Amla

Amla is Indian gooseberry, the small, sour fruit of Phyllanthus emblica, and one of the best-known fruits in Ayurvedic hair care. Spierb Amla Powder is the deseeded fruit, dried, finely ground and triple sifted, with nothing added. You mix it fresh with warm water into a hair and scalp mask, use it as a light rinse, blend it with other hair powders, or make a simple face pack.

Where does Amla come from, and what is it called in English?

Amla grows on a tree native to tropical and subtropical Asia and is especially familiar in India, where Spierb's powder comes from. In English it's called Indian gooseberry, although it isn't related to European gooseberries. Botanists name it Phyllanthus emblica; older labels say Emblica officinalis. In Ayurveda it's Amalaki, and you'll also see Aonla, Avala and Nelli. The word Amla is linked to the Sanskrit for sour, which suits the fruit, and it has been part of South Asian hair care for generations, as a paste, a rinse and in hair oils.

Which form of Amla is best for hair?

For a routine you can repeat, the powder: it keeps well when sealed, mixes into a smooth paste in a minute, and lets you choose how thick it is and where it goes. Fresh Amla holds far more water and has to be prepared each time, so the two aren't direct equivalents, and neither is simply stronger.

Which is better for hair, Amla oil or Amla powder?

They do different jobs. Amla powder mixed with water makes a mask or rinse that you rinse out after a short time. Amla oil is a carrier oil, usually coconut or sesame, with Amla infused into it, used before washing. Dry or coarse hair often enjoys the oil; fine or oily hair usually prefers the mask or a light rinse.

Coconut oil is often the carrier the Amla goes into. Home-made Amla oil, made by warming the dry powder gently in oil and straining it, is easiest to use before washing rather than left in; how to use Amla powder for hair has the method.

What does Amla powder do for hair?

Amla is a care powder. Used as a mask, it usually leaves hair feeling conditioned, smoother and easier to manage, with a shinier look once dry, and the scalp feeling fresh and cared for. Spierb Amla Powder has no added fragrance, color or preservative. The main ways to use it:

• A hair and scalp mask: 2–3 tablespoons with warm water, on clean, damp hair for 20–30 minutes, up to twice a week.
• A scalp pack: the same paste, mainly on the scalp and roots, for long, curly or easily tangled lengths.
• A light rinse: a little powder in plenty of water, strained; see the Amla rinse routine.
• A mix: with Bhringraj, Brahmi or Aloe Vera Powder in a mask, or with Shikakai and Aritha in the four-powder hair wash.
• In henna: Amla can mute the brightest copper of a henna mix. Keep it to 5–20% of the dry blend; what to mix with henna has the amounts.

What to expect, and what it won't do

Most people judge Amla after the first mask: hair usually feels softer, smoother and easier to comb, and often looks shinier. Dry, porous or bleached hair can feel rough if the paste is thick or dries hard, so keep it soft.

Amla powder doesn't make hair grow, regrow or thicken, and it isn't a treatment for hair loss; can Amla regrow hair? explains why. It isn't a hair dye, and it can't reverse gray hair: once a strand has gone gray, a mask can't put the color back. For plant color, henna and indigo are the powders that color hair.

Can I use Amla powder on my face?

Yes. Mix 1 teaspoon of Amla powder with 2 teaspoons of plain yogurt or water and spread a thin layer over freshly cleansed skin, avoiding your eyes and lips. Leave it about 10 minutes (5 if your skin is very sensitive), don't let it dry completely, then wipe it off with a damp cloth, rinse with lukewarm water and moisturize. Use it up to twice a week.

Does Amla make skin glow?

It can leave skin feeling fresh and smooth and looking more radiant once it's rinsed off. That's how skin looks after a mask, not a change in its natural color: Amla doesn't lighten skin or fade dark spots.

Before you use it: patch test, and who should skip it

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use: put a little of the paste on a small patch of clean, unbroken skin. Don't go ahead if the skin burns, swells, blisters or turns red, or if it itches and the itch doesn't settle. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later, so rinse the paste off and stop if your scalp or skin burns, itches or turns red during any use. Before adding Amla to henna, or if your hair is very light or bleached, try it on one small lock too.

Skip it if you know you react to Amla, and wait until broken or irritated skin has settled. It's for external use only: don't eat or drink it, and keep it out of your eyes. Common problems and fixes are in how to use Amla powder for hair.