Once upon a time, in the lifetime of each of us we took to the western ways believing they are superior and disregarded our own Vedas because they seemed too simple to be advanced. And today we are taking steps forward by looking back into our ancient texts. Today we are progressing by appreciating the age-old solutions in Ayurveda. Ayurveda aims at curing ailments using natural substances.

One such magical discoveries of Ayurveda is Hibiscus which is rich in iron, phosphorus, calcium, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin while it also contains Vitamin C and carotene. It helps in balancing your pitta. For those of you who don’t know, as per Ayurveda, pitta is one of the three doshas (fundamental energies) that form human beings. pitta controls the metabolic system, temperature, heat and transformation of the body and mind. The imbalance in pitta can elevate anger, irritation, negativity and aggressiveness. Hibiscus with its antioxidant properties will help in cooling down your inflammatory tendencies and optimise your blood pressure levels while controlling your pitta.

Due to its rich nutritional potent, the Hibiscus plant is not only a treat to your eyes making your garden look beautiful, but it can also be a treat to your hair! It can be used in various forms such as oil, tea and powder made from its leaves and flowers. If you include hibiscus in your hair care routine, you will benefit in the following ways:

Hibiscus has a good combination of Vitamin C, phosphorus, riboflavin which boosts collagen (the amino acid chain). The amino acids strengthen your roots reducing hair fall and stimulates dormant follicles and bald patches for hair growth.

One of the underlying reason causing dandruff is dryness. Hibiscus keeps your head hydrated and reduces itchiness and dryness. This helps in controlling dandruff. It is also suggested that using Hibiscus with Fenugreek can prove to be really effective.

Hibiscus softens the hair improving its texture. Using Hibiscus regularly will not only strengthen your hair strands but also make them luscious, smooth and shiny. This also prevents premature greying of hair.

Since hibiscus conditions hair and makes the strands stronger, it naturally combats the dryness which in turn leads to the reduced breakage and repairs brittle hair.

All in all, hibiscus can prove to be helpful for many hair problems as correctly pointed out by the Ayurveda. Hibiscus can be coupled with a number of ingredients such as Henna, Amla, Fenugreek and Coconut Milk to magnify the impact. I have made this beautiful red flower a dear friend - make it yours too when you shop next time!