Theres a contest going on in Womens web on the role/effectiveness of coconut oil in skin care..While I thought a while about if I could do a post on the role of coconut oil in my skin care, I couldnt find very many points..However, I do have a long association with different types of oils in general.So, here they go:
-- Coconut oil:
Initially, it was the home made oil that was applied generously to our hair , parted , plaited, ribboned and undoubtedly, hair grew well and thrived too..I used to have the longest and thickest hair among all cousins from dad's side and it was my treasure !!
Appa had bought this Dabur Special hair oil one day and good-bye was bid to coconut oil since then..The aroma from the oil made an aunty ask me what oil I used when I was standing in a queue to fetch water from the common pipe.
During vacations in Chennai, I saw Dabur Vatika being used by my cousin and during the next shopping for monthly groceries with Amma, I eyed this bottle and asked Amma if I could also start using this..Little did we knew what was about to happen following this purchase..Amma also thought since its from the same Dabur brand, why not get the one that her daughter asks..This happened when I was in 11th Std..In no time since I started applying this oil, hair fall started (I still remember removing few strands of hair from the comb after Amma had plaited my hair one of the evenings standing in the balcony of our then-home) and it still continues..
I wanted to move back to Dabur Special, but I couldnt find it in shops thereafter..So, I started living with Vatika hoping and wishing that regular usage will make my hair get accostomed to the new oil ..Hair fall didnt stop, but I contined using it for a loong time.
Now, I have returned back to parachute coconut oil before hair-wah and a Himalaya Anti-hair fall oil in case if I want to oil on a regular day.
Ordinary coconut oil is used by my dada everyday as a moisturiser. My dad's mother who is all of 91 years still uses coconut oil every single day to moisturise herself and I need not mention here that her skin is soft on touch and relatively less wrinkle for her age.
Having got dissatisfied with the results that moisturisers gave me for the dryness that my skin suffered during winter and summer , I resorted back to having a small bottle of coconut oil in my bag..Smell emnates, but for a short period , but the effect lasts longer..
-- Castor Oil:
This oil is a wonder ..yes, thats what I have come to realize in my experience..Ever since childhood, if it was stomach ache, amma will apply this oil in our stomach, under-the feet , while we sleep, apply on our eyes..And like a magic, the stomach ache will reduce after the application of this oil..So, amma made sure that I carried this oil to college and then when I started working too..I do have a bottle of this with me all the time..It reduces the body-heat..so can be applied over eyes, under the feet, stomach ..For those who desire thick-eyebrows, this can be applied over the eye-brows.
--Franch Oil:
A fancier version of castor oil is the Franch Oil. It has nothing but castor with aloe vera, badam and such and less viscous than its parent.Franch oil, when it was introduced cost around50-60 bucks, (which was expensive for an oil 13 years ago) ..Amma somehow had an instinct that this oil would work, and used to have it in stock at our home..That too, with the kind of ads that used to come in those days (Franch Oil enga paa...) , Amma feel for it and we were regular customers..And this oil didnt disappoint either..I used to apply it over-night (a lil bit of it) while studying for 12th board exams and only when batch mates in college started asking me what I use for my face, I realized there is some benefit that Franch oil has given me..being the teen years and fellow girls appreciating the soft skin on my face triggered the greed in me and I started immersing my face in franch oil :):) I think of how silly I was then that I would apply the oil and sit in the room ..I would want to wash my face , unable to bearthe stickiness and the gooieness, but still, I wanted more appreciation nah..So, I would bear and sit :):) for atleast 30 minutes..Anyways, later I used it every now and then, only to realsie later that its not more worthy than castor oil..At certain point, I applied Franch oil to my hair too believing in the ads that it was a miracle for hair fall..I just had to shampoo multiple times in one sitting of hair-wash for the stickiness to be removed, but the hair-fall persisted.(:
--Neem Oil:
I have a dark patch in my elbow.I havent bothered about it at all..During my engagement, my aunt had noticed this and has told my mother to take me to the parlour and bleach or do something about it and that it looks ugly..Along with this, she has also given a lecture to my mom asking my mom to ask me to take care of my hair , skin etc..etc..I'm comfortable in my natural self, S is cmfortable the way I am. now for whom should I be bothered about? For the photographs, eh? Anyways, the technology has improved so much that the photoshop can make any kind of magic on anyone..Anyways, Amma got tensed up hearing this lecture and she narrated the incident to me and along with that stuffed me a bottle of groudnut oil asking me to apply whenever I had time..I did do that for a few days, but didnt stick around long..But, I tell ya, it worked..Even for the limited number of days that I applied, it worked a little bit..or was it that I saw what I wanted to see ;)? Dont know..I carried that to my in-laws place after marriage with the hope of using that bottle and wasting it.. Only after couple of years when we changed houses, I decided to stash it away as I hadnt touched the bottle at all..May be one day, if my kids need them and they are willing to use it, I would suggest this oil for them :)
--Gingelly oil:
Much has been said about this oil, we use this for cooking, for vetha-kozhambu, for thogayal etc..This is used on the hair and skin once a year during the Ganga Snanam o Deepavali day..Not so fond memories of this oil..beacuse, even after applying sheekakai and shampoo, it would be difficult for the oil to be washed off from hair..Off-late after reading a lot about the effectiveness of this oil, in generally reducing heat for the body and such, I've started using this oil , not regularly though..There is a certain method of applying this oil before hair-wash, like heating it, along with pepper and some other stuff too..But,I'm trying to just use pepper , heat it a lil bit and use ..This is a self-reminder that I need to remember and use this oil , going forward..
I've used this oil for oil pulling too for a brief period. This worked for me, in that the plaque that gets accumulated in between the teeth come out of this pulling all by itself..You need not do anything ..Just do the oil-pulling for a few days..if the plaque is less, you will have a clean teeth in just about 2 weeks without going to the dentist to get it cleaned. I've also heard about oil-pulling beging effective in reducing the frequency in which some people get mouth ulcers, though I cant vouch for it..
--Olive Oil:
I've known cousins who use olive oil on a regular basis for hair and for cooking..I have dismised the idea of using the same, one I was not convinced about using this oil and other for it being expensive and I was not sure of using it for a long term to reap some benefits..I've now started using olive oil both for cooking (thanks to Musa brand which offers buy 1 get 1) and I started carrying a bottle in the bag and using this oil for moisturising too..Pretty ok on the skin and quite effective as coconut oil too..But, for skin, prefer the light looking one , for it gives lesser odor and less viscous too.
There is this corner of our room which adorns all of these oils , much to S's chagrin. I'll apply oil on hair, on hands and legs before oil-bath ritual.I'm married to a man who loathes the word applying-oil, never applies oil to hair, except on the day of Deepavali. So, on days when I soak myself in oil, S will be half a mile away :) ..
--
-- Coconut oil:
Initially, it was the home made oil that was applied generously to our hair , parted , plaited, ribboned and undoubtedly, hair grew well and thrived too..I used to have the longest and thickest hair among all cousins from dad's side and it was my treasure !!
Appa had bought this Dabur Special hair oil one day and good-bye was bid to coconut oil since then..The aroma from the oil made an aunty ask me what oil I used when I was standing in a queue to fetch water from the common pipe.
During vacations in Chennai, I saw Dabur Vatika being used by my cousin and during the next shopping for monthly groceries with Amma, I eyed this bottle and asked Amma if I could also start using this..Little did we knew what was about to happen following this purchase..Amma also thought since its from the same Dabur brand, why not get the one that her daughter asks..This happened when I was in 11th Std..In no time since I started applying this oil, hair fall started (I still remember removing few strands of hair from the comb after Amma had plaited my hair one of the evenings standing in the balcony of our then-home) and it still continues..
I wanted to move back to Dabur Special, but I couldnt find it in shops thereafter..So, I started living with Vatika hoping and wishing that regular usage will make my hair get accostomed to the new oil ..Hair fall didnt stop, but I contined using it for a loong time.
Now, I have returned back to parachute coconut oil before hair-wah and a Himalaya Anti-hair fall oil in case if I want to oil on a regular day.
Ordinary coconut oil is used by my dada everyday as a moisturiser. My dad's mother who is all of 91 years still uses coconut oil every single day to moisturise herself and I need not mention here that her skin is soft on touch and relatively less wrinkle for her age.
Having got dissatisfied with the results that moisturisers gave me for the dryness that my skin suffered during winter and summer , I resorted back to having a small bottle of coconut oil in my bag..Smell emnates, but for a short period , but the effect lasts longer..
-- Castor Oil:
This oil is a wonder ..yes, thats what I have come to realize in my experience..Ever since childhood, if it was stomach ache, amma will apply this oil in our stomach, under-the feet , while we sleep, apply on our eyes..And like a magic, the stomach ache will reduce after the application of this oil..So, amma made sure that I carried this oil to college and then when I started working too..I do have a bottle of this with me all the time..It reduces the body-heat..so can be applied over eyes, under the feet, stomach ..For those who desire thick-eyebrows, this can be applied over the eye-brows.
--Franch Oil:
A fancier version of castor oil is the Franch Oil. It has nothing but castor with aloe vera, badam and such and less viscous than its parent.Franch oil, when it was introduced cost around50-60 bucks, (which was expensive for an oil 13 years ago) ..Amma somehow had an instinct that this oil would work, and used to have it in stock at our home..That too, with the kind of ads that used to come in those days (Franch Oil enga paa...) , Amma feel for it and we were regular customers..And this oil didnt disappoint either..I used to apply it over-night (a lil bit of it) while studying for 12th board exams and only when batch mates in college started asking me what I use for my face, I realized there is some benefit that Franch oil has given me..being the teen years and fellow girls appreciating the soft skin on my face triggered the greed in me and I started immersing my face in franch oil :):) I think of how silly I was then that I would apply the oil and sit in the room ..I would want to wash my face , unable to bearthe stickiness and the gooieness, but still, I wanted more appreciation nah..So, I would bear and sit :):) for atleast 30 minutes..Anyways, later I used it every now and then, only to realsie later that its not more worthy than castor oil..At certain point, I applied Franch oil to my hair too believing in the ads that it was a miracle for hair fall..I just had to shampoo multiple times in one sitting of hair-wash for the stickiness to be removed, but the hair-fall persisted.(:
--Neem Oil:
I have a dark patch in my elbow.I havent bothered about it at all..During my engagement, my aunt had noticed this and has told my mother to take me to the parlour and bleach or do something about it and that it looks ugly..Along with this, she has also given a lecture to my mom asking my mom to ask me to take care of my hair , skin etc..etc..I'm comfortable in my natural self, S is cmfortable the way I am. now for whom should I be bothered about? For the photographs, eh? Anyways, the technology has improved so much that the photoshop can make any kind of magic on anyone..Anyways, Amma got tensed up hearing this lecture and she narrated the incident to me and along with that stuffed me a bottle of groudnut oil asking me to apply whenever I had time..I did do that for a few days, but didnt stick around long..But, I tell ya, it worked..Even for the limited number of days that I applied, it worked a little bit..or was it that I saw what I wanted to see ;)? Dont know..I carried that to my in-laws place after marriage with the hope of using that bottle and wasting it.. Only after couple of years when we changed houses, I decided to stash it away as I hadnt touched the bottle at all..May be one day, if my kids need them and they are willing to use it, I would suggest this oil for them :)
--Gingelly oil:
Much has been said about this oil, we use this for cooking, for vetha-kozhambu, for thogayal etc..This is used on the hair and skin once a year during the Ganga Snanam o Deepavali day..Not so fond memories of this oil..beacuse, even after applying sheekakai and shampoo, it would be difficult for the oil to be washed off from hair..Off-late after reading a lot about the effectiveness of this oil, in generally reducing heat for the body and such, I've started using this oil , not regularly though..There is a certain method of applying this oil before hair-wash, like heating it, along with pepper and some other stuff too..But,I'm trying to just use pepper , heat it a lil bit and use ..This is a self-reminder that I need to remember and use this oil , going forward..
I've used this oil for oil pulling too for a brief period. This worked for me, in that the plaque that gets accumulated in between the teeth come out of this pulling all by itself..You need not do anything ..Just do the oil-pulling for a few days..if the plaque is less, you will have a clean teeth in just about 2 weeks without going to the dentist to get it cleaned. I've also heard about oil-pulling beging effective in reducing the frequency in which some people get mouth ulcers, though I cant vouch for it..
--Olive Oil:
I've known cousins who use olive oil on a regular basis for hair and for cooking..I have dismised the idea of using the same, one I was not convinced about using this oil and other for it being expensive and I was not sure of using it for a long term to reap some benefits..I've now started using olive oil both for cooking (thanks to Musa brand which offers buy 1 get 1) and I started carrying a bottle in the bag and using this oil for moisturising too..Pretty ok on the skin and quite effective as coconut oil too..But, for skin, prefer the light looking one , for it gives lesser odor and less viscous too.
There is this corner of our room which adorns all of these oils , much to S's chagrin. I'll apply oil on hair, on hands and legs before oil-bath ritual.I'm married to a man who loathes the word applying-oil, never applies oil to hair, except on the day of Deepavali. So, on days when I soak myself in oil, S will be half a mile away :) ..
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what a super duper post Ramya! Loved it so much :) Only you can write such posts, that are enjoyable till the end and makes me want more of your words too :)
ReplyDeleteI have always used coconut oil only all my life - that is until I was under mom's care and now I rarely use oil.. unless I have headache or before hair wash. I somehow noticed increased hairfall with everyday oiling of hair.. weird right?
For cooking mom always used sunflower oil only.. I now use a variety of oils for cooking.. sunflower, rice bran, olive oil (the taste of which I have started to like a lot) and gingelly oil too.
And did you put up a picture? I dont see it :(
Thank you soo much for the nice words, GB :)
DeleteI'm glad to have found someone who applies oil to head/hair for headache..:) Hows rice bran oil? Havent got around using this oil..Yes, olive oil tastes good too..Esp, I put more of it while making paper dosa and it does taste good..
When my hairs were in Amma's hands, they were long and thick too :P As soon as I took over saying that I am independent, it definitely became different. Esp. now with such hard water in Hyderabad, it is so difficult to manage my hair :(
ReplyDeleteI still use castor oil over my eyes and sometimes acc. to my mood and time, on my eyebrows too :)
Yes Swaram, as long as hair was in Amma's care, it did flourish, after it came in my hands , the lesser its talked, the better :)
Delete