Beauty and Personal Grooming

Check out this simple recipe for a rich hair- conditioner :

M asks: I’m a 20 year old girl and have fine, medium length hair. My hair tends to get greasy within a day or two of washing it and so I have started washing it daily. Is washing the hair everyday good for my hair?

All of us have seen a hair commercial featuring a woman with long, thick and shiny hair that has caused us to be secretly envious of her. That's because out of all of the outfits we may buy and accessories that might we choose to wear, nothing can complement our appearance quite like some beautiful locks can. If you've been looking for some ways to achieve having the look of silky hair, the kind that appear shiny without looking greasy, we have five quick and easy tips for you below:

For those who like making their own hair packs, here are some intereting hair packs shared by reader Anu: Oily hair mask: Ingredients: 5 tbsp Fuller’s earth (Multani Mitti) Juice of 2 lemons 5 tbsp strained tea water ½ glass beer Method: Mix well and apply to the scalp and hair. Leave it on for 30 minutes. Shampoo . For chemically treated hair: Ingredients: 4 tbsp honey 2 eggs 2 tbsp papaya pulp 1 mashed or pureed banana Method: Mix all the ingredients and apply on the scalp and hair. Cover with a shower cap. Shampoo after 40 minutes. Anti-Dandruff Hair Pack: Ingredients: 2 tsp neem powder ½ tsp black pepper powder 2 tsp fenugreek (methi) powder Juice of 1 lemon 3 tbsp Fuller’s earth ( Multani Mitti ) 1 egg A pinch of camphor Method: Mix all the ingredients well. Apply from the scalp to the hair ends. Cover with a shower cap, leave it on for 40 minutes, then shampoo.

Parachute Coconut Oil 200 ml oil. I simply adore pure, virgin coconut oil and pamper my skin with those luxurious oil-baths every winter . I also put a few drops in my bath everyday and find it extremely moisturizing on my skin. I’ve tried a number of homemade herbal hair-oils and loved them but by far coconut oil remains my favourite. Usually, I massage it on my scalp twice a week, by slightly warming it. Amongst the branded, store-bought coconut oils, I’ve tried Parachute coconut oil, and I’ve found it to be of a superior quality. Manufactured by Marico Industries, it is made of pure dried coconut (“ copra ”) and is packed in attractive blue plastic bottles with a tamper-proof seal to prevent duplication. It’s also available at Amazon ($4.95 for a 200 ml bottle). You may also purchase an extra large 1 liter bottle for $14.99. It smells nice and the plastic bottle can be slightly warmed by placing it in a container of lukewarm water to liquefy it after overnight freezing i...

Oily tresses need a treatment that reduces excess sebum from the scalp. Ingredients with high protein content such as egg white and yoghurt, lemon etc are found to work wonders on oily hair. But as always, too much of anything is bad; so use these ingredients wisely. * Warm hair oil ( olive or coconut oil ). Add the juice of half a lemon. Massage into the roots, comb out and wrap a hot towel around your head for 10 minutes, then wash off. * Add a tablespoon of malt vinegar and a pinch of salt to a glass of water. Massage about two tablespoons of it on to your scalp. Leave on for an hour and then rinse thoroughly. For the last rinse use the remaining solution for extra shine. * Use this hair pack once in a fortnight or once in a week during summers . Ingredients: Egg white – 4 tbsp Yoghurt – 4 tbsp Multani mitti (fuller’s earth) – 2 tsp Lemon juice – 1 tsp Method: Mix all the ingredients well. Make sections in your hair and gently rub it in. Multani mitti ab...

Just as clothes retain the pungent odor of perspiration so does the hair. Our hot tropical climate aggravates the problem. Oily and combination hair tend to be more affected by this. Frequent shampooing is the only solution during such times. But when you are in hurry and when it is just not possible to wash your hair, then you will have to look out for some quick solution to get rid of the greasiness from your scalp and avoid a bad hair day. Here’s one such method to make the hair not only look less greasy but also appear dense and full-bodied .

If your hair is thin, sparse and greasy, no need to get disappointed. If you have to go out suddenly and your hair looks greasy and lifeless then you can adopt the following method: Take a nylon sock, put in some talcum powder and then pick up your hair brush. Now pull the sock over the hair brush and grip it near the handle of the brush. By doing this the bristles will come out a little through the sock. Now brush your hair with this till all the talcum powder is used up. Now take a clear brush and shake off the excess powder from your hair. By doing this the hair will look full-bodied and dense. Wash your hair after coming home with a lemon-based shampoo. Here are some hints to make dull, limp hair look shiny and crackling with life.

Dull, lifeless hair can bounce back to life with a regular hair-care routine. Normally this happens with oily hair and to those tresses which have become unhealthy due to excessive exposure to the sun, chemicals and pollution.

This type of hair is straight, shiny and dull. It gives a bouncy look the day you shampoo, but the next day it starts looking dull and lifeless. It is lank, cannot keep its style and can easily become smelly as dust particles tend to stick easily due to oiliness of the hair. Dandruff is a major problem with this type of hair. If this is your hair type, maintain your hair in the following way.