mabh is now Lancemade®

What is 2021 for us?

The trademark is approved! I own lancemade.com now. :)

The product is getting a fresh look with our customized bottle mould and artistic-vintage labels like I’ve always wanted! The new bottles will be out from Febraury 2021.]

The hair growth oil formula that I make and sell since 2013 is UNCHANGED and never will be! It’s just the packaging that we are revamping with a new brand name. Unfortunately, our attorney couldn’t get the trademark ‘mabh’ and we had to part with it. Is Lancemade spellable?

Quality control: Since 2013, regardless of whether the business was at peak or when we had to take breaks, we were very careful and certain about maintaining the quality the ingredients resourced. We treasure this formula as much as we respect our customers/clients. And we assure to continue it this year and for many more years to come.

Mission: As per our mission, the brand promise is to NOT work on unethical, paid-promotions nor we have ever paid anyone for review or positive feedback these years and we aim to stick to our core brand values irrespective of the speed of reach.

Personally, this year, I aim to work on campaigns that break the hair myths created by the industy and educate our fam of hair care enthusiasts with real hair-science. We’re also going to work with a few interesting people and paw-buddies this year!

Thanks to each one of you. I cannot be more grateful.

So, what’s 2021 for you?

Love,
Lance

Measuring My Thigh Length Hair, Oiling Routine, Diet & More : FAQ

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How long is your hair?: Somewhere in between 47 and 48 inches approx. (120 cm). I’m yet to measure it properly on my hair wash day.

How long did it take for you to grow this length?: My last proper hair cut was back in 2012. I ruined my hair by getting layers (Trust me. The hairstylist didn’t do an impressive job) where the first layer ended near my chin. After this haircut, I don’t remember having a big chop. So it took me around 7 years to grow my hair to thigh-knee length! (The tapered shape at the end is due to the previous layer cut I had!) I had to be really patient and I made sure to never cut my hair except for S&D method for split end trims.

Do you maintain a diet for your hair?: I am usually good with my diet. I make sure to consume a lot of protein and vegetables so I never needed to concentrate on my diet separately for my hair. Nevertheless, I include eggs, chickpeas, chicken, soy meat and other legumes to keep my protein balance. This is how I usually eat – proteins first, carbs next and fats, towards the end of the meal. Recently, I went gluten-free and I also stopped eating white sugar and fried foods and I already see a good improvement in my hair growth. My shed rate has also reduced. I know it’s a tough diet style for many but trust me, not just my hair, I feel overall better now. I’ll do a separate post on my eating habits soon.

Your oiling routine?: I’m on a simple hair care routine at present. I oil my hair twice to thrice a week (with MABH handmade hair oil that I make and sell!) before I wash it. I mostly let the oil to work on my hair for at least an hour to 3 hours (rarely, overnight). However, I don’t oil my hair after the hair wash. I plan to make a serum and try using it (especially on the ends of my hair) the formula is in progress. As of now, I oil my hair before EVERY hair wash and I NEVER shampoo dry hair. If at all I happen to wash my hair without oiling it, I really regret it later. Cleansing dry hair is a very bad idea! It will ruin the shine and luster of your hair.

Why don’t you trim your hair a bit?: I’ve been giving a thought about it. My ends are wispy and I sometimes fancy neat, blunt ends but again, I also am strangely attached to my fairytale ends. I am not sure if I’ll get a trim soon but if it’s the case of split ends, I really am looking forward to get one soon!

Do you have plans to donate your hair?: For now, I don’t think so. I’m sorry. I receive requests on email and Instagram but I actually don’t plan to donate my hair as of now.

Do you get awkward stares?: All the time. I’m not anxious about it anymore! I feel more comfortable when I wear my hair into a bun. These days, a hair bun wrapped with a headband at my hair line is my go-to style! Braids work fine too.

How do you see short hair?: I envy it, all the time! I always wanted an inverted bun – it’s just so classy. It’s my attachment to my hair that doesn’t let me cut it off. Who knows, maybe in the future. For now, I love my hair the way it is. I may get bangs though.

Is your product back in stock?: Yes! It is. A fresh batch is getting prepared and you can start placing your orders already. Dispatch will begin from coming week. (For people who do not know, I use my handmade formula for my hair and you can buy it from www.mabh.in)

If you’ve got any topics on which you’d like me to blog, do drop them below on the comment section! Thank you.

My One Year Hair Growth Journey, Hair Regime & Before and After Pictures

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Hello MABH readers!

Today, I am going to share with you all my one year hair growth story with ‘before and after’ hair growth pictures. Hair growth, hair fall, shiny hair – these will be few of the most searched words in Google when it comes to hair care and stuff. From my experience with beauty blogging, I got to know that clearer skin and longer hair are what people wish for! Let us leave the former. The latter one is our topic today.

I am eighteen now. This hair growth journey has been started before a year when I was seventeen. I was doing my 11th grade that time. The difference between last year and this year in my hair growth is not that huge but still, I wanted to share my hair growth story, experience, regime and photos with you all as per readers’ request! Stay tuned.

UPDATED; October 5, 2025.
I still receive emails about my hair-growth journey, and after years of trying blends, I’ve stayed loyal to the Lancemade Hair Growth Oil. (previously sold under the name mabh fast growth hair oil) Its cold-pressed coconut and mustard infusion simply works , no other oil has matched its natural shine or growth boost on my roots..

Before and After Hair Growth Photos – My One Year Hair Growth Experience:

So did you check the picture above? The first one was taken last year (Around April-May) and the next one was taken last week by my cousin.

Update : Please don’t raise your eyebrows and say‘You are wearing the same dress huh!) I wore the same dress to know the exact difference in growth; not to breed doubts in readers’ mind.

Okay coming to the story, did you notice that my hair has become straighter than before? It is not that I have done hair straightening (I have virgin hair!) but the good (Read ‘better!’) hair regime made changes to my hair and I am happy for that now! In these 12 months, I trimmed my hair twice to thrice which was a blunder I made. I should have only trimmed my split ends. Instead, I chopped off nearly 2 inches. Sob!

Let me talk about my hair care regime now without wasting any more time. To be frank it was not a magical hair care regime that I followed. I will list now what all I did to my hair and what changes I made to my hair care regime to promote hair growth in this one year.

I Started Taking Biotin Pills

Yes! This was the first thing I did when I dreamt of having beautiful long hair. After consulting with my physician, I got a pack of H-Vit biotin and started taking it everyday. I took 10 mg biotin a day. Within ten days, biotin gifted me acne breakouts. :(

I already knew that it might be the side effect but still, I said sorry to my skin and continued the biotin treatment. The breakouts gradually stop once your body gets used to it. I took biotin supplements for one month and I could notice a lovely change in my hair texture. It has controlled my mild hair fall and made my hair more shinier. My hair looked better after biotin intake. It has also strengthened my nails.

But wait.. I was (Am too) a super lazy girl and so, I did totally forgot about the biotin! I mean, totally!. After that one month, I never returned back to biotin pills due to laziness. If I had taken them, I am sure my hair would have grown at least an inch more than how long it is now. Hence seriously this time, I am going back to my biotin from this week. I will surely make a difference post on MABH after one more year!

One more thing.. Don’t ever take any hair care supplement without consulting your doctor. Though it is just a food supplement, I am in no away recommending you to take biotin pills without asking your doctor!

I Oiled My Hair Every Week

This was one thing that made my hair texture better. :) When I was 12, I used to have thigh length hair. Then came the phase when I started hating long hair. And I got my hair cut done once in two-three months. I chopped my very long hair and maintained it till waist. I got VERY long hair due to ‘everyday oiling routine’ when I was in my 5th, 6th grades in school. I hated oiling hair but then, my mom insisted me and oiled my hair every other day. The oil I used (I am still using it!) was our homemade product :) It contains a unique herbal formula. You would have seen my mom’s hair in this post. She uses the same too!

Currently, I am selling the product, i.e the MABH fast growth hair oil online as per readers’ requests. If you are interested in getting it, go through this POST for product details, price, ingredients, method of payment etc. You can place your order from www.mabh.in – our official site, and get the product at your door step. I am sure you will love the results after using our oil. Feel free to get in touch with me!

After my 7th grade, I banned hair oil totally which gave me bad dry hair. You can see on the pic which was taken a year back. They were not beautiful waves.. My hair turned that dry and horrible due to lack of nourishment. From last year, I started oiling my hair, but only at nights. I use our the MABH product and I do it twice a week.

With my no-cheat oiling hair routine, my hair texture has changed a lot in this one year. It is more silky and straight now.

Update: (I don’t remember the date.. Sorry. However it was in between August and September 2013 I guess)

Take a look at my hair now. I continuously followed the 2 times/week oiling routine (with our hair oil) and got really black and thicker hair! Our oil works best to stop hair fall, eliminate dandruff (if any) and stimulates scalp for newer and thicker hair growth. I am looking forward to next year. My goal is to grow out my hair till knees. One more update is coming up soon on January!

Update – January 10th 2014 (Must READ!)

Read: My 18 Months Hair Growth Update {Before and After Pictures}

I Started Eating Eggs Everyday

This may sound strange.. But it is true! Daily intake of eggs has made my hair grow faster. I have seen it visibly. Actually I didn’t start eating eggs everyday to make my hair grow; but to put on some pounds as I am underweight. But eggs never helped me gain weight :P Instead, they all went to my hair as protein and did magic to it. My mom says it is the protein content in egg that made my hair grow faster. Hence, even though I experience mild hair fall, due to the speed of my hair growth, my hair grows longer.

Egg white is full of protein and it really helps with improving the health and shine of your hair. Likewise, I love chicken too. I eat chicken at least twice a week. If you are a vegetarian, then stick to chickpeas, soy beans and paneer. They are really great sources of proteins in vegetarian food items.

I am sure that I will follow this egg technique hereafter too but with a little alteration. I am not going to take more than one egg yolk a day because it is full of cholesterol. I am just going to take more egg whites from now. I would say, the egg routine really worked for me like a magic to grow out my hair longer and stronger!

I Avoided Sun and Dust

Sun and dust are two big enemies to hair growth! They don’t affect your hair growth in a direct way, but of course they cause dandruff, root weakness and many other hair problems which result in hair breakage, hair fall and hair thinning. If your hair falls more than it grows, then how is it possible for your hair to get longer? That’s the thing. So if you control hair fall, you maintain your new grown hair and you will get long hair. Controlling hair fall = Long hair! Got it?

To achieve this, I avoided sun and dust totally in this one whole year. I was sitting at home and blogging the whole year without going to school (Yeah I did my schooling in corres due to full time blogging!) so it was possible for me. But for most of the women out there, avoiding sun exposure is not an easy task. Better wear a cap, a scarf or a helmet while riding bike to protect your hair from direct sunlight. Wash your hair 1-2 a week with a mild shampoo to get rid of dust. That’s what I do too.

We take bath and cleanse our skin every day then why not we do the same to our hair? Scalp is more prone to dirt, sweat, infections and many more things which can affect our hair growth. But keep in mind, over washing your hair may lead to DRYNESS! Hair fall happens with dryness too. Right? So make sure to moisturize your hair if you are over drying it by rinsing so often. Don’t use silicone based serums to achieve that temporary shine. Those serums might ruin your beautiful hair. Instead, use light hair oils.

Okay the post is going super long and I am sure you will get bored if I write more. So let me finish the post with few little hair care tit bits from my hair growth experience. These hair care tips will really be helpful to you if you are person who is wishing to grow long and healthy hair.

My Own Experienced Hair Care Tips to Grow Long Hair Faster:

Never comb your hair when it is wet. You are actually growing your hair millimeter by millimeter so hard. So why do you allow it to break so easily by combing in hurry? Always air dry hair and comb with a wide tooth comb after it gets dried.

If you want long hair, then stop using hair dryers, straighteners, blow dryers and curlers very often.

Include more protein in your diet. This works very well in increasing the length of your hair.

Maintain your hair and scalp clean all the time and at the same time, keep them moisturized.

Oil your hair at least twice a week and leave it overnight.

For my cousin, eating fish very often helped with her fast hair growth too. Hence, if you are a good seafood lover, include more fish to your diet.

If someone tells you that your hair will grow very long if you trim it, shout that’s a myth! Your hair grows from the root and how could it affect your hair growth positively if you trim the ends? If you have split ends, trim them and maintain your hair healthy but never ever trim good health hair if you want long hair!

Avoid using SLS, silicone based hair care and hair styling products. It’s one of the best ways to say goodbye to hair damage.

Drink tender coconut one or twice a week and cool down your body. Body heat might also be a main cause of your hair loss. I haven’t tried drinking tender coconut, but heard it from a beautician. I will surely implement it soon!

Last but not the least, have a good night sleep. It should really be a ‘night’ sleep. Be stress free! Do what you like :) Have hobbies. Good sleep, stress free life and happiness are 3 keys to grow your hair longer in few days! Believe me!

I am so sorry for the long post. But I hope the points will be helpful to you. Which regime you swear by to grow your hair longer? Now it’s your time to share your hair growth story below!

Little Scenes from My Past Few Weeks

3 Convincing Reasons Why I Love Meal Prep

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Until last year, I used to be someone who would drive to meet my paw-buddies at the beach and then settle in the corner of a random restaurant for dinner at nights.

Though I had been fairly careful with nutrition and hygiene, though I genuinely enjoyed my day-time cooking experiments, I wasn’t very happy about eating out ~~frequently~~ every night. My stomach didn’t love the idea.

Then, I started doing meal-prep.

It is how I stepped up my eating habits effectively and now it has been more than 6 months since I’ve had a single take-out.

I devour home-cooked food, every single day.

The concept of meal prep could be a routine or merely a ‘chore’ to many but personally, I would call it my creative outlet for it serves me delicious bowls of food in no time. Hobbies with benefits?

Today, I thought to pen down three reasons why I love meal-prep. Let me know If I sound convincible.

1. I save my ‘future’ hours

I work from home.

My work isn’t very routine-based. Here and there, I get a few rest-weeks when I’d obsessively bake or grill. But there are also these hectic days when my work demands I sit in front of the laptop or spend my rest-of-the-day in the stock room, starving.

Neither I’d have to time to peel or chop nor have the energy to stand in front of the stove. Well, everybody has been there. No matter how much you love cooking, you wouldn’t want to do it when you starve.

Takeaway? It is not an option for me anymore. I’m on abstinence. With meal prep, I get to relish clean nutritious food without needing to spend hours in the kitchen every time.

For very-busy weeks, I rarely prepare and freeze the whole meals in advance. However, I normally prefer prepping the main ingredients to stir them up into quick or elaborate meals.

Note: I should tell you frozen meals are not bad as they’re portrayed, provided you learn how to freeze well. You still know what goes into your plate.

2. I get to experiment with new flavors

If I were to prepare everything from the scratch every time, I wouldn’t get to experiment with new flavors as frequently as I’d like to.

Once again, it doesn’t feel pleasant to stand in the kitchen when I’m starving. But I can peel a bundle of fresh peas, de-stalk the chilies and knead the dough, with a full stomach, sitting in front of the television.

There are plenty of frozen beans and seasoned ready-to-cook food available in the market these days, I agree. But nothing as good as fresh and homemade, especially if you’re a germaphobe like me.

Ever since I got into my meal-prep routine, I’m on a constant lookout for new ingredients, legumes, and spices. I doubt if you will get that kind of time if you don’t plan your meals in advance.

Let me tell you from experience. Cooking elaborate meals, without proper planning only ends up making you resent your time in the kitchen, especially if you do it every day.

That makes you want to take out. And the more you eat outside, the more you ruin your body, gradually.

I personally believe it’s wise to avoid takeout unless you really can source clean food or get someone else to cook for you.

Coming back to the experiments..

With meal prep, I can stuff spiced Indian dal tadka into the fluffiest Turkish flatbreads that I recently learned to make, and call it a creative dinner. Without meal prep, it’s going to take hours. Sorry.

So that’s the point. I get to experiment and new flavors are bliss.

3. Less wastage & I develop a skill

Growing up, when I was just learning to cook, I used to waste a lot of produce not knowing how to organize my meals, worrying my mother.

After I discovered meal prep, now I know which vegetable goes into which meal, and I have also learned to sneak in the extras here and there when they’re still fresh. Customized recipes, you may call.

Excess tomatoes? I pickle. Too many baby potatoes? I blanch and freeze. Milk that hasn’t been used? Homemade paneer!

I made this non-chewy, soft paneer [Cottage cheese] from 1 litre of Aavin milk that is pasteurized. Perfect for grills and it’s on my weekly meal-prep list; costs me about 60 INR for 200 gm which is also a cost-effective option.

With meal prep, I learn every day. It’s developing a skill that will travel with me for life. It’s an art of organizing and managing the food you eat every day without having to get bored with cooking.

It has gotten me to the extent of doing my personal research on food science – testing out different cooking methods equipment and pots.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing over cast iron cookwares that brown food beautifully. This large wok I picked from Amazon Basics has been named Monster and he makes me large batches of spicy pasta, rice, and other Chinese stir-fried cuisines effortlessly. I love freezing them for my busy-weeks.

Here’s some spiced noodles ready to go into the freezer.

My recent achievement with meal-prep is learning to make the perfect, fail-safe frozen chapatis. All I need are some wheat flour, water, and my hands to create the puffing magic on the griddle.

With a decent food processing device, it’s going to be much neat and quicker. I shall share the recipe soon on the blog. You will not have to pick vinegar scented frozen chapatis from the market next time.

Food talks can continue forever.

I’m going to end this post telling you how meal-prep has stepped up my cooking game, made me realize how insensible it is to waste food, how great it feels to take up meal planning as a hobby, and these days, I look forward to spending more time in my kitchen.

5 Women Share Their Hair Problems | My Answers

1 Reply

Five women with different hair-concerns contacted me lately. I thought to answer them via this post in detail today! If you have got a question to ask me, feel free drop me an email or a WhatsApp text. Mind you, I usually respond to genuine, properly-formatted queries. (Not just hair-related, I also like receiving weird questions over email.)

1. How Do I Grow Out My Short Afro Hair? : by Precious, South Africa

Hello, how are you? Precious is my name. I go to school. I want to grow out my hair naturally. My hair is natural, afro hair, just like any South African woman’s. But it’s still very, what can I say? It’s rough and it stretches but it’s very short. I need some tips to grow my hair and still want it to be natural as it is now. I don’t want to change the texture of my afro hair; just want to make it longer. Can you please give me some tips? I can send you a picture so that you can see my hair. (Picture is hidden)

My routine: I use Vaseline as my hair moisturizer. The problems begin when I wash my haır. I usually wash my haır with ordinary soap. If I use a shampoo, my hair goes back down. It reduces. I also expose my hair to sunlight and it sometimes shed excessively.

My reply: Hi, Precious! I’m doing well. How have you been? I’m impressed that you want to preserve your natural-hair and not stretch/rebond it. Accepting your hair the way it is the first step I’d suggest anyone who begins their hair growth journey. I wish you the best. Keep loving your afro and never change its beautiful texture.

Coming to your query – since Afro hair is usually curly, it takes a lot of time for the growth (length) to show up. Unlike straight hair, untreated Afro hair takes time to go past your shoulders. It doesn’t mean your hair isn’t growing, it’s just that it’s curly and the new growth isn’t visible much. (Unless you heat-stretch, but I really don’t want you to do it)

Keep treating your hair right. I can’t stress this enough but eat healthy food. I know you go to school and things can get hectic, but get enough food and rest. Never skip meals! Trust me it will make you shed more. Watch your daily protein intake. Eat chickpeas, eggs and fish everyday. (You need adequate proteins to grow out your hair fast) and more importantly, oil your hair at least twice a week and mandatorily before every hair wash. Never soap/shampoo dry hair.

You’ve mentioned that you avoid shampoo because it causes excessive shedding. If soap suits your hair, all fine. Just make sure you don’t use hard water with soap or do the last rinse with drinking water, just to avoid soap buildup on your scalp. Clean scalp – fast growth.

Avoid exposing your hair to sunlight – UV rays can damage your hair much, and make it lose the shine. Wear a hat or a scarf. If you worry that your hair is rough, incorporate a lot of oils in your hair care routine. Experient. Oiling never gets old! Don’t put vaseline (petroleum jelly) on your hair. I’ll never recommend it. It gets stuck on your hair, suffocates it and causes buildup. Your hair follicles need a supply of oxygen to flourish and grow. You really don’t need something inorganic on your hair.

I suggest that you use pure oils on your hair instead of scented/tinted ones. I wish I could send my product to you but unfortunately, I don’t ship worldwide as of now. And so, I suggest that you use pure coconut oil for your hair! To get rid of roughness and add shine, you can try masking your hair with a mixture of greek yogurt and lemon once or twice in a month.

Overall, a good hair oiling routine (twice a week), proteins (every day) and rest (get enough night sleep) will do the trick for you. Write to me after a few months with an update. Happy hair growth journey! Lots of love from India.

2. Female Pattern Baldness & Vitamin D Deficiency: by Anu, Bangalore

Hi Lancy, I’ve read a lot about how you did your research in hair growth and beyond that. I have pattern baldness and I’m taking treatment for the same. Could you please suggest a hair care routine (I’ve cold issues). Plus, after my delivery in 2016, I lost a lot of hair. Now I’m still struggling with hair growth. I have thin brittle hair. The doctor advised me to take a 5% Minoxidil solution for one year. And Iron tablets for 6 months. I’m using hair packs that I found on the internet. I really wish if you could help me out in this situation. Due to the scoring heat in Bangalore, I take head bath twice a day. I sweat a lot.

Notes: I had a thyroid test last month and the results came out normal. I’m on a non-vegetarian diet and we eat everything possible. I had severe Vitamin D deficiency and anemia a few years back. I took treatment for that; now I’m alright. Is there any chance I can grow out my hair?

My reply: Hi Anu, I can definitely suggest hair care ideas. Going by the details you shared with me, I think your vitamin-D deficiency is causing your hair to fall out. Since you eat well and your thyroid levels are normal as well, the vitamin deficiency (along with anemia) may very well be the culprit. I got to see the pictures you sent and I see that you’ve lost the volume of your hair over the years. I’m really sorry that you go through this but a piece of good news is that it is reversible.

Proper oiling + nutrition will improve your hair if you’re consistent. I do not suggest minoxidil. It’s a chemical used to treat hair loss but it doesn’t carry a 100% success rate, plus the effects are not long-term – which means you’ll lose the hair once you stop using the chemical. Why I won’t suggest prolonged usage is that it’s possibly carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and hence has been banned in many countries.

I understand that you have cold issues. Avoid using oils that contain henna and amla and avoid oiling your hair at night. To prevent cold, include mustard oil in your hair oiling-treatments. It warms up your scalp and improves the blood circulation without making you catch a cold. And you don’t really need to wash your hair every day; if you still have to, to get rid of sweat residue, avoid using shampoo every day. I suggest you do the following soon.

1. Check your serum levels of Vitamin D3 and RBC count.
2. Discontinue minoxidil, if you can. If I were you, I won’t use it. Use natural oils on your scalp and hair twice to thrice a week.
3. Get sunlight during the golden hours of the day, but not direct sunlight on the scalp.
4. Include seafood/mushrooms to your diet, if possible. These improve your Vitamin-D levels. Continue your Iron supplements. They can help you overcome anemia (which can again be one of the major causes of hair loss) And ask your doc if he can prescribe B12 shots/supplements to increase your RBC levels (If they’re low).

My dad had RBC less than 8 six months ago and his scalp looked unusually scanty at that time. But now that he’s getting treated/getting his B12 through supplement and food, his scalp has gotten denser, his hair is growing out long and he’s refusing to cut his hair. I wanted to share his experience with you to just give you an idea of how deficiencies can affect your hair. (Your body only uses excessive nutrients on your hair, which is a dead cell. So when your body lacks nutrients for the basic functioning of organs, the supply to hair follicles reduce/stop. Hair indicates health.)

Please write back to me once you get your blood reports, Anu. And don’t forget to start your oiling routine; the sooner, the better. I can sponsor my product to you and help you grow your hair if you’ll be interested in participating in a hair growth challenge. Do let me know if you’ll be interested. We’ll discuss more.

3. Reversing 10 Years of Chemical Straightening Damage: by Sheetal, Siliguri

Hey hi. I had a few hair queries. Can you help me out? I’ve been permanently straightening my hair from the past 10 years and as a result, my hair has become very dry, damaged, frizzy and curly. It used to be wavy. And also, I’ve got a lot of white hair too, mostly on both sides. Can you suggest some home remedies or anything else that can help me out? TIA!

My reply: Hi, Sheetal! I can surely help you out. Years of heat and chemical damage really impacts your hair follicles and strands negatively. I’m glad you’ve come to realize that and I believe you will avoid chemical-straightening your hair from now on. This will be the first/wise step you take.

Secondly, you mentioned that you started seeing pre-mature gray hairs. Sadly, the strong-chemicals on perming solutions used in salons can cause premature graying because they deplete the melanin in your hair. Fortunately, this is very much reversible with a proper hair care routine. Switch to gentler hair care products and oil your hair thrice a week to provide it the moisture it needs. Currently, your hair is dry and damaged. We should nourish it as much as possible to strengthen the weak, frizzy strands. Always oil generously and do a two-minute scalp massage before every hair wash. Never shampoo dry hair as it can make your hair even more damaged and lifeless.

For now, intense oiling treatments should help. (I can sponsor my product to you if you wish to try it on your chemical-damaged hair and share the results) Constant oiling will make sure that the new growth is healthy, strong and lustrous. For graying, you can try a mixture or henna/indigo to conceal them for now and do add a lot of curry leaves in your diet to get rid of the gray strands eventually. My mom swears by curry leaves and dates to keep her gray stands at bay. (I also suggest you get tested for iron deficiency and if positive, change your diet accordingly)

Overall, ditch the perms and embrace natural hair. Oil regularly. Eat well. You should start seeing the changes in your hair texture soon! All the best for your new hair journey, Sheetal!

4. Lost My Hair to Repeated Layered Cuts: by Amrutha, Kerala

Hi, I am 22 years old. I used to have very thick and long hair until I was 17. Due to lack of care, I started to lose a lot of hair. So I had a layered hair cut till my shoulder. That was the worst decision of my life. After that also I had layer cut again 4-5 times due to the beautician saying that it will make my hair look thick. But actually, I was losing my volume of hair.

I started stressing a lot which increased my hair fall. Now I’ve extremely thin hair. I just trimmed the ends myself because I am scared to go to Salon as they will again layer cut my hair. This is the present condition of my hair. Please help me, ma’am. I’ve seen your blog. You are my last hope. Please don’t ignore this message.

My reply: Hi, Amrutha! I’m really sorry that you had to go through these. I had personally seen it happen to people many times where hairstylists literally force their clients to have a haircut. I strongly condemn this as it’s unethical and stupid. Once, a lady beautician (not a hairstylist) suggested I get a layered hair cut because my hair was all in one length and looked boring for my age. I said no; then she suggested a trim. I refused again. She was visibly disappointed and guess what, she suggested this when I went for waxing, not even to avail a hair service.

This happened at a very reputed salon and I’ve stopped my monthly waxing visits, only because I’m done with their nagging and pushy-behavior. It’s like they want to CUT my hair more than anything! Not only there, but it also happens at many salons in India. Next time, please be careful and have control over what they do to your skin and hair when you visit a parlor or a salon.

To get back your hair, do follow a proper hair care routine (which includes regular oiling, usage of gentle cleansers and no-exposure to sunlight) and eat the right food. Hair growth takes time. I understand you regret cutting your beautiful hair, but with patience, you’ll get it back again. You just need to be consistent and patient. Avoid trims, even at home, unless it’s very necessary. (Fairy-tale ends are beautiful too.) You can always trim after you reach the goal length and thickness but frequent trims won’t let you grow longer hair. Use pure, unadulterated oils on your hair to improve the shine and thickness. Including a lot of protein in your diet will also help.

Please do read the other answers in this post to get an idea on how to grow out your hair naturally. You can try my product on a challenge if you wish to. Feel free to write to me anytime. I wish you all the best for your hair growth journey!

5. IBD & Hair Thinning: by Lakshmi, India

Dear Lancy,

Let me begin by saying that I love your blog with its useful tips and remedies :) I’m 26 years old, and I’ve already lost so much hair I feel I am almost bald. I can’t even tie a ponytail as it’s so miserably thin.

I never really took care of my hair in childhood except for weekly oiling, however, my hair used to be healthy shiny and strong.

Once I shifted to the hostel for college my hair started falling slowly however I was never worried, I didn’t have a nutritious diet either on looking back.

3 years ago however I developed IBD, a bowel disorder and it was uncontrolled for a year, and for the next 2 years, I had heavy hair shedding. I tried everything, cried, tried every remedy on the Internet in desperation to no avail.

3 months ago I shifted to a new place for work, with fresh air and cleaner water, and also started taking a lot of supplements and watching my diet even more and I see a lot of improvement (after 2 years of heart-wrenching hair fall). Also, my disease got under control finally a year ago.

I oil my hair once to twice a week, and as per ur advice wash with shikakai. I see a remarkable difference however I’m afraid if my hair just won’t get thick again. In fact, I’m afraid to go to the salon coz they may just chop it all off coz it’s so thin.

Could you help me and give me some advice? I’m ready to do anything literally take any pains and do everything necessary to regain my hair. Thank you so much.

Lakshmi.

My reply: Hi Lakshmi, I’m really sorry for the very delayed reply. I somehow missed your email. I thought better late than never, and hence, answering your query today. Not sure if it will be useful anymore, still trying.

IBD/IBS can be both physically and mentally straining. I’m sorry you had been through that. I empathize with you. I am also glad that you’ve recovered and that you have access to fresh hair and clean water now. Please continue eating right and love your body! When you eat right, it shows up on every other aspect of your life – your productivity, your health, and yes, your hair, as well! That’s why I don’t consider hair care as only an aesthetic thing. Hair reflects your body, emotions and your health.

Don’t worry about the lost thickness. With proper routine & diet, you will gain back your hair. However, you’ll need patience. Gaining thickness takes more time than gaining length. Your hair growth cycle should balance itself from the trauma. Do weekly oiling treatments at home. Use either pure coconut oil or you can try my formula if you wish.

I am not sure if I have ever experienced IBD but I know I’m gluten-sensitive. Intake of gluten ruins my digestive system, appetite and I shed more when I eat gluten-y food. I’m on a gluten-free diet for nearly a year now and it’s good on my hair. Are you sure you’ve recovered 100% and that IBD is not contributing to your hair loss anymore? If thinning persists for more than 6 months, and if you also don’t see an improvement in length, please check with your doctor once. Avoid allergens in your diet and have a mild, yet protein-rich diet for your hair growth. Proteins are a must!

To obtain the desired volume, I suggest you eat a lot of eggs, legumes, and spinach. If you’re a vegetarian/vegan, try soy products, but only if you’re not allergic. Be very careful with your diet. Oil your hair twice a week (thrice if your hair is extremely dry) and get proper night sleep. Follow these consistently for 3 months and write to me again. All the best!

Wrapping up! Almost 3000 words! I spent the last 5 & hours penning down this post and now I deserve some nice food and rest. It always feels good to write back to my readers and I regret that I couldn’t get back to many of you. I’m truly sorry about that. Please don’t hesitate to ping me again. (Email, Whatsapp, Instagram, anywhere!) I’m doing my best to squeeze in time to answer your questions.

Please drop in the comment section below on how you relate yourself to the ladies on the query-section today. If you ask me – I wanted to grow out my hair during my school days, just like how Precious wants to. I’ve had several pathetic hair chops in my early teens, but unlike Amrutha who had been forced by the parlor-lady, in my case, I forced them to cut my hair!. Not exactly but similar to Lakshmi, I had experienced gluten-sensitivity and hair-loss triggered by that. I overcame that with diet-tweaks. And frequent oiling helps my hair more than anything else! How is your relationship with your hair?

Let’s do some hair talk!

20 L’Oreal Paris Lip Colors Swatched on Dark Indian Skin – Photos

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I’m swatching 20 L’Oreal Paris lipsticks that I have got, on the blog today. And I’m wearing no base makeup on the photos (refer the end of the post to know why) to show you how exactly the shades look on dark Indian skin.

I plan to continue doing swatches this way if it is going to help at least a few brown/dark-skinned women do their makeup shopping wisely. Please let me know your thoughts on the comment section!

20-loreal-paris-lipsticks-swatched-on-dark-skin — 20 L’Oreal Paris lip colors from my collection!

1. Pure Brick, Star Collection Lipstick – Price: 995 INR

A bright, brown-red shade that has a hint of orange in it; a good start for people who aren’t used to bold reds. The shade is highly pigmented, fully-matte and slightly drying on the lips. A lip balm is recommended with such a formula. It fades into a muted coral on me after a few hours of wear. (long staying!)

2. Pure Garnet, Star Collection Lipstick – Price: 995 INR

A deep, wine-maroon shade that I’d prefer to wear for night-outs and parties. The pigmentation is fantastic; however, you may need pre-exfoliation and a coat of lip balm to prevent it from settling into the lip lines. The formula is truly matte and long staying. It leaves a natural-looking pink stain on my lips.

3. Pure Rouge, Star Collection Lipstick – Price: 995 INR

Another warm-toned red – similar to Pure Brick from the same range. I’ve seen other bloggers claiming that it’s a dupe of MAC Ruby Woo, which is a cool toned red but I don’t know why the shade in my bullet looks warm! Or maybe the shade turned warmer over the period of time. Nevertheless, let’s assume it’s a pure balanced red (If it doesn’t look warm on you!). The pigmentation is good; it goes opaque in one swipe and stays for long hours.

4. Pure Amaranthe, Star Collection Lipstick – Price: 995 INR

A beautiful red-based-pink shade that will look flattering on any skin tone! For me, this is my go-to shade for wedding parties. The pigmentation is very intense and it leaves a tough-stain behind. You will definitely need a proper makeup remover and not to forget, exfoliate your lips before application if you’ll be picking this one!

5. Charismatic Coral, Infallible Lipstick – Price: 999 INR

A fresh, summery-coral shade with a surprisingly nourishing-formula. It has a pure orange base and no hint of other shades. The shade is non-drying, slides on the lips effortlessly and settles into a semi-glossy finish. However, the pigmentation is not very opaque and it requires a good number of swipes to bring out the intensity of the color. (At least on deeper skin tones)

6. Forever Fuchsia, Infallible Lipstick – Price: 999 INR

It’s a lovely cool-toned barbie pink shade that is very versatile! The pigmentation is very intense; more intense compared to Charismatic Coral. This shade has a non-drying, semi-glossy finish and stays for a good number of hours without getting patchy.

7. Resilient Raisin, Infallible Lipstick – Price: 999 INR

This is my most favorite shade from these 20! It’s a lovely, muted-chocolate shade that doubles up as a nude shade for me if worn lightly. I prefer dabbing this shade over my lip balm and it’s like a must-have in my handbag right now. If you’ve got a dusky/dark skin, you’ll like how this shade looks on you! It conceals two-toned lips like magic.

8. Glamour Fuchsia, Color Riche Moist Matte Lipstick – Price: 899 INR

A bold, blue-toned fuchsia with strong hints of purple. It is more vibrant compared to ‘Forever Fuchsia’ and carries a similar finish – semi-glossy/non-drying. The name says matte, but it’s not truly matte.

9. Cherry Crush, Color Riche Moist Matte Lipstick – Price: 899 INR

A bright, almost-pastel peach shade that will flatter light-brown to dusky skin tones. It washes out darker skin tones like mine and on a very light skin, it probably wouldn’t show up. The finish is powdery-matte and slightly drying. Pigmentation is decent.

10. Blaze of Red, Color Riche Moist Matte Lipstick – Price: 899 INR

A deep-red shade with hints of pink that goes smooth on the lips. If you can’t handle super-matte formulas but still want decent pigmentation, you’ll like this. However, with so many reds from this brand, I’ll give this a skip since it’s a very common shade! I won’t be spending 900 bucks on it.

11. Arabian Night, Color Riche Moist Matte Lipstick – Price: 925 INR

This shade is super intense, dark and perfect for a bold statement-look! Looks like a mixture of deep plum and wine to my eyes. I’d say a deep shade like this goes with anything. (I can be vampire-biased). Night parties, day time casual wear and you don’t even need to concentrate on the other parts of your makeup much. It’s a kind of shade that instantly boosts your confidence if that’s not an exaggeration! (But it makes my already big teeth look even bigger) The staying power is top-notch for such a pigmentation!

12. Rose Symphony, Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color – Price: 950 INR

Rose Symphony is a light peachy-pink shade with a creamy matte finish. Though it doesn’t wash out on my deep skin much, it settles just like a lip balm! Extraordinaire lip colors, especially the light shades, are not nicely pigmented. They’re more suitable for dry lips.

13. Plum Quartet, Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color – Price: 950 INR

A milky pastel-plum shade which carries a visible blue undertone! The shade is averagely pigmented. The applicator does a decent job but I still couldn’t work it right on my lips. Definitely not a shade for my skin but I guess I should give it a try over nude lipstick someday!

14. Magnolia, Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color – Price: 950 INR

I absolutely loved the formula of this lip color. According to me, it’s the best formula out of all the 20 I own. It goes buttery smooth on my lips (yet, well pigmented) and settles into a creme-matte finish. It doesn’t get patchy at all. I wish I had darker shades of Extraordinaire lip colors from L’Oreal Paris instead of the light ones that wash me out.

15. Blake’s Delicate Rose, La Vie En Rose Exclusive Lipstick – Price: Rs.995

It’s a warm pink shade that is slightly-peachy and settles matte. The pigmentation is definitely not the best however it does a decent job. I still will never recommend it to people with pigmented lips. The shade will also wash out on darker skin tones. For my eyes, Blake is the matte-version of Rose Symphony from their Extraordinaire range. If not same, they’re very similar.

16. Naomi’s Delicate Rose, La Vie En Rose Exclusive Lipstick – Price: Rs.995

This shade has a similar, powdery-matte finish and is decently pigmented. Still, not well pigmented enough to cover pigmented lips. Contrary to the name, the shade carries almost no pink in it. It’s a light peach. This shade is not going to suit many of the Indian skin tones but only the very light-pale ones. (With smokey eyes, especially!) But you may like it if you like wearing pastel on dusky skin, fora change! At this price, I will still recommend you to search for other pastel-options as it doesn’t score in the ‘pigmentation’ part.

17. Gong Li’s Lilac, Star Collection Matte Lip Color – Price: 950 INR

This lip color is similar to a gloss (settles into a creme finish initially but later dries into matte) and not really a lipstick. The shade lilac is a pastel peach shade with mild shimmer. It carries a buttery formula and a slightly plastic-y scent. This shade is a mismatch for me. Not for pigmented lips, again!

18. Fan Bing Bing’s Peony, Star Collection Matte Lip Color – Price: 950 INR

A pure pastel milky-pink! It’s extremely pastel and averagely pigmented. Not for medium, dusky or dark skin tones. The applicator also gets patchy. Not recommended by me.

19. My Sky is the Limit, Infallible Mega Lip Gloss – Price: Rs.850

Though the gloss looks like a peppy bubble-gum pink on the tube, it goes VERY sheer on my lips – almost lighter than a tinted lip balm. There’s a faint stain of pink with shimmer, which adds up to the perfect glossy finish. I’m honestly disappointed with the pigmentation but the formula is extremely nourishing and glossy! It helps my lips stay moist for long hours. (I wouldn’t suggest it though, because of the price tag)

20. All Night Long, Infallible Mega Lip Gloss – Price: Rs.850

All night long also has a poor pigmentation, and it’s a shimmery coral shade with warmth! The finish is super-glossy and it has golden shimmer (more shimmery compared to the previous shade) to add a bit of dazzle to the look. I believe these glosses are good to be worn on no-makeup days or over your regular lipstick for a nice, glossy non-drying finish. Mind you, the shimmery glosses from this range has a faint, plastic-y smell that I don’t fancy. My favorite from this range is Who’s the Boss, which is a lovely deep plum shade! (I lost the tube, unfortunately!)

This is the first swatch-heavy post on this blog. Sorry for the poor lighting and pictures. I never liked swatch-ing different lipsticks, to be honest. But I realized there aren’t many swatch posts for the brown-skinned, on the Indian blog-o-sphere. (Correct me if I’m wrong. I’d be glad to discover bloggers/vloggers who do swatches on dark skin) Even if there were a few, they mostly use a lot of base makeup to lighten/conceal their natural skin before swatching the shade so it almost becomes impossible to know how the shade is going to look on a proper dark skin.

I believe posts like these will be helpful for dark-skinned women to choose their lip colors wisely. Let me know on the comment section if you liked it and if you didn’t like it (with your reasons, so that I can rectify the errors). And also, if there’s a range of lip colors or eye colors you want to see on dark skin, please let me know below! I’ll try to swatch them for you.

White Flakes On the Scalp – Dandruff or Just Dry Scalp? (Query)

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Hi, people! Today I thought to write on one of the most submitted queries – I’ve got white powdery flakes on my scalp. Is it dandruff or dry scalp?

I also shall be sharing a few ideas from my hair care routine to eliminate this scalp flakiness easily at home in less than a week. (Do try it and let me know how it worked for you!)

So have you ever wondered why your scalp starts producing these tiny white flakes just a day or two after hair wash, sometimes earlier, when you actually follow the right routine, use the right products and treat your hair good? Now, here’s some good news – this is not always dandruff but can just be normal scalp dryness. Dandruff can be greasier, bigger, white or yellow in color and clings to your scalp often causing redness/itchiness whereas the powdery flakiness is just your regular scalp-dead-cell shed.

I experience it too, especially if I go 2-3 days without hair wash and I’ve my own ways to fix it. Before sharing with you how I do it, I want you to know the causes so that you can plan your treatment right.

What causes the scalp flakiness?:
– Dehydration
– Dry skin throughout the body
– Unsuitable hair care products
– Not oiling your hair
– Sweat & dirt

How to fix these white flakes in less than one week?
– First up, increase your water consumption (this fixes your dehydration instantly)
– Include good fats in your diet – almonds, fish and ghee etc. (This is essential for your skin to maintain the moisture balance – skin on the scalp as wel. Dry skin (scalp) tends to flake a lot)
– Use mild hair cleansers. (Many people panic spotting the white flakes and immediately switch to an anti-dandruff shampoo which can make things worse, by drying out your scalp more. Do NOT do it.)
– Oil your hair regularly, at least before every hair wash. This is going to moisturize your scalp, loosen the dead skin cells and wash them off when you shampoo. This way, your scalp will flake less. (I’ve made a post on how long to leave oils on your hair. Do check it!)
– Use pure coconut oil or any other oil of your choice. But if your scalp is flaky (sensitive), avoid scented/colored oils or the ones filled with preservatives.
– Avoid direct sun exposure (this is going to help with your hair growth as well) and if you sweat, make sure to rinse your scalp and hair with clean, cold water to remove the deposited sweat residue. You need not shampoo but just rinse it if you feel like your scalp is covered with sweat.

What if you let the flakes develop and do nothing?: Actually, nothing bad is going to happen as long as your scalp is healthy and immune. It will just stay flaky and dirty till next wash. But if you’ve got a sensitive scalp, itchiness can develop and mind you, this can increase your shed rate leading to loss of hair. So the best option is to maintain your hair clean if our scalp is prone to flakiness. (Wash your hair once in 2-3 days) and don’t forget your oiling routine. I would have never been able to grow out my hair long if I hadn’t maintained it clean. Read my recent hair growth update and oiling routine if you need an idea on what my hair care routine is like.

Can it develop into dandruff?: I’m not very sure. But if your scalp starts producing sebum/fungus due to the dirt, flakes, and sweat, I think it can develop into dandruff. And dandruff is not good to deal with. Anti-dandruff shampoos can be drying and trigger more flakiness. So if you doubt your dry scalp is producing dandruff and not just flakes, add a teaspoon of neem oil to your weekly (or bi-weekly) oiling treatment and you should see good results! Even if you beleive you’ve got actual dandruff, the ideas mentioned above are definitely going to work for you. Try once.

Even if you don’t follow the other ideas I had mentioned above (hydration, diet-changes etc), as a quick fix, try oiling your hair pre-wash and see if your flakiness gets reduced/delayed. If your scalp starts flaking after day 3, it’s only normal and you can be sure your routine is right.

If you develop flakiness right on the hair wash day, your scalp lacks moisture and that needs to be fixed both internally and externally. Some people tend to develop flakiness during summers and some during winters. Every skin, every scalp is different. So experient, and share your experiences below!