Ayurvedic Twist on Bentonite Treatment - For Clarifying and Strengthening

So for those of you who follow my posts, you will remember my bentonite treatment (here).  Well to kick off my ayurvedic series (actually my post on the cleansing with shikakai was the first post in this series), I am going to share something new.  Instead of the traditional recipe of mixing bentonite with a mildly acidic liquid like a citrus juice, apple cider vinegar, I am sharing my bentonite mix made with an herbal tea.

A lot of people use a regular herbal tea like chamomile - and I have used jasmine - to mix the bentonite (you can get creative with it).   But, as a part of incorporating time-tested ayurvedic herbs used for generations to care for hair, I mixed my bentonite powder with brahmi tea.  Brahmi is known to strengthen and condition hair. And I know what you're asking next:  'What do you mean by strengthening? What does brahmi actually do?'

Brahmi is the name of two types of herbs - which, I know, makes it confusing.  The brahmi I refer to here is also called gotu kola.  When not taken internally for memory-enhancing effects, it is primarily used as a treatment for hair loss and is known to stimulate hair growth.   It works as a 'strengthener' by smoothing and temporarily protecting the hair cuticle.  The effect is less tangling and theoretically hair that's less prone to breakage.  Because these results are of course temporary the reviews are that if you consistently use brahmi you will notice less breakage over time.
So between the clarifying benefits of the bentonite and the strengthening benefits of the brahmi, I get a clarifying and strengthening treatment in one!
Here goes:

Bentonite Treatment with Brahmi Tea

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1/4 cup brahmi powder

1 tspn ginseng powder

1 tspn aloe powder

1/2 tspn honey

1/2 cup bentonite clay powder

3 tspns marshmallow root powder (finely ground to prevent bits getting stuck in hair)

Instructions
(The recipe is similar to making the shikakai tea).
Bring water to a boil.  Once boiling, add brahmi powder, mix in and reduce heat to simmer.  Let simmer 5-10 minutes.  Bring mixture to boil again and once boiling, add ginseng  powder, reduce heat again and let simmer 2-3 minutes.  Bring mixture to boil a third time and as soon as mixture has begun to boil, add aloe powder.  Shut off heat.  Mix well and leave mixture covered for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Warning: My experience with aloe powder is that it is bitter and somewhat camphorous when boiling. So after I add aloe, I cover the pot, make sure my stove fan is on and remove mixture from heat right away. Expect a bitter smell in your kitchen for the first few minutes after adding aloe.

After mixture has been allowed to cool at least 4 hours, strain mixture and discard solids.  This recipe may make more than you need for your treatment (I got about two treatments out of it), so place mixture in a closed container and refrigerate what you do not use.
In a separate container, mix bentonite powder with marshmallow root powder.  Slowly, while mixing, pour in brahmi tea mixture.  Pour enough to get a soft mushy consistency (bentonite mix should be thick, slippery and soft for easy application, without being runny. See pics below). 
Add 1/2 tspn of honey and mix until treatment is smooth. Apply mixture soon after mixing because it will dry out.

My experience:  The marshmallow root powder I got, was not finely ground and I did not notice until after I had used this mixture for the first time.  The result was bits of straw-looking pieces in my hair after I rinsed.  Very annoying.  So my advice is to either make sure you get one that is finely ground (inspect it) or sift it through a sieve to hopefully get all the bigger pieces out.

I co-washed first (or you can shampoo, its up to you), detangled in the shower and applied the mixture.  The most important thing is to get it on your scalp and roots of your hair - its supposed to be a scalp/skin detoxifier (how it clarifies).  I gently massaged the mix unto my scalp and put on a shower cap because I did not want the mix to dry out on my hair.  All this is done while I am still in the shower. Once I am out of the shower, I leave the mix and my shower cap on for another 5 to 10 minutes and rinse with cool or if you can stand it, cold water - to help close/smooth the hair cuticle.

Remember, clay/mud mixes will dry out.  I recommend wearing a shower cap to prevent this and allow longer conditioning time.  If you choose not to wear a shower cap, rinse as soon as you feel the mixture getting sticky.

My hair felt squeaky clean after I rinsed but to get that slip, I briefly massaged a small amount of my commercial-brand deep conditioner through my strands and rinsed again with cool water.  After applying my homemade moisturizing mix, the result was super-soft hair and a cool-feeling scalp.  Here are some helpful pics:

Brahmi tea

Strain tea and discard solid portion

Pour tea (liquid) into sealable container

Apply tea to bentonite powder mix

Add honey to mixture

Ready to use

I really liked this spin on my bentonite clarifying treatment. I also found that I didn't need  to add oil like I usually do when I use citrus juice, to counter the drying effects of citrus. 

Oh, of note, I did massage my scalp with some oil before my co-wash. I think it was amla oil but I'm sure any oil would do.

The marshmallow root powder probably also had something to do with it because it acts as a humectant to hold moisture so the treatment did not dry out as fast. I'm going to continue using brahmi tea for my bentonite treatments in the next couple months and let you know if I notice unusual growth or reduction in breakage.

Shikakai Homemade Shampoo

Result after washing with Shikakai mix, then deep conditioning with my usual commercial-brand deep conditioner and applying a pureed mix of shea butter and gel:

Shikakai Shampoo Mix

Ingredients:

1.5 -2 cups water

1.5-2 tspns whole flaxseeds

1 tspn amla powder

¼ cup shikakai powder

½ tspn brahmi (gotu kola) powder

¼ tspn amla oil

½ tspn jojoba oil

1 tspn honey

¼ tspn neem oil (optional)

Fragrance oil (optional) (I used a Brown Sugar fragrance oil and it kind of cut the woody shikakai powder smell)

Note: The jojoba and amla oils are optional if your scalp tends to be oily. Mine is always dry and because I know the shikakai can be drying, the oils are a must for me.

Instructions:
Note: I have only used this recipe on hair that has been oiled overnight.  If I know I'm going to shampoo the next day, I apply my pre-shampoo hot oil treatment (see recipe here) the night before.  Then on the day of, I apply any oil that can be absorbed into hair (usually coconut oil, sometimes olive oil).  I don't recommend applying to hair that has not been pre-oiled even if you tend to have oily scalp but adjust recipe as needed.


Bring water to boil in a clean pot, once boiling, add flaxseeds.  Let boil 3-4 minutes then reduce heat to simmer.  Add amla powder and let simmer another 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes add shikakai powder and bring to boil again.  As soon as mixture begins to boil shut off heat and let cool for 4 hours or overnight.


When ready for use, bring mixture to boil again, and as soon as mixture begins to boil, add brahmi powder, stir and immediately shut off heat.  Cover and let mixture cool.  Once mixture is warm, strain mixture and discard solids (I strain twice to ensure all solids are removed).  Add the following remaining ingredients to the remaining liquid: amla oil, jojoba oil, neem oil (optional) and honey.  You may add a drop or two of tea tree or cajeput oil in place of neem oil for antibacterial properties. Mix well. Pour mixture into bottle or other sealable container.  This recipe will make enough for at least two uses depending on the length of your hair. Use and refrigerate the rest. Make sure to shake well before each use.

To use on hair:
Hair should be dry or mildly damp (except for pre-poo oils). Part hair into small sections and apply directly to scalp making sure to saturate scalp.  If hair is long, apply some directly to hair to coat as well.  Use as little as possible to saturate. Massage gently into scalp and let sit for about 5-10 minutes (I put on a shower cap to prevent dripping). After this time, gently massage scalp before rinsing the shikakai mix out of hair.  Rinse well to make sure there is no residue left in your hair. Apply conditioner.  If your hair tends to be dry, be sure to deep condition.
Warning: this treatment is messy! Be prepared to have a messy towel and possibly messy clothes, like I did. Next time I will use in the shower. :)
 The pics below might help:

Strain mixture

Strained solid and liquid portions

Mix in remaining ingredients

Pour liquid mixture into sealable container

Note soapy consistency after shaking

Ayurvedic Series to Come

Additions to my current regimen: Oiling my scalp once, sometimes twice a day with a mixture of these oils:
Hemp Seed Oil
Jojoba Oil
Black Castor Oil
Olive Oil (I think, I can't remember)
And a few drops of spearmint essential oil because the hemp seed oil mixed with the castor oil has an overwhelmingly nutty scent to me.

Anyway, on to the point of this post: I've come to appreciate that the quality of the hair I grow will depend on how healthy my scalp is.  So I thought, what if I upped what I'm doing for my scalp, optimize my scalp cleansing and moisturizing regimen with time tested ayurvedic oils and treatments?  Would it affect the growth of my hair?  Would I see an increase in growth rate or notice healthier, thicker new growth?

We all know fine, brittle hair is prone to breakage.
But did you know that hair does not only become fine and brittle as a result of chemical treatments or harsh products or lack of moisture?
It can grow out of our heads that way!
Yes, the quality of the hair we grow at different points in time, also depends on our diet, hydration, stress levels and how healthy (balanced) our scalps are.

So with this news, I am going to start a regimen series - I will call it the Ayurvedic Series because I am tapping into the centuries-old, tried and true techniques from places like Asia, India and Africa  and applying them to my hair care process.  I will also be treating my scalp as gently as I treat the skin on my face which I am very discerning about - I mean, its my face!
You know sometimes we don't treat our scalps as well as we should.  We scratch it with combs to get rid of  'flakes;' we scrub it with our nails....  I mean how ironic is it that we baby the hair that grows out of our scalps but treat the source of the hair, our scalps, like we would the bottom of our feet?  (Not sure about my analogy but you get my drift...)

And don't worry I will share my treatments, instructions on how I did it - everything.

The treatments will center around  including the use of extracts (in the form of oils, powders) from the following plants in my haircare regimen:

• Amla - historically used to strengthen and condition hair

• Henna - historically used to strengthen hair

• Ginseng - historically known to improve hair growth

• Brahmi - historically known to improve hair growth

• Shikakai - historically used to cleanse scalp

• Tamanu - historically used and known for its regenerative properties

• Neem - historically used and known for its antimicrobial properties

• And some great oils I can't remember too much of right now but will list in the treatments I will use them in.

I will continue to post on this topic.