Those of you who use herbal powders and/or the red Moroccan clay for shampooing (Zoya and epiphanee, I think?), can you reiterate which herbs you use and how you use them, or direct me to a thread or website where this has been discussed? I'd be grateful! :)

I'd REALLY like to know this as well!:)

Me too, me too. :D

I am not using the moroccan red clay. But I use a herbal pack on my hair every 15 days. This is a substitute for shampooing. I usually use a pack made of four powders-shikakai, Aritha/soapnut powder, amla and Tulsi.I make it into a paste like henna and apply to may scalp and hairs , leave it on for atleast a hr and then wash is thoroughly with cold water. Initially I used to follow it with a cond. but now I feel I don't need any since my hair is already soft and shiny.

Thank you Sana, those are the herbs I've been hearing about and have been wanting to try!

And yeah Heidi, I forgot to add...the new batch that I am making, I am adding some neem and Bhringaraj too. U may want to try it, 'coz they have some excellent properties like they condition ur scalp and r very good for ur eyes!

Hello Heidi

I use a blend of Shikakai, Amla, Orange peel powder and Reetha herbal powders, with Shikakai being the major player in the mix (about 40%).
I keep this dry blend of powders in a big jar away from sunlight.

The night before I intend to wash my hair, I will oil it heavily with either coconut oil on its own - or with a 50:50 blend of coconut and castor oils.

The next morning, I put a couple of tablespoons of the herbal power into a bowl and make a paste with hot water.
I then wet my scalp and hair, wrap a towel around my head for a couple of minutes to soak up excess moisture. Then I pull off the towel, and using a wide-tooth detangling comb, I part my hair section by section, and apply the paste to my scalp until all my scalp is covered.
Cover with a disposable plastic shower cap and wait for 10 minutes, or longer.
When I am ready to wash the paste off, I half-fill a large plastic bowl with warm water and put the whole length of my hair into it, immersing as much of my scalp as possible. The paste dissolves into the water and I swish my hair about in it so that it gently cleanses my length.
Then I shower the rest of the paste off.
I condition with coconut oil - lightly - while the hair is still damp.

I wash my hair once every two weeks with this herbal mix.

The week I don't use the herbal stuff, I use a clay and lemon mix, which is basically powdered clay mixed into a paste with fresh lemon juice (I also add a few drops of eo, usually sandalwood, which makes the hair shine). I use the exact same washing process as with the herbal powder.

I hope that helps.

Epiphanee, that is very helpful, exactly what I was looking for!
Thank you!

I was about to post a thread about online herb companies--where do you order your herbal powders?

The clay I use is called "Multani Mati" and I get it from an Indian grocery (its really cheap, about £1 for a large packet).
Sorry - I have no idea if it's available over the net.

I have also used the Boot's Botanics clay mask on my hair with eo's added, to good effect - that's available at Boots Chemists all over the U.K.

I've also been looking for a source of Rhassoul clay in the U.K but have had no luck so far.
If anyone can help, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks.

duh! i thot i posted here yesterday!

epiphanee, what's ur hair type?

~smiles

If I am not wrong, multani mitti is Fuller's Earth , isn't it? I can't help much with online shopping tho' b'coz I buy all my stuff from the Indian store nearby.

Yes, the multani mitti is often called Fullers Earth (sometimes called diatomaceous clay).

Hi smiles

My hair type is coarse textured, dry, thick strands, mostly straight but with a loose wave in places.
My racial origins are Arab and Pakistani if that gives you a better idea.

cool, thanks epiphanee.... i've arab and pakistani women having gorgeous to-die-for hair :D .... is there any hair pic of urs here...

mine is dry hair too...and i find that shikhakai dries it more. so i took zoya's advice and used marshmallow powder along with it and it was very nice. and how often du u use this? once a week? and for remn days what du do? u dont put any chemical at all on ur hair? coool :D i'm impressed. got some more inspiration for my go-natural-quest!

i dint know multani mitti can be used on hair. what can it do for the hair, epiphanee? i ought to try. i have a big pack and dont like it on my face. wooohoooo, one more new recipe to try on...i love this board :D

have fun!
~smiles

The multani powder acts like a hair cleanser/detoxer. It pulls out dirt and oil and leaves the hair fresh and clean. With both the shikakai and the clay, I have to do a heavy oiling before using them otherwise my hair would be dried out, as you mentioned your's was when usinf shikakai on it's own.

I only wash once a week. In-between times, I may just rinse in hot water. I also oil my ends every day - my hair just seems to absorb oil like it's drinking the stuff.

No - I have no pics of myself on the net. I kind of have a phobia about the fetish folk that inhabit the web.

Smiles - I just read your other post - about being from TN. Oh my God, I have always wanted to go to South India, especially Kerala. I adore your culture, traditions and food. One of my uncles is from Madras and he has travelled a lot in the south. He says the women there have gorgeous dark, long, thick hair. Aaah, one day I will go to Tamil Nadu....

Nice to see we have an international community on these boards!!

ok, i can understand abt the pics. no probs, epiphanee.

This is absolutely a fun board with no boundaries where everybody exchanges knowledge so eagerly w/out any ego (touchwood!) or jealousy! i definitley like it here.

Oh ya, sandhya is from kerala and her hair is gorgeous :D i'm glad u like south indian culture and food. its a nice place. pls visit sometime!

thanks for clarifying abt multanimitti... i'm going to try tresses' honey treatment with the multani-mitti this wknd! :D

oh god! i got my hands full :)

Take care!
~smiles

I thought I would bump this up because this is my current research obsession and wanted any new thoughts from new people :flowers: