Hair Oils

Oiling the hair is one of the oldest grooming rituals in South Asia. Called champi in Hindi and Urdu, the word that gave English the word shampoo, it means massaging warm oil into the scalp with the fingertips, then leaving it for an hour or overnight before washing. Almond oil, badam rogan, is light, pale and gently scented, and it absorbs easily. Castor oil, arandi ka tel, is very thick and sticky, pressed from castor beans, and is often used on the ends of the hair and on eyebrows, sometimes mixed with a lighter oil to make it easier to spread.

Choose almond oil if you want something light for regular use, for massage or for mixing with other oils. Choose castor oil for a heavier treatment, especially on dry ends, and blend a spoonful with almond or coconut oil so it spreads. Smaller bottles suit trying an oil for the first time, and larger bottles suit households where several people oil their hair every week. Both are also used as a massage oil for the skin. They are labelled for external use and are not sold for cooking or eating.

Warm a little oil in a small bowl set in hot water, part the hair in sections and massage it in with the fingertips. Wash out with shampoo, applying it before any water for easier removal. See the whole personal care and household department, and for full body oils see body massage oils.