Catherine Niven, a Victorian-era aficionado, explains how she kept her hair long and shiny. Her 28-year-old mother of four, who hails from Ontario, Canada, attributes her own beautiful curly hair to her historic hair care routine.
After a lifetime of dealing with her hair in modern ways, Niven decided to radically change her routine six years ago.
The first thing she did was cut her hair “very short.” She was sick of split ends and breakage, so starting over seemed like the best thing to do. Niven then stopped using her commercial hair products and switched to washing her hair with Rasul’s Clay. She also stopped detangling her hair while wet and started using a boar bristle brush.
Years later, Niven’s hair has grown from his chin down to his waist. Stronger and shinier than ever, her hair is now her crowning glory. But Niven says her initial transition period was long.
“For a while, my hair actually looked worse than it used to,” she told The Epoch Times. It was partly because I didn’t know.”
ancient hair care
Inspired by the way Victorian women handled their hair, the avid content creator, who runs popular YouTube and Instagram channels that primarily focus on Victorian dressmaking techniques, wants to bring more to hair care. I found wisdom in a gentle approach. Noting that historically women had much longer hair than people today, Niven thought they must have been doing something right.
Niven says:
“Instead, they learned to use more low-tech methods to care for their hair when it was dry. It cleanly removes hair and distributes oil as well.
Victorian women also didn’t have hair dryers, so modern mothers and housewives stopped applying heat to their hair except on the odd occasion that she was late.
“I think of my hair as a plant-like creature,” she said. “And just like I don’t want heat on my houseplants, I don’t want it on my hair because it becomes dry and brittle.
“I think a lot of people love using heat tools because it gives them that style, but for me, it’s just not worth it. In fact, there are lots of ways to style your hair nicely without using heat.” I think there is.”
Instead, Niven wraps her washed hair in an old cotton t-shirt like a turban and leaves it for up to an hour before taking it off and allowing her hair to air dry. She also doesn’t detangle her hair when the strands are wet, she says.
be aware of the choice
Niven, who originally had very thick curly hair, remembers spending hours as a child untangling it crying in pain. And she was often teased at school because she was the only curly-haired kid in her class.
By the time she reached her teenage years, all Niven wanted was to fit in with her peers. That meant turning to the entire barrage of over-the-counter lotions and potions that promise to curb frizz.
“I resorted to spending a lot of money to buy all these products. I used them to hide my natural hair and force it into the look I wanted,” she said. “Even when I went to summer camp, which was a very rustic camp just to be at the lake, I had to take all the products with me. Without it, I would be very worried.”
In addition to losing confidence, Niven became increasingly frustrated that her hair was only a certain length, even though she had wanted it longer and hadn’t cut it. It was only when she had her first child that she began to be conscious and rethink the products she wanted to use on a daily basis.
“At that point, I stopped using all those products and embarked on a journey to discover how to care for my hair naturally,” she said. However, most products on the market do not actually improve the health of the hair itself, they just create a mask of health by coating it with all sorts of things. Maybe make it look a little glossy.
Niven has also found that the way she treats her hair causes weakness and prevents it from actually growing.
“There was a general lack of love in the way I treated my hair,” she said. “I didn’t like my hair.
Today, Niven primarily uses Rasoul Clay, which is rich in minerals. Not only does this cleanse and condition your hair without stripping it of oil, it also helps define curls. I also rinse my hair with vinegar.
The results speak for themselves.
“It’s made a huge difference for me that my hair is really healthy on its own,” she said. I have much less split ends and I don’t need to use a lot of commercial hair products on my head.”
Tips for Strong, Shiny Hair
Rather than making drastic and sudden changes to your hair care or diet, Niven recommends taking a middle path.
“I try not to do things just because other people are doing them,” she said. I want to confirm that
Starting with the basics of washing your hair the old-fashioned way, she says, using Rasoul clay requires a little trial and error. , should instead be “pretty watery”. “For 2 cups of liquid she’s 4 minutes her 1 cup of clay her powder is adequate and easy to wash off,” she said. “For all hair types, we recommend leaving the clay on for a minute or two to thoroughly cleanse your hair before rinsing,” she says.
Applying oil to your hair should be an important part of your hair care routine. “Oils are more individual. People with fine or straight hair prefer to use lighter oils, but people with curly hair like me use heavier oils like coconut, castor, or olive oil. can.
Often labeled “natural” because they simply mix some natural ingredients, such as essential oils and some herbal extracts, into a synthetic base almost identical to that used in standard products. Pay attention to the products that are labeled. ”
Eating the right, nutritious foods is equally important. Niven says he’s learned the value of “eating in a very traditional way” over the years.
“I try to eat a lot of very nutritious and organic foods. I eat a lot of eggs, butter and bone broth.” [ate] There was a lot of nutritious food and they were all very healthy people with good hair and teeth. I try to avoid processed foods and sugar.
“Maybe some of you reading this article want to grow your hair out. Hmm, but it’s important not to suddenly cut all these things at once.
Niven says she learned her lesson “the hard way.” To keep your body from panicking, it’s always “better to do it in stages”.
“It obviously has to do with your internal health,” she said. .”
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Anna Mason is a writer based in the UK. She has a degree in Literature and has a curiosity about people and places that a formal education doesn’t satisfy. She Anna enjoys stories, adventures, Balearic sun and Yorkshire rain.
