CAUSES OF DANDRUFF (1)

Experts could not agree on the causes of dandruff. However, most experts do agree that it is not caused by poor hygiene. They noticed dandruff commonly occur when there is an overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus called malassezia. This fungus grows on the scalp of all people and usually do not cause any problem. It feeds on the oils our hair follicles secrete. Dandruff formed when excessive amounts of dead skin tissues build up on the scalp and mix with the natural oils there.

So what conditions trigger this fungus to go wild, irritate our skin and stimulate our body to respond by producing extra skin tissues?

Malassezia is one of a number of possible contributors to dandruff.

Other possible causes are:

• Chemicals   and allergens
• Inadequate hair combing / brushing
• Stress
• Hormones
• Diet
• Climate
• Infection
• Seborrheic dermatitis
• Certain illnesses

Chemicals   and allergens

People react differently to chemicals and ingredients in hair care products. Try switching to another hair care product to see whether your dandruff, inflammation and itchiness persist.  If you intend to consult a doctor or dermatologist, bring along your hair care products to check whether any possible ingredient that may be the culprit. Some ingredients that may give allergic reaction are hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, SLS (Sodium lauryl sulfate), Propylene glycol, quaternium-15, balsam of Peru etc. Preservatives and fragrances are the two biggest allergens. Preservatives are further sub—divided into antimicrobials, antioxidants and ultraviolet light absorbers.

Repeated exposure to allergens or irritants can lead to the skin to become dry, thicken and scaly. An acute reaction gives rise to rashes and sometimes, small fluid filled blisters.

Visit the Environmental Working Group database for more information on ingredients in hair and skin care products: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/research

Homemade dandruff recipes:

FIGHT DANDRUFF NATURALLY (W1) - Homemade shampoo

An anti-dandruff conditioner:

SOOTHING CONDITIONING HAIR RINSE

(To be continued)

USES OF GELATIN

Gelatin as Binder

Gelatin is protein that has broken down into its component amino acids through boiling or action of enzymes. When you mix gelatin powder with a little water, it feels sticky. Some people use this sticky substance as glue.

In ancient times, the Chinese use gelatin to stick paper on the Chinese flute. When the glue hardened, it stiffened and strengthened the paper. In modern times it is occasionally used to size and strengthen paper such as   some glossy printing papers, artistic papers, playing cards, and it maintains the wrinkles in crêpe paper.

It is used as a binder in match heads and sandpaper.

Besides using it as adhesives, it is found it in deodorants, dyes and fabrics. You can use this very same sticky and stiffening   quality of gelatin to thicken fine hair, style and keep hair in place. Synchronized swimmers apply gelatin to their hair since it does not dissolve in water.

RECIPE

HOMEMADE HAIR GEL: Mix unflavored gelatin powder into a paste with tepid/cool water. Stir while you pour in boiling water, fragrant herbal tea or hydrosol. A clear gel will form and thicken when cool. Store in a bottle with well-fitting lid/cover and keep in the fridge. It can keep for about a week. Use 1 part gelatin to 5 -8 parts liquid.

Thickener & Stabilizer

Gelatin and partially hydrolyzed protein is a thickener and stabilizer. You can find it in food, shampoo, hair styling products, hair conditioner, face cleanser, face mask as well as other cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Gelatin is also used in nail polish remover and makeup applications. The gelatin is often tinted in different colors to match the person’s natural skin tone. (Wikipedia)

RECIPE

NOURISHING FACE MASK: Mix 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder with 1 tablespoon of milk into a smooth paste. Stir in hot water (4 to 7 tablespoons). Microwave to heat up or put in a pan of simmering water and stir. Add in 1 tablespoon of mashed avocado or apricot. If you have oily skin, use mashed berry or tangerine flesh instead. Leave to cool, apply on clean, washed face.  Avoid eye and mouth areas. Leave on for 25 to 35 minutes, and then wipe off with dampened cotton balls. Wash with cool water.

Film former

It is a film former so it is used as a coating for photographic film and photographic paper.

Next time you pop your vitamin pill, take a look at the capsule. It may be made of gelatin.

RECIPE

BLACKHEAD REMOVER:  Mix 1.5 tablespoon of milk into 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin. Stir into a smooth paste and put into a pan of simmering water. Cover pan or the container with a glass cover so you can see when the gelatin is ready. The gelatin will swell up. Switch off fire. While the milk-gelatin is still warm, apply on blackhead area with a cotton ball or sponge. (Clean your face thoroughly beforehand)  Wait till the gelatin has hardened completely and peel off.

Clarifier

Suspended sediments in wine and beer make them look cloudy. Manufacturers add gelatin to their product to make it look crystal clear. Gelatin, which carries a positive electrical charge, attracts negatively suspended particles like a magnet. The particle-laden gelatin sinks to the bottom when it becomes too heavy dragging other particles with it. Manufacturers may use other sources of protein such as albumen (from egg white), casein (from milk), Isinglass (from fish), chitin (Chitosan),   in this ‘fining’ process.

Gelatin also reduces the astringency of wine.

You can use it to clarify juices and vinegar as well.

Chitin & Chitosan

Chitosan is hydrolyzed form of chitin, a substance extracted from crustaceans and mollusks such as prawns, crabs, lobsters, octopus   and squids. It is the main component of the cell wall of fungi and exists in insect.

In terms of structure, chitin may be compared to the polysaccharide cellulose of plants but with addition of nitrogen within the structure. It functions like the protein, ‘keratin’. Surgeons sew up patients with biodegradable surgical thread made from chitin.

Some farmers spray their crops with chitosan to naturally induce systemic resistance (ISR) against disease, pathogens and pests.

According to Wikipedia, “separation membranes and ion-exchange media can be made from chitin.  ”

CASSIA RECIPES TO STRENGTHEN & CONDITION HAIR

There is a ‘Mom & Pop’ grocery store in my area that sells coconuts and grates the chosen coconut for its customers. When I want coconut with a lot of oil, I would choose a very mature nut. At home, I placed the grated coconut flesh in a muslin bag to squeeze out the coconut milk. The milk from the first extraction is very rich and thick. 50 percent of coconut flesh comprises lauric acid (a.k.a dodecanoic acid), a fatty acid that is found in smaller quantities in human breast milk. Another fatty acid called capric acid has pharmaceutical and medical uses.

For the second round of extraction, I mixed a little water with the grated coconut before squeezing it into a separate bowl. Normally, milk from the second round of extraction is used for cooking.

Let’s use coconut milk in our first cassia recipe.  If you do not have fresh coconut, use the packaged variety instead. Alternatively, use warm water, honey water or brew a pot of herbal tea to dissolve the cassia powder.

Check out ‘GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [3] - Skincare herbs’ for herbs and their properties.

Do NOT use metal utensils to hold and mix your recipes. Use inert materials such as glass/porcelain/wood/bamboo instead.

Cassia for dry hair

POWDER INGREDIENTS:

3 parts cassia powder

1 part amla powder

LIQUID INGREDIENT:

Warm coconut milk

A little oil with ceramides (See previous article)

Essential oil of your choice for fragrance (optional)

METHOD

• Warm up coconut milk from first extraction. (It should not be boiling hot. Boiling first extraction can result in separation of oil and water.)
  
  
• Place Ingredient 1 into a bowl/container. Pour in warm coconut milk and oil gradually, stirring to mix into a paste with pancake batter / yogurt consistency. Wait for 30 minutes.
  (If the weather is cold, place container into a pan of hot water and cover)
  
  
• After 30 minutes, stir in fragrance and spoon cassia batter into a squeeze bottle with enough quantity for one treatment.
  
  
• Put excess cassia batter into container with well- fitting lid and store in the freezer.

Applying cassia treatment

This process may be quite messy if you are doing it for the first time. Thankfully, cassia is not as staining as henna.

1. Apply cassia batter in your bathroom, just before you take a bath.
   
   
2. Divide your hair into sections. If you have long hair, clip up your hair according to section.
   
   
3. Use the squeeze bottle to apply cassia from root of the hair to tip of the hair section-by-section, starting from the back of the head.
   
   
4. When you have finished, cover hair with shower cap and let hair marinate for between 30 minutes to one hour.
   
   
5. Take your beauty bath.
   
   
6. After your hair has marinated long enough, wash off cassia batter. Use your fingers to help to remove residue from the hair.
   
   
7. Wash until all residues are gone.

Note:

You can either apply cassia treatment before or after you have washed your hair.

Depending on hair type, a cassia treatment can last between one to three weeks.

Your hair should feel soft and lustrous. If it feels dry, apply a light coating of oil on the dry parts.

Condition and thicken hair

Cassia-Fenugreek Mask

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp. cassia powder

1 tsp. fenugreek powder

LIQUID INGREDIENT

Warm water or herbal tea

Essential oil of your choice for fragrance (optional)

METHOD

1. Soak fenugreek powder in 2 tablespoon of very warm water for several hours until mucilage is released.
   
   
2. Mix fenugreek mucilage and warm water/warm herbal tea with cassia powder into yogurt consistency. Wait for 30 minutes.
   (If the weather is cold, place container into a pan of hot water and cover)
   
   
3. After 30 minutes, stir in fragrance and spoon cassia batter into a squeeze bottle and use immediately.

[Refer to ‘ADD MORE BODY TO YOUR HAIR’ for other ingredients and ideas you can add to cassia powder to thicken your hair.]

If you have very greasy, dirty hair, wash your hair before cassia treatment.  For liquid ingredients, besides warm water or herbal water, you can use juices of acidic fruits such as orange or diluted lime/lemon juice, diluted vinegar or citric acid.

Acid can breakdown protein molecules into shorter chains. It is one of the substances to hydrolyze protein. However, the short span of time recommended in the conditioner recipe is not likely to breakdown the protein in cassia. For benefits of acid in a conditioner, refer to PH AND YOUR HAIR.

Check the pH of your preparation to ensure it is not too acidic.

HAIR STRENGTHENERS - Ceramides & Horsetail

Horsetail is good for people with weak hair, prone to split ends or hair fall. Try a horsetail tea rinse after washing your hair. If you have dry hair, follow up by applying ceramides oil on your strands. Give your hair a double boost by taking horsetail internally. You can get the herb from some health food stores.

CERAMIDES

Ceramides oil is the glue that binds to proteins through sharing electrons. The Ceramides oils found in polyunsaturated fats glue down the hair cuticle thus preventing the scales from being entangled with neighboring scales and breaking off. The oil form a protective film on each strand of hair, thus preventing moisture lost. Examples of oils with ceramides are grape seed oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, carrot tissue oil, sunflower oil and   safflower oil. Sunflower and safflower oils come in two varieties: one is high in monounsaturated fats and the other is high in polyunsaturated fats.  Use the polyunsaturated variety if you want the benefits of Ceramides oils.

Apply a light coating of the oil on the tips and dry parts of your hair. This allows the oil to penetrate the core of your hair yet do not completely block out water from entering to moisturize the cortex.

Research

Research indicates chemically treated hair, e.g. bleaching or straightening, benefits most from using ceramides. This type of hair is damaged and weakened due to chemical treatment. Chemicals strip hair of its natural protective oil and weaken protein structure both internally and externally. Ceramides penetrate into the cortex to support and strengthen hair internally whereas protein patches up broken cuticles of the hair externally. To a certain extent, hydrolyzed protein can penetrate your hair strands as well. The advantage of ceramides is the oil can be left on the hair whereas protein is left on the hair for a short time and then it is washed off. The result of using these hair strengtheners is your hair become more resistant to breakage.

For maximum benefit, your hair need a combination of lipids (fats) namely ceramides, 18 methyl eicosanoic acid or 18 MEA and Cholesterol. Research on skin suggests that there must be a balance of all three fats in order for a ceramides-containing product to be effective in healing the skin. Therefore, do not rely on only one type of lipid to lubricate and strengthen your hair or skin.

HORSETAIL (Equisetum arvense)

Horsetail is high in silica and minerals that are necessary for the growth and repair of skin, hair, bones, cartilage, teeth and connective tissue. It has many forms of silica, such as silicin, which IS soluble in water.

Use this herb if you have weak hair, prone to split ends or hair fall. It increases hair strength and luster as well as   control hair loss.

This herb is suitable for oily hair as it is drying and astringent. 

Make a tea with dried horsetail as an after-wash rinse.

HORSETAIL TEA RINSE

• Simmer 2 tablespoon dried horsetail in 1 liter of water or steep it in water overnight. You can add in slippery elm if you like to add more slip for your hair. Horsetail works synergistically with stinging nettle for hair lost, dandruff and irritated scalp. Nettle also provides conditioning for your hair.

• Strain out residues and use tea as an after-wash rinse.  

A TREAT FOR YOUR HAIR THE AYURVEDA WAY

You can pamper your hair with an Ayurvedic treat each week to keep it healthy and beautiful. The basic procedure is easy to remember, but you will have to set aside time and preferably do it in an unhurried, stress-free environment.

Here is the basic procedure:

•Condition your hair with oil.

•Wash hair.

•Apply nutritious, herbal oil on hair when it has dried.

In addition, you can give your scalp a relaxing massage. A 1998 study found that massaging the scalp with a combination of several essential oils in a base of jojoba and grape seed oils improved new hair growth for 44 percent of patients suffering from alopecia areata (patchy hair loss). The report stated one patient dramatically completely regrew hair from an almost completely bald scalp!

1. CONDITION

Oils suitable for all hair types are sunflower, jojoba and olive oil.

If you have dandruff or infected scalp, add neem, clove, eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

•Vata hair: sesame / apricot / avocado / almond oil

•Pitta hair: coconut / grape seed / rice bran oil

•Kapha hair: olive / sesame / grape seed / soy / safflower oil.

In cold weather, you can add mustard oil to any of the above oils to warm the scalp.

2. WASH

You can add any one or a blend of the following ingredients to wash hair:

MAIN INGREDIENTS

Shikakai (Acacia concinna), soapnut / soapberry / soapbark / soaproot (There are a number of plants traditionally used as soap around the world so use what is available to you.), tea and vinegar

SECONDARY INGREDIENTS

Add any of the following ingredients to the main ingredients:

Besan powder (Chickpea/garbanzo flour milled from hulled roasted chickpea [Cicer arietinum])

Amla powder (Indian gooseberry, Emblica officinalis)

Hibiscus powder (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Gram flour [black (urad dal) / red (toor dal) / green (mung bean) ]

LIQUID MEDIUM

Mix above ingredients in a liquid medium such as milk, yogurt or warm water. The warm water helps to dissolve oil better.

For some bath recipes that uses soapnut, go to:

 GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [2]- Bath recipes 

Herbs that enhance skincare are also good for your hair. They may balance sebum production, have antiseptic properties, reduces inflammation or mitigate some of the damaging effects of the sun. Such herbs can be added to your hair wash or conditioner. You may use either fresh or dried herbs. Ready-made hydrosols, oils or essential oils are convenient choices as well.

If your hair needs another oiling after wash, use any of above oils stated in ‘1. Condition’ as base oil and add any of the following ingredients:

Sandalwood, coriander, bhringaraj, rose, rosemary, holy basil and lemongrass.

Certain herbs and oils are especially helpful to specific hair types although they may be used by other doshas.

•Vata skin benefits from the oils of Sea buckthorn, walnut, jojoba and vetiver .

•Herbs particularly helpful for Pitta hair are jasmine, sandalwood and brahmi.

•Kapha hair may benefit from occasional application of oil infusions with black pepper, nutmeg and/or cinnamon. These are warming herbs with antiseptic properties and help to improve sluggish circulation, which kapha constitution is prone.

•apply black seed/ black cumin seed oil either on its own or blended with another oil.

That’s quite a lot of herbs to choose from. The next step is to choose and use the herbs the Ayurveda way. If you feel overwhelmed by the choices, you can try Meera herbal hair wash and Meera conditioning oil. This is an ancient recipe using a blend of flowers and herbs such as shikakai, green gram, tulsi, vettiver, amla and much more. The recipe varies slightly among manufacturers. A word of caution: some unscrupulous manufacturers may use mineral oil and some man-made chemicals instead of using all natural ingredients. Therefore, read the ingredients list carefully before purchase.

MORE INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR HOMEMADE HAIR RECIPES

Ayurveda may consider hair to be  a byproduct of bone metabolism but the modern theory is that skin and hair are related. This is because a protein called keratin is an important component of both. Therefore, you can use many of the ingredients interchangeably.

Below are some articles from the main site, JUMBLEBOX HOME

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [1]

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/skincare1.html

(Check out the properties of ingredients in this page, which are suitable for both skin and hair.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [1]- sunscreen

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/sun.html

(Your hair need protection from damaging rays of the Sun. the oils in this page is good for both your skin and hair. The heavier oils act as sealant to prevent moisture from escaping whereas the lighter oil penetrates your hair to moisturize it. GRAPESEED oil has ceramides to fill in gaps in damaged hair.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [3]- TONER INGREDIENTS

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/toner2.html

(You can use many of the acidic ingredients mentioned in this article to balance the ph of your hair. If you have dry hair, avoid the strong astringent ingredients)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [4]- Oily Skin

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/moisturize3.html

(The ingredients and recipes in this article are suitable for oily to normal hair as well.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [3]- Skincare herbs

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/toner3.html

(Depending on the needs of your hair, look for herbs that are antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, improve elasticity, moisturizing, maintain ph and oil balance, improve circulation, antioxidant)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [2]- Bath recipes

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/bath2.html

(This article has some soapnut recipes)

Natural Homemade Moisturizer Recipes

This is the forth part of the series, ‘GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY’.  This series discusses the various skin types and provides recipes tailored to specific needs.

Among the various skin types, dry skin needs moisturizing most. A rich, nourishing moisturizer that protects the skin is most suitable for dry Vata skin type.

URL: http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/moisturize1.html

Sensitive skin needs moisturizer support as well. Cooling moisturizers that reduces inflammation is best for heat sensitive ‘Pitta’ skin type. When out in the sun, Pitta skin also requires a moisturizer with sun block capability.

URL: http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/moisturize2.html

Oily Kapha skin type is the most resistant to the ravages of the elements and premature aging. However, as one ages, there will be areas of dryness that needs lubrication with oil and other areas that can benefit from water-based hydration.

URL: http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/moisturize3.html