How To Repair Your Hair From Hair Straightening Damage - Part 2

<Continued>

Procedure 2: Measurements are given for short/shoulder length hair. Please adjust the quantity as per your hair length.

Henna powder-100g
Lemon juice -2tsps

Thick Yogurt - 1 tsp
Egg(optional)-1

Water 
Hair oil -2 tsps
Tea powser (optional) -1tsp
Shower cap
Gloves

Day 1:

Mix Henna powder,lemon juice, yogurt,egg and oil. Mix it well.
Day 2:
Boil tea powder in water. (Avoid this if you want a nice burgundy color to your hair)
Add sufficient water/Tea water to bring it to muddy consistency.
Comb your hair well and make sure there aren't any knots.
Wear gloves so the mixture doesn't make your hands red
Apply the mixture to the hair. Make sure you avoid touching to scalp.
Knot your hair in the back using a rubberband and cover your head with the shower cap.
Have a tissue paper ready in your hand for any leaks.
After 5-6 hours
It is easier to wash your hair in kitchen sink rather than washing it in the shower. It's easy to clean the kitchen sink than cleaning the entire shower after the mess.
Run the water in kitchen sink and rinse off the mixture from your hair. It will take a while to do it.
After that rinse your hair with a conditioner (Do not use shampoo)
After the hair is dry. Apply hair oil. Leave it over night. (Make sure to protect your pillow cover and bed sheet from stains.
Day 3:
Wash your hair with mild shampoo.

Henna relaxes your hair and it straightens your hair eventually. But this is with non-chemical usage. Your hair will be repaired eventually and you will start loving your hair all over again!

How To Repair Your Hair From Hair Straightening Damage - Part 1

Are you one of those persons who got very excited seeing your friends/neighbor's hair getting perfect after Japanese hair straightening and got it done. It must have felt like this is one of the best things that have ever happened to you? And it wasn't long enough when you realized that your hair is a mess/ dry/ weird set of things dangling on your head? Welcome to the club! I got straightening done for 3 years straight and realized I am doing more damage than ever. So, I took a back step did lot of research on the internet with out any solution. I then came to a conclusion is to free my hair from all the chemicals I have applied for the last few years. So, I came up with a goal to "GO NATURAL" to fix my damaged hair.Also the results are not instant. You need to work really hard to get back your normal hair. After all the damage wasn't small. Isn't it?

Procedure 1: Measurements are given for short/shoulder length hair. Please adjust the quantity as per your hair length

Almond Oil /Any hair oil 3 tsps

Thick Yogurt - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds powdered(optional)- 1 tsp 
Shower cap

Mix oil, yogurt very well. Adding fenugreek seeds powder is optional. It really helps with dandruff. Mix it well.
Comb your hair well and make sure there aren't any knots.
Apply the mixture to scalp and hair. Make sure you spread the mixture all over your hair and scalp.
Knot your hair in the back using a rubberband and cover your head with the shower cap.
Have a tissue paper ready in your hand for any leaks.
Leave it overnight. (Take precautions so your pillow/bedsheet doesnot get stains)
Wash your hair with a mild shampoo in the morning.

<Continued in next post with another good and effective solution>

Mirchi ka Salan

Ingredients:

Shahjeera- 1tsp

Onion -1

Cardamom -4

Cloves-5

Cinnamon stick- small piece

Star Anise- 3

Salt- as per taste

Mirchi ka Salan chillies- 8-9

Garam masala- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1tbsp

Dhaniya powder - 1tsp

Bay leaves - 3-4

Tomato -1

Turmeric - pinch

Peanuts-handful
Sesame seeds -2 tbsp
Tamarind-lemon sized ball

Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds and grind them to fine powder.

Add water soaked tamarind (Or microwave it for a minute if you do not have patience like me) and blend it with peanut mixture.

Add chopped onion and tomato and blend it again to make a paste.

Slit the mirchi ka salan chillies(Or use Jalapenos) and remove the seeds with a edge of spoon

In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add, shahjeera, bayleaves, Cardomon, cloves, anise, cinnamon stick and fry.

Add chillies and fry for few minutes. Make sure it doesnt get burned.

Then add the peanut-onion mixture to the chillies and mix it well.

Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder.

Close the lid and cook it for few minutes (mix it in between) until it leaves oil at the sides.

Add garam masala powder and  dhaniya powder and let it cook until it becomes dark brown in color.

Add a glass of water and let it boil. Adjust salt and chilli powder according to your taste.

Serve with Rotis or Biryani!

Mutton Dum Biryani

Dum Biryani! Hyderabad is famous for Charminar, pearls and last but not least for its authentic Dum Biryani! I was born and bought up in Hyderabad and was introduced to many styles of Dum biryani, I keep trying it with different variations and every time it comes out phenomenal! That credit doesn't go wholly to me but to the ingredients and style of cooking which gives simply awesome taste to it.

Ingredients:

Mutton- 2 lbs

Basmati rice- 5 cups

Shahjeera- 1tsp

Onion -1

Cardamom -4

Cloves-5

Cinnamon stick- small piece

Star Anise- 3

Ginger garlic paste- 1tsp

Pudina leaves(Mint leaves)- Full bunch

Salt- as per taste

Green chillies- 3-4

Garam masala- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1tbsp

Dhaniya powder - 1tsp

Bay leaves - 3-4

Curd- 2 scoops

Jalapeños- 4

Turmeric - pinch

Eggs- 3

Ghee- 2 tsp

Cut onions in julienne style and Jalapenos

Heat oil in a pan and fry onions,few mint leaves and Jalapenos with a pinch of turmeric.

Boil eggs and keep them aside.

Cook Basmati rice with Shahjeera, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, Star anise, salt, cinnamon stick.

Water ratio is little different here. I use 1:1.5 rice:water ratio for basmati rice. But when making Biryani, Add a cup of water or two less on the whole.

For 4 cups of rice, we can use 4.5 cups of water instead of 6.

Add yoghurt to washed and cut mutton pieces.

Also add red chilli powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, Dhaniya powder, garam masala and marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Take a pressure cooker, add 2 tbsp of oil and add mint leaves and fry for 2 minutes.

Then add the marinated mutton and cook it for 4 whistles.

Take a aluminium foil tray/non stick heavy bottom pan and coat it with ghee. Just be generous here :)

Put a layer of cooked basmati rice, then a layer of mutton, and then a layer of fried onions-jalapeños.

Repeat the layers and top layer should be onions-jalapenos

Place boiled and peeled eggs on top

Then mix red food color with a cup of milk and pour it on rice.

Squeeze lemon juice and cover the tray with aluminium foil.

Pre-heat oven on 350 degrees and then put the biryani tray in the oven.

Let it stay in oven for minimum 45 minutes to an hour.

** If you do not have a oven, Coat a thick bottomed vessel with ghee and put the layers as mentioned above. Close a lid and put a heavy weight in the lid and cook it for 45 minutes on very low flame on stove.

Enjoy with Raita or Mirch ka salan!

Uggani

Indian breakfast! Typical south indian breakfast items are Idly, Dosa, Vada, Upma. Uggani is a variation of upma and most famous in Rayalseema region of Andhra. It usually is served with mirchi bajji (What the rayalseema folks call it as 'Puggalu').

Ingredients:

Puffed rice- 2 cups
Oil -3 tbsps

Onion- 1

Mirchi - 4-5

Turmeric -1 tsp

Mustard-1 tsp

Jeera -1tsp

Curry leaves-5-6

Salt- as per taste
Red chilli powder -a pinch (optional)
Roasted chana dal (Putnala pappu) - 1/2 cup
lenon juice- 1tsp (optional)

Soak Puffed rice completely  in water for 4-5 minutes and in the mean while, powder the roasted chana dal.

In a non-stick pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, onion, mirchi and fry them util onions are transparent. Add turmeric

Now squeeze the water from puffed rice and add it the pan.

Add salt, chili powder(this is optional) and mix the puffed rice well.

Add the finely powdered roasted chana dal to puffed rice and mix it well until it coats the puffed rice.

After 2-3 minutes of constantly stirring, squeeze lemon (Optional)

Serve with Mango pickle and Mirchi bajji

Cranberry chutney

The love towards cranberries started for me from past 3 years now. But I was just having them in salad all the while until one of my colleagues mentioned cranberry chutney/tokku tastes awesome. So, I figured let me try and it turned out to be just awesome!

Ingredients:

Fresh cranberries- 1 cup

Red chilles- 10-12

Oil - 5tbsp

Garlic-4-5 pods

Mustard-1 tsp

Methi seeds-1/2 tsp

Jeera -1tsp

Curry leaves-5-6

Salt- as per taste
Hing -a pinch

Dry roast 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp methi seeds and powder them

Heat 1 tsp of oil and fry Red chillies, garlic pods and take them into a bowl

Add another tsp of oil in the same pan, and add cranberries, salt and let it cook for 4-5 minutes until cranberries become soft

Blend red chillies, garlic pods first and then add cranberries and blend the mixture again.

For tadka- Heat rest of the oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, jeera, hing, curry leaves,mustard/methi powder and 2 red chillies.

Garnish cranberry chutney with the tadka. Adjust salt accordingly

Try and adjust red chillies according to your taste. I like chutneys to be very spicy! Enjoy with Rice andghee or with Rotis/Bread as a spread.

Jeera rice

One of the easy and tasty recipes in rice varieties.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice- 2 cups

Cloves-3-4

Cardamom- 2-3

Cinnamon stick- 1inch

Star Anise- 1

Jeera-1tbsp
Jeera Powder 1/2 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Wash basmati rice and add water in 1:1.5 (Rice:Water) ratio.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, anise and Jeera.

Fry for few seconds and add jeera powder and fry for few seconds.

Add this tadka to rice.

Add salt and switch on the cooker. Mix rice for 2-3 times in between.

Enjoy with any curry/Raita!