Rejuvenate your hair with simple DIY shikakai masks

Herbal care is one of the best methods to protect the natural texture and sheen of hair. While several homegrown ingredients and herbs are available to make your mane lustrous, one herb that has been passed down generations is shikakai. Shikakai helps keep hair healthy and nourished.

■ Shikakai and Amla Powder: Breakage and split ends are an everyday concern thanks to the stress and pollution that our hectic work schedule exposes us to. A go-to solution to protect your hair from root to tip is a blend of shikakai and amla. Blend together half a cup each of shikakai and amla powder with lukewarm water to make a paste. Apply it to your hair and leave it for 30 minutes. Then wash with cold water. Repeated every alternate day, it helps improve overall hair health.

Shikakai and Curd: Curd is truly a miracle potion for hair care. But it can’t do the trick in isolation. When blended with ingredients like fenugreek, shikakai, amla and olive/argan oil, it helps fight dandruff. Mix 1 tablespoon each of fenugreek powder, shikakai, amla powder, argan/olive oil with a cup of curd. Let the mixture rest for 2-3 hours and apply it on your scalp working towards the ends. After 30 minutes, rinse hair with cold water. Maintain this routine on a weekly basis to restore scalp health.

Shikakai and Coconut Oil: Who wouldn’t love a hot oil massage followed by a refreshing hair wash? Many of us tend to skip the routine owing to paucity of time. A quick solution is a coconut oil-shikakai hair mask.

Mix one tablespoon each of shikakai and amla powders with two tablespoons of heated coconut oil and leave it for three hours. Warm the mixture, strain the oil and massage it directly onto your scalp and leave it for 30 minutes before rinsing it with normal water. The routine can be followed.

■ Wholesome Mask:

Mix a tablespoon of shikakai with a teaspoon each of neem powder, tulsi powder, rose petal powder and fenugreek powder with one cup of curd and a tablespoon of olive oil. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes and then apply the mask on your scalp. Leave it for 30 minutes, wash your hair with normal water and shikakai powder.