The Hindu Metroplus , Tress factor
A school carnival that we visited a few days before Diwali sported many stalls which sold a varied mix of items ranging from clothing ,food,herbal products etc. A stall that garnered a fair bit of interest was the one that contained bottles of hair oil ,made at home by Sumithra Balamurugan.
She being a native of Coimbatore,most of us who have known her since childhood have always been in awe of her glossy tresses.She is undoubtedly a walking advertisement for her own product.The locks may have gotten a shorter trim over the years but the lustre has not diminished with time.
Urged by a friend who saw the extent of care that went into making this oil , Sumithra made a few batches which she sent out to a select group of friends and family in order to get some honest feedback. The recipe that was shortlisted and has now been bottled has evolved from the oil that her grandmother used to make back in the day.
The base is a blend of 3 oils (coconut, castor and sesame) in a specific proportion.To that she has added ingredients like curry leaves,almonds, fenugreek and lots more that she has imbibed largely due to her interest in Ayurveda and extensive reading on natural therapies.
I must confess that the time devoted to my hair-care has greatly reduced over the years, much to the anguish of my family (read grandmom, aunts) who never fail to remind me of the repercussions! So, over the past few months I have been quite disciplined at keeping up a weekly oil routine. What struck me straight away was that the oil wasn’t overly greasy. It didn’t feel uncomfortably sticky and a light massage was all that was necessary for scalp absorption.
The family took it to it quite well too. I contacted Sumithra recently,as we were running low on stock and also to find out more about what goes into making this oil.She was eager to know in what ways I had found her oil beneficial. Retailing from home has it’s benefits, she enjoys having an interaction with her customers and has many a time added further inputs by way of dietary additions ,kitchen remedies for scalp and what to do in the case of hair fall. When mothers of teenage children come to her for help in dealing with skin and hair related problems,Sumithra offers simple doable solutions that offer years of continued wellness.
She does however insist that using her brand of hair oil is not an overnight ‘magic cure’,it must be consciously used by following a simple routine in order to enhance the vitality of the hair and nourish the scalp.Adhering to this sort of disciplined hair care is why most of our elders rarely complain of hair related maladies.
The ingredients that go into making this oil are sourced from her parents’ farm and other known farms.The oils come from her regular ‘chekku yennai’ supplier and she does not deviate from that.Sumithra’s sister-in-law helped her with the names for her brand and product. She says the name,‘Cascade’ ,for her, represents long luxurious locks that resemble a cascading waterfall and ‘Meadows’ conjures up an image of land that is green and natural ,exactly what this oil is all about.
An enthusiastic visual communications student who is the daughter of Sumithra’s friend was roped in to do the packaging. That’s how this darkly translucent green hair oil made it’s way from the quiet confines of Sumithra’s kitchen to being displayed at a school carnival.
Sumithra’s main objective is to make a genuine difference to wellness in however small a way that she can.The journey thus far has been special with care being extended to at every point thanks to inputs from friends and family.A little pampering never hurts and this natural oil is reason enough to start .
INFO
Sumithra Balamurugan 9944023311
e mail : [email protected]
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