Ayurveda for Hair Problems: Herbs, Oils, and Treatments

By Akanksha Shah Sanghvi, MD, Clinical Dermatology
February 11, 2021 - Updated on April 9, 2021

Don’t we all love shiny, healthy, and voluminous hair? Unfortunately, day-to-day exposure to environmental pollutants and chemical-based hair products can negatively affect the hair.

Good hair quality can also be challenged by internal factors such as thyroid abnormalities, hormonal imbalance, dieting, infections, surgery, stress, certain medications, and menopause.

Hence, to improve your overall hair health, it is vital to address internal and external causative factors and seek professional treatment.

Aside from medical treatment, you can also try Ayurvedic treatments, which are often more efficient, safer, and cheaper than other treatments. Moreover, Ayurveda also helps improve your hair nutrition, volume, and health in general. (1)

Disbalanced Doshas and Hair Problems

Ayurvedic science mentions that there are three different types of energies, known as doshas, that assimilate to determine your nature, or prakriti. These doshas are namely vata, pitta, and kapha. (2)(3)

It is said that a disbalance, be it an increase or decrease, in any of the doshas can present as a medical condition. Therefore, different doshas present different hair problems.

1. Vata dosha

People with vata dosha have straight, thin hair with a coarse texture. Vata hair generally has high moisture content and absorption capability, accompanied by a rapid growth rate.

A disbalance in vata dosha is often associated with an improper diet, which can affect the hair in the following way:

• Dryness and dehydration of the scalp
• Cracking and flaking of the scalp
• Hair thinning
• Frizziness
• Split ends
• Hair fall
• Seborrheic dermatitis

2. Pitta dosha

Hair associated with pitta dosha tends to be slightly curly, soft, thick, and high in protein and pigment content.

Different factors, including stress, UV radiation, environmental pollution, and poor hair hygiene, can cause an elevated pitta dosha.

A disbalance in pitta dosha, in turn, causes:

• Oiliness and greasiness
• Seborrheic dermatitis and other infections
• Erythema
• Clogging of hair follicles
• Premature graying of hair
• Weak hair roots
• Inflamed scalp

3. Kapha dosha

Kapha hair is characterized by thick, curly, and shiny hair strands, giving it a voluminous appearance. A kapha dosha disbalance is generally caused by hormonal fluctuations, high cholesterol, and excessive sugar intake.

The hair problems associated with increased levels of kapha dosha include:

• Hair fall
• Oiliness
• Itchy scalp
• Inflamed scalp

Ayurvedic Treatments for Hair

The aim of Ayurvedic treatments is to rebalance the three doshas efficiently to improve the associated problems without producing any side effects.

You can use Ayurvedic therapies, medications, or products to help treat your hair problems.