Dry, coarse and brittle hair needs to be nourished from within; a conditioner that just rinses out won't do the job. Use an intensive moisturizing shampoo which will cleanse without excessive rubbing (which will damage the hair more) and follow with a hot oil conditioner. Heat opens up the hair cuticles allowing the moisturizer to penetrate the hair shaft giving it suppleness, bounce and movement. Mousse on dry hair will make it look dull, use a blow drying or thickening lotion instead.

Pour the conditioner onto your hands just as you did with the shampoo. Make sure you condition the ends of your hair rather than rubbing into your scalp (this can cause itchiness and flaking sometimes - conditioner is not designed for the scalp).

Scrub your fingernails with soap and a nail brush before you get into the shower, otherwise it is like using your hair for a fingernail brush!

Recipes sometimes call for peeled fresh tomatoes. This can easily be done by dropping the whole tomato in boiling water for five seconds. Carefully remove the tomato. The skin should be splitting, making it easy to peel off. If it doesn't, return them to the boiling water for only a few seconds longer.

Begin applying the shampoo right from the nape of your neck slowly and gently right into your hair with your fingertips. Ensure the massage is methodical and even throughout your head, this helps remove the dead skin cells that often become dandruff when not removed.

Take a cup of coconut and mustard oils. Soak half a cup of curry leaves in the oil mixture and keep it for a night. Next morning, heat on a slow fire till the curry leaves turn crisp. Remove from heat and add two to three camphor balls. Allow oil to cool and then strain. Apply oil to hair roots using cotton wool along the parting and massage in circular movements. Leave the oil overnight and shampoo the next morning. Repeat twice a week.

When you shampoo your hair, you should always condition them to keep the hair healthy; I personally don’t use the shampoo which has a mixture of shampoo and conditioner. Apply the Conditioner in the same manner prescribed above and wait for few minutes. Risen off well.

Boil one cup of dried gooseberry with 4 cups of water. Add a pinch of sugar in it. Keep boiling till the quantity of the liquid reduces to one cup. Mix 2 cups of Mehendi, an egg, juice of a lemon and the gooseberry solution and apply on hair. Wash the hair after two hours

Blot your hair with a towel to remove water. Do not rub the towel, as it may hold fibers damaging your hair.

It is not recommended to wash hair twice in succession, as often recommended by shampoo manufacturers. The first shampoo will wash your hair and the second will strip your hair of its nutrients. By repeating, you can irritate your scalp and overly dry your hair. HOWEVER, a long rinsing with water is a good habit, even if you are in a hurry; else, the hair will be dull and more sensitive to external irritants.

Written by Peter Hutch