Best way to utilize Shikakai powder?

[Leisje]

I really enjoyed using shikakai powder into my henna mix, because it always gave me a fantastic boost of growth the first week. Now that I have decided to let my natural colour come in, I can't use it that way anymore.
I have used it for cleansing, making a tea out of the powder, or making mud and applying that to hair.

The problem I always have is, when I try to make the mud and then apply it to my hair it always seems to dry out so fast that it just turned to powder sitting on my hair, and not really being able to much of anything.

I was considering trying to mix it with a lot of aloe vera gel, or a cone free natural conditioner to keep it moist so that it can sit on my hair for a longer time.
Does this sound like a good idea?

How do you use shikakai?
I would love some tips on using the mud of shikakai in the hair, for scalp nourishment.

[HotRag]

I put a plastic bag over my hair, and then wrap a towel outside the whole thing (and go to resp/sleep for two hours).

Never dried out.
make tea from shikakai powder? I have tried to filter through coffee filter, filter broke.
I have tried filter through a piece of fabric, was very hard to get enough liquid out.
Maybe strain first, then filter?

Do you think the tea is as good as the mud?

[Leisje]

The problem with the mud drying happens as soon as it contacts my hair and I try to distribute it.

Usually I don't filter out the tea, just mix the powder with a lot of water, shake it up and then pour on my hair. Then pin it up for a little while to allow it to sink in. It works okay, not exactly for cleansing but for smoothing the tea works well. I don't have problems rinsing this out with just water, but thats probably because my hair is fine and slippery.

I think I would prefer mud rather than the tea, just so I'm not diluting all the good stuff!

[HotRag]

I put my mud on dry hair. I use rather lot of water, much goes to soak the hair. In this way I get more of the herbs into the hair, instead of soaking it with plain water first.

Do you apply on wet or dry hair?
Anyway, try to take a bit more water. And let it be in a bowl with it's water for some hours before applying. The powder in itself, will soak some of the water.
My experience is that my hair gets as clean with more or less diluted shikakai, as long as I use the same amount of shikakai/herbs. More diluted makes me also shed less during rinsing and combing, than thicker mud. More diluted is also easier to apply.

Try to soak, dilute and apply/let sit in different ways.

[Leisje]

I apply to dry hair. I usually just mix the shikakai and water and then apply immediately. I will definitely let it soak in the water for a few hours next time, I think that may be my problem. Thank you for the tip!

[HotRag]

I apply to dry hair. I usually just mix the shikakai and water and then apply immediately. I will definitely let it soak in the water for a few hours next time, I think that may be my problem. Thank you for the tip!
Hope it works.
Please update when you have tried :)

[Deborah]

I am far from an expert on Indian herbs, but I use Shikakai mixed with another herb (Amla at the moment, but I plan to try something else soon.) I just put a couple teaspoons of the powders into a plastic bottle intended for holding mustard, add hot water to fill up the bottle, shake, and squirt on my head. It's a muddy, gritty liquid, but it cleans well. While using it, the hair feels dry and gritty, but it rinses out easily, and the hair is left soft and silky, not dry at all.

I know this is not the traditional way, but I don't want to oil or to apply a mud pack to my hair. The liquid seems to work just fine. I don't do any straining, as I guess one would do when making a tea from the herbs.

Just offering another alternative. :)

[ChloeDharma]

I am far from an expert on Indian herbs, but I use Shikakai mixed with another herb (Amla at the moment, but I plan to try something else soon.) I just put a couple teaspoons of the powders into a plastic bottle intended for holding mustard, add hot water to fill up the bottle, shake, and squirt on my head. It's a muddy, gritty liquid, but it cleans well. While using it, the hair feels dry and gritty, but it rinses out easily, and the hair is left soft and silky, not dry at all.

I know this is not the traditional way, but I don't want to oil or to apply a mud pack to my hair. The liquid seems to work just fine. I don't do any straining, as I guess one would do when making a tea from the herbs.

Just offering another alternative. :)

I often use it like this too, i do wet my hair first though so maybe that might be an idea. I also think using a shower cap or plastic bag might help like has been suggested.
If you use the mud, maybe adding a drop or two of glycerin might help prevent it drying out a little? I do that when i henna.

[Aditi]

I am keeping an eye on this thread :eye: there so many cool suggestions.

[cocolover]

My method is like Deborah's. I mix shikakai and amla with water (or sometimes brahmi tea) and put it in and old honey bottle. I squirt it on my dry hair, concentrating on the scalp. I put a shower cap on and then leave on for 15-20 minutes. My hair loves this and it has given me tremendous shine.
My biggest problem is getting it all rinsed out, I can't ever seem to get it all out and then I have gritty scalp for a few days. I've been contemplating switching to making a tea, straining with cheesecloth, then using that. However, I also don't want to miss out on the good stuff.
Does anyone know if you get less benefits from a strained tea versus the unstrained mud mix?

[Deborah]

Cocolover,

I should probably clarify about my muddy water technique. I take the mixed up herbs and hot water in the shower with me, wet my hair and self thoroughly, then apply the herbs/water to my hair and wash it. I only let it sit on my hair probably 2 or 3 minutes, then I scrub a little more and rinse it out.

It sounds like you put the mixture on dry hair, then let it sit for a long time. Maybe that long sitting time is why it is hard to rinse out. This is just my guess. I never have any even slight amount of grittiness left in my hair after rinsing.

I'm not claiming to have figured out any 'better' way to use these herbs. I'm a complete tyro. But maybe I have accidentally stumbled on a method that allows for easier rinsing - beginners' luck, or something like that. :)

[Angharad]

I regularly use shikakaipowder for washing my hair. My hair is naturally dry and curly and the best washing method for me, is to have an oiltreatment the night before washing (or a few hours before washing). Just use some olive or neem oil (those are my favourites for pre-washing treatments) on damp hair and wrap your head in plastic foil.

Use just a little bit of shikakaipowder (2/3 tablespoons will suffice) mixed with some water into a past and just dab it on to your hair, let it stay for about ten minutes, then give your hair a gentle massage and rinse it out ; after that use a (cone-free) conditioner.

When I'm rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, I already feel the softness that washing with shikakai always "provides". It is one of the moste gentle ways of washing my hair (ghassoul is also great!) and I have to do it this way so my hair benefits the most!

[Shell]

Maybe you should apply it to wet hair? I use a pretty runny mix as well. Do you pre-oil?

For more recipes and advice, check out the Indian Herb article linked in my sig.

[cocolover]

Hmmm...I'm going to have to try using it in the shower. What I can't stand is getting in the shower, then out, then back in. Is there enough benefit from it just sitting for 2-3 minutes? I do pre-oil, but not heavily. When I oil heavily my hair is still oily post-wash.

[Shell]

I generally just leave it on for the duration of the shower, and I pre-oil but not heavily. I put more on the ends and almost none on the scalp.

[kdaniels8811]

I mix my herbs with warm water and squirt with a clean mustard bottle onto my scalp. Take a kitchen trash bag folded into a triangle and put it on my head like a kerchief, this keeps the drips down. Leave it on for 20 minutes, take a shower and rinse it all out at the end of the shower. Herbs do wonderful things for my hair.

[cocolover]

Okay, so today was wash day and I tried applying to wet hair in the shower, but had the same difficulty getting everything rinsed out. I get out and comb through my hair and grit is falling all over the floor. My hair looks like it has dirt in it until it dries and the rest kind of falls out throughout the day.
Can I get the same hair benefits from a strained tea of shikakai and amla?

Shell-why do you apply more to the ends, doesn't it dry them out? I thought you were supposed to concentrate on the scalp, like with shampoo? It is usually my scalp that needs to be cleaned, not my length.

[chotee]

Okay, so today was wash day and I tried applying to wet hair in the shower, but had the same difficulty getting everything rinsed out. I get out and comb through my hair and grit is falling all over the floor. My hair looks like it has dirt in it until it dries and the rest kind of falls out throughout the day.
Can I get the same hair benefits from a strained tea of shikakai and amla?

Shell-why do you apply more to the ends, doesn't it dry them out? I thought you were supposed to concentrate on the scalp, like with shampoo? It is usually my scalp that needs to be cleaned, not my length.

Always shikakai has the tendency to stick to hair. For that reason after scrubbing very gently into the scalp i try to rinse my hair in a tub of water. I keep changing the water till i feel the hair is really clean. You can add a few drops of eo in it if you want some smell. I sometimes do it in a clean basin too. It is cleansing and drying and i think pre-oiling is a must. I always try to oil my hair the night before. Also, i think its better not to soak hair in shikakai for more than 15 min as its really drying. The last time i used shikakai, i changed the receipe a little. i made a soap nut (reetha) water with rosemary leaves and hibiscus flowers and mixed in shikakai powder. I store it in the fridge and then use the tea to clean the hair. But i think gravy works better on oily hair. and if you have really soaked your hair in oil, using it on the ends might help remove the oil.....i use it on the ends too...and yes, i add amla powder to my tea as well. You have to experiment different ways till you find what suits u best....

[Diamondbell]

I too don't leave Shikakai in hair/scalp for too long. I add ritha to shikakai sometimes.

1) I oil scalp about 1 hour before wash.
2) Before wash, I keep the Shikakai powder mixed in water for ½ an hour at least in a vessel, because it is just better that way.
3) I start washing hair and put shikakai-mixture only on wet scalp.
4) I have the Shikakai only in muddy consistency (no straining).
5) After leaving in on scalp for maximum 15 minutes, I wash off.

[HotRag]

I too don't leave Shikakai in hair/scalp for too long. I add ritha to shikakai sometimes.

1) I oil scalp about 1 hour before wash.
2) Before wash, I keep the Shikakai powder mixed in water for ½ an hour at least in a vessel, because it is just better that way.
3) I start washing hair and put shikakai-mixture only on wet scalp.
4) I have the Shikakai only in muddy consistency (no straining).
5) After leaving in on scalp for maximum 15 minutes, I wash off.
You don't pre oil your lengths and ends then?

[Diamondbell]

You don't pre oil your lengths and ends then?

Oh sorry! I meant pre-oiling scalp and length and ends too. That is important - that is a must for me... ;)

[HotRag]

Oh sorry! I meant pre-oiling scalp and length and ends too. That is important - that is a must for me... ;)
I just wondered since you just have the mud on for 15 minutes.
I have mine 2 hours, otherwise the oils do not get out.
If I don't pre oil, hair become very dry.

How much do you pre oil your ends?

Last night I took 6 ml bhringraj oil on scalp, and about or slightly more than 2 teaspoons of sesame+avocado oil to my ends and length (mostly on ends).

Today I washed in
1,5 TB shikakai
1,5 TB aritha
1 TB brahmi
1 TB neem
1 teaspoon methi

Soaked in catnip + calendula tea and a bit yogurt and 1 TB molasses.

All stood and soaked for some hours (from near boiling water).

Kept it on for 2 hours.
And that feels ok now.

When I use the same on for 1 hour, hair looks oily and smell awful from avocado oil the whole week.

It seems strange to me that others can keep it on for such short time as 15 minutes, and not be oily afterwards. I must do something wrong?

EDIT: Must say that taking away amla, hibiscus and now tulsi have been very good for me. From now, I will keep everything acidic and tannin containing out of my regular washes, just yogurt is fine, and very mildly acidic stuff like catnip. A short rinse that gets rinsed away with water is all I can take from such as ACV.

[ratgirldjh]

I've never had a problem with it being dry. But then I usually oil my hair overnight first with VCO and then rinse my hair with water first and squeeze out excess water. I also make my mud a little loose so that it is easy to use. Also, I make my mud with almost boiling water and let it sit at least 30 minutes or longer so that it is more like a gel than powder mixed with water.

When I apply it to my head I squeeze it through all my hair to make sure it has penetrated everywhere there is oil. Then I put a plastic baggie on my head and tie it tightly and then put another one one top of that one.

After that I let it sit for as long as I can stand it - usually an hour or so.

I have never had trouble with it drying out. Maybe you can add a teeny bit of oil to your mix?

[devs12]

I have been using shikakai almost alernate days since past 2-3 months. I pre oil heavily , then once i m in shower i mix 3 1/2 tbs of shikakai plus chigare powder in cool water, apply 75% of the paste to my hair , leave it for 4-5 min, wash it out and i also make sure shikakai has coated every hair , once i wash that out,i apply the rest of the paste and leave it for 1 min or so.. wash it out. thats it done..shikakai has definitely doubled my hair growth speed compared to SLS shampoo.

[Leisje]

Hmmm.. I'm getting some really good ideas/feedback on shikakai. I think next week I'm going to use the rest of the shikakai I have and do exclusive shikakai washes to see how it goes.

I'll keep you posted!

[Deborah]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if the oils are leaving your hair a little greasy, then why not just stop oiling?

Or, if the lengthy washing methods are leaving your hair dry, why not just wash more simply with the herbs, not letting them sit on your hair for more than a couple of minutes?

It seems that if you don't add oil, then you don't need to wash in a long, drawn out way. And if you wash without all the lengthy soaking, then you don't need the oils.

I realize that some of these methods are part of Asian tradition, and maybe I am missing some other reasons for the elaborate cleaning methods. And I don't mean to offend those who prefer more elaborate hair care. I just don't get it. :flower:

I like washing with the herbs so far, but I like a pretty much wash-n-go method. Maybe I'm just "hair lazy." :o

[HotRag]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if the oils are leaving your hair a little greasy, then why not just stop oiling?

Or, if the lengthy washing methods are leaving your hair dry, why not just wash more simply with the herbs, not letting them sit on your hair for more than a couple of minutes?

It seems that if you don't add oil, then you don't need to wash in a long, drawn out way. And if you wash without all the lengthy soaking, then you don't need the oils.

I realize that some of these methods are part of Asian tradition, and maybe I am missing some other reasons for the elaborate cleaning methods. And I don't mean to offend those who prefer more elaborate hair care. I just don't get it. :flower:

I like washing with the herbs so far, but I like a pretty much wash-n-go method. Maybe I'm just "hair lazy." :o
To get scalp oil out, I have to oil ends so they get "equally cleaned".
And if no pre oiling, I can get dry hair, without get sebum and "dirt/grease" off.

I tried soapnut liquid some times, without preoiling. I got very dry lengths, but not enough clean scalp. Also scalp itched.

I think ktani or other once wrote that soapnut or/and shikakai will remove body oil/sebum easier than the protect oils one has added.
I think that is very true, after all my testing.

EDIT: I also have herbs in, that I want to stay for some time. Maybe they do not need 2 hours, but 30 minutes.

[chotee]

If i want some herbs to stay on my hair, i usually mix it with henna base or egg based or fenugreek based which is not very drying like shikakai. I think Shikakai is a cleanser and is best used for a short period like max 30 mts. I use it for not more than 15 mts. If i think i have done heavy oil and shikakai is not going to help me with the oil, i keep some other mask on my hair for an hour or so and then end my wash with shikakai. It helps me remove build up too and the hair comes out with a shine. :smile: hope it helps btw, my shikakai powder is home made,

it has shikakai, fenugreek, neem leaves, orange peels, hibiscus flowers, amla fruits, and a handful of rice and all these dried up and ground to a fine powder....my mom does it for me in india and they have these special shikakai grinding machines where they powder it for you. I love Shikakai and what it does to me hair. I can defenitely feel the difference when i am travelling and not using shikakai. but now i am slowly experimenting with soap-nuts as they too are great. they are more gentle on my hair i think and easier to use but since i am not willing to give up shikakai completely i add a little powder to the soap-nut solution. Let me see how it goes....

[Diamondbell]

I just wondered since you just have the mud on for 15 minutes.
I have mine 2 hours, otherwise the oils do not get out.
If I don't pre oil, hair become very dry.

How much do you pre oil your ends?

Last night I took 6 ml bhringraj oil on scalp, and about or slightly more than 2 teaspoons of sesame+avocado oil to my ends and length (mostly on ends).

Today I washed in
1,5 TB shikakai
1,5 TB aritha
1 TB brahmi
1 TB neem
1 teaspoon methi

Soaked in catnip + calendula tea and a bit yogurt and 1 TB molasses.

All stood and soaked for some hours (from near boiling water).

Kept it on for 2 hours.
And that feels ok now.

When I use the same on for 1 hour, hair looks oily and smell awful from avocado oil the whole week.

It seems strange to me that others can keep it on for such short time as 15 minutes, and not be oily afterwards. I must do something wrong?

EDIT: Must say that taking away amla, hibiscus and now tulsi have been very good for me. From now, I will keep everything acidic and tannin containing out of my regular washes, just yogurt is fine, and very mildly acidic stuff like catnip. A short rinse that gets rinsed away with water is all I can take from such as ACV.

I use a lot of oil -pure sesame oil - may be 2 tablespoon full about 1 hour before hair-wash. And for length much less. May be a teaspoon or two.

I have never left on shikakai on wet hair for more than 15 minutes before washing. Since I use shikakai (muddy mix) only on wet hair, it would be uncomfortable to stay for 2 hours with it on scalp (water dripping everywhere, ha ha). But I am curious about your method too. Do you apply this mix on dry hair (Hotrag) and keep on for 2 hours? I may give it a try.

Only when using henna I keep henna for 3-4 hours on dry scalp.

[Angharad]

I never had any problems to get the shikakai out of my hair......

I think you it is best to keep it as simple as possible:


* oil your hair the night before (first make it wet and then apply the oil)

* jump in shower and wet your hair

*apply the shikakaipaste (made into a paste with a little bit of water in a bowl); just dab it gently onto your hair

*leave it in for about ten minutes

*give your hair a gentle massage so you know the shikakai has been on every hair

*rinse it out with water

*apply conditioner and when you rinse that out after ten minutes the shikakai that wasn't rinsed out before gets out as well.

Your hair is now clean and very soft.

[HotRag]

I use a lot of oil -pure sesame oil - may be 2 tablespoon full about 1 hour before hair-wash. And for length much less. May be a teaspoon or two.

I have never left on shikakai on wet hair for more than 15 minutes before washing. Since I use shikakai (muddy mix) only on wet hair, it would be uncomfortable to stay for 2 hours with it on scalp (water dripping everywhere, ha ha). But I am curious about your method too. Do you apply this mix on dry hair (Hotrag) and keep on for 2 hours? I may give it a try.

Only when using henna I keep henna for 3-4 hours on dry scalp.
Yes, I had this on dry hair.
To the listed powders, I used ~275 ml catnip/calendula tea, and a big squirt of yogurt. It dripped a bit, could use some less tea, or skip the yogurt. Or just use some more methi or other herb.
With besan and tulsi added, it has no drip.

[HotRag]

If i want some herbs to stay on my hair, i usually mix it with henna base or egg based or fenugreek based which is not very drying like shikakai. I think Shikakai is a cleanser and is best used for a short period like max 30 mts. I use it for not more than 15 mts. If i think i have done heavy oil and shikakai is not going to help me with the oil, i keep some other mask on my hair for an hour or so and then end my wash with shikakai. It helps me remove build up too and the hair comes out with a shine. :smile:
Do other mask help to clean "the worst" before shikakai?
For example, put neem, brahmi, maybe besan/moong dal in for some hour or two, rinse and put shikakai in?
Where should molasses be added? And yogurt?

What do you think is the bad thing using shikakai for long time, if hair is not dried out from it?

Thick and heavy hair masks from powders, seem to make me shed more due to pulling. I can feel the pulling also. So I would like to do as few as possible, and rather dripping than good stay on (I have counted shedded hairs and put into a table, so I can now see differences).
If dripping too much, I put some paper near scalp, and lay down to rest, not a problem at all for me :D

Notice; when I used SLS, I hade to lather and rinse at least 2-3 times to get rid of oil treatments greasyness. CO does not get oil treatment away. Maybe it is harder than usual for me to get rid of oil?
As a strange paradox, my hair can take A LOT of oil before getting over oiled or look oliy.

Notice 2:
I did use just 1.5 TB shikakai (and 1.5 TB aritha). Maybe this is not very much for my 33 inch iii pre oiled hair?

Sorry about all askings, I am really interested in everybodies different experiences.

[chotee]

Do other mask help to clean "the worst" before shikakai?
For example, put neem, brahmi, maybe besan/moong dal in for some hour or two, rinse and put shikakai in?
Where should molasses be added? And yogurt?

What do you think is the bad thing using shikakai for long time, if hair is not dried out from it?

Thick and heavy hair masks from powders, seem to make me shed more due to pulling. I can feel the pulling also. So I would like to do as few as possible, and rather dripping than good stay on (I have counted shedded hairs and put into a table, so I can now see differences).
If dripping too much, I put some paper near scalp, and lay down to rest, not a problem at all for me :D

Notice; when I used SLS, I hade to lather and rinse at least 2-3 times to get rid of oil treatments greasyness. CO does not get oil treatment away. Maybe it is harder than usual for me to get rid of oil?
As a strange paradox, my hair can take A LOT of oil before getting over oiled or look oliy.

Notice 2:
I did use just 1.5 TB shikakai (and 1.5 TB aritha). Maybe this is not very much for my 33 inch iii pre oiled hair?

Sorry about all askings, I am really interested in everybodies different experiences.

Hi hotrag, the other herbs are basically conditioning, growth enhancers etc...sure you can mix and try different combinations to see which one suits your hair. But, in my opinion i see cleansers like shikakai since they are drying but very good for cleansing is best used for shorter periods. I don't know much about SLS and CO, but in your notice 2...i can say that the amts maybe less as your hair is long and also very thick. I use a cup of shikakai to make a gravy for my 35" hair but not as thick as yours. I mix it with boiled soap nut solution(just recently started to give that soapy feel). Try with more shikakai and see how it feels. But, i can say that shikakai rocks! I think it makes hair grow faster and thicker too....:smile:

[HotRag]

But, in my opinion i see cleansers like shikakai since they are drying but very good for cleansing is best used for shorter periods.
In my use, it is not drying.
If I can use more shikakai for less time, maybe that will equal longer time and lesser amount of shikakai?
I would like that, since I then just have to do one treatment.

What I wonder now, is if using less for longer time, can be "damaging" or "bad", even though hair do not get dry. It would be easier for me, and cost less.

[Snowball]

I use a mixture of 1 TB shikakai, 1 TB aritha, 1 TB amla or/and 1 TB cassia and I also have to keep it 1 or even 2 hours after heavy oiling.
Otherwise it doesn't clean sufficiently. I really envy those who only keep it for some minutes.

Recently my scalp doesn't bear it anymore and is itching :( so I'm searching for a new method or mixture now.

[HotRag]

I use a mixture of 1 TB shikakai, 1 TB aritha, 1 TB amla or/and 1 TB cassia and I also have to keep it 1 or even 2 hours after heavy oiling.
Otherwise it doesn't clean sufficiently. I really envy those who only keep it for some minutes.

Recently my scalp doesn't bear it anymore and is itching :( so I'm searching for a new method or mixture now.
Have you tried to use shikakai only, or aritha only?

[Snowball]

I tried both separately some weeks ago. Shikakai only was much gentlier to my scalp but aritha cleaned better so I used mixtures of both. This worked well until about one week ago when my scalp started itching. Now I'm experimenting with soapwort. I think aritha is the problem, so I will try shikakai only again in some time. Right now I'm too anxious that my scalp will start itching again.

[RetroKitten]

How can I use shikakai and cassia together without added color but with the conditioning benefits? How do I prepare the powders?


ETA: I already use cassia, 20 min boiling and keep it in for 30 min.

[Leisje]

I think I really like shikakai for cleansing my scalp, but for the length of my hair I need to use something else. I don't have the patience to sit for hours with shikakai paste on my length in order to get all the oils off. But it does it pretty quickly on my scalp. Plus is makes my scalp feel sooo good. I left it on for about 20 minutes as I was doing my bathroom rituals, but I needed to lather up once with a shampoo bar for my length. Probably because I like to put a lot of oil in my hair haha. Oh well... scalp only shikakai for me from now on. I think that will work just fine.

[ratgirldjh]

Hi Y'all!
I've recently been looking for a new method to use shikakai powder too!

What I tried and has worked great so far is this.

2 tablespoons shikakai powder and 1 tablespoon chandan (sandalwood) powder.

I mix this with as much coconut milk as it will take to get it into the right consistency.
Then I heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds or until hot and let it sit for about 30 minutes or so.

When it reaches a gel consistancy I then rinse my hair with water and squeeze the excess out and apply it all over my hair. Then I wrap my hair in a plastic bag and let it sit until I can't stand it any more... usually 15 minutes or so.

I have not been oiling my hair first - and the coconut milk mixed with the shikakai makes my hair not dry. It seems like the shikakai also takes the oiliness away from the coconut milk!

I am amazed at how good this works!

Try it! and let me know what you think!

[ladylibra]

I love love LOVE my shikakai/amla powders! :D What works best for me is, using a mini coffee maker to brew them into a tea, then I put the tea on dry hair. I think this works best to let my hair soak up as much of the tea as possible... I let it set for 10 minutes before I rinse, then massage my scalp while rinsing to cleanse my scalp.

Been doing this for a year now, workin great so far! :cheese: I only use actual shampoo before and after straightening my hair, as that is the only time I use unnatural cone-laden products.

[hennaphile]

I love love LOVE my shikakai/amla powders! :D What works best for me is, using a mini coffee maker to brew them into a tea, then I put the tea on dry hair. I think this works best to let my hair soak up as much of the tea as possible... I let it set for 10 minutes before I rinse, then massage my scalp while rinsing to cleanse my scalp.

Been doing this for a year now, workin great so far! :cheese: I only use actual shampoo before and after straightening my hair, as that is the only time I use unnatural cone-laden products.



Nice! That's a great idea! :cheese:

[pyariwaseema]

you have such great hair. i want to try shikakai powder but what is that chigare powder and where do you get it. i am from bangalore. please help

[pyariwaseema]

I have been using shikakai almost alernate days since past 2-3 months. I pre oil heavily , then once i m in shower i mix 3 1/2 tbs of shikakai plus chigare powder in cool water, apply 75% of the paste to my hair , leave it for 4-5 min, wash it out and i also make sure shikakai has coated every hair , once i wash that out,i apply the rest of the paste and leave it for 1 min or so.. wash it out. thats it done..shikakai has definitely doubled my hair growth speed compared to SLS shampoo.
Devs you have such great hair. i want to try shikakai powder but what is that chigare powder and where do you get it. i am from bangalore. please help