Out of the many things that we love pampering ourselves with, getting an oil massage done is a favourite. Being the mother of two daughters, the preparative work for this procedure and the onus of giving one falls duly on me. We have two oils that we alternately use, sesame and coconut.
There are strict ayurvedic indications for using these two oils. Nevertheless, they do supposedly achieve the desired results of deep conditioning, healthy bouncy hair with the bonus effects of shiny hair and reduced hair fall.
The procedure kicks off by taking an approximate amount of oil in a wide bowl. This amount will vary, according to the size of the head big or small, hair growth being thick or sparse. The oil is then warmed gently on the stove. This step is done with care as even a slight excess of heating may result in smoking hot oil!
I test the warmth of the oil gingerly with the ball of my index finger. If a little more warm than what the finger can endure, cooling for another few seconds does the job. I am ready for the job now.
I call my daughters one by one. After seating them on a chair, I start the oil massage procedure. Dipping both my hands into the bowl, I wet all the balls of my fingers with the oil, and quickly take them to the scalp. Planting ten fingers at ten different spots, I dab these individual areas of the scalp with the warm oil. Repeating the procedure ensures that all areas of the scalp have had a helping of the warm oil.
The remaining length of the hair too get their share. But the area to concentrate remains the scalp. I start the scalp massage using circular motion of the finger tips. Those of you who have had an oil massage regularly or once in a while will agree about the sheer pleasure of experiencing one. I keep this up for 10 minutes per child. The next in line is me and myself. Since there is no one to give one to me ( except if my mother happens to visit), I indulge myself in the warmth of the oil touching every hair root, while my fingertips take the toll of the massage. I keep it up for 10 minutes too.
The hair and scalp are allowed to soak in the oil, half to one hour.
We then lean back luxuriously on the sofa. But wait! Precaution here! Layer some newspapers on the sofa area where the head and neck may nestle, else you may regret forever about the oil or the massage.
This is a time when the body undergoes extreme relaxation and unwinding. Newspapers, weekly or fortnightly magazines are browsed with music playing in the background. These moments of bliss pass away quickly and we are ready to wash our hair.
The hair is washed with a gentle shampoo followed by a conditioner. Depending on the weather, a hair dryer may or may not be used.
Believe it or not, the oil massage though an irregular ritual (but is tried to be kept as a "sunday afternoon regular" as best as possible!) lighten our spirits immensely as we laugh at silly jokes and giggle all we want at the expense of one another!
At the end you feel happy and content at the time spent with each other and a crown full of shiny, bouncy hair to show off!!
Try it and see, you will know what I mean!
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