Imagine for a minute an India without Neem!

You could as well imagine a sea-coast with the sea or a mountain resort with the mountains! That’s the kind of relation India has with Neem. It’s been around for ages and has helped support India’s indigenous science of medicines in immense ways. From head to toes, humans or animals alike, Neem helped India stay healthy. For humans, besides the myriad cures whose essential ingredient is found in Neem, the latter has its share in forming varied formulations for skin and hair-care in India from times immemorial.

Neem remains extremely effective in hair and skincare for varied reasons including

• Its ability to help the body balance oil & sebum production, reduce inflammation to the skin, produce just the right amount of collagen, help in the healing of wounds, and reduce scars including those caused by acne.
• Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties help as both cleaner and healer in times of distress to the skin due to infections and even acne
• Neem oil’s ability to go deep into the skin, and add to that its ability to reverse skin inflammations means it’s a great moisturizer to treat inflammation including those caused by excess exposure to the sun and consequent redness. Regular use of neem oil opens the skin pores and makes the skin very sensitive and receptive to further skin treatments
• Neem being an overload in Vitamin C, wrinkles stay at bay with the constant and sustained use of it that boosts the production of collagen, a natural antioxidant and anti-wrinkles formation.
• Neem oil being highly anti-fungal, it keeps the hair free of pests and parasites that may get attracted to the sweat and sebum. On its own, just this property of neem oil may help hair growth. Besides, it is great to treat the likes of Malassezia, a kind of fungi that causes dead hair to form lumpy flakes.
• Neem oil has high antioxidant levels and limits the action of free radicals on one’s hair, especially in ageing women.

How Neem is especially good in the treatment of Acne, Itchy scalp, dandruff and other skin-related issues?

• Acne: Three things about Neem help fix acne. First, its antibacterial properties, next its anti-inflammation properties and lastly its ability to control the body’s production of oil and moisture. Put together, neem remains effective in the treatment of acne including skincare after the acne dries up.
• Skin that’s irritated and inflamed: The properties described above partly help skin that is irritated and inflamed. With its soothing and cooling effect, Neem helps re-hydrate dry and irritated skin that in addition may also face inflammation.
• Skin that shows signs of ageing especially wrinkles: Neem has everything that reverses the skin’s ageing. Being an overload in antioxidants, moisturizing triglycerides and vitamin E, it goes right to the root of the problem of skin ageing and brings down the likes of wrinkles, fines lines, dark spots and even pores. What you get is skin that looks smooth, supple and has just the right colour and tone.
• Opens skin pores to effectively discharge blackheads and whiteheads: A great, great exfoliating scrub, neem is especially good to the face and parts of the body that remain exposed to the element and as a result, retain dirt and waste under the skin in the form of blackheads and whiteheads. Neem effectively pulls the latter from the skin. Besides, being a great astringent, it also tightens the skin, and with it the pores by which they collect less dust and stuff in the environment.
• Itchy scalp: Neem’s antifungal and antibacterial properties mean it’s a great treatment for dandruff and fungi including Malassezia that causes the skin to flake off in lumps. Used as directed, it easily and effectively relieves the likes of itchiness, inflammation, and irritation.
• Hair fall & greying: Neem is high in anti-oxidants which gives it regenerative properties that fight off free radicals that are said to be the main cause behind hair-fall and balding. Massaged gently to the scalp, it also increases blood circulation to the scalp and hair and, keeps the latter from greying.
• General scalp nourishing: Neem has significant quantities of fatty acids like linoleic, oleic, and stearic acid that help nourish the scalp to keep it smooth and moisture-fed.

And how do you get the best of Neem? In the following forms!

• Treating itchy scalp conditions
  Caution: Before you start, ensure your skin doesn’t react to need with a patch test.

Warm a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add to it two teaspoons of neem oil. Mix the concoctions well and massage to the scalp in a circular motion. Leave for and wash it off with mild soap/ shampoo. Repeat thrice a week to rid of the itch and grow a healthy scalp.  and beautiful hair.

• Treating acne

An anti-acne neem pack is the best bet. Boil equal parts of neem leaves and orange peel in water till all of it turns soft. Drain the water and grind into a fine paste. Add a teaspoon of honey and lemon juice each. Apply to the face and leave for 30 minutes. Wash it off with water. Repeat twice a week till the skin goes acne-free.

• Getting rid of dandruff
  Make an anti-dandruff neem pack consisting of 4 tablespoons of neem powder in water. Apply the paste to the scalp and leave for 30-40 minutes and wash it off with water. Alternatively, boil a handful of neem leaves in 5 cups of water until the water becomes green. Strain the water and use the same to rinse the scalp after shampooing.
• Getting rid of whiteheads and blackheads
  Make a neem face mask of 2 teaspoon-full of neem powder in water to form a thick paste. Add to this paste a pinch of turmeric powder. Apply to the face and leave for 30 minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water.