Amla Experiences?

[Scarlet_Heart]

I looked for an Amla thread but didn't find one. Apologies if this thread is redundant.

I was looking at pictures of my hair from when I used to henna and it was so thick and shiny. I don't want to get the dye affects anymore and I'm not interested in cassia. My hair is very ash (practically purple in certain light) and I think cassia might make it look greenish. Anyway, in my quick research, I discovered that amla might be a great powder or oil for me. I always like a product that will enhance my curl pattern (just waves, but still) and so far petroleum jelly is all I've found that really does that. So the benefits I've seen advertised for amla are:

-enhances curl pattern
-may slightly darken the hair (I don't mind) and disguise/prevent grays
-tones down the red from henna (which is great because I'm still growing out some henna)
-add volume and shine
-help prevent hair loss (which I have an issue with)
-and promote growth

I plan on buying both a powder and an oil blend (Dabur Amla Hair Oil). I see that it's marketed to African and ethnic hair but I've always enjoyed those types of hair products anyway because my hair is so thick and course that I need the heavier oils and products.

What are your experiences with Amla?

[poli]

I'm not the expert, but I have a bottle of Dabur amla oil. I use it very sparsely because of very strong smell and because it is quite heavy on my fine hair. Mind the ingredients too - it is mostly canola oil, paraffin, perfume and amla extract.
I have ordered some amla powder to try in herbal wash, will see how this works :)

[Vetticus]

I pretty much always add alma powder to my henna, and I've made a alma + honey hair treatment before. It's a great antifungal, and it cleanses the scalp very well. I didn't see any difference in hair colour.

[Scarlet_Heart]

Thanks for your helpful responses!


I'm not the expert, but I have a bottle of Dabur amla oil. I use it very sparsely because of very strong smell and because it is quite heavy on my fine hair. Mind the ingredients too - it is mostly canola oil, paraffin, perfume and amla extract.
I have ordered some amla powder to try in herbal wash, will see how this works :)

I don't have a problem with the Dabur having mineral and canola oil in it. My hair likes mineral oil and petroleum jelly anyway and that's usually what I use. If anything, this will just make it easier to have it all in one oil. It's the powder that I'm more excited about.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

[mz_butterfly]

I TOTALLY misread this thread. I mistook the M for an N and reversed the L and the A.

wow! :p:p:p

[Scarlet_Heart]

I TOTALLY misread this thread. I mistook the M for an N and reversed the L and the A.

wow! :p:p:p

Wow, well... :ale:

[Scarlet_Heart]

Just thought I'd update with a review of my results. I was so excited to get this stuff in the mail today and wanted to try it out immediately.

Here's the packaging. I considered ordering from Henna Sooq but her prices were somewhat high. So I found some 100% amla powder on Amazon for about half the price. This is Dabur Amla Hair Oil and Hesh Amla Powder. The powder is packaged similar to henna.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/eelaynuh/Hair/DSC01216_zpsb7skvlvs.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/eelaynuh/media/Hair/DSC01216_zpsb7skvlvs.jpg.html)

Smells very similar to henna too. Mixing it up (with warmed, distilled water) it seemed like it was ground super fine. Finer than henna. But when I applied it, it was really gritty. The instructions say to apply it to dry hair, so I did... and I remembered why I always put my henna on wet hair. Trying to get pastey goop distributed through dry hair is next to impossible. So I made a huge mess wetting it after the fact for better distribution. I waited an hour and rinsed it out.

As I was washing it out, it felt like I had put oil in the paste, but I hadn't. The powder releases it's own oils. And the paste washes out fairly easily. No shampoo/conditioner was necessary.

After I towel dried my hair, I combed maybe a teaspoon of the Dabur oil through my length. The smell is very potent and I could see why some wouldn't like it, but I do! :cloud9:

The results:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/eelaynuh/Hair/DSC01218_zpsxzyux3ep.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/eelaynuh/media/Hair/DSC01218_zpsxzyux3ep.jpg.html)

In the before picture, you can see my hair was not showing it's natural wave very much. It was heavy with build up and was slightly waxy to the touch. I'm also growing out some thick bangs so don't mind the mullet effect. :couch: And I usually prefer to use natural light, but it was getting dark so I had to use the flash.

After my hair air-dried, it was so much lighter and softer. It smelled awesome and the amla delivered on enhancing my curl pattern! I'm hooked.

[schnibbles]

Great thread, Scarlet. Your wave pattern is back in the last pic and it looks fantastic!

I'm intrigued.... found this article (http://www.curlynikki.com/2014/02/amla-miracle-oil-or-too-good-to-be-true.html)about amla where she indicates that it contains some acids (gallic acid and ellagic acid) that can act as chelating acids. Hard water is something that I struggle with. And if amla would happen to darken my hair at all, that would be awesome too.

Scarlet, how often do you see yourself doing the treatment? This early in the experience, maybe you're not sure how often yet?
Also, did you patch test first? I'm slightly concerned because I have sensitive skin, so if I try this I think I had better patch test it on my neck or something :eye:

[pixldust]

Subscribing to this thread. I've been debating using amla on and off for a while. Maybe this will help me make my mind up!

[Scarlet_Heart]

Great thread, Scarlet. Your wave pattern is back in the last pic and it looks fantastic!

I'm intrigued.... found this article (http://www.curlynikki.com/2014/02/amla-miracle-oil-or-too-good-to-be-true.html)about amla where she indicates that it contains some acids (gallic acid and ellagic acid) that can act as chelating acids. Hard water is something that I struggle with. And if amla would happen to darken my hair at all, that would be awesome too.

Scarlet, how often do you see yourself doing the treatment? This early in the experience, maybe you're not sure how often yet?
Also, did you patch test first? I'm slightly concerned because I have sensitive skin, so if I try this I think I had better patch test it on my neck or something :eye:
Thanks, Schnibbles!

The chelating effect was one of the things that attracted me too. We have hard water. I think it definitely worked in that regard. I didn't realize how much build-up I must have had until I felt how soft, light, and clean it felt afterward.

I did not do a patch test and I pretty much never do. I don't have sensitive skin though.

I see myself doing the powder treatment once a month maybe and the oil after every wash. It worked nicely and I like the smell. :)

[schnibbles]

The chelating effect was one of the things that attracted me too. We have hard water. I think it definitely worked in that regard. I didn't realize how much build-up I must have had until I felt how soft, light, and clean it felt afterward.

Yes, this.
I chelate with citric acid right now, but I wonder if it's actually doing anything? I definitely think I have lots of build-up and I'm just used to how it feels. :shrug:
Swimmer's shampoos make my hair feel like death. There has to be a better way.

I ordered some amla powder and a sample of the alma oil from Henna Sooq. (I agree, it wasn't the cheapest source out there but...I figured, for science, right??)

With the warmer weather, I get into experimentation-mode with treatments and things.. :stirpot: :D

[Scarlet_Heart]

Absolutely. :) I hope you like it. Your hair is so beautiful already, I hope this makes it feel nice for you too.

Even though putting a paste in your hair can be a pain, it still feels luxurious and like you're pampering yourself. It's fun to experiment.

[schnibbles]

Thanks Scarlet! :flower:

I'll be sure to report back once I've tried it!

[ChloeDharma]

I've always used amla powder on wet hair, I can imagine trying to get it through dry hair would be a nightmare. I use that brand of amla among others and have always found it to be ok. I don't use it for hair so much these days as I don't want my henna toned down, although I've just started using the Nupur henna which has amla in it and my hair was so volumised and wavy from it. It does make an excellent face mask though particularly mixed with honey and essential oils.

I've not used that oil as I dislike mineral oil on my scalp and prefer one that will penetrate my skin taking the herb extracts with it, I also find that often the ones with mineral oil aren't as good quality in general but that brand is popular.

I do find that buying amla online is more expensive so I usually wait to go to the Asian grocers to buy it, usually it costs about £1 per box in the shops, sometimes less.

[Scarlet_Heart]

I've always used amla powder on wet hair, I can imagine trying to get it through dry hair would be a nightmare. I use that brand of amla among others and have always found it to be ok. I don't use it for hair so much these days as I don't want my henna toned down, although I've just started using the Nupur henna which has amla in it and my hair was so volumised and wavy from it. It does make an excellent face mask though particularly mixed with honey and essential oils.

I've not used that oil as I dislike mineral oil on my scalp and prefer one that will penetrate my skin taking the herb extracts with it, I also find that often the ones with mineral oil aren't as good quality in general but that brand is popular.

I do find that buying amla online is more expensive so I usually wait to go to the Asian grocers to buy it, usually it costs about £1 per box in the shops, sometimes less.

Oh wow! I will definitely have to look for it at my Asian grocer. Maybe I'll check the Indian grocer too. Thanks for the tip!

[-Fern]

When I lived abroad, I used to get "amla hair food (http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/118054371/Amla_Plus_Hair_Food.jpg)," which is petroleum jelly based, I believe, and you use it as a leave-in or pre-poo treatment or scalp treatment. (I did all three, because my hair drank it up.)

It was extremely affordable (apprx $1 per jar, and the jar lasted me about a month), and it seemed to enhance my sunstreaks and waves.

Now I use Khadi amla & brahmi oil (http://img6a.flixcart.com/image/bath-essential-oil/f/h/k/khadi-210-amla-brahmi-oil-pack-of-2-400x400-imadrdgramvbuhen.jpeg). The scent is quite strong, and reminds me vaguely of an older gentleman's cologne, but I've gotten fond of it. :grin:

I do not like using it as a leave-in, but my hair loves it both as a pre-poo application and with the ROO method. (Rinsing and then conditioning does seem to nix the smell pretty effectively.) It does not increase my sunstreaking like the amla hair food did (which I kinda miss).

[Scarlet_Heart]

Just wanted to mention one of the nice things about the Dabur oil. In a lot of the more "top shelf" amla oil blends, the amla is infused into coconut oil. Which, if you love coconut oil, is great. But my hair hates coconut oil. I do much better with mineral/petroleum based oils, thick oils. So the fact that the Dabur infuses the amla into the mineral/canola blend is delightful to me.

I put more in my hair after my wash last night and I used a lot more than I did the first time. And my hair drinks it right up and it feels amazing.

[schnibbles]

So.. I did the amla treatment yesterday and I had great results which I'm really happy with! :grin:

It didn't enhance any wave pattern for me like it did for Scarlet - I'm a little sad about that.. However, holy soft hair Batman! So soft, manageable, it even feels thicker. I think I had a lot of build-up. I do clarify but obviously not well, (or what I was using doesn't work.) This is hard to explain, but the roots of my hair feel clean but not stripped and I have some volume up there again! It's not so flat.

I used 4 tablespoons of powder dissolved in warm distilled water to make like a pudding. I almost needed more to cover all of my hair but I went with it and left it on for an hour. It rinsed out really easily, I did not shampoo (didn't feel like I need to, but I did smell a weird almost metallic smell as I was rinsing which was interesting) I decided to use a little bit of silicone-free conditioner after the amla was rinsed out because I was nervous. Even though my hair felt awesome at this point I didn't want to have dreads once I got out of the shower. :confused:

I wanted the full-amla-experience so I used a few drops of the oil when my hair was drying and I really liked the oil too! I thought it was going to be too heavy for me and make me look greasy but not at all. Scarlet was right, this is some thick oil. I was a little scared of it actually but my hair loved it. I could've even put more on and I think it would have been fine.

I took an after-pic once it was almost dry. (I had bunned it earlier, so the lumpy-ness you see at the back of my head is from a bun, not waves from the treatment)
My hair is not usually so "floaty" :cloud9:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/Buttercup_9/after20amla_zps80rkloeh.jpg

[flickm]

I was sent a free 100gm sample of amla powder by the woman I get some of my henna from. She raved about it and said it made her feel as if she had new hair whenever she used it. i tried it but it darkened my henna and made it browner, though the effect faded after a while. I don't want my henna darkened or made browner, so I don't use it on my hair. But it's wonderful as a face mask. It firms your skin and leaves it silky feeling.

[ChloeDharma]

I was sent a free 100gm sample of amla powder by the woman I get some of my henna from. She raved about it and said it made her feel as if she had new hair whenever she used it. i tried it but it darkened my henna and made it browner, though the effect faded after a while. I don't want my henna darkened or made browner, so I don't use it on my hair. But it's wonderful as a face mask. It firms your skin and leaves it silky feeling.

Amla tends to add ash tones particularly to henna'd hair giving the browner effect you mention, it's what stopped me using it on my hair for a few years as I didn't want my red toned down. The oil doesn't seem to do that though. Just recently I tried Nupur Henna which has amla in it and it is darker than my usual result but I really like it, plus it gave me so much volume so I've decided I'm willing to sacrifice some brightness for the benefits of the other herbs in it.
I agree with the skin results, it's AMAZING! I particularly like it with honey and rice bran added, the bran gives that extra scrub effect.

[flickm]

Amla tends to add ash tones particularly to henna'd hair giving the browner effect you mention, it's what stopped me using it on my hair for a few years as I didn't want my red toned down. The oil doesn't seem to do that though. Just recently I tried Nupur Henna which has amla in it and it is darker than my usual result but I really like it, plus it gave me so much volume so I've decided I'm willing to sacrifice some brightness for the benefits of the other herbs in it.
I agree with the skin results, it's AMAZING! I particularly like it with honey and rice bran added, the bran gives that extra scrub effect.

Oh, I really must try the honey and rice bran (if I can even get rice bran in the UK - off to search Amazon) And I must look into the Amla oil. Time to throttle back though. I have Bringhraj AND peppermint oil on order.

[ChloeDharma]

Oh, I really must try the honey and rice bran (if I can even get rice bran in the UK - off to search Amazon) And I must look into the Amla oil. Time to throttle back though. I have Bringhraj AND peppermint oil on order.

I buy rice bran from a health food shop, I've seen it online but when I looked it was more expensive. You could probably add other things instead if you can't find it, maybe wheatgerm?

[Scarlet_Heart]

Yay, Schnibbles, I'm so glad you like it! I know what you mean. I like that clean but not stripped feeling too. I don't use conditioner but I put some diluted shampoo on my scalp after I rinsed the amla out because the amla felt, not oily, but my hair felt so smooth I was worried my scalp didn't get clean.

Your hair looks amazing (though it always does). It definitely looks softer.

PS- I wonder what kind of tree that is you're standing in front of. It makes for a beautiful backdrop.

[flickm]

I buy rice bran from a health food shop, I've seen it online but when I looked it was more expensive. You could probably add other things instead if you can't find it, maybe wheatgerm?

Thanks ChloeDharma, I actually found a selection on Amazon. Who knew! And who knew hennaing my hair would lead to so many other avenues of exploration.

[poli]

I got nice volume and waves from amla powder. I used it with shikakai to wash. Unfortunately I tried amla oil as a rinse out oil and failed - the ends are soft but too stringy. I wear it in a nice thick braid. I'm very pleased with the washing powder though.

[LillithTheFirst]

I just use the alma berry powder in my henna/indigo mix when colouring my hair, it darkens it and makes it more "cool" than "warm" so, takes out a lot of the "red tones" I can't really say I've experienced those other things you've listed but I wasn't taking notice. I got it for darken and cooling the hair colour!

[flickm]

poll, your hair is a stunning colour

[poli]

poll, your hair is a stunning colour

Thank you :) I'm aiming for cherry cola/irish setter colour. I love the bright copper you got but I got darker base and decided not to fight with it :meditate:

[schnibbles]

poli, I agree with flickm, your color is amazing! Your avatar catches my eye every time!

Scarlet, thanks :flower: I'm so glad I tried amla, I think I really love it and it's all your fault! ;) I smoothed a few drops of the oil just on dry hair this morning when I woke up. Happiness ensued.

The tree in question is a weeping elm. I snapped another picture of it this morning so you could see the whole thing. They're cute little trees; the branches grow very twisty and tight and the leaves are dense. I noticed birds really like to nest in them. It's like standing under an umbrella.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/Buttercup_9/weeping%20elm_zps1afq0hgz.jpg

Sorry for the off-topic! :o

[flickm]

Thank you :) I'm aiming for cherry cola/irish setter colour. I love the bright copper you got but I got darker base and decided not to fight with it :meditate:

Thank you. I love my colour - then I see something like yours and start wondering what would happen if I just kept going till saturation point.

[Scarlet_Heart]

That was so sweet of you to take a picture for me! It's beautiful! I never see them around here, nor do I recall ever seeing them in the part of PA that I'm originally from (NEPA).

[Luminaria]

Scarlet_Heart,
I'm going to henndigo my hair soon. You mentioned that amla can tone down the redness of henna. How much is needed for that effect? When do you mix it in?

[Ava Ruu]

Does amla dye/tone (hennaed) hair on its own or only when mixed with henna? All the articles I have run into mention the dyeing effect only as a part of hennamixture which sounds a bit strange. I am considering growing out henna and the cooler brown tones amla is said to bring to hennaed hair sound like they would reduce the contrast between my natural colour and the dyed parts a bit.

[gghh]

I finally got my hands on some amla powder, so I’m very excited to incorporate it into my routine. I used it as a final rinse today, but I think for any further application, I’m just going to use it as a part of my oil mixture

[MusicalSpoons]

The clarifying sounds interesting (we have very hard water) but not the potential staining. I wonder if there's an alternative that has similar effects?

[Kome]

I recently used it for the first time with a henna indigo mixture. I LOVE it. My hair is so much softer than when I henna'd in the past. It was always so dry after.

I'm going for brown so I wanted less red from the henna. It's a medium brown with a red tone, but defintely not red. I love it!

[tsuki]

I use amla oil every day- it was the first oil that I tried that yielded visible results. My hair became so much more manageable and soft and I've stuck by it ever since.

I swear by a drop of that and a drop of sweet almond together for my lengths/ends every night- I tried it once and was blown away by the difference in quality of my hair. The smell is kinda musky, but I am a fan of it!

[SeppV]

Just tried Amla for the first time today. I mixed some Amla powder with water to form a paste and put it on dry hair before washing. I'm really unsure, though, if it's better to apply pre or post shampoo and conditioner...? Any experiences?

[clairenewcastle]

About twelve years ago I put some Dabur Amla Hair Oil on my hair. I regretted doing so for my hair lost its shine and the natural red tones. Never again. It was one of the worse products I ever bought.

[Nefcerka]

Just tried Amla for the first time today. I mixed some Amla powder with water to form a paste and put it on dry hair before washing. I'm really unsure, though, if it's better to apply pre or post shampoo and conditioner...? Any experiences?

Oh, hi again, I already replied to your post in some other thread, but since there are no takers to an answer here, I will try to give one according to the best of my knowledge :) (I have experience with henna, cassia and I am about to try a mix of indian herbs which contain amla among others).
I believe amla, like other indian herbs, should be applied to damp hair - not dripping wet, because it will fall off, but not dry - hair needs to be damp so it can absorb the product (amla paste in this case). Wetting your hair depends on the type of your hair and preferences - you can spray your dry hair with water bottle, or like me, wet it in the shower and squeeze out excess water very well. Then you put in the paste, first roots then spread the rest to the length, wrap in a saran wrap, and let sit for how long you want (I´d go for 2 hrs myself). Now as to shampoo - I would shampoo before using amla, so I have a clean scalp, but I read somewhere that amla can be also used in the place of cleansing agent (shampoo). Other sources say that amla works also as a conditioner, so using one after you rinse amla out may be unnecessary. But it depends on how your hair feels - I would use some conditioner, at least to help rinsing the paste out (so no little grains are left in the hair). Hope this helps, even if only a little :)

[floridaorchid]

I have been using Vaadi Amla for a little bit, I really like how it feels on my scalp. I haven't noticed a difference yet, but I am very bad at being consistent. I've never tried it with damp hair! I used to henna my hair and I did that dry too, maybe I'll try misting it next time and see how it feels.
I like the Vaadi because it has a cooling factor that really gets a nice tingle on my scalp. Feels great!

[tsuki]

About twelve years ago I put some Dabur Amla Hair Oil on my hair. I regretted doing so for my hair lost its shine and the natural red tones. Never again. It was one of the worse products I ever bought.

Me too! I bought that one first but was very unimpressed with the quality- and they have so many ingredients listed other than amla oil so you really don't know what's affecting your hair! I couldn't stand the smell and my hair felt worse off after use.

I don't recall where I saw it, but someone recommended the SVA amla oil since it's 100% only amla oil. That's the one I've been using and I've been loving it. The color is golden opposed to Dabur's green tint, the oil is quite light (akin to sweet almond and jojoba) and the results yielded were sooo much better. If you're unable to find the SVA amla oil and want to give it another go, I recommend buying one where amla is the only ingredient listed :)