|
|
Some of us know that shampoo has many disadvantages. It can dry out the scalp and hair, cause oiliness of the scalp and hair, hair loss, dandruff, fades hair coloring, strips your hair of its natural oils and the list goes on. Well what are you going to do? You have to use shampoo to get your hair clean right? Wrong. My mom has passed down an old Thai remedy on a way to cleanse your hair without needing shampoo. The juice from a certain fruit called the kaffir lime may also be used to cleanse your hair. I have tried this out myself, and it worked better than I expected. Usually after I shampoo my hair, my hair will get frizzy, and have tons of fly-a-ways. Using the kaffir lime juice, my hair got a different result: Soft, bouncy, shiny, and best of all no frizz or fly-a-ways. My mom passed this remedy down to me, and now I'm passing it down to you.
First you may want to know a little more about this magnificent fruit. The kaffir lime is a green lime citrus fruit with a somewhat wrinkly and bumpy exterior. Its dark green leaves come as if they were two Siamese twins joined together. At the top of the leaf it has more of a point, and joins down to a more rounded leaf at the bottom. They have a sweet lemon-like scent, and may also be used in soups, salads, curries, and many other stir-fried dishes. The most valued parts of the fruit are the leaves and the peel. The juice and rinds are used in traditional Indonesian medicine. Although the kaffir lime is often used in food, the juice is usually too acidic to be of use to the food, but in Thailand they use the juice to cleanse both clothing and hair.
To cleanse your hair with the kaffir lime is rather easy, but compared to shampooing your hair like you normally would, this would be a bit more time consuming. You will not just be using one kaffir lime. You will be using multiple kaffir limes. There is no way to tell how many limes you will be using, considering every kaffir lime has a different amount of juice in each lime. So you will probably be using more kaffir limes than expected.
Have everything prepared to start applying the kaffir lime juice to your hair. Have your kaffir limes in a bowl next to you where you have easy access to them. You will need a knife to cut open the limes, so have that prepared too. You will not be doing this inside the shower, so this will get pretty messy. It would be a good idea to have a towel with you that you can put around your shoulders to keep the juice from dripping from your hair onto your clothes. Comb out any tangles in your hair before starting and wash your hands.
Okay now you are ready to start applying the kaffir lime juice to your hair. You will not need to wet your hair before doing this. Cut a kaffir lime in half and then squeeze the juice from the lime onto your scalp. Be sure to use both halves of the kaffir lime. Repeat this step several times until your scalp is thoroughly wet from the juice. Try to avoid the seeds from the limes as much as possible. While doing this, the juice on your scalp should drip down to the shaft of your hair. It is okay if this happens, as long as you don't apply the juice directly on the shaft. The juice should mainly be concentrated on your roots and scalp.
Begin working the juice in by massaging your scalp with the pads of your fingers. Do NOT use your nails to do this, or you may cause irritation. After you have worked it in really good, get a hair tie and tie your hair up in a bun. This will keep the juice from dripping onto your clothes. You will be leaving the juice in your hair for at least 2 hours before rinsing it off. Go find something to entertain you while waiting for the time to pass by. I usually just go to bed then the next morning I wake up and rinse it off. If you would like to do this too, then lay a towel down on your pillows so you don't get them wet from the juice in your hair, and go to bed. When you go take a shower the next morning, you will not need to wash your hair off with shampoo. Just thoroughly rinse the juice out of your hair, and you are good for the day.
There you go, you have officially cleansed your hair with the kaffir lime. No shampoo, or chemicals needed, just a natural cleanser made by Mother Nature. So if you feel like you need a break from shampoo, give your hair a treat and just cleanse it with some kaffir lime juice! I hope you have fun doing this, and good luck!
|
