Comparison between Hair Oil and Hair replacement creams or shampoo

Natural hair oils like coconut oil, mustard oil and oils made with natural products are always better for our hair. Soap nuts will be good for washing our hair. The oil will nourish your hair. It will soften the hair and act as a moisturizer to the hair. The effect will be there for long. Your scalp will get the cooling effect. There are no side effects. They will nourish the scalp also and hair root will become strong.

Shampoos will have more than 10 ingredients. A few only are available with less than 10 ingredients. The cream will soften your hair and give the style you wanted. Both the items will use chemical ingredients which will have some side effects also.

Use of shampoos/ creams may cause contact dermatitis. Some of the allergies you may face with the usage of shampoos or creams are Cocamidopropyl betaine, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, propylene glycol, parabens and benzophenones. Overuse of these will cause hair to fall. So it is better not to use them regularly.

Many hair oils provide good nourishment to the hair and are an age old remedy for keeping the hair healthy. Earlier people were using the common oils like mustard, coconut, olive etc but later almond, amla, rosemary etc also became much popular and were in use since quite sometime. Oils have a cooling effect also which we experience when we put oil in the dry hair and it gives us quickly a relief from heaviness of the head as well as reduces the temperature of the cerebral region.

These natural oils are good for the health of the hair but are sticky and unfortunately are against the modern fashion and styles. On the other hand hair creams and hair gels are made in such a way that though they contain the nourishing materials but do not make the hair sticky. That is one main reason behind their increasing use. Hair gel is also used by some people as it helps the setting of the hair in a particular way but it is heavy and has a greasy feeling. So hair creams are much popular now a days. People use shampoos also for making their hair smooth and silky but shampoo generally contains some specific chemicals which are no good for the health of the hair as well as the skin. So, shampoos are to be used sparingly basically for cleaning of the scalp and hair.

While buying the hair creams one must look for the ingredients and must confirm that they contain some of the essential oils in it. Some of the oils are good for the health of hair as they contain vitamins, anti-oxidants, essential amino acids, minerals etc. So one can look for the ingredients like Hemp seed oil, Argan oil, Jojoba oil, Bees wax, Rosemary oil, Peppermint oil, Coconut oil, Almond oil, olive oil, Grapeseed oil, Lavender oil and lemongrass oil while purchasing hair creams.

While looking at Coconut - oils, Amla - oils, Almond - oils, Mustard oils, Brahmi - oils etc, these contain oxidants and has the nourishing property for both scalp and hair. While Amla - oil made taken from Til - oils and Amla and its fusion with Amla enhances the property of the oil providing enhancement of eye - vision, improvement in the sleep pattern and improving the colour of the hair and would arrest the condition of hair - falling apart from delaying the process of hair - grey. Similarly Brahmi - oil would nourish the hairs with the lustrous appearance and healthy growth of hair. Almond - oil would improve the concentration- power of the users apart from healthy eye vision. Hence the regular usage of the oils are highly recommended for different benifits of the hairs apart from other health benifits.
However, the only side - effect on the regular applications of such oils would make hair greedy and sticky.
While opting for hair creams, the users should examine the contents being used for the preparations. Some chemicals may produce side effects such as skin - allergy, rash, itching on the scalp but the natural ingredients such jaborandi, Grapeseed oil, Lavender - oil, Lemon - grass oils would offer benificial antioxidants if added in the hair - creams.
Shampoos may contain dangerous chemicals such as Formaldehyde, Ethylene glycols, Parabens etc and these chemicals are toxic in nature. They will produce skin allergies and have the carcegenic effects as well. Soaps containing Ritha and Sikakai are devoid of side effects and clean the hairs without having any adverse effects on both scalp and hairs.

Hair nutrition and hair hygiene contribute to the health and growth of hair.

Hygiene is done by taking a regular hair bath and hair washing. For cleaning hair either with natural shampoos like Shikakai, hibiscus leaves etc.orthe many branded chemical shampoos are used.

Hair is kept shining and comb manageable by applying a suitable amount of hair oils. Traditionally special homemade hair oils or the pure food-grade oil ( used in the home) were used to apply to hair also.
Nowadays many creams having their base in petroleum-related materials added with perfumes and other ingredients are available as hair cream which can be used in place of hair oils.

Hair gest the nutrients from the food we take and also by the micronutrients included in the hair oil or hair shampoos. While applyin hair oil or shampoo or cream having nutrients in them, even if a major part of the same is washed off, a micro amout gets into the hair follicles and nourish the hair follicle. So just as traditional hair oils and traditional shampoos made with various nutrient ingredients like AQmla(India Gooseberry), Henna, Bhiringaraj(Kavvunni), indigo, etc present-day chemical shampoos, and hair creams also contain some chemical ingredients or natural extracts as nutrients. Hence they can also give the results.
However as the traditional and homemade hair oils are not having chemical ingredients and as the many modern hair oils, shampoos and creams contain chemicals, most of them petroleum-based ones, they can bring side effects to many people especially on long use.

Hence I sugest the following:

1. As far as possible prepare home made hair oils using the time tested traditional oils and ingredients. Elders in the house may know these. There are certain AE questions in ISC also how to make home made hair oil.
2.Use natural hair shampoos like fresh crushed hibiscus leaves, shikakaki powder etc.
3.As far as possible take hair bath daily especialy if you are prone to work in dusty places, work under sunand open spaces, etc.
4. You can use chemical shampoos, hair oils once in a while. Do not make it a habit to use them longterm. Stop in case you feel any kind of effects like itching, hair fall,burning sensationin eyes etc.
5. You can use chemical hair creams once in a whle when you are in a hurry, or when taking with you in travel etc.
6.Next to home made hair oils and shampoo, I suggest some good established brand Ayurvedic hair oil and ayurvedic shampoo.

Here my strong suggestion is coconut oil without mixing anything. Valid example we can see in Kerala. There the ladies use a pure coconut oil regularly. We cannot see any ladies there with dry hair or short hair.

In earlier times, people mainly used hair oil for the health of their hair and there was not much awareness also in that area. Now a days, people are using shampoo and hair creams in plenty and hair oil in little quantities. Many people simply shampoo their hair and never put oil as it makes the hair sticky and unfashioned.

The fact is that the natural oils like coconut, olive, mustard etc are full of health benefits and are an age old tested things for the health of our hair. They contain the nutrients in natural forms. On the other hand the hair creams and shampoos are containing some added nutrients but at the same time they are also containing some chemicals which are harmful to our health of hair as well as the scalp skin. So, we must check the ingredients in the shampoo and hair creams before using them. In any case we have to reduce the indiscriminate use of these artificial products.

Now-a-days lots of varieties of hair products are available in market. Some of them are hair oils, shampoos, hair conditioners, hair serum, hair creams etc.

1) Shampoo: Shampoo are used to clean hairs. They removes dust and debris from scalp and unclog hair roots.. They contain chemicals called surfactants. They make a thick leather when applied in hairs mixed with water remove dust dirt and debris from surface of scalp and hair. Commonly shampoos contain sodium laurete sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate, respectively. These sulfate containing shampoos form rich lather and clean oil from hair but excess use of them can damage the hairs. These are different varieties of shampoos available like herbal shampoo, medicated shampoo.

2) Hair oil: Hair oil is used to massage the scalp as it boosts blood circulation. It gives nourishment to hair roots and strengthen the hair roots. It reduces hair fall and promote hair re-growth. It also used to control frizzy hair. There are several varieties of hair oils used according to hair type:
a. Coconut oil: Suitable for any type of hair
b. Mustard oil: for hair strength and nourishment
c. amla oil: for hair strength and nourishment
d. Argon oil: for dry or frizzy hair
e. Almond oil: for nourishing hair and to reduce dandruff in hair.
f. Arnica and jaborandi oil: For weak hairs.
g. Tea tree oil: unclog hair follicles and nourish your roots
h. Lavender oil: Used for scalp massage and hair growth
i. Lemon grass oils: Having antibacterial properties
j. Onion oil: Used to reduce hair fall

3) Hair Creams: Hair cream is not a new name. It is in use since a very long time. Earlier it was an oil-based gunk called brilliantine. People used it as a styling product. It was also used to shine the hairs. These days it is used as styling cream for natural-looking and shining hair. It reduces frizziness in hair without the greasiness. It is used before and after shampoo. If it is to be used before shampoo then just apply in hairs like hair oil but if it is to be used after shampoo then can be applied in little wet hairs. Hair cream provides strength to hair roots, reduces hair fall and also promotes growth of hairs.

(1) I think all these are essential in any way and useful for hair cleaning and growth. But long term use of hair cream can cause damage to hairs.
(2) These hair creams contains good nourishing content and definitely provides nourishment and promotes growth and gives shine to hairs. Some hair creams contain Rosemary oil, Peppermint Oil, Hemp seed oil, and Almond Oil etc. natural ingredients which give hair a shine and nourishment.
(3) In long run they can damage hair due to certain chemical present in hair cream.
(4) Some homemade hair style cream can be prepared by mixing 2 tablespoons shea butter, Half table spoon coconut oil, Half table spoon olive oil, ¾ teaspoon jojoba oil and almond oil, half table spoon aloevera gel, little Vitamin E and a few drops of essential oils like Rosemary oil in a jar and mix well and refrigerate overnight. Then remove from refrigerator and allow cooling at room temperature. After reaching at room temperature keep in cool and dry condition.