A Hair Trial: Amla Powder Mix Part II

Hey guys! The following is Part II to my Amla powder hair treatment. Click here to see Part I. So after I rinsed out the Amla powder, I loaded up my hair with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner and detangled. After detangling, I applied cholesterol conditioner, separated my hair in four sections, added olive oil to my parts, covered with a plastic cap and sat under my hooded dryer for an hour.

The Results
After a final rinse, I was left with soft, fluffy, poofy hair! My scalp looked very clean which makes me very happy!

At this point I was tired of hair for the day! And yet for some odd reason I decided I should do small twists. I applied some Shea Moisture leave in to my whole head and proceeded to twist using Fantasia IC aloe gel on each twist and shea butter on the ends. I lightly oiled my scalp with Vatika oil as I went. So here we go....
A few hours later I had a head full of shiny twists!


Final Thoughts on Amla:
Overall I really liked this treatment. It was inexpensive (about 2 bucks total), it worked like a charm on my scalp, and was easy to apply and rinse. I will probably use this treatment once a month or as often as I feel like a need a deep cleansing of the scalp!

A Hair Trial: Amla Powder Mix Part I

Getting ready for a much needed deep condition Saturday morning, I stumbled on a box of Amla powder under my sink. I mentioned a while back that I was going to try it and never got around to it. I hadn't planned on doing it today but I thought, eh what the heck!

So what is Amla?

Product Description

Hesh Amla Powder is a natural astringent and skin toner that works on both hair and skin. In botanical terms it is known as Emblic Myrobalan. The paste of this powder helps promote black and luxuriant hair. Even as it controls hair loss, it stimulates roots and promotes hair growth. This apart, it prevents scalp infection and contr

ols premature greying of hair. When used on skin, the paste of this powder brightens the complexion and removes pimples and grime. Briefly, 'Hesh Amla Powder' has the following advantages: - Promotes hair growth - Controls hair loss - Cures scalp infection - Controls greying of hair - Removes pimple and grime Ingredients: Amla Powder (Indian Gooseberry) Ayurvedic Product - Made in India

My Purpose:
I have been struggling with scalp issues as of late and decided to see what this mix could do for me. I hope it will cleanse my scalp of buildup and leave my roots feeling fresh.

What You'll Need:
1-2 100 gram boxes of Amla powder (I used Hesh brand and only 1 box because I wanted to focus on the roots/scalp area, not so much the entire length of the hair)
1 med-large mixing bowl
1 spoon or other utensil to mix paste
Water


My Mix:
Because this was the first time I have ever done Amla, I decided against adding other ingredients. As with henna, I might do different mixes over time should the desire arise. But for now, I wanted to see what results just the powder mixed with water would produce.


I did not measure, I just dumped the powder in the mixing bowl, and slowly added warm water as I mixed until I reached the desired consistency of a paste.

The Application:
I sectioned my hair (an old twist out) into 4 sections with hair bands. I applied the Amla by hand to each section, focusing on the roots and scalp area. Once I completed a section, I tied it up with a band. After completing all four section, I used the leftover Amla on my edges and the middle of my hair where I have the most buildup issues. I would say the Amla covered 4-6 inches of my hair all he way around with the primary focus of the application being the scalp and roots.

After the application, I covered my hair with two shower caps. I used two because one would not completely cover my hair they way it was sectioned. I then wrapped a towel around my head so I could do other things around the house as I waited the recommended 30 minutes.

I am assuming you could do this without covering your hair if you prefer.


First Impressions:
Amla smells very similar to henna. It looks a lot like henna when mixed with water. The consistency is also basically the same. What was surprising, however, was just how not-messy it was! Both times I tried henna, that stuff ended up EVERYWHERE! It was such a pain to apply, only because the color deposited so fast on my skin (and every other surface it touched) and I was constantly wiping as I went. Since I didn't have to worry about that with the Amla, there was no need for gloves, laying down paper, etc. And, because I was not coating the entire length of my hair, application time was cut to about 10 minutes, if that!


See part two later this week!

Henna-Take Two

This weekend I decided to skip the Amla and dive right into my henna treatment. I mentioned last week that I went to a local Indian grocer and found some Dulhan henna. I bought 200 grams and on Friday night made a mix to use on Saturday.

The last time I did henna was months and months ago. Part of the reason that I have not done it again is because I ordered the henna from the internet. I HATE ordering things from the internet because I am impatient and like the instant gratification of picking up something from the store. So, I was glad to find some henna so close by and I think I will be doing treatments more often as a result.

To prep my henna mix, I followed this video by the lovely Mop Top Maven.

I used the following:

~ 1/2c Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

~1c Lustrasilk Organic Cholesterol

~2c hot water

~A few squirts of Vatika Coconut Oil before applying

After mixing all my ingredients I covered the henna with plastic wrap and left in the fridge overnight so the dye would release. It was a green sludge when I put it in and a brown sludge with orange-ish droplets on the surface when I pulled it out the next day. I mixed in the Vatika oil right before I applied the henna to my hair.

After mixing in the Vatika, I proceeded to the bathroom where I covered the floor and counter with a dark towel (this stuff gets everywhere so please cover any surface that you don't want ruined!). I parted my hair in 4 sections and started applying it with my gloved hands to the back right section. My hair was dry and had not been washed for a few days. I did no prep to it whatsoever.

Here you can see where I rolled the right side into a bun and am working on the left back portion.

After the henna was totally covering all sections, I smoothed it all together and piled it on top of my head, covering with a few shower caps and then one of the towels. I left the henna on for about 3 hours total. The application process was much easier than the first time I henna'ed because of the conditioners I added.

I made sure to clean off all of the skin around my face and my ears so they would not be stained orange! Clean-up was tricky because henna manages to end up in places you would not even imagine. If it is your first time, you may want to put down extra towels or newspaper. Gloves are NOT an option!

After a few hours passed, I rinsed my head in the tub, using the pressure of the water to loosen the paste from my strands. I gently finger-combed and separated my hair to rinse all the henna out. It took about 10 minutes to rinse clean. Then I followed up with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle DEEEEP conditioner, covering it with a plastic cap. I would have deep treated with heat but my table-top dryer broke the day before... :-(

My hair after rinsing out the henna..curls were definitely defined!

A few strands near the front...

After rinsing the conditioner out, I braided my hair in sections using my CocoShea mix (half shea, half coconut oil) and IC Fantasia gel. You can see where I had a grey hair and it turned orange-ish copper from the henna.

I let them dry overnight then took them down this morning and separated with my fingers. They were not completely dry so I lost some definition but that is ok. I re-twisted tonight with some shealoe mix and hopefully I will have a nice twist-out in the morning.

So there you have it! I plan to henna more now that I know where to get it locally. I am hoping to have stronger hair as a result. What have your henna experiences been like?

Coming Soon...Amla Treatment

I was inspired this past weekend to revisit henna. I have only used it once and I did not really post anything about it. I bought it from a company online for about $7.99 per 100 grams, 200g total. I mixed with some tea and other things, applied it and left it on overnight, then washed the next day. I can't honestly say I noticed a huge difference but I only did it once. So....this weekend I took a stroll into a local Indian grocer to see what they had. I found many different interesting things including some Dulhan henna which I will be trying. It was much cheaper and I've read good things about it so I figure it will at least be worth a go.

While I was there, though, I also scored one box of Amla powder and some Vatika oil. I have heard both of these items mentioned on different natural hair boards and blogs but I never considered purchasing them. It just seemed like one more thing to get my inner pj going. But after reading the description on the back of the box, I was intrigued and figured it was worth a test run.

Here is some info about Amla:

Amla powder is made from the powdered dried fruit of the Indian Gooseberry tree. It is often used in tanning and dying wool and silk and in Indian medicine. Amla can be used on your hair to slow hair loss, increase thickness and slow graying. It also leaves hair soft, silky and shiny. As a facial, it can tighten and tone the skin and balance redness. Amla is a wonderful exfoliant as it has natural astringent properties which help to remove dead skin cells without the chemicals of commercial products.

In addition the box I bough boasts this:

• romotes hair growth
• Controls hair fall
• Cures scalp infection
• Controls premature graying of hair

So this is good for skin and hair. I plan to make a mix of this stuff sometime in the next week and try it for both. I will probably mix with some of the Vatika oil for moisture/shine (in the hair mix only) and see what happens.

So, once I complete my trial I will post pics and the results.

Have any of you guys or gals experimented with Indian powders? If so, what did you think?