Hello everyone, I will be creating posts on some of the practices adopted by Indians to grow their hair healthy, long and beautiful, the first instalment is on oiling techniques. We all know that Indians have some of the most beautiful hair in the entire world; of course some of this comes down to genetics however another reason is because of the hair care practices they adopt to grow their hair long and healthy.

There are many practices adopted by Indians in hair care, which are quite peculiar to them and I will be incorporating their oiling technique to my hair for the remainder of the hair growth challenge and thereafter to see how my hair progresses. I will encourage everyone to do the same as the techniques are simple enough and something that we can all follow. Without further ado let’s get into the post.

(Here is a picture of my bun after church, I achieved this fullness quite easily)


The most common oils used by Indian women for hair growth are amla oil, neem oil, brahmi oil, bhringhraj oil, mustard oil, sesame oil and coconut oil. Indian women apply oil to their hair regularly and the principal ways they use it will be itemised below:

As a pre-shampoo treatment: Before shampooing their hair, Indian women may do a pre-poo treatment. However their version of pre-poo treatments differs slightly. This is because they would usually use only an oil as opposed to other methods of pre-pooing where conditioners, deep conditioners, leave-ins and so on are used. The popular oils used for pre-pooing are amla oil, bhringhraj oil and coconut oil. To pre-poo they make sure that they massage their scalp with lukewarm or normal temperature oil for about 5 -15 minutes. The oil is applied liberally to their scalp as well as to their entire length of hair. You may also choose to wrap a warm towel (it should not be hot) around your head for about 15 minutes to allow the oil penetrate better. You can however cover your hair with a plastic cap, leave the pre-poo in your hair for 30 minutes and above or even overnight; then rinse out and proceed with your normal wash day routine. Now this is something I will be incorporating because scalp massages will actually stimulate blood flow to the scalp encouraging the hair to grow longer, they are also very relaxing. Another benefit of pre-pooing is that it fortifies the hair against the wash day and detangling process making it less prone to breakage.

As a scalp oil: Indian women oil their hair daily or every other day and wear protective styles such as a long braid or a bun. This technique locks in moisture and prevents hair breakage and dryness. Whilst oiling, giving yourself a little massage as you go along, will go a long way in growing your hair, you can spend between 1 – 5 minutes daily on a hair massage. I personally will start giving myself a scalp massage as often as I can.

As a Leave-In: Indian women often use oils as a leave-in conditioner and apply it to the ends of their hair after washing and conditioning it.

I hope this post has given us ideas on some of the practices we can incorporate for longer, healthier hair. I am really thinking that I need to get my hands on some Indian oils such as amla oil, brahmi oil and bhringhraj oil, if anyone knows where I can get these oils please share in the comment section below.

Also if there are any Indians reading this post we would love to learn more about your hair care practices, especially how you oil your hair for hair growth. Thank you all for reading this post on the oiling techniques employed by Indians to grow longer hair, until next time my precious lovelies.

TONKABELLE, xoxo



“That’s the nature of being a parent, Sabine has discovered. You’ll love your children far more than you ever loved your parents, and – in the recognition that your own children cannot fathom the depth of your love – you come to understand the tragic, unrequited love of your own parents”. – Ursula Hegi