Festive hair prep: 5 products to add to your routine before the celebrations begin

Get your hair holiday-ready with these five essential products for cleansing, nourishing, and styling, ensuring you shine during the festive celebrations.

The festive season is a whirl of lamplight, late nights, sunshine, and the crowded, polluted air of busy streets. Through it all, your hair takes a beating, and dullness, dryness, and frizz tend to show up just when you want to look your best. Think of them as a short festive prep, moving from scalp to finish, with each step on its own timeline, so your hair arrives at every gathering glowing and ready.

1. Forest Essentials Hair Cleanser, Bhringraj & Shikakai

Festive hair tips: Top hair care hacks to steal the spotlight this Diwali (Photo by Shutterstock)

By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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1. Forest Essentials Ayurvedic Shampoo Bhringraj & Shikakai | Natural Remedy for Hair Fall, Hair Thinning & Dandruff | Sulphate Free1. Forest Essentials Ayurvedic Shampoo Bhringraj & Shikakai | Natural Remedy for Hair Fall, Hair Thinning & Dandruff | Sulphate Free

Gently cleanses while preserving the hair’s natural oils. Dilute, massage into wet hair for one to two minutes, then rinse. Add it to your pre-festive routine to gently cleanse your hair and create a fresh base for the styling days ahead.

2. Traya Nourish Hair Oil

2. Traya Nourish Hair Oil | Supports Hair Growth and Improves Hair Health | Consists of Rosemary Oil, Bhingraj, Castor Oil,Olive Oil, and Argan Oil | Traya Hair Oil for Nourishment & Conditioning of Dry and Frizzy Hair | 100 ml2. Traya Nourish Hair Oil | Supports Hair Growth and Improves Hair Health | Consists of Rosemary Oil, Bhingraj, Castor Oil,Olive Oil, and Argan Oil | Traya Hair Oil for Nourishment & Conditioning of Dry and Frizzy Hair | 100 ml

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Herbal oil with nine cold-pressed oils, infused with amla, bhringraj, jatamansi and ratanjot, plus argan, castor and rosemary oils for moisture and shine. Massage into scalp and lengths, leave on for an hour or overnight, then wash. A nourishing oiling ritual in the days leading up to the festivities can help keep hair moisturised and healthy-looking.

3. Pilgrim Patuá & Hyaluronic Acid Smoothing Hair Serum

3. Pilgrim Patua & Keratin Hair Serum for Dry & Frizzy hair - 100 ml| Paraben free | Suitable for Women & Men | Hair Smoothening & healthy scalp3. Pilgrim Patua & Keratin Hair Serum for Dry & Frizzy hair - 100 ml| Paraben free | Suitable for Women & Men | Hair Smoothening & healthy scalp

Smoothing serum with patuá oil and hyaluronic acid for dry, frizzy hair. Apply a small amount to towel-dried hair or the ends while styling. The finishing touch for every festive look. Keep it handy for the final touch before heading out, especially when festive hairstyles call for smoother, more polished-looking lengths.

4. Mamaearth Onion Scalp Serum

4. Mamaearth Onion Scalp Serum With Onion Oil and Niacinamide | For Healthy Hair Growth | 50ml4. Mamaearth Onion Scalp Serum With Onion Oil and Niacinamide | For Healthy Hair Growth | 50ml

Lightweight, water-soluble scalp serum with red onion, pea sprout, niacinamide and aloe vera. Massage into the scalp before your hair oil, then wash off with a sulphate-free shampoo. A calm, fresh start to your festive prep. Use it as part of your pre-celebration scalp care routine to give the roots extra attention.

5. Kama Ayurveda Bringaras Regenerating Hair Mask

5. BRINGARAS REGENERATING HAIR MASK 50 ML | For Balanced Scalp & Shiny Hair5. BRINGARAS REGENERATING HAIR MASK 50 ML | For Balanced Scalp & Shiny Hair

Post-wash conditioning mask with bringaras oil, mango, shea and kokum butters, plant-based ceramides and hydrolysed soy protein.

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