Ayurveda for the mane

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Ayurveda for the mane

Friday, 26 November 2021 | Clelia Cecilia Angelon

Ayurveda for the mane

Clelia Cecilia Angelon suggests tapping into these herbs for hair that is healthy, shiny and voluminous

It is a time-tested fact that Ayurveda has solutions for all our skin, hair, body and wellness related woes. Playing an instrumental role in Ayurveda are some herbs and natural extracts that heal multiple conditions like blemishes, dark spots, greasy scalp, dandruff and more. Here are some herbs and natural extracts that can make our hair healthy shiny and voluminous.

AMLA

Amla contains a significant amount of fatty acids, approximately 60 per cent of linoleic acid and almost 29 per cent of oleic acid. Its Vitamin E content in the form of a-tocopherol, in addition to maleic acid and phyllanthin, are beneficial to hair.

Hairloss prevention

Essential fatty acids affect our hair metabolism to a great extent. The deficit of fatty acids essential has cutaneous manifestations such as scalp dermatitis, alopecia and hair de-pigmentation. These symptoms can be reversed by topical application of rich oils in linoleic acid.

In addition, the Vitamin E present in amla plays a key role in preventing hair loss, as it stimulates microcirculation of the scalp and recovers the dystrophic cells of the hair bulb. The acceleration of microcirculation is because vitamin E favours the recovery of movement of the veins and arteries, thus favouring its decongestion. This makes amla is suitable in formulating cosmetic products with an effect of anti-alopecia due to its high content of linoleic acid and vitamin E.

Hair conditioning

There is strong evidence that vitamin E may play an important role in protecting against hair damage caused by excessive heat and dryness as well as offering protection from breakage by brushing and chemical treatments.

Therefore, Amla is recommended in the formulation of cosmetic products with activities like hair conditioning, moisturising, fibre repair, hair colour protection and anti-alopecia.

HENNA

Henna has high concentrations of Gallic acid, beta-Sitosterol, coumarins, flavonoids, mucilages, terpenes, naphthoquinone and tannins with a wide range of medicinal and cosmetic properties.

A natural dye

Henna has naphthoquinones, like Lawsona or fern creek, which have colouring properties. Incidentally, some naphthoquinones are used in cosmetics as natural colourants. In addition to being an important fungicide, naphthoquinones bind with the thionic groups of keratin capillary, giving them a red-orange colour.

This makes henna useful in the formulation of cosmetic products with colouring activity for the hair.

Strenghthening activity

Henna, by its virtue of containing tannins and flavonoids, can strengthen the roots, reduce irritation to the scalp and strengthen the hair. In addition to it, the presence of mucilage moisturises it.

Antimicrobian activity

Naphthoquinones have antibacterial and fungicidal properties. The presence of naphthoquinones in wood from certain trees allows us to understand the resistance of their wood to fungi, insects and, in general, to xylophagous organisms.

In addition, henna also has tannins in its composition. The tannins are capable of precipitating extracellular enzymes secreted by infectious microorganisms thanks to their activity astringent. This is why it means that these compounds have the ability to fight damage caused by these microorganisms. This makes henna useful in formulating cosmetic products with purification and antiseptic.

Antioxidant activity

Many tannins, especially hydrolyzable tannins, inhibit lipid peroxidation by ADP and acid ascorbic in rat liver mitochondria. In vitro, they are free radical scavengers, inhibitors of superoxide ion formation.

Flavonoids have antioxidant activity, which depends primarily on your ability to reduce free radicals and metal chelates, avoiding free radical catalytic reactions. Henna is highly recommended in the formulation of cosmetic products intended to protect the skin and hair from oxidative processes.

(The author is the founder & CEO of Surya Brasil.)

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