noticed that I can now add another twist to my braid. It’s a useful way of keeping track of how it is growing. I can now make 45 twists. It seems only a short time ago that I was only doing 36.
Preparing for my first clay wash
Now that all my supplies have arrived (with the exception of the scalp massager), I can get prepared for my first “no-poo” wash as it is called (“no shampoo”!).
I am grateful to Curly Proverbz for her recipe for the deep conditioning growth-promoting scalp oil that can be used on a regular basis, and before washing. In this video she gives details of why each of the ingredients is particularly good, so I won’t go into them here. There’s a written version of the recipe in the description below the video.
You start by putting the dry ingredients into a jar – my fenugreek seeds came first (see photo at the beginning of this post), then some neutral henna. I had not come across this product before; many years ago I treated my hair with henna (when I was a very dark brunette before my grey days) and it was super-conditioning and turned my hair a glorious dark auburn colour! Neutral henna has all the good properties of the normal kind, but it doesn’t add any colour. (If I used coloured henna these days I’d come out bright orange!)
A tiny amount of MSM powder. This is Methylsulfonylmethane, chemical formula (CH3)2SO2. Taken internally as a supplement it is an immune system booster and anti-inflammatory, and an anti-oxidant producer. It is rich in sulphur. Applied to the scalp and hair it helps build keratin, the main structural protein of hair, skin and nails.
Curly Proverbz also suggests adding Vitamin C but says you can take this internally, which is what I am doing.
You top up with a mixture of melted coconut oil, castor and olive oils, and add a little tea tree, rosemary and peppermint essential oils.
Give it a good stir, cover and leave to steep for at least 8 hours. It looks pretty disgusting but it smells rather nice!
Once it is ready, you strain it off the solids into an applicator bottle to make it easy to apply to your scalp.
I wanted to get this made today (Saturday) so that I would be ready to apply it on Sunday night before bed. Katherine, whose video first got me on this path, also oils her length and ends well with other oils and allows these to penetrate overnight as well. I’ve got plastic shower caps to wrap my head under the sleep cap, and intend putting a towel over the pillow. I shall do my first clay wash on Monday morning.
People report incredible rates of growth and improvement in condition and thickness of the hair with regular use of this scalp oil. Katherine says she has been using it for years, and her hair is absolutely amazing.
Watch this space to see how I get on! I am already very encouraged, after starting this whole new regimen only at the end of November.
