Hair Growth, Happy Skin, Deep Balance, and Nature as Our First Meditation

Regarding my journey into Ayurveda that started last summer, I have news to report.

Raw African black soap never caught my attention until I started changing my hygiene practice to serve my Kapha (water)-dominant dosha. With its mala-purgative, astringent properties, I decided to try it in bar form – as a body wash – and liquid form, as both a hair and body cleanser.

I wish I’d found this sooner. This raw black soap works with my dosha beautifully. My skin and scalp feel deeply clean, but even better, it’s balancing the elements and energies of my dosha. There is a tangible improvement in how I just feel in my own skin. Bruises and cuts are healing more quickly.

Aritha is another discovery I made in this journey into Ayurveda. Powdered aritha is a natural deep cleanser that ayurvedic practitioners use to purify the scalp and hair. When mixed with water, it forms a gritty paste that exfoliates the scalp beautifully. It also acts as an amazing cleanser and clarifier for hair.

I decided one day to rub some of the paste on my face. I discovered that it’s a beyond-amazing exfoliating cleanser for my skin. It’s chemical and preservative free and cruelty-free. Big win.

At first, the flavor of ayurvedic neem toothpaste was unpleasant. Now, I find its flavor mild and pleasant. Last weekend, I went to the local Indian market for another tube, as well as more aritha powder. Both are insanely more affordable than commercial products.

And now, the really impressive news. I reported last summer that I was embarking on a hair growth journey using ayurvedic hygiene. I’ve been doing scalp massage each night, using castor and other oils infused with ayurvedic amla, brahma, shikakai, and henna, and grooming with a wide-toothed wood comb. I’ve stopped bleaching and coloring, sleep on a satin pillowcase, and have dropped all heat appliances completely. I had four inches of my hair cut off to start, and began this regime.

I’ve measured two inches of growth in two months. That’s faster hair growth than I’ve ever had, even as a child. I’m astonished. My new hair is strong, soft, and my natural curl and color. I love being free of styling products, and just letting my hair be.

My mother gritched hard when I started coloring my hair with dyes and bleaching it with harsh products. She argued for how beautiful my natural hair color is, and asked why would I want to change it. Now I’m seeing, after many years, my hair’s natural hue: a gingery, deep earth tone with subtle highlights. I should have listened to Mom.

The caveat here is that these elements and practices are working wonderfully for my dosha structure. If you’re considering incorporating ayurvedic practice into your hygiene routine, or like me, embracing Ayurveda as a lifestyle, understanding your dosha well is your first step. From there, you’ll adopted unique personal practices based on your own constitution.

In childhood, nature should be the first meditation we have. Sadly, for most of us, it wasn’t. We all should have been brought outdoors by our elders and introduced to the five elements of air, water, fire, earth, and space. These elements are everything that’s happening around us - they’re everything that’s going on. Everything in our bodies is made of these five elements.

We’ve been isolated from all this by marketers who want us to buy the products they sell, whether or not they’re effective or safe in any way. We’ve been blocked from the Earth’s healing power. Now, we use products that come in plastic bottles that litter landfills, containing elements that are far removed from Earth’s essence. And the damage they do to our bodies and minds we try to fix by buying and applying more products.

It’s time to heal. Ayurveda is about dosha-healing. It’s about living in harmony with the earth. It’s about knowing these elements in ourselves and feeding and nurturing them, giving them support, and honoring them. I’m looking forward to spending winter learning more and bringing Ayurveda into every part of my life, from the mind and spirit outward, and from the skin inward.

Barbie xo