Self Sanctuary Hair Practices
For taking back presence & pause
Practices & Rituals for healthy Hair from Root to Tip…
Lately I have been trying to take more care of my hair and centre into a meaningful practices around it!
I also really want to make this time in autumn to winter especially sacred, for moments to slow down through the days and weeks that go by so quickly or on the days that can feel a little gloomy—Creating a new feel to weekly routines with practices that I can connect into for more pause and presence is something that is calling me.
So, I plan to connect with self sanctuary and let it invite extra space for some hair care!
With the cold and windy weather coming in that holds with it the Vata element, it can really create dryness within the hair, so breakage and damage can easily set in especially if you’ve spent the summer in the ocean and under the sun. The remedy is to create ritual within this for yourself and solidify a practice of mindfulness hair care for stronger, healthier hair and as a way to bring in more presence into your day, making you feel more relaxed and calm.
These self sanctuary practices can also offer a change in what may seem like a mundane and thoughtless task when doing the general hair brushing, washing and cleansing etc and into more of a ritual over routine.
Of course we all spend time in doing our hair but often without much thought or presence within it!
So why not make it feel better, use this time to bring in a grounded sense of reality and let it feel mediative, healing and connective. Whilst your taking extra care of yourself in this way you’ll sink into self sanctuary hair care practices and may even be surprised at how much healthier you hair and the growth results that come from it.
These practices have been a beautiful way to get me looking after my hair better than before because I’ve been doing these practices with more intention, even just using better quality combs and brushes and ditching the quicker rushed brushing feels so good.
True beauty seems hard to to find today, we are conditioned into believing that the more products we use on our hair and the more we get done to our hair the better it will be, but in truth when you keep adding tons of toxic products and are fooled into buying them along with expensive treatments your are just damaging your hair and draining your bank account— but we get very drawn into consumerism, this aesthetic age we live in is lost in a blur of toxic waste disguised as the perfect glossy products for your skin and hair! —Whilst less really is so much better! The earth literally is holding everything for you but it is being missed by the bombardment of high end brands with perfect looking products and filters—we don’t even know what is real anymore!
But you can remember what is, if you look back at how beautiful and healthy women’s hair really was, especially from the 1920’s -1970’s when hair care was defined by less frequent washing, fewer products, and a focus on natural practices like daily brushing which was a key part of hair care, these routines were not rushed but strictly met. Brushing was a way to distribute natural oils, clean the hair, and stimulate the scalp and women used brushes with boar bristles to keep hair glossy without the constant washing that strips hair of it’s goodness. Women had less reliance on heat tools, so air drying was a standard practice making hair healthy and not constantly over heating hair which causes brittle hair and breakage.
Women used homemade hair rinses for shine, they used natural homemade products like linseed, egg yolk, olive oil and Shea butters, mineral clays and natural ammonia free henna dyes and I’ll be sharing some of these with my own adaptations to them.
This is such contrast to the intensive, chemical ridden, product-driven routines women and men have today! It’s sad so many women and men are using such highly toxic chemicals in thier beauty products without questioning ingredients or knowing the health consequences, but with awareness we can reform how we see beauty and with nature we can harness its true potential.
Here are my Self Sanctuary Hair Care Practices infused with Home Made Ritual Recipes for Natural Hair Nourishment :
Brushing — A remedy for Relaxation & Hair Growth
The practice of brushing hair up to one hundred strokes a night was a widely believed hair care tip during the 1970s. The goal was to distribute the hair’s natural oils and prevent the need for over washing and this is exactly what mindful hair brushing will do! As you brush the hair from root to tip you gently massage the scalp and promote oilation into your hair, making it healthier, stronger and you’ll boost your hair growth and minimise grey hairs coming in!
Ayurvedic philosophy believes that brushing, head massage and good diet can prevent premature graying of hair. In Ayurveda the greying of hair known as Palitya, is believed to be fuled by stress ( heat) and a diet missing in, protein, collagen and essential fatty acids, it can be the body just telling you what it’s needing! So it’s essential to bring awareness around combating oxidative stress with wholesome soul foods, like meat, fish, nuts, seeds, leafy green vegetables, eggs, and berries—Preventing nutritional deficiencies that contribute to greying makes sense! But of course so many of us live in deprivation from various capacities and our busy lives can show up in the body in many ways. This is why I’m so passionate about creating Self Sanctuary, it’s time to change the way we live out our lives for the better.
I have started a brushing ritual twice daily, which is so relaxing as it feels like a sweeping massage and it has definitely given my hair more of a shine, taking the time to connect into this routine has been very therapeutic and a relief from stress. With regular self head massage and a good brushing routine I don’t seem to have that many greys coming through, and I’m soon to be 45 yrs and I have not dyed or bleached my hair in 6 yrs, so I’m happy with that!
Choosing Combs + Natural Brushes—
Combs made from sustainable materials like wood or recycled materials and natural brushes are the best to use, I am in love with the beauty of these hand painted pocket combs from Solar Eclipse. https://solareclipsestyle.com
A gorgeous company who create a unique, range of stylish designs that are all handmade with the finest sustainable materials including signature biodegradable acetate.
It really feels good to use materials that can go back to the earth and these add a touch of luxury to the upgrading of your hair routine.
These are also designed to carry in your bag and make it so easy to practice on the go! Brush on the bus, on your lunch break or in the park for a moment whilst watching your kids play! I do!
It’s all about bringing in self care through your day and within the pockets of time you have and fill it with meaning.
Using hair combs can gently help detangle knots and I love using wider combs as this design also acts like a Gua Sha, it’s like a mirror to the ancient Chinese practice of “combing” therapy— A head massage technique with a comb, a technique I love! You can massage your scalp as you apply gentle movements to stimulate bloodflow, it feels soothing, aids in relaxation and can help encourage hair growth.
Mindful hair brushing is such a calming experience, you’ll release tension and promote blood circulation to the head, especially if you often tie your hair up or experience headaches this practice of slow hair brushing and scalp massage will ease out the tension or tightness held in the head.
Combing is like Gua Sha but for the scalp, which is perfect at boosting hair growth and promoting the energy flow to an often neglected area. Use your comb to apply soothing touch and feel the immediate soothing invigorating sensation.
The gorgeous Solar Eclipse range also have brushes that have softer bristles that you can still use for this practice and they will provide a softer feel, which is especially good option if you have a sensitive scalp.
Using softer more flexible bristles still stimulate the scalp, the feel is a lighter more gentle exfoliation, for a calm stress relieving massage, plus if you have fine more brittle hair it can minimise breakage.
The point is make brushing feel good again!
I also use this Gua Sha Comb from Yao Secret Shop Wooden Gua Sha Comb for Hair | Yao Secret
It’s crafted from natural Verawood but isn’t just any comb — it’s a two-in-one tool for hair and relaxation. Use it to massage your scalp with your favourite hair oil to help encourage hair growth.
Its unique design includes a special tail for massaging your neck and easing tension between your forehead and eyes. Embrace ancient Chinese massage practices in your daily self-care routine. It really feels so healing.
These tools I love as they give a similar scalp and body massage, but rather than combing through the hair you just focus on the scalp, head, neck and shoulders.
Use the Gua sha technique to reduce dandruff, smooth over frizz and boost hair growth by stimulating circulation in the scalp. A scalp massage loosens dirt, debris and buildup for a clear, healthier and cleaner scalp.
The Ritual—
Sit in a comfortable seated position and simply sink into your hair brushing ritual, choose your comb or brush and go slow, free up any knots to begin with, working from the ends of the hair upwards and then with knot free hair brush from the roots to ends of your hair. Close your eyes and connect to your breath as you brush.
Home Made Silky hair Serum—
I’ve made my own quick and easy hair serum which feels amazing to sweep through your hair ends during or after brushing. You don’t need a lot of it to tame any frizz or seal hair cuticles.
I make this up as I go so the recipe is for one application but you can create it in a bulk form and store in a small pot if you wanted to ( just add more of the tallow).
How to create—
I use Fierce Nature tallow vanilla bean balm although it’s not a hair product in itself I use it as it’s so full of goodnessuse and this is a brand I love and trust, its so pure and toxic free. The tallow’s rich composition of fatty acids and vitamins help fortify the hair shaft, making it more resilient and less prone to breakage. Its full of vitamins A, D, E, and K, tallow can make hair thick and strong, making it a perfect serum that creates a soft frizz free feel. Optional choice is a good quality Shea butter.
—Add in rosemary essential oil, 1-2 drops only. Rosemary helps support hair growth and just smells amazing.
The Ritual—
Add just a penny size amount of the serum into a remakin dish or your palm, but I’d say less if you have finer /thinner hair as you don’t want it to look greasy and you are only applying to the mid to end sections to tame any frizz.
Gently pull through hair ends with fingertips. Breathe as you create a flow and motion in the sweeping through your hair.
My Gold Drip Hair Oil Miracle Mask—
Sink into deep self sanctuary with this practice, it’s a calling to relax and be still as you let the oils absorb into your scalp and hair for deeper repair and nourishment.
I’ve chosen oils I love and trust as they are organic cold pressed and of course sourced from the earth, this makes them non toxic, deeply hydrating and these oils last! They hold an abundance of properties that have healing plant vibration.
I make this up and keep it in a glass jar to keep as a hair treatment ( which goes along way and keeps for up to one year) but you can also put a small amount of it into a glass pipette and use 2-3 drops on dry hair as a rescue repair “leave in”conditioner for very dry brittle hair or as an extensive treatment.
How to create—
1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil ( High in phenolic polyphenols)
1tbs melted coconut oil ( full of goodness and smells amazing)
1tsp Argan Oil ( known for supporting hair growth and strengthening hair shaft)
1tsp Castor Oil ( full of fatty acids and ricinoleic acid, smooths, prevents breakage and supports inflammation of the scalp)
1tsp Jojoba Oil ( very moisturising, for softness, anti frizz and has ability to unclog hair follicles preventing dandruff)
1tps Avacado seed oil ( deeply moisturising, rich in fatty acids and vitamins (A, D, E), promoting elasticity)
— Essential oils can be added by the drop ( you can choose to blend or add in what you love from my list below)
Mix the above main oils together with a small wooden spoon and store in an airtight glass jar.
(My favourite brand for these pure oils is Fushi, organic cold pressed is best but just try and avoid processed low quality oils. These oils last because they are high in quality and plant vibration so they go a long way and can be used by the whole family in other way, they are all great for skin too). When you make your own products you do save money, you also get way more in amount compared to high end hair treatment brands and as you are blending you don’t use them all up in one go.
If you’d like to add the essence of essential oil for a sweet smell and more benefits you can choose from one of the following to suit your needs:
2 drops Sandalwood ( protect and calm)
2 drops Cedarwood ( freshen )
2 drops lavender ( thickens hair, promotes hair growth)
2 drops peppermint ( to cool and invigorate the scalp, relieves discomfort and itchiness)
2 drops sweet orange oil / or grapefruit (to revive and give vitality and a fresh feel).
The Ritual—
Pour a good amount of the golden oil into your palms and warm in your hands or for a heat hair mask ritual you can gently warm the amount of oil you want in a ramekin dish that is sitting in hot water, then drizzle the warm liquid oil on your scalp for a deeply soothing experience. Once your scalp is submerged in oil start to massage at the scalp and rub the oil into your head and hair—use the power of the hands and fingertips to massage through and don’t forget to cover the remaining ends of hair. The massage ritual improves blood flow and aids a soothing to any irritation in the scalp and will replenish dry brittle hair. ( this is great for flaky scalp too) it healed my sons dry itchy flaky scalp from the first application. Warp hair in a warm towel and leave for up to 20 minutes to 1 hour or more to absorb.
This golden mask will nourish deep, strengthen hair follicles and encourage stronger, longer, silky looking hair.
Wash out with warm water and shampoo as normal. Blow dry or let hair dry naturally.
Detox Rassoul Clay Hair Mask—
This is a beautiful ritual for another deeper relaxation in self sanctuary and it is beneficial for ridding your hair of any toxic overload, pollution or chemicals and especially good if you live in the city with car fumes. I love the Clay Cure Company for these clay’s as they are high in purity and sourced from the best regions.
How to make—
Make up the clay powder in a ramekin dish with a mix of warm water to make a paste ( enough to create a hair mask).
The Ritual—
I would normally do this whilst in a warm bath just because it’s easier to wet your hair and saves getting a hand towel covered in mud, alternatively though from a basin pour water over your hair to wet hsir, then take the clay between hands or paint directly onto your hair with a brush, leave for up to 5 -10 minutes, listen to music, relax and breathe within this time. Rrinse well then shampoo and condition as normal.
Hair Washing — A ritual over routine
Most people over wash hair and so strip the hair of natural oils as well and disrupting the microbiome on the scalp in the process, resulting in dry flaky itchy scalp.
Ideally aim to wash your hair once or twice a week. Look out for harsh toxic artificial ingredients in your shampoo and avoid using harsh alcohols, synthetic fragrances, SLS, sulfates, paragons, phthalates, formaldehyde and choose products with naturally derived ingredients instead.
Shampoo with a Mild soap, castle soap is very soothing and you can always add your own essential oils for natural fragrance and benefits. Castile soap is a gentle base for hair and I love Dr Bronner Castle Soap, they even do a frangrance free one if you need to be mindful of sensitivity.
For dry hair you can add in a tsp of honey or olive oil to shampoo for a more nourishing effect or for greasy hair try adding a bit of bicarbonate of soda to bring back oil balance.
Egg shampoos—
This sounds unusual but it was commonly used as a shampoo in the 1920’s and it’s now making a come back!
How to create—
Whisk one to three whole organic eggs until frothy, the texture should look foamy. Leave to sit for a minute then apply to damp hair, ensuring it’s thoroughly massaged into the roots and ends. You can let it absorb for a few mins more before rinsing thoroughly with luke warm water to prevent the egg from cooking in the hair. I add a teaspoon of honey, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the whipped egg mixture or you can add a few drops of essential oil of your choice, but I find this improved the overall experience of the egg shampoo and it will smell so nice too.
The Ritual—
Wet your hair with warm water, take some shampoo in your palms and massage it into your scalp and rub gently down to the ends of your hair. Repeat for at least 2 minutes. Close your eyes and breathe, inhale the aroma, especially if you have added essential oils. Rinse well with clean tepid water.
I like to shampoo twice, so repeat this process again and once washed out thoroughly you can go onto the hair rinse ritual and or the conditioning treatments.
Alternatively, just wrap your hair in a soft cotton towel. Blow dry or leave to air dry naturally then add a few drops of olive oil or coconut oil into towel damp hair for a leave in conditioner.
Hair Teas —Herbal Hair Rinse Ritual
Vinegars and herbal blends can be used to rinse the hair, typically after washing. Hair rinse practices were used by ancient Egyptians and I’ve been making my own hair rinse ( hair teas) for a while now, with amazing results!
I create my hair rinse mainly from using infused rosemary, but I’ve just moved it up and have been trying the vinegar rinses—These are great for gloss and shine, just always diluted the vinegar with water. You can use white wine vinegar, which is great on dark hair, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for blondes.
I do notice a difference in shine and gloss when I add this routine in after shampoo washing.
How to create—
Here’s a few ways to use and makeup your hair rinses; add a bunch of fresh rosemary to a pan ( or any of the other below herbs) and gently steep in hot water and leave to infuse itself and release its plant power goodness for a few hours to get the best extract from the herb. The darker in tone the water becomes the more potent and full of nutrients it will be. I also add good pinch of natural sea salt.
Then, simple strain into a glass jar or bottle ( I use a funnel) I save all my glass honey /jam jars and glass bottles so it’s a good way to re-use and keeps them fresh. Store up all the liquid and rest in a cool place ( the fridge) just keep away from direct sunlight and it will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
If you want to experiment more with the concept of hair rinsing you can create a range of hair teas and simply add more infusions or different herbs for different benefits and results. Just follow the initial steeping process first and either use as it is or add in extras.
These are my other favourite herbal blends:
Peppermint ( healing for itchy scalp/ flaky dandruff)
Camomile ( great for keeping blonde hair vibrant)
Rose ( calming and soothing)
Once you have your “herbal base” If you want to add in extra ingredients to boost its nutritional potential I love to add in the following:
Aloe Vera — 1-2 tsp and I use self bump Fushi aloe gel.
And as an extra rinse you can try beautiful fruit vinegars! Vinegar alone is amazing, just add 3 tbsp in water for scalp microbiome restoration or infuse 3 tbsp into your already made herbal blend.
The Ritual—
Honestly I feel like the ritual starts within the making process of these hair rinse teas, but once made have your rinse cleanse away any residual shampoo water after washing. Simply tip your head back and pour the herbal tea infused water all over your hair. No need to wash off with water. Just gently towel dry. You can add in some good drip serum /oil through the ends into towel damp hair afterwards.
Conditioning — A time to nourish
After washing or rinsing you are ready for conditioning your hair to leave a softer texture or you can practice a conditioning ritual as an intensive treatment for dry damaged hair or just to bring deeper nourishment.
I often just use a penny size amount of olive oil or coconut oil ( which smells amazing) after washing, you can just rub the oil into the palms and run it through mid to the ends of your hair ; ( use less oil for fine hair or naturally oily hair).
I also love to use organic sea moss as a conditioner, leave in hair for 5-10 mins then rinse well.
I often prefer a leave in conditioner, especially if you are in need for an extra repair treatment and my favourite recipe combines honey, avacado, coconut oil, aloe Vera and essential oils.
How to create—
1/2 of a small avocado
1 tbsp of raw honey
1 tsp of pure aloe Vera ( if you have an aloe Vera plant, cut open one small leaf and blend the gel like pulp until smooth)
1 tsp of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
2 drops of essential oil of rosemary ( optional)
Also optional 1 tbsp of organic live yoghurt I use Yeo valley.
Mash or blend the entire mixture together. Store in an air tight jar and keep refrigerated for up to 1-2 weeks.
The Ritual—
Apply the conditioner to damp hair, from root to tip. Massage slowly and focus on leaving more in at the ends. Leave for 15-20 minutes then rise well with tepid water.
You can repeat the hair tea rinse ritual after or just keep rinsing with fresh water until it is all out. Dry hair naturally or blow dry mindfully on low heat settings so as not to cause any heat damage.
Enhance natural color and shine—
If you’d love to step away from the toxic load of chemical hair dyes and artificial bleaching these next hair colour enhancing techniques will transform your relationship with your natural hair colour.
It has been 6 years of zero bleaching and hair dyes for me now, that means no visits to the hairdressers at all!! does that shock you? I’ve just let my natural hair colour come through and with mindful hair practices I’ve learnt to love my natural hair again.
I’ve always been a natural blonde but use to get my hair professionally highlighted once or twice a year to make it more noticeable, but from that my hair got very dry and brittle and always seemed to take ages to grow! Now my hair is completely natural in colour and I let it change in shades through the changing of the seasons— it goes lighter through the summer when I’m out in the sun and swimming in the sea, as the sun and sea salt are naturally bleaching and though autumn and winter my hair fades into darker tones of bronde. I love how healthy my hair is now and it grows so fast! Here’s how you can naturally enhance your hair colour without using chemicals…
Naturally lighten blonde hair—
You can invigorate your natural hair colour with some lighter shades of gold blonde or bronde by using diluted lemon juice, a practice for a blonde hair rinse, this is my perfect “ Sun in” spray I use it in the summer to naturally lighten hair in the sun.
Naturally invigorate brunette hair—
Go back to the hair rinse practices with rosemary, or add sage and coffee as these add depth and gloss ( just strain off the coffee grains after the fresh coffee brew so they don’t get stuck in your hair). You can actually keep the coffee grains and mix them in with any oil of your choice to use as a body scrub!
How to create—
For Blonde hues:
Add the following to a glass spray bottle:
1/2 the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon l
Pinch of sea salt
Filtered water
A blob of coconut oil
Shake until it’s all combined
The Ritual—
Spray the blonde high light spray onto damp hair and sit in the sun or use as a hair rinse after washing and dry as normal.
For Brunette depth and gloss:
Add 1/2 cup of freshly brewed coffee ( cooled) to your chosen hair rinse recipe, coffee pairs well with sage or rosemary well for a nice smell and darker hues, just follow the same steps in the previous hair rinse ritual.
Mindful Up Knots + Hair Do’s—
For styling, just being more mindful not to overuse products and being more selective with how you are holding your hair up in place will help to reduce breakage and encourage growth. I have chosen to take more care when putting my hair up ( because I do wear it up a lot when I am teaching or practicing yoga) and I would get what I call a “ hair up headache” from the bun or pony tail being up so long and the hair bands feeling tight, it hurts your head!
So I now use hair sticks and I’ve found hair pins are so much better too, there’s no tightnesses or headache feeling after and I can still wear my hair in an up knot. It stays secure and lasts.
I love these hair sticks from Yao Secret, they are made from verawood and are really provide a secure holding of the up knot, whilst being gentle on your hair.
I also love real mulberry silk scrunchies from the silk collection as the natural fibre makes hair soft and they don’t knot or tangle up into the hair… there’s been a few times I’ve had to cut some of my hair out of the small hair bands from friction knots!
Hair claws are also a great option as a way to clasp hair back without pulling on the hair or scalp.
The Night cap Ritual—
Lastly, I have taken the history of the night cap into my bedtime hair routine and most nights wear a turban ( hair bonnet) to bed. This one is from the silk collection— https://thesilkcollection.co.uk/collections/the-hair-wrap-collection-silk-hair-bonnets
It is 100% natural silk which is important as these fibres help retain moisture in the hair, reducing frizz and breakage and it feels warm and comfortable.
You wake up with silky bouncy hair, these are particularly good if you have naturally curly hair that needs more maintenance as it really does leave the hair glossy and tangle free!
The Silk collection also have the soft silk rollers which look amazing but I have yet to try these, they definitely help stop heat damage and overuse of hot curling, so it’s worth trying and looks effortless, so I’m all for saving on time and you can pop the hair wrap or silk cap over.
The hair turban has actually really improved the texture and feel of my hair in the morning, when usually it needs a good brush after waking it just falls into place and feels silky smooth!
Women have worn night caps for centuries dating right back to the 1900’s Victorian And Edwardianera and even back further Egyptian hair care— The ancient Kemetic women of Egypt wore head coverings at night to preserve their very elaborate hairstyles and the practice of night caps, especially pure silk natural materials keep hair in good condition.
I hope these self sanctuary hair practices have inspired you to go back and change the way you nourish your hair, whilst letting it bring in more intentional living into your daily routine, to make life feel “felt”.
—With these practices you will bring in more patience and presence into your life and that is to truly live!
When you immerse yourself within time and nature, when you feel and absorb it and use it with intention I also know that it brings connection and that is the highest level of alignment—when you take time for meaningful practices this is self healing.
What comes through in self Sanctuary practices sets the tone for more of that to flow in all that we do.
I hope you love and live with these practices as much as I do and enjoy a new level of serenity and healthy hair growth.
I would love to see how you try out the recipes and or any of the tools you may want to use. Please feel free share your Self Sanctuary Hair practices with me over on instagram and tag me in your journey, I’d love to see.
Love to you
T
🤎
