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Smokey Spices: The Most Decadent Hair Treatment Ever!

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in Ayurveda, Beauty, Bridal, Essential Oils, Floral Beauty, Flowers, Haircare, Organic, Perfume, Rituals, Royalty, Spa, Spices

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Today, it’s been half a decade since I got married and in true beauty junkie fashion, what I remember most about the wedding are those long, lush and totally indulgent hair and skincare rituals that I got to enjoy as a to-be bride in a culture that elevates its beauty heritage to a ceremonial pedestal.

My hair has never looked so shiny and full of life – the spicy, woodsy aroma wafting out whenever I turned my head being an added bonus!

After the mehndi, some of the most important beauty customs at an Indian wedding centre around the bride’s tresses – and while the whole amla-reetha-shikakai (where the hair is oiled and washed with a mixture of powdered herbs and fruits) was too messy and time consuming for my liking, there was one ritual that stands out in memory as one of the most decadent and sensual “blow dries” I have ever received. It started with a karandi – a long-handled iron pot – which is filled with burning coals that are sprinkled with all sorts of fragrant herbs and spices, including nutmeg, saffron, vetiver, cloves and lotus seeds. To this were added a couple of teaspoons of sandalwood powder and a handful of jasmine petals, so the smoke of the coals became extremely fragrant.

It starts with a long-handled iron pot, which is filled with burning coals that are sprinkled with all sorts of fragrant herbs and spices. Hair is dried over the wafting steam, which unclogs the pores, carrying the healing, rejuvenating effect deep into the follicles

The smoking vessel was then kept under a low cane table and my hair was spread out over the table’s loosely woven surface through which the smoke wafted upwards and dried out my tresses. It was really mild, so there was no over-heating of the scalp; plus, it dried the hair slowly, so the ends didn’t become brittle and were left beautifully glossy and fragranced.  And that was just the outward effects – apparently, the steam also unclogs the pores, carrying the healing, rejuvenating effect of the herbs deep into the hair follicles. All I know is that my hair has never looked so shiny and full of life – the spicy, woodsy aroma wafting out whenever I turned my head being an added bonus!

Several months later, while reading Almond Eyes, Lotus Feet, I came across a beautiful version of this ritual, which is easier to replicate in today’s times:

“There was a special basket which had fairly big holes – it wasn’t a closely woven basket – and this was covered with a pink cloth. Why pink, I don’t know. We lay down with our hair spread over this basket and they lit loban incense in a little burner called an ood-daan. The charcoal was put in this and in it the loban; and we had to lie on a rug on the floor till the hair dried. The fragrance lasted a whole week… the basket for drying our hair was part of our wedding trousseau.”

I know of women from the olden times, who would use no perfume – just scent their hair this way every time they washed it – and everything about them was always fragrant with this spicy, floral, woodiness. Surely, no beauty parlour or hair iron can compete with such decadence!

Mehndi & Memories

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Ayurveda, Beauty, Bridal, Organic, Rituals

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Deep and rich... I am loved!!!!

Nine hours – that’s how long it took to apply the bridal mehndi at my wedding, exactly five years back. Half a decade on, I still distinctly remember waking up at 7 in the morning and then sitting still for nine full hours, while four women worked simultaneously on my hands and legs (so, that’s 36 woman-hours in total), sketching intricate designs running from the tips of my fingers almost to the shoulders, and from the tips of my toes to the knees – both sides! And then waiting another four hours for it to dry completely, then rubbing the mandatory lemon-and-sugar syrup on the pattern and leaving it overnight to assure a rich and dark colour. I think that’s when it finally dawned on me that I was about to be married – me, the girl who had openly declared marriage to be the least sane of all institutions know to mankind. Well, love and all that… !!!!

Phase 1 of the nine-hour-long application

Anyway, coming back to the mehndi, it’s so crucial to an Indian wedding that the two have become synonymous with one another. Although supposedly of Egyptian origin, mehndi (or henna) brings good luck to the new couple. And, not to forget, it’s colour is supposed to indicate the strength of the husband’s and mother-in-law’s love: The deeper the colour, the stronger the love! And, very importantly, the bride is not allowed to work in her husband’s home until her mehndi fades away completely (thereby making up for the nine hours!).

Can you spot the name?

Finally, there is its ice-breaking function – usually, the mehndi artist will hide away the groom’s name in very tiny letters within the pattern and the groom has to find his initials before he can take his new wife home (fairly simple when you have a cheating mom like mine, who “helped” along her darling son-in-law, thereby making me forfeit the gift I would have received if hubby was unsuccessful!).

Though redundant in today’s marriages, where the bride and groom are likely to have known each other forever, I can see how this would be a good way to banish the jitters in an arranged marriage, where the couple are most likely strangers to each other. Ah! And it’s also said that if the groom can’t find the initials, the bride will be the dominant one in the marriage. Mom!!!!!!!

Mehndi and bangles: The perfect wedding recipe

Today, from Madonna to Britney Spears, the earthy hues of this ”body art” are taking over the world. However, I must add that mehndi goes far beyond the purely decorative in India – it is also used to help heal skin diseases, prevent thinning hair, cool the skin and aid muscle contraction. It can also be made into a beverage to heal headaches and stomach pain; or distilled into fragrant massage oil for increasing the suppleness of the limbs. Form and function – no wonder this is one tradition that refuses to fade into oblivion!

The Story of Sindur

27 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by in Bridal, Makeup

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Forget the stick-on bindis and the multicoloured forehead adornments –nothing can compare with a pinch of authentic sindur for a classic vision of Indian womanhood. This vermillion powder, smudged into the hair parting, reflects marital status and cannot be worn by an unmarried girl or widow. It symbolises that the husband of the woman is alive and she is enjoying his love, care and guardianship.

According to mythology, red is the colour of power while vermilion is a symbol of the female energy of Parvati and Sati. The latter is regarded as the ideal wife who gave her life for her husband’s honour and every Hindu wife is supposed to emulate her. It is also believed that Goddess Parvati protects all men whose wives apply sindur on a daily basis.

This vermillion powder, smudged into the hair parting, reflects marital status and cannot be worn by an unmarried girl or widow

This practise carries astrological significance as well. According to Hindu astrology, Mesha Rashi (House of Aries) is on the forehead. Mars is the the Lord of Mesha and his colour is red. Hence, wearing this colour on your forehead is believed to be auspicious.

However, there is also no lack of cynics. Feminists, who eschew any symbol that “brands” a woman as married joke that sindur was devised as another means of overbearing modesty, covering even that tiny fraction of her anatomy from the gaze of anyone but her husband! And it’s interesting to note that this traditional act carries physiological significance as well: Sindur is prepared by mixing turmeric, lime and the metal mercury. Mercury, it is well established, controls blood pressure and activates sexual drive, especially when applied pto the pituitary gland where all our feelings are centered. Maybe this is why sindoor is prohibited for the widows?

Feminists, who eschew any symbol that “brands” a woman as married joke that sindur was devised as another means of overbearing modesty, covering even that tiny fraction of her anatomy from the gaze of anyone but her husband

Whatever the reasons, this vermillion powder has been a part of Indian culture since at least the past 5,000 years. Excavations at Mehrgarh, Baluchistan, show that it was applied to the partition of women’s hair even in early Harappan times. And even though contemporary brides like moi don’t really bother with it on a daily basis in today’s day and age, it’s definitely a beautiful tradition that comes out in full play during festivals and weddings.

Intrigued? You can mix up a small batch of your own with this simple yet completely authentic recipe from Almond Eyes, Lotus Feet: Soak sticks of turmeric overnight and scrape off skin with a sharp knife. Grind together two teaspoons each of papadhkar and drumsticks (savaghi), finely sieve and mix with lemon juice. Apply to turmeric sticks, which will turn red. Grind sticks into sindur powder.