Alma questions.

[Hollyfire3]

So, i come here as a newbie to alma, i need help. I really want to try to get my curls back, i need advice, results from those who have used it and what i can expect. Does it tone down red in chemical color? (my hair is dark with warm tones) and i want to keep it that way. I plan to get the 5 gram sample from Hennasooq.com to do a strand test.

[chou]

Hi Hollyfire3! Amla will not affect your existing color, it only reacts with henna in a henna paste to tone down the reds there. I would not recommend using a strong amla paste (containing more than 1-2 tablespoons of amla) for your first treatment as it may be too drying like that. It certainly is on my dry, thick hair. I prefer rinses with a teaspoon or two amla in a few cups of water; adjust to your liking, but start off weak. You can up the strength in later treatments if you want to, and even use a paste treatment for more dramatic results. You can do this before or after conditioning, depending on how dry it makes your hair feel.
Amla can clump quite badly. It helps to sift the powder through a fine sieve before dissolving it in water.
Best of luck! I think you will like amla.

[Hollyfire3]

Hi Chou! So nice to be remebered! I HOPE i like alma, how far did the sample go on your hair? My hair is also thick although i don't know how dry it is. I might want to try to make a paste with the sample, or should i be safe and do the rinse like you recomned? I want the most curl restoring power i can get, trust me, i NEED it! Are the effects imediate? SO glad to know my color will not be compromised also(although i would probably be fine with it being messed if i got my curl back) What were you results with your first alma treatment?

[ladonna]

Could amla be mixed with Conditioner instead of water?

[Hollyfire3]

Could amla be mixed with Conditioner instead of water?


Good question, i am wondering this also. Maybe it would be less drying then? Is alma a protein treatment?

[Zapookie]

I would like to know if mixing with conditioner works too. I bought a 100g pack form hennasooq and used about half in a paste on my hair and let it sit for 30 mins. It did dry out my hair a little and I'm not too sure if it restored the curl. I have the other half in my freezer. I'm waiting on my henna order, then I'll do it again.

[chou]

About mixing amla with conditioner: it curdled or made very stiff every conditioner I mixed it with: Trader Joe's citrus condish, GFTN, and Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. All of these are protein-free, btw. I used the paste anyway, but it was unpleasant and gritty an hard to rinse out. My hair also did not feel more moisturized afterward. What really did work to put moisture in the amla mix was to put a teaspoon or so of coconut oil in a thin amla paste. It kind of emulsified and left a light oil sheen on my hair after rinsing, but didn't make it oily. Using a nice rich conditioner before or after amla has worked best for me, though.

Hollyfire93--I would really recommend starting off with a weaker rather than a stronger paste of amla. I experience some breakage the first time I used it because I put a strong paste on not fully detangled hair and it caused my tangles to "seize" up. Even with a weak rinse I can feel my hair "seizing" and curling up at the ends then moment I pour it on. It's very effective!
It does not act a protein treatment.

[Hollyfire3]

Okay, so i am planning on buying the 100 grams but i still have many questions...how much do you use for the rinse? Will i still have enough left over to do a paste treatment if i want to? Does it coat the hair like cassia?(cassia doesn't work well for me, it makes my hair sticky and icky and not all that stronger, i MAY try it again in the future with well clarifyed hair). I wanted to order the sample, but shipping is alot, so i figured it wasn't worth it, but i don't want to spend money and have it not work like with cassia, especially if it coats the hair quite a bit. I want my curls back and hope this will be the answer, did it work for you after the first treatment? Sorry for all the questions, i am so curious now! Thanks for the help also! How long does the effects of the rinse last? Do you possibly have pictures from when you tried amla?

[Shatam1]

I mix Amla powder with a bit of liquid to make a paste, about 2 tea spoons then I add the paste to coconut cream and a spoonful of honey. It does wonders to my hair and it doesn't dry it at all. I definitely get more defined curls after doing this and lots of softness and shine.I henna my hair and it caused me a lot of curl loss. I have very curly hair before henna and with this treatment I get some curl definition but without frizz. Of course I don't get my old time crazy curly frizzy hair but I don't miss that anyways:)

[Hollyfire3]

I mix Amla powder with a bit of liquid to make a paste, about 2 tea spoons then I add the paste to coconut cream and a spoonful of honey. It does wonders to my hair and it doesn't dry it at all. I definitely get more defined curls after doing this and lots of softness and shine.I henna my hair and it caused me a lot of curl loss. I have very curly hair before henna and with this treatment I get some curl definition but without frizz. Of course I don't get my old time crazy curly frizzy hair but I don't miss that anyways:)


Amla sounds winderful! I am definitly getting some!

[chou]

I think that the 100 g pack will be more than enough for you to experiment with in multiple ways.
There's more info in this thread: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/coloring-your-hair/115117-amala-anyone-tried.html

One of the posters there recommends oiling the hair before applying amla paste and that sounds like a really good idea to prevent dryness and tangles. I don't have any pictures of my own hair after an amla treatment, but it was SHINY and formed big, long-lasting ringlets all over.
There's kind of a dearth of information about how to use amla on its own (not in a henna treatment) out there, so my advice is mostly from trial and error and may be the opposite of what someone else does. For a little while I tried to revive some old amla threads, but no one bit. Another thing is that my hair is short, so you might need to up the amounts for your longer hair So this is what I do: for rinses, which are what I usually do, about once a month or as needed, up to weekly, I mix a heaping teaspoon of amla powder (sifted first, or it forms sticky little clumps that will not dissolve) into a cup of boiling water and let that steep for 10 or so minutes. Then, I mix that "tea" with enough cool to warm water to make a liter and dump it over washed, conditioned, wet and detangled hair. Then I let that sit for as long as I can while shaving my legs or something and rinse, gently scrubbing my scalp with my fingers to dislodge any gritty bits of powder. A teaspoon may not seem like much, but amla powder is strongly astringent and acidic. I got some of the very weak tea rinse in my eye once and it BURNED.
I've applied amla paste to wet and dry hair and it was much easier to do on wet hair, but the results weren't as dramatic as a dry application. Maybe dry, oiled hair would be ideal as it wouldn't tangle as much. My "amla gloss" experiments, where I mixed amla powder with conditioner were gross and clumpy, as I mentioned above.
Please let me know what you do and how you it works for you! I'm always looking for more info on amla experiences.

[Hollyfire3]

Oh wow! So many tips! Thank you! I will probably try the rinse first and then the paste if i like it, i hope it works, i am SO excited! The results are better with the paste on dry hair? I might do that but detangle very well first. I fear oil would scew the results and would not know which oil to use, my hair doesn't like olive oil and i have never tried coconut oil. I might just take my chances and use it on dry hair. Awsome, thank you for the thread and tips, i wil surely get back on the results!:)