In today's time no one can claim to live a chemical free life because we come into contact with some or the other form of chemicals on a daily basis, be it through shampoos, soaps, face washes; in fact food too is laden with chemicals (specially packaged food).

 We are all aware that these chemicals are going to harm us in the long run and we even have lapses when we are hit with allergies, or are under the weather and need our sick leave from work to detoxify our bodies (and our minds!). It is then that doctors recommend an addition of fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses etc. in our diet along with medication to get us back to our healthy self.

  What I am trying to explain is that the ancient lifestyle was actually the best way of living but in modern times it is impossible to follow such an existence. Besides damaging shampoos and conditioners our hair is exposed to other forms of harm too through colouring, straightening, blow drying and the infamous pollution growing day by day. Also these days' spa treatments for hair and skin which are in vogue cost you a bomb and again we really aren't very sure if the constituents are hair-friendly. They could be using strong components to give us temporary glossy locks to flaunt at family weddings and shindigs.

  There are loads of articles floating on the internet mentioning about the side effects of hair products. They could cause allergies, hair fall, premature greying etc. in the long run. One solution to this is opting for organic shampoos or herbal shampoos, or then purchasing them from those who make them at home on a small scale. That way you could even order for special shampoos to be made as per your requirement. Also it would be beneficial for your hair and have fewer side effects. But this would turn up to be an expensive affair and there would be rather few people making such special shampoos.

  While surfing for information for my blog on skin and hair care I had once come across a website by Ms. Swathy P. (residing in Hyderabad, India) which had some amazing information on hair care and it mentioned about turning the regular shampoo into a herbal shampoo. I found this rather interesting. I realised that I'd have to continue using my regular shampoo but if I'd put a little effort by adding some herbs I could minimize the harm caused by the shampoo's chemicals. On trying it I realised that it made my hair softer, thicker, glossier and so even the need of a chemical conditioner was not essential. It turned out to be pocket-friendly and gave me more confidence as the stuff used was herbal so there were no side effects.

 The information given below is influenced from the blog of Ms. Swathy with a few suitable changes made by some of my personal experiments. To lessen harmful effects of shampoos we usually add some water to dilute the shampoo. But instead of water you could add herbal water made from an infusion of whichever herbs (beneficial to your hair) that are easily available.

  For this take about a cupfull of clean water in a vessel, add any one or two herbs from the list given below, let boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes approximately. Let cool naturally. Strain the water and discard the herbs. Prepare this the day you want a hair bath and use this water to dilute your shampoo when washing your hair. If extra water remains use it to rinse your hair. I personally use it in the proportion of 1:3 for shampoo and water. You could try testing how much runny you want the shampoos consistency to be and then follow your own approach.

1. a bunch of Neem leaves and Curry leaves

2. petals and leaves of a red Hibiscus flower

3. petals of a Rose flower

4. petals of a Jasmine flower

5. some Shikakai/ Shikakai powder

6. a bunch of Fenugreek (methi) leaves and some fenugreek seeds

7. some Henna (mehendi) leaves

8. some Basil (tulsi) leaves

  Ms. Swathy P. has given the suggestion of boiling all the herbs together in lots of water, mixing it with the shampoo and storing it to be used as required. But somehow I found the idea of using any one or two herbs at a time more comfortable. You could make up your own list by delving deeper into the subject to find out what sort of herbs are beneficial for your hair type. Do not make this a very fussy affair else you might get bored and give up on this activity soon. Therefore I mentioned using 1 or two items since many a times flowers are grown indoors and certain herbs are available in our kitchens. So you need not run around searching for herbs and flowers. If you lead a rather busy life you could at the least try this on a weekend if not every time you shampoo.

  There are many other methods of enhancing the quality of your hair naturally; for e.g. you could condition them with beaten egg, coconut milk, organic yoghurt, papaya pulp, aloe vera gel, paste of fenugreek leaves, red Hibiscus flower's paste etc. Choose any one of them, apply to scalp and hair and leave for some time (around 20 minutes to ½ an hour) before shampooing. This would benefit your scalp and get rid of fussy issues like dandruff and itchiness besides giving you a silken mane.

  The age old custom of oiling is also beneficial for the hair. You should purchase the oil as per your hair type and your requirement, for e.g. some hair oils are meant to curb hair fall, some treat dandruff, others control premature greying etc. Since it is not very stylish nowadays to move around with oiled hair, try leaving the oil overnight or at least for an hour or so before shampooing.

  So just go ahead and include some natural elements in your hair care routine to combat the chemical influences that have penetrated in your systems.