Using Indian Herbs and Oils to grow, Grow, GROW!

**ChloeDharma** · January 23rd, 2009, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by HotRag

I can't describe this smell very easy.

But I think it smells good (great even). Combination of flower and a bit of the smell of "mixed Indian herbs" (like when going in to a Indian store, the smell that tells you it is Indian).
Mostly flower though. I like the smell, it is nice and "round", not any like citrus- or rosemary-like more sharp smells.

But - this is when I smell the oil when the coconut is not melted. Maybe some other smell is in the bottom and will be noticed when I warm the oil up.
If so, I will report an update on the smell.

I love that oil, and i got in a panic when i thought it had been replaced with their mahabhringraj formula which contains mineral oil.
The smell is very hard to describe isn't it, i like it and found the more i used it the more i grew to like the smell. It's very Indian smelling, but i also notice a hint f rose coming through and a woman i was speaking to when i had heavily oiled hair with it said rose was the strongest smell she noticed.
I do it before bed and find it definately helps give a good nights sleep. I have posted my results with it in a few threads, but basically while using it my hair shot from waist to hipength very fast and my ponytail circumference ncreased by 150%, although i was also herb washing and using the oil constantly leaving it in for days at a time without washing it out but adding more each night with a scalp massage.
The first time i used it i also had a headache and i found the oil gave a very soothing tingle feeling and the headache went fast.

Other hesh oils i like are the heenara oil and the almondol, i use the heenara oil post wash and it leaves a beautiful scent to my hair that stays for ages.

**HotRag** · January 23rd, 2009, 04:32 AM

ChloeDharma, do you cover your hair with something when you sleep with oil? If so, what do you cover with?

If I can get the oil to be put on scalp without making hair look greasy, I would be glad to use it often (if it is good to my scalp).
I have tried oiling my scalp sometime before, but to get enough reaching scalp, I had to have greasy looking hair.

In my lengths, I always have rather much oil, protecting and help keep moisture.
But I only wash once a week, and have thought about "can oil get rancid in my lengths"...

**ChloeDharma** · January 23rd, 2009, 05:01 AM

Hotrag, i have to admit i don't cover my hair to sleep, though i should invest in a sleep cap. I used to use a towel but i found it tended to get scrunched up with my moving about in my sleep, plus i was worried it was a bit rough.
One way around it is to use a specific pillow when sleeping with oiled hair.
I also do oil the length at the same time as my scalp but i don't mind going out with heavily oiled hair, i just slick it back so it acts like a styling aid. The rancid thing i wondered about and i do notice after a few days it changes smell a bit, but using oils like hesh bhringraj that have a strong smell covers that anyway and keeps it quite fresh.
I'm not sure how to oil the scalp without it getting on the length, i guess those little droplet things like you get for putting ear drops in the ears could be used but i think it would still look oily near the roots as it would transfer down the shaft a little and massaging would distribute it too.

**eaglefeather71** · January 23rd, 2009, 06:39 AM

This oil sounds so good! I'm about to be enabled... I think I'll definetly get it next time I need to order more Hesh products, but it will HAVE to wait until then (fussing at myself so I don't get too tempted). It would be so great if our local health food stores would carry these products. I don't have an indian store anywhere near me

. ChloeDharma, have you ever used Vatika? If so, how does it compare? Also, are you still using Indian Herbs and Oils?

**HotRag** · January 23rd, 2009, 08:07 AM

Update:
First I had to melt the oil, so I put it in warm water.

I then used a droplet to distribute the oil. I got 10 small plastic droplets with the mail today, very good timing.
Rather much was used to get all over the scalp, and then it began to distribute itself some inches from scalp out on hairs.
The droplet made most of the oil get on the scalp first, distributing oils with fingertips has never done that.

I have had it in for some hours now, and it feels really good (son is holding his nose though...).

Hair looks really greasy, no way I can go out like this (to see others). I wouldn't manage to make any do that can explain this LOL

Maybe I should try to use less oil next time.

**eaglefeather71** · January 23rd, 2009, 01:06 PM

Here's a better idea of what my hair looks like on a regular basis, no special posing, just in the middle of a work day. This is after the "Super Soapnut Wash" and a tiny bit of Jojoba. As you can see, my hair really doesn't like post-oiling, even the smallest amount makes it flat stringy hair.

**ChloeDharma** · January 23rd, 2009, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by eaglefeather71

This oil sounds so good! I'm about to be enabled... I think I'll definetly get it next time I need to order more Hesh products, but it will HAVE to wait until then (fussing at myself so I don't get too tempted). It would be so great if our local health food stores would carry these products. I don't have an indian store anywhere near me

. ChloeDharma, have you ever used Vatika? If so, how does it compare? Also, are you still using Indian Herbs and Oils?

Hi Eaglefeather
Yes i use the vatika coconut oil, i love it on my length but i've not used it consistantly enough on my scalp to say whether it gives the same benefits i found with the bhrinhraj oil as i specifically wanted the benefits of that herb, although i don't find the bhringraj oil as conditioning as the vatika oil, just better on my scalp.
I still am using the oils with Indian herbs in but haven't been using herb washing much recently but not because i've been disatisfied with them and do plan on using them again (i have a huge stack of them still).

**eaglefeather71** · January 23rd, 2009, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by ChloeDharma

Hi Eaglefeather
Yes i use the vatika coconut oil, i love it on my length but i've not used it consistantly enough on my scalp to say whether it gives the same benefits i found with the bhrinhraj oil as i specifically wanted the benefits of that herb, although i don't find the bhringraj oil as conditioning as the vatika oil, just better on my scalp.
I still am using the oils with Indian herbs in but haven't been using herb washing much recently but not because i've been disatisfied with them and do plan on using them again (i have a huge stack of them still).

Great to know, I'm definetly going to get some of the bhrinhraj as soon as I am able to. It sounds great!

**ChloeDharma** · January 23rd, 2009, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by eaglefeather71

Great to know, I'm definetly going to get some of the bhrinhraj as soon as I am able to. It sounds great!

The annoying thing about it is you have to find Indian grocers that sell it, and then the price really varies. On spicesofindia.co.uk it's something like £3.25 or £3.50, but then i saw the same oil in a shop for £1.50. Same with the vatika coconut oil, i should mention i've not tried their new formula vatika coconut oil yet, but as an aside, the vatika oil makes a lovely body oil and massage oil, i find myself using it most after a shower actually.
A word of warning, dabur do a vatika olive oil, but it contains mineral oil so if you are avoiding that it's best to avoid it.

**HotRag** · January 23rd, 2009, 01:58 PM

I have done my wash by now, hair is drying.

The oil was wonderful on my scalp, and after the wash, it looked even better (how that is possible) than after my successful egg wash. I will definitively keep using this.
My scalp feels and looks really REALLY wonderful, and the hair near scalp is soo soft.

On my lengths I did a coconut milk soaking for half an hour before washing. It felt good until I was totally done. Then ends felt dry and not dry at the same time. Is this maybe "crunchy".
My lengths seams to like oils that are liquid in rooms temperature.
Now when hair is more dry, it feels not as dry anymore.

Then I washed with my homemade decyl glucose shampoo. It is really good. As gentle as CO but with no waxes. Leaves hair not at all dry as SLS.

After wash, I did a catnip infusion treatment with the recopy that ktani uses.
I MAY have worked better this time, but I am not sure, because I didn't detangle my hair upside down (had coconut milk in it before - didn't use brain).

Before detangling I had some camellia oil (Oshima Tsubaki) on ends.
That oil is really great on my lengths and ends.

The best after wash treatment I have done so far, is SMT where conditioner is switched to yogurt, and have some oil added.

Sorry, a lot of this is OT and not about Indian herbs, but I wanted to describe the whole process (and tell about my good experience with yogurt

)

About the main subject - I will not be able to bhringraj oil more than once a week, due to me not want to wash hair more often, and not wanting to have so much oil on root hair.