Use Natural Ingredients for Beautiful Hair

Nature has gifted us with unlimited resources which we can make use of in so many ways. In South India, natural beauty products are being in use for a very long time. Still there are people who make these products and shops who sell them.

This instructable will guide you on how to use ingredients available in nature for a healthy, beautiful and shiny hair, which commercially available chemical shampoo and conditioners can not provide. The ingredients used here are:

Aloe Vera Gel Hair Pack

Aloe Vera Gel hair pack is used to treat dry hair, falling of hair, dandruff and to make shiny hair. The ingredients used are as below :

• Aloe Vera Gel
• Lime Juice
• Natural Coconut Oil (you can use any natural Hair oil)

Natural Hair Conditioner

Natural Hair conditioners are used as shampoo to wash hair after the application of Aloe Vera gel Pack. Here I have listed two natural ingredients. You can use any one of them for washing hair

• Shikakai Hair wash powder : This powder is made from the dried seedpods of "Acacia concinna" tree. We call this tree as Shikakai tree which literally means Hair Fruit tree.
• Arappu Powder : This powder is made by grinding the dried leaves of "Albizia amara" tree.

Both these natural ingredients are used in South India for a very long time for washing hair. You can make these powder from raw ingredients. Shikakai powder is available in many shops, but Arappu powder is mainly sold by street vendors who collect, dry and grind the leaves to fine powder.

Step 1: Harvest Aloevera

We grow Aloe Vera in our Home garden. For making a hair pack for one time use cut a 3 inch long piece from the plant. The leaf piece contains small thorns on both the edges. Cut and remove them using a knife. Peel off the green outer layer from any one side.

Step 2: Extract Aloe Gel

Scrap the exposed surface with the knife and collect the gum-like gel in a container. You can dispose off the remaining thick bottom layer after extracting the gel.

Step 3: Add Lime Juice

Take one fresh lime, cut into halves. Extract the juice in a separate container, which may be almost equal to the amount of Aloe Vera gel. Pour the lime juice over the Aloe Gel. Make sure to retain the seeds in the same container.

Step 4: Add Oil and Apply on Hair

Add any natural hair oil to the Aloe gel + Lime juice mix. The quantity may be equal to the amount of lime juice. Here I have used natural coconut oil, but you can use any oil available to you. Mix all three ingredients with your fingers. Our Aloe Vera Gel Hair Pack is ready.

Apply this mix on your head thoroughly covering the scalp and hair. Leave it for about half an hour. You can leave this on your hair overnight and can wash next day also.

Step 5: Use Natural Conditioners to Wash Hair

As I have mentioned earlier, here are the two natural hair conditioners in separate containers. The light brown one is the Shikakai powder made from the dried seedpods of "Acacia concinna" tree. The green stuff in the other container is dried and grind leaves of "Albizia amara" tree. You can use any one of these hair conditioners or you can mix both of them together for washing your hair. Both the ingredients are in powder form, so they can be stored for a very long time.

Add water to the powders and mix with your fingers. You can crush the lumps to the side of the container to make a fine paste. Use any one of these mixtures to wash your hair treated with the Aloe Vera Gel Hair Pack. Though not like chemical shampoo, they will also form a good amount of lather. You may have to wash your hair thoroughly to remove any left-over flakes from the conditioner.

Now see for yourself how your hair looks.