From Bridgerton to the shelves of Harrods, the Ayuverdic ritual of hair oiling has trickled into the mainstream. Here, Hanna Ibraheem goes back to its roots – and hers…
I twas the bane of my Sunday mornings as a child. My mum would come into the living room – where I’d usually be enthralled by Sabrina The Teenage Witch on the television – with a green bottle of Dabur Vatika Coconut Hair Oil bobbing around in a bowl of hot water. If you grew up in a South Asian household, you likely know the drill. I’d diligently sit on the floor while my mum rubbed, massaged and patted the melted oil on to my scalp and down the lengths of my hair until it was soaked. Each session was finished with me sporting a glistening, slicked-back plait and I’d always ask the same question: ‘Do you promise I can wash it out before school tomorrow?’
You see, I’d noticed my peers would get teased for their oiled hair on the school playground. Sure, the oil made my hair soft and strong. In fact, I know it’s the reason I have healthy hair today. But at the time, I found the whole thing… well, embarrassing.
Fast-forward 24 years and now I practically beg my mum for a hair-oiling session. I don’t care about leaving the house with oil-drenched lengths and I actively hunt down hair-oiling recipes on TikTok. So, what’s changed since I was a child? Well, a lot.
Back to our roots
Hair oiling has been around for over 3,000 years, but only now is this South Asian practice starting to hit mainstream consciousness, alongside morning turmeric lattes and monthly threading appointments (or fortnightly, if you’re me). More and more South Asian-founded haircare brands are launching their own hair oils into major retailers, and the practice even took centre stage this year in one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time, Bridgerton.
It’s blowing up on social media, too. A scroll through haircare content creator Seerat Saini’s Instagram page reveals an encyclopedia of beneficial hair ingredients, including bringhraj (false daisy), curry leaves and even onion juice – though she recommends rinsing your hair thoroughly after trying the latter. During a late-night TikTok sesh, I came across one of Saini’s how-to hairoil videos, in which she advocated that everyone use heated oil on their scalps. Growing up in a time when I wasn’t reflected in the media, it was so refreshing to see something that spoke directly to me. I don’t think I’ve ever double-tapped a post so quickly in my life.
‘Hair oiling was a default part of haircare when I was younger, but I stopped aged 11, when I noticed my peers thought it was weird,’ says Saini. ‘I lost half of my hair in 2019 and turned to the hair I had once abandoned. This isn’t a TikTok hack or a “slugging” trend – it’s
