Health: CROWNING GLORY

Your hair that protects your skull and brain, that acts as a pad if you fall down - is also a thing of beauty. Everyone - be it a male or a female - would like to have luxurious locks, whether short or long. Hair grows right from birth till death. But then, if not taken care of, it tends to fall heavily or recede in some cases.

A proper diet with enough protein and iron helps grow healthy hair. One has to be careful while choosing shampoos and conditioners. Try to use as mild a shampoo as you can from a well-known brand. Use one that will suit your hair type - be it dry or oily or whatever. Hard shampoos, especially those recommended for dandruff, may be avoided. They dry the scalp and create more dandruff in the long run. Conditioners need to be used sparingly and maybe once or twice in a month. Continuous and regular use of conditioners will make you hair lank and lifeless.

Oiling the hair is a very important factor in growing and maintaining healthy hair. I have to share a couple of personal experiences here. My grandfather (still alive and kicking at 96) grew bald at the young age of 35. He never bothered with applying oil to his hair. He used to do it may be a few times in a year. Balding, as you know, is heriditary. My father began to bald in his late 50s. He used to apply oil regularly and also had oil baths atleast once a week. My son, Vigi, was four when he refused to take oil baths. He did not like the experience. His favourite star was Shah Rukh Khan. I remember persuading him to have an oil bath saying that SRK was such a great star only because he had regular oil baths. Believe me, it worked! :D

Getting back to the subject at hand, use almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil or til oil - whichever you like best. Massage the oil into your scalp and ensure it is spread all over your head. Take the snarls out with a wide-toothed comb and then with a fine-toothed one, comb right from your scalp at the roots to the tips of your hair. Comb as long as ten minutes. This will help nourish your hair and is also a therapeutic experience. Keep the oil on for a minimum of ten minutes or as long as you can. You can even keep it overnight if you can. For washing, please ensure that you do a single shampoo wash. Use a bit of extra shampoo, but DO NOT wash it twice or more times. The whole purpose of the oil massage would be lost in the process. Try to oil your hair once every two or three days. Regular use of oil will reduce hair fall and ensure healthy growth of strong hair.

Towel dry or air dry your hair. Avoid using an electric hair dryer as much as you can. It tends to make the hair brittle. Hope to see you all more cheerful with lusher hairlines!