Soapnuts?

[CurlyOne]

:D I was wondering if anyone here knows if Soapnuts are good for shampoo? I am looking for something that is less harsh on my hair and thought it might work but I would like some input. So far most everything is about using them for laundry all I can find about them as shampoo is this:

Crumble seven or eight soapnuts into a small saucepan, and add four cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Pour the liquid into a container (an empty shampoo bottle is great), then discard the used soapnuts. By default, soapnut shampoo does not contain many suds. This is not a problem, but a new user may have a tendency to use to much at once. If you want to make your shampoo more 'foamy' (like store-bought shampoo), you can place it in a pump bottle. This shampoo will leave your hair feeling soft and clean. If it feels slightly stiffer than normal when dry, too much shampoo may have been applied. Using less next time will correct the problem.

This web site explains them pretty well but I am a little lost as to their uses for hair. Please help! I am sick of using my old cheesy feeling conditioner.:cheese:

[Flaxen]

Soapnuts are aritha. You can buy it ground. It can be very drying, so people usually use it in the classic Indian recipe, 1 T. amla + 1 T. aritha + 1 T. shikakai.

I have used aritha by itself, and it did a great job cleansing. I poured 1 cup of boiling water over 2 T. aritha, strained it, and used the liquid to wash my hair.

[Shell]

I would recommend prewash oiling, and maybe using a conditioning herb like amla or hibiscus or fenugreek. Have you looked at the Indian Herb Article?

[AntiHairSlave]

I would use a 2:1 ratio (Amla:to whatever cleansing powder) because they can be very drying. I use a 2:1 amla:shikakai rinse, not a paste and I love it.

[sapphire-o]

Aritha tend to make hair stiff. I always mix it with other conditioning herbs.