The history of hair oiling goes far beyond the current beauty trend
In the Northern and Eastern hemispheres, between East and West Asia, lies India, the twenty-eight-state country which occupies most of South Asia. India boasts an array of products that cater to various hair types across the world, as well as an estimated hair care and styling products market size of $5.85 billion.
The South Asian country has a long history of beauty rituals that intertwine with cultural practices. All of these rituals use specific products and methods that go back millenia. Champi is one of these, and it can teach us much about the links between beauty and culture in India.
South Asian culture is a mix of cultures based in and around the Indian subcontinent. Having a background in Hinduism, much of the culture is rooted in dharmas, Vedic principles that guide life in the Hindu community.
The word, “Champi” is often used to refer to a scalp-focused method of hair oiling, especially in relation to the connection between plant oil treatments and the globe-famous long, silky hair of Indian women. It is also the origin of the word, “shampoo,” from the Hindi meaning “massage.”
With interest in hair oiling increasing, many beauty and fashion publications have begun to feature it. But the history of Champi goes back thousands of years before the current trend began.
Defining Champi
Champi is a traditional Indian practice with roots in Ayurveda, the Indian medicinal system. The Vedas are a collection of holy Sanskrit scriptures that were written down between 1500-500 BCE. Ayurveda (ayur and veda, or “life-science”) is based on these Vedic texts.
The Ayurvedic practice of Champi scalp massage targets hair health while relieving body tension. It uses natural oils and special techniques to massage the scalp gently and with intention.
The first mention of hair oiling was made by Maharishi Charaka in the 1st century CE in the Charak Samhita, one of the three surviving foundational texts of ancient India. The text detailed hair oiling as part of dincharya, the daily regimen.
One who has got his head daily well oleated alleviates head-ache, premature graying, and alopecia, while strengthening the cranial bones significantly. Hair roots become stronger, senses become clearer, the facial skin becomes smoother and the person gets sound sleep and happiness. [Cha.Su.5/81-89]
Champi crosses the boundary of mere grooming into therapeutics. According to Ayurvedic practice, Champi helps to balance the body chakras (energies), which leads to better sleep, clarity of mind, and other holistic health benefits.
Champi As An Element Of Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurveda (Aa-yer-vay-da) is the science of health and longevity; it translates to the “science of life.” The 5000-year-old medical science was originally practiced in India and South Asia, but has now spread throughout the world in the eras of colonization and globalization.
Regarding the origins of Ayurveda, certain schools of thought believed that healers came to India from around the world, bringing their knowledge. Some insisted that Ayurveda was passed down from God to angels, and then to humans in direct revelation, as relayed in the Sushrut Samhita, which is dated up to 3000 years ago.
Ayurveda is a category of the Atharva Veda, the branch of the Vedas concerned with healing arts. It is a comprehensive system that takes the spiritual approach to wellness and views healing and prevention as part of spirituality, religion. The science was based on the connection between the Divine, the body and the mind.
In his book, Ayurvedic Massage For Health And Healing, the Indian author S. V. Govindan established massages as a necessity for every creature. Charaka and Sushruta were the earliest medical practitioners in India(Pg 30). As such, their medical texts, Charak Samhita and Sushrut Samhita are still referenced in the book and all of Ayurveda today.
In ancient India, massages were considered important for healing, and Ayurvedic medical practitioners studied them from these texts. Head massages were considered essential as eight out of the ten gates of the body were said to be located above the neck.(Pgs 54, 57). Masseurs would begin by pouring oil on the three key pressure points of the head; the crest, whorl, and the point where the neck meets the skull.
The combination of oiling and massaging was said to strengthen and nourish hair, as well as strengthen the nervous system, and improve concentration and life energy. It was even said that doing this for a child for nine months after birth would provide the infant with more energy to think, learn, and remember.(Pg 58)
There is another Hindi word of note in the story of Champi; sneha, which translates to both “oil” and “love.” The ancient texts refer to oil therapy as snehana, an Ayurvedic therapy concerned more with the use of oils than with the massage technique. But how the oils were applied — with love — is also paramount to the practice.
The Technique of Champi
The practice of Champi combined the application of plant oils with a deep massage to the head. Practitioners were trained to assess hair health and select the right treatment oils based on the state of the individual’s hair at the time.
For example, damaged hair was typically treated with castor oil, sesame oil would improve dandruff-prone scalp, and almond oil would help nourish dry hair. Or, when considering hair types with a variety of issues, a combination of oils would be used to target the different concerns.
The oil preparation was also integral to Champi. Coconut oil was one of the most commonly used oils. The oil was heated, and kadi patta, curry leaves were added to it while hot. Turning the heat source off, additional ingredients such as hemp seeds, hibiscus flowers, and aliv seeds were then added to the mixture. The process concluded with filtering the oil and letting it cool overnight before the Champi session.
Historically, a foundational knowledge of human anatomy was a necessity for massage practitioners(8). In Champi, the prepared oil was massaged onto the scalp with a focus on vital points (pressure points). The process was gentle, with the fingers moving the scalp in small, circular patterns, and the pressure increasing and decreasing at intervals.
For beauty purposes, the oil was left in overnight (or for at least thirty minutes) to let the hair absorb it better, and the hair was washed with shampoo after. Besides the phytochemical benefits(3) of these natural oils and plant extracts for hair, the gentle massage helped improve blood circulation to the hair follicles, facilitating the hair’s access to nutrients in the blood.
Champi As A Generational Tradition
Hair oiling is such a big part of practicing Champi that the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in present times. Recall snēha, the Hindi word that denotes oiling as much as it does, love and affection. It’s no wonder that hair oiling and family bonding go together in Indian culture.
For a better understanding of this connection, we spoke with someone with firsthand experience of Champi, Sarvangi Shah, a beauty product development expert at Noya Beauty Works, a Mumbai-based beauty consulting firm.
The insights here were shared via voice messages(9) in which Shah described Champi as a deep-rooted Indian tradition, one where a mother would apply hair oil onto her daughter’s scalp while conversing with her, and the daughter would do the same for her offspring. She added that it was a staple in her family home in India growing up; every family had their hair oil recipe and believed it to be the best.
“Unfortunately, today, the tradition is not there as much as it used to be, but hair oiling is still very much present, as well as the close bond it brings about”, Shah explained. “We no longer live in big families like we did earlier, and most people live without their grandmothers and mothers. Now, we have branded hair oils and salon services that simulate the experience of someone scrubbing the oil onto your scalp”.
Shah further explained that the practice of Champi has a lot of history to it, from the making of the hair oils to the oiling process itself. She shared that the obvious benefit of it which has always been promoted in Indian culture is hair growth. “Long hair is a big thing in India, and it’s always said that kids would put in a lot of hair oil to promote hair growth.”
From generation to generation, Champi has been established as not just a beauty practice, but a relaxing, affectionate ritual that contributes to the overall well-being of the individual. It therefore comes as no surprise that it originates from Ayurveda, the “science of life.”
Beyond India
As mentioned above, the term “shampoo” is an import to the West, likely coming through European contact with India in the 18th century. To shampoo, or wash, one’s hair means to use kneading patterns with soap also referred to as “shampoo”. If you’ve ever washed your hair, you’ve practiced a little Champi in its simplest form.
Additionally, Chinese acupuncture and American polarity therapy evolved from touch therapies in Ayurvedic medicine. Like Champi, both techniques aimed to balance energy flow within the body by focusing on its pressure points.
India’s Silk Road also played a part in this globalization story. The Romans, Greeks, Tibetans, Chinese, Persians, and Afghanis travelled to India via this route to learn about Ayurvedic medicine and pass on the knowledge to their countrymen. Ayurvedic schools(10) were even set up to teach interested people about Ayurveda.
While it seems to be a current beauty trend, it is one that has ancient origins and enormous cultural significance. Today, with the aid of the Internet, Ayurveda and Champi’s reach is multiple times what it used to be. Many up-and-coming brands are labelling their hair oils as Champi, which helps to increase the visibility of this ancient beauty tradition and raise global awareness.
Takeaway
The generic history of massages dates back to a time when science and technology were in infancy, and physicians and surgeons studied massages for healing.
Champi is an ancient ritual that has flourished within the boundaries of its Indian roots as well as outside those boundaries. Its integration into modern beauty practices reflects a blossoming appreciation for natural approaches to wellness around the world, as well as a growing recognition of the contributions of ancient traditions to the beauty industry.
Sophie Adekola is a writer from Nigeria with a passion for topics in beauty and health. She is interested in the intersection of modern culture and the historical application of beauty techniques.
Additional Reading
Dhavendra Kumar. Genomics and Health In The Developing World. Chapter 73 (The Indian Subcontinent and Its People).
Rajiv Malhotra. (2013). Dharma Is Not The Same As Religion. Huffpost.
Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam. (2019). Preparation and Evaluation of Poly Herbal Hair Oil. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics.
An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita. Internet Archive.
Charaka Samhita Text With English Tanslation. Internet Archive.
Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha. The Ayurveda Encyclopedia.
Ashok K. P., Jayram H. (2013). Concept of Beauty and Ayurveda Medicine. Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research.
S. V. Govindan. (1996). Ayurvedic Massage: For Health And Healing. Pgs 14, 84.
Sarvangi Shah. (Recorded on June 15, 2024). Insights on Champi. LinkedIn.
Kishor Patwardhan, Sangeeta Gehlot; et al. (2013). The Quality of Ayurveda Education In India (First Edition). Page 1.
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