The recent renewed interest in the ancient Indian art of hair oiling is no exception. It is part of the ancient practice of Ayurveda, the science of healthy living, which originated in civilizations in India more than 5,000 years ago making it the oldest healing system in the world.
With the hashtag #hairoiling gathering over 62.4 million views on TikTok, the practice is very much back in the western eye, with celebrities including Zoe Kravitz, Nicole Richie, and the trend-setting and loving Kardashian sisters advocating the hair care technique. Arguably, we could also look to the latest series of Bridgerton, where in a particularly touching scene, the defiantly Indian Sharma sisters engage with the practice of hair oiling, as Kate massages oil into Edwina’s hair.
Newsweek spoke to a diverse trio of experts and found that the ancient technique of hair oiling is about far more than just haircare.
Ayurvedic Medicine
The Ayurvedic practice emphasizes balance, moderation, and self-care, and the term is made up of two words: Ayu, which means life, and Veda, which means science. “Ideally, Ayurveda can be understood as the science of life, as it talks about all the aspects of healthy living in detail and gives tools for everyone to optimize their mind-body health and wellbeing” explains Dr Taruna Yadav, a Senior Ayurvedic Doctor, author, certified stress and lifestyle management consultant and founder of Wholistic Health.
The three main pillars of Ayurveda are the three Doshas, or bio energies, named Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are the primary functional energies in our bodies that are aligned with the elements of nature, and the entire system of Ayurvedic healing is directly related to the three Doshas.
“Vata dosha is made up of air and space elements, and it is the energy responsible for all the movements in the body” explains Dr Yadav, “Pitta dosha is comprised of fire and water elements, and it is represented as transformational energy in the body; kapha dosha is made up of the combination of earth and water elements, and it is the structural energy of the body. These bioenergies or doshas are present in everyone’s body, but one of two bioenergies remains in the dominating state, which defines the Ayurvedic Prakriti or mind-body constitution of an individual.”
What Is Hair Oiling?
Hair oiling is an ancient practice that involves pouring oil onto your hair and scalp and massaging it in, deeply nourishing the hair and scalp and boosting luster, shine, and overall hair health.
“Oiling your hair is a self-love practice to strengthen your hair and make it shine with health,” explains Ananta Ripa Ajmera, spiritual teacher and co-founder and CEO of The Ancient Way and author of the 2022 book ‘The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self’.
“The Sanskrit word for to oil is “sneha,” which also means “to love.” Whenever you apply oil to your head or those of someone you care about, you are literally and figuratively giving love to yourself or that person” she says.
To bring things a little more into the modern era, in 1999 there was a study looking at the effect of oil treatment on hair protein to combat combing damage. The study focused on coconut oil which reduced the tendency of the hair cuticle to swell which reduced the amount of protein loss. “The main scientific benefit of hair oiling is to help keep in moisture,” explains Dr Ingrid Wilson, General Practitioner, and director of the Crewe Hair and Skin Clinic, and a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.
“Hair oiling has been in common use for those with afro-textured hair for a long time. It has been really interesting to see how the concept has started to spread to other hair types in recent years,” she explains, “The main benefit of hair oiling is to help to keep in moisture. This is particularly important for those who have afro or curly hair which is prone to dryness and consequent breakage.
“The hair oil on the outer surface acts as protection against external aggressors such as water, pollution and other products. It also helps to preserve the building blocks of hair (protein and lipids) hence leaving hair less porous and stronger.”
How To Choose The Right Hair Oil
The first and foremost principle is to choose the right oil for your hair type and scalp. Dr Wilson lists these as her top five hair oil ingredients to look out for:
Vitamin E – it nourishes and stimulates the scalp and promotes hair growth
Honeysuckle – soothes and clears up scalp irritation
Castor oil – oily surface protects against weather and wind. It is thought to help with moisture retention
Coconut oil – possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties
Argania Spinosa Kernel – also known as Argan oil, has been shown to be useful in pre-treatment oil to help reduce the chances of oxidative damage
“Excellent ingredients that benefit your hair’s health and can prevent greying and falling include Ayurvedic herbs like: shikakai (extremely gently on the hair), ritha (soapnuts), amalaki (Indian gooseberry), bhringraj (false daisy), hibiscus. These ingredients benefit your hair and scalp, but also calm your nerves and reduce stress, all of which can lead to hair issues.”
Dr Taruna suggests licorice is also a good ingredient to look out for as it can add moisture to the scalp, and both Dr Taruna and Ms. Ajmera both agree that changing the type of oil you use throughout the seasons can be beneficial. “As a rule of thumb in Ayurvedic wisdom you use simple organic sesame oil in the winter, and coconut oil in the summer” says Ms. Ajmera. “During dry and cold weather,” agrees Dr Taruna, “warming oils such as almond, castor, sesame, or olive infused at home with licorice or false daisy are the best, and hot and humid months, cooling oils such as coconut oil, infused with calming and cooling herbs like hibiscus are good”.
How Do I Oil My Hair Without It Getting Greasy?
For many of us, the concept of putting pure oil directly onto our hair might seem completely alien after a lifelong battle with greasy roots. When this technique is done properly, the oil nourishes the hair, making it stronger and more luxurious, rather than greasy.
Make sure your hair is clean before you oil it, otherwise the oil won’t have a chance to absorb properly. Lots of people oil their hair before bed and wash it out in the morning, but it can be left in for as little as two hours and still have a positive effect.
“Start by gently warming the oil in a microwave or on the hob,” says Dr Taruna, “This helps the oil absorb better into the scalp and hair. Then dip your fingers into the oil (be sure not to make it too hot) and gently massage the oil on the roots of your hair and the scalp in a circular motion using your fingertips.”
“Rub the oil in as you would shampoo,” says Ms Ajmera, “Keep moving your fingers in a circulating movement for about 10 minutes, although you can just do it for a few minutes if that’s all you have. This is a practice of self-love, if you have time to indulge, great, but if you don’t you can still fit it in in a few minutes.”
“The circular motion is great for improving circulation,” explains Dr Taruna, “Gently use your hands to apply the oil to your mid-lengths and ends to give them the required moisture. A top tip, if you have time, is to wrap a hot towel on your hair after oiling.”
For afro-textured hair, Dr Wilson recommends wetting the hair first, “The best way to achieve this the best results when oiling is by washing the hair and letting it dry naturally after using conditioning products then applying oil.”
Cultural Appropriation
Many celebrities have been accused of cultural appropriation, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as “The act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” High profile examples include Kim Kardashian with her “Bo Derek braids” wrongly attributed to the Caucasian actress in the 1979 film ‘10’, and her shapewear line ‘Kimono’, as well as Beyonce in the 2016 video for ‘Hymn For The Weekend’ with Coldplay where she dresses in Indian clothing and jewelry with henna on her hands.
Ms. Ajmera believes this is happening for two reasons, “Firstly, the western culture of commercialization and commodification of anything valuable and secondly, not enough Indian people have taken a strong stand for our own traditions, nor educated others on their significance, usually due to internalized attitudes of colonialism from India’s past.”
Dr Wilson agrees, describing her own research into the practice, “When I studied Trichology with the Institute of Trichologists 10 years ago I took some time to read around about hair care practices in Africa before the times of slavery and colonialism and it was clear that there had been a multiplicity of hair care practices for maintaining hair that would likely have included the use of oils or butters on the hair.
“Different types of oils are found naturally in different parts of the world and I’m sure would have been intuitively tried on the hair, scalp or skin. So for example in parts of the world where coconut oil can be produced that would explain it use in that part of the world. It is said that Cleopatra in Africa used Castor oil as part of her beauty regime.
Argan oil is also known as Moroccan oil which would explain its history of being used in North Africa and Europe.”
Self Care
More and more people are looking into and going back to ancient beauty and health techniques and Ms. Ajmera believes this is because “We are starting to remember more, through these times of global health crisis, to return to nature for health, healing and radiant beauty.”
One of the few advantages of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic was that many of us were forced to slow down our fast-paced lives and reconnect with ourselves. “Ayurveda, being a science based on nature’s principles, comes to the rescue in these turbulent times” says Dr Taruna, “Also, during the many changes that have come with the recent pandemic, hair-oiling can be a soothing act that helps keep you present, relaxed, and calm. It really is the perfect self-love and self-care practice to nurture yourself through all the uncertainty we are facing right now.”
