Real shikakai pods-what to do with it????

[naj]

I just asked my dad to get real shikakai pods from the market if at all available. And he got it!
I wonder now what??
Its like dried, hard, dark brown, broad beans.
I am clueless how to use them, they even have seeds within.
Any ideas.
Naj.

[amiaow]

naj, i've never done it before (or even seen a shikakai pod!) but i'm thinking you would grind them (or possibly only the seeds). have you had any luck so far?

[snowbear]

(Googled this one.)

Originally Posted by http://www.a-vital-life.com/page.php?p=2_shikakai

Acacia Concinna is a small shrub-like tree which grows in the warm, dry plains of central India. For centuries the people who have had access to this tree have used its pod-like fruit to clean their hair. They collect, dry and grind this pod into a powder which is considered a superior cleanser for "lustrous long hair" and has been reported as "promoting hair growth and preventing dandruff". Because of these benefits, this powder was named "shikakai" which literally translates as "fruit for the hair".

Hope that helps!

[naj]

I dried and ground half the stuff and boiled and ground half the stuff. No matter how much i tried, i couldnt make it a smooth paste, its very scaly stuff, so the scles dont get ground.
I used it, and had a bad time as the scales were getting stuck in hair and didnt rinse out. But smelled great!
I wont do this again, the one i get in boxes outside looks like my best bet.
But still, i have the urge to be VERY natural.
Ah, the powder was hopeless, i threw it in the sink and used my ready-made shikakai mix.
Thanks for the information.
Naj.

[arsh]

Hi Naj,
Just wanted to ask you what readymade shikakai mix you use and where do you purchase it.. Also wanted to know which city in India you discovered VO5. Am an Indian myself..and am desperately trying to use shikakai to wash my hair but it never takes out the oils..I always need to use an aritha+shikakai(real pods) mix but its too drying for my parched hair. Any help?

[naj]

Hi Arsh
I live in Bangalore.
The real shikakai pod thing is useless is what i figured out. It really dried hair and i lost loads of hair from it.
What i use is Banjara's shikakai powder mixed with some aritha powder and some poder called chigare(this was told to me by my dermo). I tried a lot to find out what this chigare is, but could not. You can ask for it in any departmental store or in a fancy store(bangle shop). Its a green pwoder, much like henna powder.
I mix the shikakai powder and chigare powder in a 75:25 ratio. Add maybe some amount of aritha powder. This is not a drying mixture. It washes hair out well(but you need to repeat to get oil out) and is also not very drying(hair does feel a little dry on wash day, settles out the next day, so dont worry).
You could start this way.
As for the the VO5 conditioner, i found it in a gift store near my place which sells some imported items. I luckily got one and have ordered for another. I hope he gets it for me.
But generally i found that its almost impossible to find a cone-less conditioner in India.
I tried Lotus herbals conditioner, but when i sent a query asking if it contains cones, they said it does contain. I wonder hwo they call it all herbal
I hope i was of help to you.
Alternatively, until you find a good cone-less conditioner, you could use natural recipes, like Mayo conditioner, aloe gel etc.
Also, which oil do you use? I use coconut oil whcih is very good, its washes off easily too. And its supposed to be the best oil for pre-wash and post wash.
If you need any more help, you cam PM me.
Naj.

[arsh]

Thank you so much for this information naj. I tried to pm you but I believe im not allowed to do it yet coz when I tried doing it, I got a message saying that I am not authorized to do it.....I live in Kolkata but I have friends in Bangalore who could fetch me the stuff...IS there any other way I could write to you

[naj]

Hi Arsh,
You can read up the new member restrictions because i think you are allowed to PM after you have certain number of posts. I guess its 26 posts, not sure, just make sure.
So its not far away before you get authorization to pm.
Until then, you could definitely message me here on this thread itself.
And i hope you have already started off with your hair treatments.
If you have friends in Bangalore, you can surely get them to send it to you. But what is it you want? The conditioner?
I just got a call from the person with whom i had ordered the VO5 conditioner.
If you like, i will let you know the shops addressa nd contact no.
Keep me updated.
Naj.

[arsh]

Thank you Naj for being so cooperative...Yes I would definitely like to know the address from where you fetch your coneless VO5 condish..Besides I would also like to know if they stock on any mega moisturizing coneless condish coz anything for normal/oily hair doesnt work for me and the ones for dry hair contain cones..I literally hunted down the kolkata markets for VO5..All of themm seem to be stocking them but they all contain cones..Besides VO5, they have St.Ives, HErbal Essences, Dove and Pantene...not one without a cone....I sure am sad
Any help with addresses in Bangalore would be very welcome....Besides I also wanted information about your chigare...its probably known with a different name here...no idea...I am desperately trying to make things work for my shoulder length, extremely unmanageable curly and frizzy hair but haven't yet hit upon that one perfect routine...Naj, if you could also tell me how you make your amla and fenugreek oil..it would be helpful...My hair is in depsreate need of moisture..I use coconut oil but read somewhere that EVOO is high on moisture..I'v been going broke with the stuff I'm stocking up on..That's why a review would be verrry helpful
Thanks in advance.