This homemade shampoo made with Reetha, Amla and Shikakai is very common in India. Almost every family has its own way of using these super ingredients for cleansing and conditioning their hair. This tradition of making natural shampoo with dried soap nuts (reetha), shikakai pods and amla chunks is passed down from the ancient times and is practiced in modern era too. Apart from being used in homemade and herbal recipes, these three ingredients are also used in different formulations in a variety of hair care products. There are several products floating in the market, not to forget Amla or Amalaki. Amla is a part of “Triphala”, an Ayurvedic combination of three fruits which have several vital benefits for health and beauty. There are a plenty of products prepared using these three fruits and each fruit has its own characteristic that makes its application beneficial for hair growth, shine, and overall hair health.
The Base Ingredients To Make Reetha Shampoo At Home
Reetha
Reetha in Hindi aka Soapnut is known for its excellent cleansing properties and is even used for cleaning laundry which makes it a very good option for adults and children who are allergic to the chemical based detergents. One more unique application of soap berries is in cleaning jewelries, but the most popular use is to make hair care products.
Benefits of Reetha For Hair
It is an excellent cleanser
It gives shine to the hair
Provides softness to rough hair
It helps in getting rid of the nasty dandruff
Benefits of Shikakai
Shikakai is a herb that is known as “the fruit for hair” its remedial properties for hair has been acknowledged since ancient times and it still continues to be among the most favorite herbal remedy for hair health. It has mild pH thus gently cleanses the hair without stripping off the natural oils from the hair. Shikakai contains Saponins that are natural foaming agents, this is from where shikakai derives its cleansing properties. Shikakai is also used in combination with Reetha and Amla which makes its even better as a natural shampoo, but its works good on its own too.
Low pH value helps retain the natural oil
It is a natural de-tangler
It cleanses and conditions the hair
Amla
Amla or India Goosberry is regarded as a wonder berry on account of its tremendous medicinal and remedial properties. I can go on and on writing about this amazing fruit which is a power house of Vitamin C and is packed with antioxidants. It is called Amalaki in Sanskrit and is one of the ingredient in the Triphala other two being Haritaki and Bibhitaki. Its is also the main ingredients in the popular Ayurvedic preparation “Chyavanprash”, it also an excellent natural Eye tonic according to Ayurveda. Talking about hair it is immensely beneficial for strengthening and the darkening the hair.
Benefits of Amla For Hair
It promotes hair growth
Prevents premature graying of hair
It helps in controlling hair fall naturally
It darkens the hair
It is a natural hair tonic for overall hair health
How To Make Reetha Amla Shikakai Shampoo At Home
This DIY shampoo for hair has all the qualities that you would like your shampoo to possess. This shampoo cleanses, conditions, stimulates hair growth, manages the frizz and imparts a lustrous volume to your hair. All that it takes is a little extra time and effort than what your store bought shampoo will take.
This recipe is equivalent to a hair spa, it provides all the nourishment that a good hair spa treatment imparts to the hair. The recipe I have taken here to share with you is my mother’s recipe. This is one regime that my mother used to follow till the time I got married. She had this old wok made up of iron in which all the ingredients in dried form were soaked overnight and were used next morning to shampoo my hair.
The Recipe is totally chemical free and it calls for following ingredients
Reetha / Ritha/ Aritha ( soapnuts) dried : 7-8
Shikakai dried : 3-4 pods
Amla Powder: 2 tsp.
How To Make
To make your shampoo at home you need to begin the preparation a night before , once you have arranged all the required ingredients you are good to go.
Step 1 : Soak Ritha and Shikakai in water in an iron utensil if available, else use any other bowl that you have. Let it soak overnight, soaking will infuse the water with the goodness of both the fruits and it will also make them soft and make it easy to use them next morning.
Step 2: Next morning add amla powder to the water and it sit for another half an hour.
Step 3: Crack open the Ritha and Shikakai and discard the seeds.
How to Apply
Step 1: Wet your hair
Step 2: Take the fruits between your palms and rub them till they start forming the lather.
Step 3: Apply this lather to your hair and scalp and massage gently as you would do while shampooing your hair with your regular shampoo.
Step 4: Rinse off
Step 5: Repeat from step 3 for one more time.
Step 6: Wash your hair thoroughly, also remove all the bits of soap nuts and Shikakai from your hair
That’s It! You are done!
Also Read: 3 Inexpensive Natural Shampoo Recipes
There wont be any need for conditioner after using this homemade shampoo as shikakai will prevent the hair from getting entangled, leaving it smooth and manageable.
You will be amazed to see how shiny and silky your hair has become. Your hair will be clean and smooth and very healthy after applying for few weeks.
Precautions While Using This Shampoo:
Ensure that the shampoo does not enter your eye as both Ritha and Shikakai have compounds that can irritate the eyes and can cause redness and severe itching in the eyes.
This Natural shampoo with the combined goodness of all the three primary ingredients used will certainly promote hair growth, prevent hair fall, prevent graying of hair. It will keep the scalp and hair from drying off thus leaving it lustrous, shiny and dandruff free.
Where to buy the ingredients?
You can drop in to your nearest herbal or Ayurvedic store to get these ingredients, if you find it difficult to locate one just log it to amazon and you can order from there.
Give this homemade shampoo a try and do come back to share your experiences in the comments.
| Buy The Ingredients From Amazon To Support |
Reetha (soap nuts) |
| Shikakai |
| Amla Dried |
Bottom Line
Homemade shampoos can be a little time consuming and they may not produce too much lather, but the bottom line is they are free of chemicals and that is why I feel they should be tried atleast once. If you loved this recipe of reetha shampoo you can take it to the next level by trying Homemade Hair Conditioner Recipes.
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