The secret of Malayali women’s long, black and lustrous hair could be yours. Coconut oil is best nutrient for hair and skin. The small molecular structure of coconut oil ensures easy and complete absorption through skin and hair follicles giving it a soft and silky texture. The free radicals in the coconut oil makes it a wonderful option for dry skin also. It is an excellent  hair conditioner and can be used as a pre-wash conditioner, which can prevent  dandruff effectively.

Coconut oil can also be applied on the hair over night to be washed off on the morning. This will improve the texture and overall health of the hair. A hot oil massage can do wonders to damaged hair due to excessive coloring, straightening or perming. It puts back the moisture of dry and coarse hair in a matter of minutes.

While you are on a holiday to Kerala, you cannot afford to miss out the benefits of a rejuvenating hair massage using warm coconut oil. Usually a hot oil treatment is used after shampooing and conditioning of the hair. The best part is that the hot oil only needs to be left on for a minute or so to be effective. So it makes a simple and swift hair care method for time strapped tourists who are on a jaunt to this Southern strip of land.

Coconut oil is  an organic ingredient that can also be used as a shampoo or a conditioner or by itself. Flaunt a beautiful and lustrous crowning glory with the age old beauty secret of the malayalees.

Half the world population of endangered Nilgiri tahr is at Eravikulam National Park at Munnar. Pat and pose for pictures with them. The tahrs are a friendly lot and get along with the tourists who crowd around to catch a glimspe of these wonderful creatures.  The credit of befriending these shy goat like animals goes to Mr.Walter Mackay the general manager at Rajamalai tea estate in the early 1950s, who was an ardent wildlife enthusiast and an environmentalist.

 Tahrs belong to the same family  as the  cattle and antelope and are rated as the wild cousins of domestic goats.Endemic to the Western ghats and the Nilgiris, tahrs form the main attraction in the Eravikulam national park.The Nilgiri Tahr lives in inaccessible heights and Anamudi, the tallest mountain peak in South India is its home range.

These are herbivorous animals that feed on grass and plants and are seen in altitudes above 2000 m. Many tourists feed them with salt and they seem to enjoy it. However wild life wardens do not encourage this practice as they tend to become more friendly with humans, which would make them soft targets for poachers.

Most of these animals are cheerful and sprightly with an addiction to cameras and flash lights. You can see the aggressive display of males by locking horns to impress their female partners. Capture a super pose of the  tahrs in your camera, to take home a trendy snap shot of these mountain goats.

Kuttanad is in the interior of backwater district, Alappuzha. Kuttanad is rice bowl of Kerala. The only place in the world where farming is done 1.5 to 2 meter below sea level.  Kuttanad is characterised by vast expanses of  lush green paddy fields and water locked lagoons. Travel to Kuttanad to soak up the beauty of this village, which also forms the hub of Kerala backwater tourism.

Laced with waterways,  Kuttanad has sprawling fields of cassava, banana and yam apart from paddy fields. The unique feature of Kuttanad paddy fields is that it is surrounded by earthen bunds and farming is done on the low-lying ground just like the Dykes of the polder regions of the Netherlands where crops are grown below sea level.

After harvesting the paddy, the fields are used for breeding ducks where they will thrive on locusts and fishes till the next sowing season. You would see coir workers busy spinning coir and fishermen getting along their routine business in small boats. Otters and waterbirds can be spotted along the banks of the waterways. As many as four  rivers including Pampa, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala feed this fertile patch of land where life go by at an enviably slow pace.

Farming is the lifeline of Kuttanad. At the crack of the dawn, you can spot  the women folk heading towards the paddy fields with their lunch box and sickle, to join the men who would be busy  sowing the seeds and  diverting water channels.

This feast is arranged mainly for weddings and during Onam. The course include boiled rice, 10 to 15 vegetarian curries(dishes), banana chips, crispy pappad, pickles, bananas, rasom (fiery pepper soup), buttermilk, one or two varieties of payasam – jaggery and coconut-milk based, and the other milk-based.

Typically sadya is served as lunch  in banana leaves. People eat sadhya sitting on mats on the floor. But these days, sadya is served on dining tables considering the convenience of the diners.  The sadya is eaten with hand and requires special skill to eat without spilling the food. The banana leaf is placed with its tip facing the left of the diner and there is a specific place on the plantain leaf where each item is to be served. For instance, the pickles are always served on the top left corner and banana on the bottom left corner. Thus the waiters can easily identify the items to be replenished by just looking at his leaf.

The curries are made of different vegetables and coconut dominates most of the dishes in Kerala. Coconut milk is also used for flavouring desserts and curries while seasoning and frying is done in coconut oil. Some of the curries include avial, kalan, kootu curry , sambar etc.  Sadya though heavy always ensures a well balanced diet with the right mix of all possible tastes. The first item to be eaten in a sadya is flavoured lentil with ghee and papadam. 

After the meals betel leaf with lime and arecanut is chewed, which helps  in digestion after a heavy meal and also cleanses the palate.

Kaikottikkali is a classical play. Deep clapping of palms in melody with articulated and measured steps and jumps in tune with the singing by the players themselves constitute the play. Mostly ladies, but gents too perform in some parts of Malabar region.
 
Also known as thiruvathirakali, it is an extremely popular and  graceful group-dance of the malayali women typically performed during festive seasons like Onam. It involves normally  8-10 dancers. It is a slow dance form famous for the sensuous body movements to convey the lasya emotion.  Dressed in Kerala style with mandu and neriyathu, the women matches their steps to the notes of the melodious Thiruvathira songs that depict scenes from Hindu mythology.

The dancers move in circles around a huge lighted traditional brass oil lamp  in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions. At every step they bend sideways, and bring together their arms to clap. The leading performer  sing the first line of the song as the other members repeat it in chorus.

Thiruvathirakali is performed  by women to attain marital bliss and night long dance performances are held during the Thiruvathira festival that falls in the month of December. Women irrespective of  age soak up in the spirit and dance with elegance and ease.  If interested, you can also participate in this enchanting dance form to get a feel of the culture and traditions of Kerala.
 

Hundreds of species of migratory and Indian birds play in Kerala’s scenic bird sanctuaries at Thattekad and Thekkady. Clap at their aerobatic skills, zig-zag, music and sing. Set up in 1983, Thattekad bird sanctuary is the first bird sanctuary of Kerala. Spread over 25sq km of moist deciduous forests, sandwiched between the tributaries of the Periyar River, it is  a haven for migratory and native birds. You can spot many rare bird species like Ceylon frogmouth and the rose-billed roller.

The three storied watch tower inside the sanctuary allows you to spot elusive birds that come out only in the dusk and to have a panoramic view of the surroundings. This  eco friendly tower is powered by only  solar powered lamps. If you are  a large group of holiday makers, then the forest department inspection bungalow,' Hornbill' would be  a better choice. Situated near the sanctuary entrance, it offers dormitory type accommodation. The PWD rest house near the Bhoothathankett Dam is yet another handy option.

Kumarakom bird sanctuary nestled along the famous backwaters of the Vembanad Lake is another essential stop over of bird watchers. Set up in 14 acres of land, it is home to many exotic avian species like darters, egrets and herons, which paint the landscape with strokes of colors. Migratory birds like Siberian stork  visit this tranquil patch of land every year during the winter season with clock work precision.

You can spot some stunning birds in the Periyar wild life sanctuary as well. Feted as one of the world's most enchanting natural reserves, this sanctuary at Thekkady allows you to take a closer look at these beautiful birds apart from a rich wild life including tigers and elephants.