Childbirth is a funny thing. Wherever you're from it tends to bring all mothers together, in particular here in Singapore, where Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures all practice some form of confinement; a month-long period where the mum and baby are supposed to stay home and recuperate.
The Chinese confinement is the shortest at 30 days, followed by the Indian confinement at 40 days. Malay confinement is the longest at 44 days. Across all three cultures, tradition has it that new mothers are often taken care of by their own mothers or mother-in-laws – and that means new mothers are subjected to all sorts of old wives tales and beliefs.
One of the biggest areas of potential conflict is showering, bathing, and hair washing, which are generally discouraged during confinement. Traditions believe that cold wind entering your bathroom can cause your post-birth body to catch a cold and fall ill. This also applies to the water temperature. The water should not be cold or lukewarm, and should be pretty piping hot at 38⁰C minimally – even when washing your hands. "Cool" water can impede recovery.
However these days, you'd be hard pressed to find a woman who doesn't crave a nice relaxing shower when she can find a moment away from her baby. But sometimes a little compromise doesn't hurt. So go ahead and shower, wash your hair. If you have a mother-in-law who is a stickler for tradition, here are five herbal baths and shampoos safe for mothers in confinement.
The cheapest way to get around confinement traditions is to buy a bunch of ginger and lemongrass. Slice them up, and dump them into your bathtub or a tub of hot water.
Ginger is known to be a heaty ingredient, promoting blood circulation and recovery. However, that should be balanced with a cooling herb – lemongrass, in this case. The smell of fresh lemongrass is calming, and can help you to sleep better too.
The Dai Fon Ai herbal bath ($20.50 for a pack of 10) is one of the more popular confinement herbal bath options in Singapore just because its sold at neighbourhood Chinese medicine hall, Hock Hua, alongside Lazada, and Shopee.
You’ll either find it in plastic packaging, or in a nicer green and white box form. Both versions contain 10 herbal bath sachets.
However, there’s no mention at all on the packaging what ingredients are in the herbal bath bags.
If you prefer a little more transparency and an actual ingredient’s list, top up a few dollars more for this Singaporean-made Lao Ban Niang confinement herbal bath set ($30 for a set of 10).
The few bucks more will afford you this:
Negundo Chastetree Fruit (or Chinese Chaste Tree) 63%
Balsamiferou Blumea Herb (or Sambong) 16%
Ginger Powder 16%
Peppermint 5%
The Chinese Chaste Tree reportedly helps to balance estrogen and progesterone, and is therefore commonly used to treat menstrual-related problems. Sambong (or Sambung), on the other hand, is a more generic herb used for common ailments such as fever, cold, headaches, or tummy issues.
Here’s the only halal-certified confinement herbal bath in this list (apart from the DIY ginger and lemongrass bath). The TYT Confinement Herbal Bath ($16.90 for 8 sachets) seems like the most regulated herbal bath around.
According to the TYT website, their herbal bath contains:
European Verbena: Relieves discomfort, promotes blood circulation
Wormwood: Dispel cold, relieve pain
Motherwort: Promotes blood circulation
Ginger
Pomelo
Orientvine: Pain and swelling
TYT also has a similar baby herbal bath set for your newborn.
If you really do need an actual shampoo to foam up the hair and get a clean and satisfying wash, at least choose an Ayurvedic Neem shampoo ($14.06) to match your body’s dosha.
In Ayurveda, Neem is thought to help with detox, improving immunity, and is anti-inflammatory. Other ingredients include:
Reetha: Balance Kapha dosha, helps with respiratory problems
Shikakai: Heals Pitta and Kapha dosha, skin cleansing, anti-inflammatory
Henna: Improves hair health
Amla: Balance stomach, improve liver, lungs, and promotes healthy hair
Methi: Improve blood levels, alleviates aches and pain
There are also matching Ayurvedic bar soaps with ingredients to suit your body’s dosha.
In case the previous Auromere option is sold out, here’s another Ayurvedic herbal shampoo ($16.86) you can use for a deeper hair cleanse while in confinement.
Key ingredients include Neem, peppermint, rosemary, and lemon balm.
While neem is thought to be detoxifying, great for immunity, and is anti-inflammatory, peppermint in Ayurveda is used to balance Pitta and Kapha doshas, and helps with stomach and digestive issues.
In Ayurveda, rosemary is believed to be great for the hair, and helps with depression. Finally, lemon balm helps with digestion, heals any wounds and burns, and is anti-bacterial.