Amla powder

Can this be used alone? If anyone has, please tell me about your experience with it!

Yes, you may use Amla alone. Based on the picture in your avatar, you should use about 4 tablespoons of amla mixed with hot tap water to a yogurt consistency for easy application (not too thick, but not too runny). Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to activate the Amla. You would apply it to clean hair. First, apply a little bit of oil to your hair (e.g., coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, etc.). Then section off your hair and apply the Amla. Keep it in your hair 30 minutes or longer. Put on a plastic cap and let it do its thing. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I normally let it sit for 2-3 hours while I'm doing housework, and I also use 2 tablespoons of Amla and 2 tablespoons of Brahmi. I also put on a regular plastic cap along with that gold and silver deep conditioning cap. When I have time, I usually use the Amla/Brahmi mix on Saturday's in between my hennaing. I then wash out the mix with a quick shampoo to wash out any powder residue and put on my Aussie Moist conditioner for a few minutes, wash out and style with my shea butter mix.

Your curly tresses will be defined and your hair will be soft. Over time, you will experience thicker hair as well if you don't experience it the first time around. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

envizionj wrote:Yes, you may use Amla alone. Based on the picture in your avatar, you should use about 4 tablespoons of amla mixed with hot tap water to a yogurt consistency for easy application (not too thick, but not too runny). Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to activate the Amla. You would apply it to clean hair, then apply a little bit of oil to your hair (e.g., coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, etc.). Then section off your hair and apply the Amla. Keep it in your hair 30 minutes or longer. Put on a plastic cap and let it do its thing. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I normally let it sit for 2-33 hours while I'm doing housework, and I also use 2 tablespoons of Amla and 2 tablespoons of Brahmi. I also put on a regular plastic cap along with that gold and silver deep conditioning cap. When I have time, I usually use the Amla/Brahmi mix every Saturday in between my hennaing. I then wash out the mix with a quick shampoo and put on my Aussie Moist conditioner for a few minutes, wash out and style with my shea butter mix.

Your curly tresses will be defined and your hair will be soft. Over time, you will experience thicker hair as well if you don't experience it the first time around. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for replying and letting me know your experiences with it! I'm looking for it to stop my shedding. I'm still trying to figure out if I have too much protein/moisture due to the shedding. I know its normal but not sure if amount I have is normal if that makes sense. I've tried doing the hair strand test and oops my bad if i can't figure it out!

You can do a strand test if you like, but you really don't need one. Amla will clump your hair, making your head into thick defined waves almost like a jheri cul. You apply it like a relaxer with your fingers and coat your hair from the roots to the ends, paying close attention to the ends. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I have been using Amla since February weekly and I also mix it into my henna. I tried it for the first time on my daughter's hair on Saturday, and she was amazed of the definition it gave her curls when I applied it. She has a lot of hair, shoulder length natural and extremely thick. I mixed a custom blend for her since she is complaining about dandruff. I mixed in 2 tablespoons of Amla, 2 tablespoons of Bhrami, 3 tablespoons of Neem and hot tap water. I let it sit for 15 minutes while she washed her hair. I then put some Black Jamaican castor oil in my hands and rubbed it throughout her hair. The I applied mix and she left it in hair for about 3 hours while she watched tv. I washed it out for her and her hair not as tight as before. She had more length than she normally does when her hair is wet. It could also be due to when I put it on, I detangled the section with a wide tooth comb, and then applied the mix on the section and pulled gently as I made sure every strand was coated. Make sure to put newspaper down on your bathroom floors, because although you can just use soap and water to clean up, and it won't stain, ayurvedic powders are quite messy. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Can you keep the amla mix or do you have to discard the leftovers? I just mixed 2 tbs amla and 2 tbs henna, but it looks like a lot. I'm going to try to use it all, but I just wanted to know for future reference.

@envizionj This is great information. My hair has been feeling and looking thinner than usual so I want to try this out. Where do you get your powders from?

Neems, I found my powders at my local Indian store in New York. Now I know for sure that the Indian grocers in New Jersey have the powders for $1.49 a box. A lot of my coworkers live out in Jersey and have seen them on the Indian neighborhood strip. Here is a link of Indian Grocery stores in all states http://www.indiaonweb.com/News1-109/INDIAN+GROCERY+STORES.html?newsid=614 Make sure to call first to see if they are still in business. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hello,

New to this community. I just received my henna and sooo excited to use it for the first time. I was wondering what are the benefits of using alma powder?

Amla is used to decrease shedding and promote a healthy scalp and it is also supposed to stimulate hair growth. I notice that when I use amla my hair feels stronger and my curls clump together better. I have been using henna and amla powders since May and I have noticed that my hair seems a lot stronger.

@envizionj...Thanks so much for that info!

I bought some amla powder last weekend and wasn't sure how to mix it. I'm going to try it on my hair and see how it does. I did henna for the first time last week but it turned my hair much redder than it naturally is. I'm excited to see how the amla poweder works on my hair!

Thank you freckledmom4!
I have been unable to find the alma powder but I have seen the alma oil. Will the oil have the same affect? I plan on doing the henna gloss my first time.

Hi whosthatredhead,
Let me know how it goes!

djackson wrote:Thank you freckledmom4!
I have been unable to find the alma powder but I have seen the alma oil. Will the oil have the same affect? I plan on doing the henna gloss my first time.

I don't know. I just got the oil yesterday and haven't used it yet. I was planning to use it only for pre-poo. Let me know how you like it when you use it.

Has anybody ever gotten headaches from using amla? This is the 2nd time I've used it and I get an instant headache.

I get frequent headaches so I can't say that the amla started it. Sorry that this is happening to you. Maybe you can try to dilute it a little more with some conditioner if you still want to use it.

I saw the amla oil but I decided not to get it because the first or second ingredient was petrolium oil.

djackson wrote:Hi whosthatredhead,
Let me know how it goes!

I'm going to try to do it either tonight or tomorrow and I'll post pics

freckledmom4 wrote:Amla is used to decrease shedding and promote a healthy scalp and it is also supposed to stimulate hair growth. I notice that when I use amla my hair feels stronger and my curls clump together better. I have been using henna and amla powders since May and I have noticed that my hair seems a lot stronger.

Hi freckledmom4,

Can you share your henna/alma mix? I was thinking of using a 50/50 mix.

So.... I decided not to do the amla because I read the box and it said it would turn my hair black. After seeing that I decided to just use henna. But then FreckledMom showed me a pic of her hair after amla so I might try it this weekend.

WhosThatRedHead wrote:So.... I decided not to do the amla because I read the box and it said it would turn my hair black. After seeing that I decided to just use henna. But then FreckledMom showed me a pic of her hair after amla so I might try it this weekend.

How did it turn out? I just ordered my alma powder because the henna was making the ends of my hair look like I had relaxed ends. So I'm hoping the Amla will restore the curl. I don't want to mix it with henna, because I LOVE the color results after using Henna...I just don't want to damage my curl pattern!

Amla powder is made from powdered dried fruit of the tree of Indian gooseberry. Often used in tanning and the death of wool and silk and Indian medicine. Amla can be used on the hair to stop hair loss, thickening and slow aging. It also leaves hair soft, silky and shiny.

MelMelBee, Amla powder will not change the color you desire from the henna. I still get the auburn no matter what I mix into my henna. Just add 2 tablespoons of Amla to your henna powder to help retain your natural tresses.

In my last henna mix, I put in 100 grams Jamila Henna (BAQ), 2 tablespoons of Hesh Amla powder, 1 tablespoon of Hesh Brahmi powder, 1 tablespoon of Hesh Maka powder, and 3 tablespoons of Plantation Blackstrap molasses hoping for a darker color change -- NOTHING. My gray hairs came out the usual auburn. I normally mix my henna days or weeks ahead of time and then let it thaw out in the fridge for a more vibrant color.

The advantage of mixing in the molasses was softer hair.

Has anyone tried the amla with black tea? I'm curious about that.

Envizionj, how long do you leave that mixture in your hair?

I just did my first henna gloss last weekend. I love the results but would also like to add a bit of amla to my mix as well (to combat any curls that my loosen along the way)

I guess I need to leave my mix in a little longer b/c my greys were a bright orange the first day and now less than a week later, they are back to the white.