Ayurveda Support Thread

[Cleve_gryl]

Hi everyone!

With that being said, here's my regimen. It's very low-maintenance and very very simple.

1. Apply Ayurvedic oil mixture to dry, dirty hair for 1 hour-overnight.
2. Apply Ayurvedic wash mixture to my hair for an hour (don't rinse out the oil that was in your hair previously).
3. Rinse out the Ayurveda wash mixture for 5 minutes with hot water.
4. Deep condition.
5. Rinse out with cold water.
6. Airdry.

Remember, K.I.S.S.!!!!!

I really like your reggie, it is simple and easy to follow! I just made my own Shikakai/amla oil infusion and will start with that and my Shikakai bar tonight. Thanks!

 

[kiesha8185]

Your welcome, Cleve!

I know there were a couple of mistakes I was making when I first started, so I hope the tips can help others who did the same thing.

I really like to keep it simple cuz it's more convenient and I'm getting more and more lazy

I gotta get me a Shikakai bar though....

If anyone knows where I can buy Amla, Shikakai, Hibiscus, Brahmi Powder, Bhringraj Powder, and Spikenard Powder all in one place in bulk, lemme know!!!!

 

[Serenity_Peace]

LADIES, I GOT NO BREAKAGE and VERY LITTLE SHEDDING LAST NIGHT!!!!!!

Keeping it simple in the '08. Here's what I did:

1. Pre-poo with combination of alma/shikakai/coconut oils with or without heat. I did sit under my heating cap for about 30 minutes.

2. I added 1 teaspoon each of the shikakai and aritha and 2 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) of the alma to a bowl that could withstand heat.

3. I boiled about 1 1/2 cup of water, then added to the bowl with the powders. I let that "brew" for about 5 minutes while I washed my hair with ReddTweetyB's herbal shampoo. (You can use any shampoo. There's an alma shampoo and an alma/shikakai/reetha shampoo available at the Indian/Pakistani markets for *cheap*).

4. I then added 1 cup of distilled water to the mixture, then poured the mixture all over my hair focusing on the scalp and ends.

Surprisingly my hair didn't feel hard at all. You have to make sure that all the powders are dissolved in the water so that you don't get the grit. Some people strain the powders but I didn't. I had no problems at all.

5. I then rinsed thoroughly with hot water for about 5 minutes or until all the mixture was rinsed out.

6. I deep conditioned with a mixture of Miss Keys 10 en 1 and Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol in the tub ($3). I deep conditioned under my heating cap for about 30 minutes. Got in the shower, did my business, then rinsed out the conditioner, first with warm water, then with cold water.

7. Got out of the shower, added leave-in and rollerset using Keracare's Setting/Wrapping Foam.

8. Sat under my new Gold N' Hot hairdryer ($89 at BSS) for about 45 minutes. Removed rollers. Wrapped. Covered with Saran Wrap. Got back under the dryer for another 10 minutes. Removed the wrap. Pinned and went to bed.

I will work on my updated Fotki this weekend. I have 3 inches of underprocessed NG and I lost an inch. I did make APL but the lost of that inch, plus the shrinkage from the NG makes my hair look shorter.

The biggest pluses: NO BREAKAGE!!! Little shedding!! Stronger hair. I'm loving this Ayurveda life!

 

[Kacie]

Hey Ladies! I just bought my powders today, but one of them expired in 03. I still plan on using it but I think I may order online from now on. I found these two websites with good inventory and fair shipping.

http://www.kalustyans.com
http://www.patelbrothersusa.com

 

[angellazette]

My regimen is pretty simple as well. I oil my scalp and hair with vatika oil infused with shikakai and amla powder every other night. Then the night before my wash, I slather my hair up really good with the oil and the next day I use my Aveda products. I also henna atleast a month and add amla powder to my mix. I may try other powders in my oil in the future but this mix leaves my hair very soft.

 

[nappity]

Hi everyone!



Strain everything.

This sounds like common sense, but my dumb self used these mixtures straight Since I like to make my own teas, rinses, and oils from powders, it really helps to strain it before you use it. .

I know a lot of you oil your hair overnight with coconut oil or amla oil. I suggest not washing out the oil before adding the teas and rinses to your hair. It does not prevent the teas/rinses from working, and keeps your hair pliable and easy to work with, acting like a "buffer" against the mixtures.

Apply Ayurvedic oil mixture to dry, dirty hair for 1 hour-overnight.

1. Apply Ayurvedic wash mixture to my hair for an hour (don't rinse out the oil that was in your hair previously).
2. Rinse out the Ayurveda wash mixture for 5 minutes with hot water.
3. Deep condition.
4. Rinse out with cold water.
5. Airdry.

Did this last night and I love it. With the exception of rinsing with cold water

This is how Ill do it from now on Thanks Keisha, Whimsy and everybody. I am so loving this Ayurveda thingy!!!!

 

[Lovelylocs]

What is the basic concept of ayurvedic hair care?

 

[Lovelylocs]

Daily I oil w/Vatika. On Tuesdays I do a prepoo of Vatika all over & Amla oil mainly on my ends & then I scrub my scalp w/Shikakai oil. I do a rinse w/1 tbsp of each: shikakai powder, amla powder & aritha powder mixed in 2 cups of boiling water. B/c I don't have time to rinse for 20 minutes, I grind my powders w/a mortar & pestle & I also strain the tea. I leave the rinse in for about 5 mins & then I rinse & cond. After I rinse the cond, I do an oil rinse w/regular coconut oil & when I get out of the shower, I use a leave-in.

On Fridays I do a prepoo of several things: amla oil, castor oil, basil EO, peppermint EO, thyme EO, aloe vera gel & some left over Cocasta oil (the majority of the prepoo is the Amla). I leave this on overnight. On Saturday mornings I scrub my scalp w/Shiakakai oil & then I rinse the prepoo out & wash w/my shikakai shampoo bar & then I do a rinse w/1 tbsp each of the amla & aritha powders leaving the shikakai out. I leave it on for about 5 mins & then I rinse & do a DC. After I rinse the DC, if I'm doing a rollerset & flat iron, then I don't follow up w/a coconut oil rinse, I just do a leave in.

I've been unable to find the brahmi powder at any of the Indian grocery stores close to me but I'm going to start adding a tbsp of it to my rinses.

Why do you put the Amla oil mainly on your ends? Also, is Shikaikai oil like a shampoo? Is it the same oil that some people use to prepoo?

 

[Jazzy413]

Hi ladies...just joined the AAA challenge and looking for support. Bookmarking this thread so I can report back and read whats been going on so far.

 

[HairBearerCare]

As spongebob would say: "I'm Ready! I'm Ready!"

 

[wannabelong]

You sure are ready,

As spongebob would say: "I'm Ready! I'm Ready!"

 

[Puddles]

As spongebob would say: "I'm Ready! I'm Ready!"

[size=+1]Oooo.....I want some of that.

Where did you buy it from? And is that a skikakai bar soap?
Sorry for all the questions. [/size]

 

[kiesha8185]

Dang girl! I wish my stash was that big!

Wahts the orange stuff for?

And what's Medimix?

 

[Key]

You aren't kiddin'

As spongebob would say: "I'm Ready! I'm Ready!"

 

[nappity]

The woman is not PLAYIN"" I like that a person that prepares to go the da@# thing!

 

[Serenity_Peace]

Naw, she ain't. She doin' the dayum thang!!

 

[HairBearerCare]

Hello ladies
I want to respond to everyone but I don’t know how to do the quotes with the names attached so I will have to do it the old fashion way J
wannabelong: yup yup I am I am J
Puddles: Hello J I obtained these items from a local (as in 30 mins away L ) Indian food mart. Yes that is a shikakai bar for hair and skin.
Puddles: Hello, The orange peel powder I often see in natural hair/skin product ingredients so I thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have around (cheap too). You can see that the box still has its $1.99 price tag on it J The very first time I stepped into an Indian mart I saw the medimix soap and saw that it said “Ayurvedic soap with 18 herbs clinically proven to help skin problems” and though I don’t have any skin problems I did remember the word ayurvedic on LHCF so I thought that was what I was suppose to get! LOL turns out with some research that it is really for use on the body and face so… although a little disappointed that I had not gotten a shampoo bar, I used it on my body and face… and all I can say is… wow. I love it and I have 6 bars now. Oh and it turns out you can use it on your hair (mainly scalp) but it’s very stripping (to me).
Key: I’m ready! I’m ready! LOL
nappity4b : I figured at like 2 bucks a product I couldn’t go wrong. And natural (or very close to natural) products are a plus for me J

Serenity_Peace : Thank you! LOL

Thanks to all you lovely ladies I will be trying these items both on hair and body and seeing what works for me and what doesn’t. I will be sure to keep you ladies updated!

 

[douglala]

Hi everyone!

I have some tips for some of you that may be having problems with hard hair when using Ayurvedic products. I have finally found a regimen that works for me, so here are some things that I have done that really helped. My hair does not get hard at all anymore when any mixture is in my hair, it is soft the whole way through.

Strain everything.

This sounds like common sense, but my dumb self used these mixtures straight Since I like to make my own teas, rinses, and oils from powders, it really helps to strain it before you use it.

Use 40:60 ratio of water and oil to make mixtures.

All of the rinses and teas I use in my hair are strained, and heavily diluted with oil and water. I still get the benefit of the powders without getting this stuff stuck in my hair. I tried making pastes but that just does not work at all. The more diluted the mixture, the better. The consistency is very watery.

Add these teas and rinses to oiled hair.

I know a lot of you oil your hair overnight with coconut oil or amla oil. I suggest not washing out the oil before adding the teas and rinses to your hair. It does not prevent the teas/rinses from working, and keeps your hair pliable and easy to work with, acting like a "buffer" against the mixtures.

Big thanks to Whimsy She suggested that I do the overnight oil treatment on dry hair as opposed to wet/damp hair. It really does work better. Although my hair uses a lot more oil when dry than when wet, my hair felt much softer doing it this way. Thanks, Whimsy!!

With that being said, here's my regimen. It's very low-maintenance and very very simple.

1. Apply Ayurvedic oil mixture to dry, dirty hair for 1 hour-overnight.
2. Apply Ayurvedic wash mixture to my hair for an hour (don't rinse out the oil that was in your hair previously).
3. Rinse out the Ayurveda wash mixture for 5 minutes with hot water.
4. Deep condition.
5. Rinse out with cold water.
6. Airdry.

I just named them this cuz I dunno what else to call them Nothing special, just a whole bunch of oils/powders that I mixed together.

Ayurvedic oil mixture: Dabur Amla Oil, Parachute Coconut Oil, Vatika Coconut Oil, Dabur Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Shikakai Oil

Ayurvedic wash mixture: I mix henna powder, indigo powder, amla powder, shikakai powder, neem powder and ritha powder in a bowl, maybe 2 tablespoons of each. Add 3 cups of water and let this sit overnight. The next day, strain it very well and add 2 cups of the Ayurvedic oil mixture. Pour this mixture in a bottle and use it as needed. This last me 6-8 washes. The only time I get in the shower is to rinse out the conditioner, I hate jumping in and out of the shower.

I will be adding more oils and powders as I buy more things I just get the benefit from everything by mixing them all together, no need to do separate treatments. I hope this helps you guys out.

Remember, K.I.S.S.!!!!!

I LOVE your regimen. I WILL be borrowing it.....
And your hair looks awesome in your siggy!!

 

[douglala]

What are you ladies using as a leave in?

 

[nappity]

Hello ladies
I want to respond to everyone but I don’t know how to do the quotes with the names attached so I will have to do it the old fashion way J
wannabelong: yup yup I am I am J
Puddles: Hello J I obtained these items from a local (as in 30 mins away L ) Indian food mart. Yes that is a shikakai bar for hair and skin.
Puddles: Hello, The orange peel powder I often see in natural hair/skin product ingredients so I thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have around (cheap too). You can see that the box still has its $1.99 price tag on it J The very first time I stepped into an Indian mart I saw the medimix soap and saw that it said “Ayurvedic soap with 18 herbs clinically proven to help skin problems” and though I don’t have any skin problems I did remember the word ayurvedic on LHCF so I thought that was what I was suppose to get! LOL turns out with some research that it is really for use on the body and face so… although a little disappointed that I had not gotten a shampoo bar, I used it on my body and face… and all I can say is… wow. I love it and I have 6 bars now. Oh and it turns out you can use it on your hair (mainly scalp) but it’s very stripping (to me).
Key: I’m ready! I’m ready! LOL
nappity4b : I figured at like 2 bucks a product I couldn’t go wrong. And natural (or very close to natural) products are a plus for me J

Serenity_Peace : Thank you! LOL

Thanks to all you lovely ladies I will be trying these items both on hair and body and seeing what works for me and what doesn’t. I will be sure to keep you ladies updated!

You aint right!! And yes please post what works- we collectively do get it together on more than one occasion (LOL) As a recommendation Kiesha regimine is very good!
@douglala
My leave in of choice is Giovanni Direct- I then seal with either Vatika or Amla&Hibiscus oil

 

[kiesha8185]

What are you ladies using as a leave in?

Thanks I'm all about keeping it simple when it come to my hair now.

Lately, I've been realizing that I don't need a leave-in since I've been on this ayurveda reggie. But I've been adding Fermodyl 619 as my leave-in.

Between washes I use my beloved NTM Silk Touch, which is only thing I put in my hair during the week.

 

[Jetblackhair]

Hi everyone!

I have some tips for some of you that may be having problems with hard hair when using Ayurvedic products. I have finally found a regimen that works for me, so here are some things that I have done that really helped. My hair does not get hard at all anymore when any mixture is in my hair, it is soft the whole way through.

Strain everything.

This sounds like common sense, but my dumb self used these mixtures straight Since I like to make my own teas, rinses, and oils from powders, it really helps to strain it before you use it.

Use 40:60 ratio of water and oil to make mixtures.

All of the rinses and teas I use in my hair are strained, and heavily diluted with oil and water. I still get the benefit of the powders without getting this stuff stuck in my hair. I tried making pastes but that just does not work at all. The more diluted the mixture, the better. The consistency is very watery.

Add these teas and rinses to oiled hair.

I know a lot of you oil your hair overnight with coconut oil or amla oil. I suggest not washing out the oil before adding the teas and rinses to your hair. It does not prevent the teas/rinses from working, and keeps your hair pliable and easy to work with, acting like a "buffer" against the mixtures.

Big thanks to Whimsy She suggested that I do the overnight oil treatment on dry hair as opposed to wet/damp hair. It really does work better. Although my hair uses a lot more oil when dry than when wet, my hair felt much softer doing it this way. Thanks, Whimsy!!

With that being said, here's my regimen. It's very low-maintenance and very very simple.

1. Apply Ayurvedic oil mixture to dry, dirty hair for 1 hour-overnight.
2. Apply Ayurvedic wash mixture to my hair for an hour (don't rinse out the oil that was in your hair previously).
3. Rinse out the Ayurveda wash mixture for 5 minutes with hot water.
4. Deep condition.
5. Rinse out with cold water.
6. Airdry.

I just named them this cuz I dunno what else to call them Nothing special, just a whole bunch of oils/powders that I mixed together.

Ayurvedic oil mixture: Dabur Amla Oil, Parachute Coconut Oil, Vatika Coconut Oil, Dabur Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Shikakai Oil

Ayurvedic wash mixture: I mix henna powder, indigo powder, amla powder, shikakai powder, neem powder and ritha powder in a bowl, maybe 2 tablespoons of each. Add 3 cups of water and let this sit overnight. The next day, strain it very well and add 2 cups of the Ayurvedic oil mixture. Pour this mixture in a bottle and use it as needed. This last me 6-8 washes. The only time I get in the shower is to rinse out the conditioner, I hate jumping in and out of the shower.

I will be adding more oils and powders as I buy more things I just get the benefit from everything by mixing them all together, no need to do separate treatments. I hope this helps you guys out.

Remember, K.I.S.S.!!!!!

Thanks Kiesha for a lot of great information! I notice you use indigo powder in your mix. Do you use this to keep your hair dark or does it have another benefit?

I like dark hair, well jetblack, so I'm wondering if I should use indigo in my mix.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

bumping this thread up for ladies who are still in the process of using their powders and oils.

Okay ladies, it's been at least a good couple of months since people have been using the ayurveda regimes. Who here has GOTTEN GROWTH?

And I mean real growth here! Noticiable growth. Because the board is for growing longer hair, that's first and foremost.

So how about it ladies? Who here has had growth?

 

[Dposh167]

is it possible to prepoo w/ the indian oils w/ conditioner?

i only ask b/c I really hate to drench my fine/thin hair with oil before the rinse. i think it will weigh my hair down even when i'm done washing it out. so i was hoping that i can still oil my hair up but mix it with conditioner

 

[kiesha8185]

Thanks Kiesha for a lot of great information! I notice you use indigo powder in your mix. Do you use this to keep your hair dark or does it have another benefit?

I like dark hair, well jet black, so I'm wondering if I should use indigo in my mix.

I use it mainly to keep my hair dark, and stretch out actual henna, indigo applications.

 

[curlcomplexity]

Does anyone here use the Shikakai Bars for pooing? I think they are stripping my hair a little too clean....is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[Miss*Tress]

Does anyone here use the Shikakai Bars for pooing? I think they are stripping my hair a little too clean....is anyone else experiencing this?

A few people have reported back that the bars leave their hair feeling soft and conditioned.

Are you applying oil before you wash? It's important not to skip that step.

Shikakai bar testimonials
· Testimonial no. one
· Testimonial no. two
· Testimonial no. three (actually it's the aritha bar, but will give you an idea)

And finally Tell me about shikakai bar.

 

[almondjoi85]

I tried the shikakai shampoo bar first and fell in love. I made it my staple and knew I had to try to powders. I wash weekly and the night before I do not add any extra oils to my hair. I use vatika oil on my hair daily if it feels like it needs it.

• 1 heaping tablespoon shikakai mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of amla
• Stir in about 8 oz. hot water
• add a few more oz. cold water just to cool things down
• Slip an old knee high over the top of the cup
• rinse hair for 10 mins. with warm water
• pour mixture over hair
• immediately rinse it out for 10 mins.
• then co-wash and DC

*every 4th week wash with shikakai shampoo bar*

P.S. I love Candy_C! I follow her instructions.

 

[growingbrown]

I tried the shikakai shampoo bar first and fell in love. I made it my staple and knew I had to try to powders. I wash weekly and the night before I do not add any extra oils to my hair. I use vatika oil on my hair daily if it feels like it needs it.

• 1 heaping tablespoon shikakai mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of amla
• Stir in about 8 oz. hot water
• add a few more oz. cold water just to cool things down
• Slip an old knee high over the top of the cup
• rinse hair for 10 mins. with warm water
• pour mixture over hair
• immediately rinse it out for 10 mins.
• then co-wash and DC

*every 4th week wash with shikakai shampoo bar*

P.S. I love Candy_C! I follow her instructions.

I love Candy C method also. I just used Maka and Alma powder as rinses since I just relaxed last week. WOW My hair felt very moisturized just as Candy C said. I cw and dc with tressemme remoisturized conditioner (dc with tressemme and olive oil). I did airdried my hair tonight. I will do this twice a week alternating powders and will document my results up to my next relaxer ( I wont wait 18 weeks again)!

 

[miss Congeniality]

Well, I got my hands on some Chandrika soap. It was only $1.50, so why not try it. Right now, I am prepooing with amla oil. I will post what happens later.