The Goodness of Natural Amla Powder

Emblica officinalis, more popularly known as Amla, is the fruit of Indian Gooseberry shrub which finds immense usage in Ayurvedic skin and hair care. Often dried, this green fruit can be used either whole or finely ground for using on the skin and hair. In the powdered form, it has a sandy color and a smooth texture.

What Can Amla Do For Your Hair & Skin?

Amla is celebrated for being an exceptional hair conditioner, skin scrub, curl booster, skin toner and can also reduce the flashy tones of henna, making them into a subtle, ashy-brown color. Religious use of natural amla powder can boost the hair growth along with solidifying the hair strands.

How Does Natural Amla Powder Work?

Natural amla powder comes with mordant qualities that do not only encourage and improve your hair curls due to excessive henna use, but also moderately cleanses the hair without robbing it off the natural protective hair oils. Being a rich source of vitamin C, amla powder intensely conditions the hair, thus creating a shinier and bouncier mane. Natural amla powder contains natural tannins which are weak, however they fade very quickly after the hair is washed again. This is primarily the reason why amla powder stains are much lighter.The powder serves as an excellent facial mask which assists in curtailing the pore size. It is best to use this mask after cleansing to prevent the trapping of oils and dirt into the skin pores.

How to Use Natural Amla Powder for Conditioning/ Coloring?

Amla can be used in a plethora of ways:

It can be used in combination with other essential herbs such as Organic Cassia Obovata, Shikakai, Sopanut Powder, etc. to be used as the conditioning component. Simply add 3-4 tablespoons of amla powder for conditioning.

Can be used as an acidic rinse. Put 1 tablespoon of amla powder in 2.5 cups of boiling water. After it gets cooked, strain and pour over the hair and leave it on for 10 minutes.

Can be used as a cleansing tea. Mix 2 tablespoons of the powder with 2.5 cups of sweltering hot water. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes, after which, strain and pour it over the hair for 30 minutes.

Can be used to make a nourishing hair conditioning paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of natural amla powder, Greek yogurt, flax seed gel and coconut milk.

Mixed with henna powder to improve your natural curls and mute the red tones.

In case you wish to boost your curls but not tone down the redness achieved with henna, you need to use only 1 tablespoon of amla powder per 100g of the henna powder. This will help preserve the hair color without toning it down. It is advisable to always pre-mix natural amla powder with a small quantity of water little prior to adding it to the henna paste. This ensures a smoother mix with better stains.On the other hand, if you are using amla powder for the chief purpose of muting the bright tones of henna, mix it with the henna powder in the ratio of 1:4. Let the two powders release together by adding the desired amount of liquids.

Either way you choose to use amla, you are certain to witness a difference in the way your hair looks and feel.

Using Amla Powder on Skin:

Amla powder is a great ingredient that makes for a highly effective facial or body scrub.

Add adequate amount of water to the amla powder to create a thick paste.

Cleanse your skin well and follow up with a gentle application of the amla paste all over the skin.

Rub in a circular motion. Rinse and pat dry.

Note: It is important to wash the skin before applying the paste as amla can minimize the skin pores, trapping all the grim inside, if used before cleansing.

To conclude, natural amla powder has several beneficial uses and is enormously easy to add it to your natural hair and skin care regimen. So, do not be afraid to experiment. Create your own individual recipes and enjoy the goodness of this essential ingredient.