Much as I love mommy dearest, travelling to see her in Delhi is a surefire recipe for hair disaster. No! That’s actually not got anything to do with mom as such (just in case you are reading this mom!) – the blame lies squarely with the city’s terrible hard water supply, which leaves a terrible shine-dulling residue on my strands and makes the scalp flake quite unattractively. 
So, this time I decided it was time to dig into the recipes of the past and see whether there was any way of restoring shine and vitality back to my lifeless hair. The solution was as simple as it is ancient – red hibiscus oil.
The red hibiscus (known as Jaswand in India) is a sacred flower, known most prominently for its associations with Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha. But hibiscus is more than just a floral offering to the divine – it has numerous cosmetic properties and health benefits that have been used since centuries by Aurvedic practitioners as a vital ingredient in beauty treatments. And that’s not all – even science backs up the claims, asserting that:
- The oil from red hibiscus petals creates a hydro-lipid film that gives a silky smoothness to even the most brittle strands.
- Red hibiscus oil has hydroxy acids that restore the balance of cellular division, hence treating dandruff.
- It is rich in antioxidants that restore vitality and neutralise the effects of environmental pollutants.
Armed with this knowledge, I turned to a simple recipe that grandmom used to use with an almost religious fervour: take 8-10 flowers and dry them for 4-5 days. Then powder the petals and mix them with coconut oil – one teaspoon of powdered petals to one teaspoon of oil is a good ratio. Massage this concoction into the scalp once a day for at least a week. I did this at night, then washed it off in the morning since greasy locks are even worse than dry and brittle ones as a fashion statement. The results take 3-4 days to start showing but when they do – va va voom! My hair has honestly never looked so glossy. I am prepared for any hair turbulence now!
I have all these ingredients already. I can’t wait to see if this cures my scalp flaking. The US has terribly hard water.
Hi Padmini, do let me know if it worked for you!
I heard a couple of guys talking about this in the New York subway so I looked it up online and found your page. Thanks. I thought I was right and you confirmed my thoughts. Thanks for the work you’ve put into this. I’d love to save this and share with my friends.
Wow such great advice. Nandri for sharing. I am just a little sour I didn’t know about this while I was in India and could have whipped up my own batch to bring back with me!
Any idea of where I could find some hibiscus oil in Paris??
Glad you liked the post… personally, my hair has never looked better! Feeling so bad that you couldn’t pick up the flowers here – wish I had posted this a bit earlier. Maybe you can do another trip to India soon??
In the meantime here are some hibiscus oil based hair products that work really well – Ushvani Coconut and Hibiscus Oil (http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/ushvani/ushvani-coconut_and_hibiscus_oil.php), Darcy’s Botanicals Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Conditioning Oil (http://www.curlmart.com/product/darcys-botanicals-organic-coconut-hibiscus-conditioning-oil/) and Bella Lucce Hibiscus and Honeysuckle Hair Treatment (http://www.bellalucce.com/hibiscus-honeysuckle-hair-treatment.html). Besides, this Anita Grant’s Organic Hibiscus Flowers (https://anitagrant.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=67&category_id=5&option=com_phpshop&Itemid=1) are the real deal and can be used to make the recipe perfectly.
Hope this helps and let me know your experience if you use any of these or find another hibiscus-based product!
Thanks for the info! I will write this down and check out the links.
