With the pandemic making us reimagine and reevaluate our lives, self care has taken birth in a new form. When we think of the concept of a ‘spa’, most of us have connotations of deep relaxation, pampering and de-stressing in our minds. While the traditions of spas are an age old practiced by Native Americans, Greeks, Romans, etc, they are a great self care ritual to indulge in that give us the permission to pause from the hullabaloo of everyday life, as well as deeply nourish and treat ourselves within the comfort of our own homes. While most of us tend to focus on our skin, nails and body, what we often neglect is the right hair care, and a home hair spa is the perfect solution to that!
What is a home hair spa?
A hair spa treatment is known as 'hair rebirth therapy', and is an excellent way to nourish, condition and reverse the damage done by pollution, heat related treatments, hair colour and more. Unfortunately, your usual shampoo and conditioner routine are not always enough to replenish the loss of moisture from your hair and cater to all your hair needs. A home hair spa is the perfect indulgence to boost your hair health and take your weekly oil ‘champi’ routine to another level. A simple few steps can make your hair feel rejuvenated, softer and restore back its glory!
What are the benefits of a home hair spa?
Indulging in this relaxing yet effective hair therapy can be very beneficial in multiple ways, such as:
1) Provides deep rooted nourishment and conditioning
A home spa treatment is a great way to condition your hair if it has been feeling dried out or rough, and make your follicles stronger and nourish deep into the roots of your hair. This not only hydrates the scalp and hair shaft, but also ensures healthy hair growth and thicker locks.
2) Removes impurities and dandruff
Your hair is exposed to the effects of pollution, dust, heat and so much more on a daily basis, which can cause impurities to settle in its follicles as well as cuticles. A hair spa helps in removing these impurities and unclogging the pores while eliminating the buildup of dandruff.
3) Improves scalp health and prevents scalp ageing
The scalp of your hair is like the roots of a plant. Keeping it healthy can help counter multiple problems such as greying and hair loss that inevitably occur over time. A hair spa gives your hair a boost by feeding it with essential nutrients that keep it healthy, young and lustrous.
4) Reduces dullness and frizz
If your hair looks lifeless and lackluster, a hair spa is a foolproof method to alleviate dryness, brittleness and frizz. It improves the quality and texture of the hair, and makes it easier to manage.
5) A super calming and relaxing ritual
Any ritual that helps you unwind such as a home hair spa can be very calming and a great way to de-stress. While we often get caught up with the constant hustle and bustle, stopping to pay some extra attention and care to ourselves is essential to keep both our physical as well as mental health in check!
6) Stabilises oil secretion
Pollution, sweat and greasy hair products such as styling sprays can upset the natural oil balance of your scalp. A hair spa helps to soothe the sebaceous glands and regulates the level of oil production, ensuring that the hair does not get sticky or greasy easily.
What are the steps in a home hair spa?
A home hair spa consists of six simple steps that are:
1) Oil Massage
Begin with a simple oil massage to nourish your locks, stimulate blood flow and improve circulation in your scalp. If you like, you could always heat the oil a little and make it a 'hot oil massage'. Take about 1-2 tablespoons of warm oil in your hands and thoroughly spread it all through, massaging gently from root to tip.
Your choice of oil inherently depends on your hair type and any hair concerns that you may have. It is strongly recommended to opt for cold-pressed oils as they retain essential antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients that are otherwise lost during extraction.
If you are a victim of hair fall and are looking to strengthen your roots and speed up hair growth, the Ohria Ayurveda Japa Pushpa Thailam (Anti-Hairfall Oil) is the perfect pick.
If you are looking to reverse hair damage and restore damaged hair, the Sova Draksh & Bitter Orange Flower Luxury Hair Oil is a great choice to deeply hydrate and give you a luminous shine.
If you suffer from a dry scalp, dandruff and wish to reduce hair damage and breakage, opt for the Morrocan favourite Argan Oil by SKOG that is antioxidant rich and helps tackle every hair concern.
Our grandmothers swore by this ritual, it is time we do too!
2) Hot Towel/ Steaming of hair
This step ensures that the nutrients from the oil penetrate deep into the cuticles as the pores on your scalp open up, allowing maximum absorption of the oil. You can either use a steam machine and steam your hair for 10-15 minutes or use a hot towel and wrap it around your head. Simply take a soft, dry towel, dip it in hot water and squeeze out the excess. Let this be on for 5-10 minutes, but go upto 15-20 minutes if you have very dry hair.
3) Sulphate-free Shampoo
Next, it is time to wash your hair and rinse out the oil. It is highly recommended to use a Sulphate-free shampoo to do this as they work efficiently to cleanse your hair from deep within without stripping your hair off its natural moisture. Avoid shampoos with ingredients such as SLS, SLES, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate when looking for a shampoo. With clean shampoos, less is more, so use water to dilute it and just rinse and repeat! A clean shampoo may not lather as much, but it effectively cleanses your hair and retains its moisture.
If you are looking for fuller hair, the Cowshed Grumpy Cow Volumising Shampoo has Soy and Wheat Protein along with organic juices that amp up your hair's natural volume and give it new life.
To reduce hair fall and enhance hair texture, the Sova Bhringaraj & Kerala Cinnamon Shampoo is a great choice, as it has Bhringaraj or the 'Maharaja of Hairfall' that makes your hair stronger, glossier and fights premature greying.
If you have coloured hair and would like to protect it, improve its health and combat colour fading, the Petal Fresh Colour Protection Pomegranate & Acai Shampoo is your go to.
4) Hair Mask/ Hair Cream
This is the most important step of your hair spa treatment and involves using a hair mask or cream to reduce dryness, flakiness and hydrate the tresses as well as the scalp. A hair mask is often referred to as an 'intensive conditioner' or 'deep conditioning treatment' as it contains a concentration of active ingredients that are highly beneficial upon prolonged contact and allow the nutrients to really seep in and do their magic! Always look for masks with intensely conditioning ingredients such as Honey, Banana, Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera, Olive Oil, etc in your masks. Keep the mask on anywhere between 20-30 minutes and rinse it off with lukewarm/cold water for best results.
We recommend the Coccoon Enriching Hair Mask with Coconut & Honey to reconstruct and repair dry, damaged and stressed hair, or the First Water Solutions Earthen Ash Hair Mask to purify your scalp, remove excess oil, impurities and buildup.
5) Conditioner
Next, follow it up with your regular conditioning ritual. Take a coin-sized amount of the conditioner and apply it from the mid sections to the tips of your hair. Never apply it close to the scalp as it can get oily easily and also because the hair close to your scalp is relatively newer and healthier, so it does not need as much care as the tips do. Keep it on for a minute, allow it to absorb well and rinse it off.
You can try the Cowshed Saucy Cow Softening Conditioner to detangle and bring back your natural shine, or the Paul Penders Love in the Layers Conditioner to strengthen brittle hair and make it smooth and silky.
6) Serum
The last but important step is applying a serum. This helps to smoothen the hair, detangle and control frizz. Take a pump or two of the serum and apply it toward the middle sections and ends. Be careful and make sure you do not overdo it, as this can make your hair greasy and oily very quickly!
We recommend the Coccoon Protective Hair Serum with Argan Oil and Vitamin E or the Skog Super Hair Serum to get those gorgeous healthy locks and fight hair damage.
How often should you do a home hair spa?
Ideally, it is best to pamper yourself with a home hair spa 2-3 times a month, or at least every 15 days to give your hair the right nourishment and care, and to see concrete results in terms of hair texture, quality and growth.
So invest your time and energy into the right hair care if you wish to see visible, concrete results in the long term. Make it a ritual that you indulge in on a regular basis, and it will not only become something you enjoy, but something you look forward to immersing yourself in as a deeply relaxing ritual.
- By Krisha Jhaveri
