Nasya Oil: Daisy's Guide to Sinus, Hair and Hormones

A blocked nose, a heavy head, restless sleep and thinning or greying hair often travel together. Daisy believes they share one doorway, the nose. In her video she explains nasya, the Ayurvedic practice of putting a few drops of medicated oil into the nostrils. She covers which oil to pick for which problem, how to apply it, and when to stop.

Why Daisy focuses on the nose

Daisy calls the nose “the gateway to everything in your head and your brain”. In her view, it reflects how sharp or foggy you feel, how calm your nervous system is, and how well you sleep. She also calls it the doorway to the scalp and to your hormones.

She explains that the lining inside the nose is thin, with a dense network of blood vessels and nerves. So oil placed there is absorbed quickly, and it bypasses the digestive tract. Doctors give nasya in panchakarma, the Ayurvedic detox treatments. Daisy talks about the daily version, pratimarsha nasya, meant to keep you from falling sick in the first place.

Which oil for which problem

Daisy says to choose by symptoms and body type, not by what a friend uses.

• Dry, anxious or tired. This covers fatigue, anxiety, overthinking, ringing in the ears, poor sleep and poor memory. It also covers dry eyes, skin or joints. She suggests plain sesame oil, ghee, or Kshirabala thailam. Bala root, she says, strengthens a weak nervous system. The oil is cooked with cow’s milk, which makes it gentle on the nose. Kshirabala 101 is a more purified, concentrated version.
• Congested or allergy-prone. Think heavy mucus, seasonal allergies, loss of smell and mouth breathing. She names Anu thailam and Shadbindu thailam. She says these sharp oils help dissolve phlegm and clear the nose and throat. Shadbindu contains bhringaraj, an herb Daisy calls the king of hair growth.
• Hot and fiery. Signs include acne, morning headaches, hyperacidity, bloodshot eyes, nosebleeds, short temper and early greying. She suggests ghee, Brahmi ghritam (brahmi steeped in ghee) or Chandanadi thailam. Chandanadi is made with cooling white sandalwood. She also likes the Banyan Botanicals blends formulated by Vasant Lad, and says this is not sponsored.

Hair fall, greying and hormones

Daisy says hair fall, dandruff and early greying are symptoms of a deeper issue. If you are blocked with mucus, she says, that blockage stops nutrients reaching the scalp, so a decongesting oil like Anu or Shadbindu may help. If you have no congestion but a lot of body heat, she says the heat “bleaches” the follicles, so cooling oils make more sense.

On hormones, she says the nasal passages sit close to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which control stress, thyroid and reproductive hormones. She believes oils such as Brahmi ghritam, Anu thailam or Kshirabala help steady cortisol and the hormones that follow it. She calls nasya a long-term remedy for PCOS and perimenopause symptoms. If you take medicine for thyroid, PCOS or any hormone issue, keep your doctor in the loop.

How Daisy applies nasya

The quick way is a clean pinky finger dipped in oil. Use a bottle only you touch. A dropper with 2 drops per nostril works too.

Her fuller method begins with a two-minute prep, called purva karma. Warm the bottle in hot water. Massage your face to loosen mucus. Inhale plain steam, if it suits you, to widen the nasal passages. Then lie with a pillow under your shoulders so your head tips back, add 2 drops per side, sniff, and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Morning suits people who wake congested or with a headache. Night suits sleep. Daisy says to use it on an empty stomach, and to move to night only once symptoms settle. She herself does not use it daily, only in cold climates or at seasonal changes. Her favourite is plain sesame oil.

What research says

Research on nasya itself is limited. A 2018 review describes how drugs can travel from the nasal cavity to the brain along the olfactory and trigeminal nerves. That work concerns medicines, not Ayurvedic oils, so it only shows the route is real.

A small Indian trial in 60 elderly men found Kshirabala nasya plus ashwagandha helped sleep more than ashwagandha alone. It was open-label and tested the two together. A systematic review of nasya oils for facial paralysis found only two small studies and called the evidence extremely limited. Nasya has a long history in Ayurveda, but strong human trials are still missing.

Daisy’s tips

• Start with sesame oil or ghee. Move up to Anu or Shadbindu thailam slowly.
• Stinging for up to a minute is normal. Burning for 15 to 20 minutes or a headache means stop.
• If your eyes water a lot, gargle with plain water and switch to ghee or sesame oil.
• Avoid mustard oil at first. She calls it very pungent.
• Skip cold drinks right after, and never do it just after a heavy meal.
• Dairy, alcohol and refined sugar create mucus. She says stopping them may help more than the oil.
• Listen to your body. Comfort means continue. Discomfort means fewer drops, a gentler oil, or fewer sessions.

Daisy shows the full method in the video above. It takes about 27 minutes.