Shikakai For Hair – Benefits, Uses and Hair Packs

What Is Shikakai?

Shikakai is scientifically known as Acacia Concinna. It is often referred to as the hair fruit and offers immense hair benefits. It is sometimes used as a replacement for shampoo as well. It is mild and its pH is naturally low and good enough for our hair. It also shows anti-dandruff qualities.

Specifically talking about its contents, it is composed of:

• Lupeol
• Spinasterol
• Acacic acid
• Lactone
• Glucose
• Arabinose
• Rhamnose
• Hexacosanol
• Spinasterone
• Oxalic acid
• Tartaric acid
• Citric acid
• Succinic acid
• Ascorbic acid
• Calyctomine
• Nicotine

All of these ingredients allow the herbal fruit to offer numerous benefits to the hair as well to the body.

What Are The Herbal Properties Of Shikakai?

Let’s go over the herbal properties of Shikakai.

Shikakai Benefits For Hair

How is Shikakai good for hair? It benefits the hair in ample of ways. Some of these ways are mentioned below.

1. Fights Dandruff

The root cause of dandruff is dryness. When the scalp gets dry and loses the moisture it starts producing dead skin cells, which take the form of dandruff.

Dandruff can be treated with Shikakai as it possesses antifungal properties. It calms down the itchiness as well and protects the hair follicles from getting clogged.

2. Nourishes The Follicles

The follicles get clogged because of dirt and germs. Shikakai not only cleanses the hair from deep within but also nourishes it. Because of the presence of certain vitamins, Shikakai significantly promotes collagen production.

3. Soothes The Scalp

Most parts of the hair problems are due to an unhealthy scalp. Shikakai is able to address the root cause of these problems and promotes the health of our scalp.

It replenishes the scalp with essential nutrients and makes it healthier.

4. Cleanses Your Hair

Unlike the regular shampoos, Shikakai is a natural mild cleaner which cleans the hair without making it dry. It doesn’t steal away the moisture of the hair.

5. Makes The Hair Silky And Shiny

Have you ever heard of a shampoo that naturally adds shine to your hair without the application of conditioner? Yes, Shikakai can be used as a substitute for your shampoo. It exfoliates the hair and replenishes it with essential nutrients, thereby making it silky and shiny.

6. Prevents Gray Hair

Gray hair is one of the signs of ageing which is hard to overcome but not with Shikakai. Shikakai naturally imparts a decent shine and colour to the hair, which even a chemical dye can’t. The chemical hair dyes often promote hair fall while Shikakai has no such side effect and is safe to use. [Read More: Premature Gray Hair – Causes, Treatment & Prevention]

7. Cures Hair Loss

Since Shikakai is 100% natural, therefore it hardly shows any side effects. It addresses the root cause of hair fall and makes sure that the scalp is not deprived off of any sort of essential nutrients. It promotes collagen production, thereby making the roots stronger and discourages hair loss.

8. Prevents Lice

Often, when we fail to take care of our hair and don’t clean it on a regular basis, it catches lice. Lice can slow down the hair growth by sucking the essential nutrients out of your scalp. Thus, it is important to immediately eradicate them out of your hair. One such way to eradicate lice from our hair is to use Shikakai.

The regular use of Shikakai prevents lice and preserves the health of our hair.

9. Cures Minor Wounds

Sometimes you might end up scratching your head, which results in a minor wound. You won’t notice the wound until you are running a comb through the hair and the wound hurts.

Such wounds can be cured by Shikakai as it is antimicrobial and possesses medicinal qualities which are enough to take care of the minor wounds.

10. Prevents Hair Knots

The hair gets entangled very easily when it is dry and rough. The Shikakai makes sure that the hair is silky at all times so that it is easy to disentangle. When you run a comb through silky hair, it is easy to disentangle and you will hardly notice any broken hair on your comb.

I hope that all of the above benefits have answered your question, i.e., is Shikakai beneficial for hair? It sure is beneficial, safe to use and last but not the least, it is inexpensive.

How To Use Shikakai Your Hair Care Routine?

I have enlisted 4 different ways in which Shikakai can be used.

1. Shikakai As A Hair Wash

You can find ample of shampoos based on Shikakai in the market, you can either use them or you can prepare it at home. The recipe is super simple.

• Soak some shikakai pods, amla and reetha overnight.
• Boil all the ingredients along with some water until the pods become soft.
• Let the mixture cool down and then mash it and strain the extra liquid.
• Your shampoo is ready to use.

One other method involves the use of dried shikakai powder, some neem leaves, fenugreek powder and dried amla. Boil all these ingredients with some water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then again, let it cool down and mash and strain the liquid. The water filtered out will work as your natural shampoo.

2. Shikakai Oil

Shikakai hair oil is very simple to prepare. All you need is one tablespoon of shikakai powder and some coconut oil. Mix both the ingredients and store it in a container. Put it away for a few weeks. Make sure to keep shaking it after every few days. After a few weeks, you will have your ready to use Shikakai oil that you can apply to your hair whenever you shampoo it.

3. Shikakai As A Soap

There are a lot of shikakai soaps available in the market. Go ahead and purchase these soaps. This shikakai soap is for hair as well.

4. Shikakai As A Hair Pack

Just mix Shikakai powder with some reetha and henna to experience the best of Shikakai. Apply this hair pack thoroughly to your hair.

Diy Shikakai Hair Packs

Here are some simple DIY shikakai Hair packs.

1. Shikakai Shampoo With Amla And Reetha

As suggested in the title this DIY involves the use of amla and reetha. Amla reetha shikakai powder hair pack is extremely beneficial for the hair as it replenishes the scalp and hair.

Ingredients

• 10 grams Shikakai pods
• 10 grams Reetha
• 5 grams Amla
• 750 ml of water

How To Make The Mask?

1. Soak all the ingredients in the water for one whole night.
2. In the morning boil this water along with the ingredients so that the pods become soft.
3. Let it cool down a little and then mash it.
4. Now, strain the liquid and store it in a container.
5. Use this as a substitute for your shampoo.

Why Use This Mask?

Shikakai is enriched with vitamin C and D. Both the nutrients deeply nourish the scalp.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this method 2 to 3 times a week.

2. Shikakai And Curd Hair Mask

This DIY involves the use of Shikakai and curd. It fills the hair with enough amount of moisture and brings a glow to it.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons of Shikakai Powder
• 2-3 tablespoons of curd
• Shower Cap

How To Make The Mask?

1. Mix the shikakai powder and the curd in a bowl to prepare a mixture of thick consistency.
2. Apply this mixture to your hair, making sure that every strand is covered.
3. Now cover your hair with the shower cap and let it sit for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, rinse off the mask with some cold water and any mild shampoo.

Why Use This Mask

This mixture relieves the inflammation as it produces a cooling effect. It is effective at treating dandruff and dry scalp too.

How Often To Use?

With a busy schedule, it may be hard to incorporate such DIYs in your routine. So it will be enough if you practice this even one or two times a week.

3. Shikakai And Egg

I am sure, all of you have heard of treating frizzes with egg. Now, let’s see how can we use eggs with Shikakai.

Ingredients

• 2 Teaspoons of amla powder
• 2 Teaspoons of Shikakai powder
• 2 Teaspoons of fenugreek powder
• 2 Teaspoons of triphla powder
• 2 Teaspoons of brahmi powder
• 2 eggs
• Shower cap

How To Make The Mask?

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk them to get a smooth paste.
2. Cover your entire hair and scalp with this paste.
3. Now cover your head with a shower cap and let it sit for 40 minutes.
4. After this time, rinse your hair with some cool water and any mild shampoo.

Why Use This Mask

As you can observe in the ingredients section, this remedy involves the use of a lot of Ayurvedic ingredients and eggs. These ingredients when infused together prepare a mixture full of protein and various other vital nutrients which are beneficial for our hair and scalp.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this method once a week.

4. Shikakai Oil For Hair Growth

Let’s see, how to use Shikakai oil for hair growth at home.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of Shikakai powder
• Half cup of coconut oil
• A container

How To Make The Mask?

1. Mix all the ingredients and store it in a container.
2. Store this mixture in a cool and dark place for 2 to 3 weeks.
3. Make sure to shake the jar every few days so that the powder doesn’t settle down
4. The oil will be ready to use in a couple of weeks and when it is ready, pour out a few tablespoons in your palm and massage it on your scalp for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Let the oil sit for another 30 minutes after the massage. If you wish, you can also leave it overnight.
6. Now, wash your hair with a mild shampoo.

Why Use This Mask

Massaging the scalp with this amazing oil, stimulates the blood flow in the scalp, thereby promoting the health of our scalp.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this method 2 to 3 times a week.

5. Shikakai And Honey Hair Mask

Yet another hair mask is formed when we mix some Shikakai with honey. Let’s see how to prepare this incredible hair mask.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of Shikakai powder
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of filtered water

How To Make The Mask?

1. Bring the water to boil and add shikakai powder and oil to the water.
2. Cover this mixture with a lid and let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Now strain the mixture and add honey to it.
4. As you begin to shampoo your hair make sure to add this mixture to your hair along with the shampoo.
5. Massage your hair for 5 minutes and rinse it off with some cool water.

Why Use This Mask

This hair mask prepared out of shikakai and honey makes sure to preserve the moisture in the hair and prevents it from getting frizzy.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this method once a week.

6. Shikakai Hair Pack For Dry Scalp

Let’s see, how can we prepare a hair mask using shikakai specifically for dry scalp.

Ingredients

• Shikakai powder
• Almond oil
• Some curd

How To Make The Mask?

1. You are supposed to prepare a mixture such that it contains 2 parts of almond oil, 1 part of the shikakai powder and 2 parts of the curd.
2. Prepare a smooth mixture with all the ingredients.
3. Cover your scalp with this mixture and leave it on for an hour.

Why Use This Mask

It rejuvenates the scalp and remedies the dryness.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this every time you wash your hair.

7. Shikakai Hair Pack For Oily Scalp

Let’s see, how can we prepare a hair mask using shikakai specifically for oily scalp.

Ingredients

• Egg whites
• Methi powder
• Green gram flour
• Shikakai powder

How To Make The Mask?

1. You are supposed to prepare a mixture such that it contains 1 part of the egg whites, 1 part of the methi powder, 1 part of the green gram flour and 2 parts of the shikakai powder.
2. Prepare a smooth mixture with all the ingredients.
3. Cover your scalp with this mixture and leave it on for an hour.

Why Use This Mask

This hair mask removes the excess oil from the scalp thereby, balancing out the amount of other nutrients.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this 2 to 3 times a week.

8. Shikakai Hair Pack For Hair Fall

How versatile can this herb get? It not only treats the oily scalp and dry scalp but it is also effective at controlling hair fall.

Ingredients

• Gooseberry powder
• Soapnut powder
• 2 eggs
• Shikakai powder

How To Make The Mask?

1. You are supposed to prepare a mixture such that it contains 1 part of gooseberry powder, 1 part of soapnut powder, 1 part of eggs and 2 parts of the shikakai powder.
2. Prepare a smooth mixture with all the ingredients.
3. Cover your scalp with this mixture and leave it on for an hour.

Why Use This Mask

This mixture penetrates deep into the scalp thereby filling it with essential proteins and nutrients required for strong and healthy hair. It actively and effectively combats the problem of hair fall.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this 2 to 3 times a week.

9. Shikakai Hair Pack For Split Ends

This hair pack effectively combats the problem of split ends.

Ingredients

• A few shikakai pods
• Some coconut oil

How To Make The Mask?

1. You are supposed to prepare a mixture such that it contains 2 parts of the shikakai pod and 1 part of the coconut oil. The pods are meant to be slightly crushed before the use.
2. Boil this mixture for about 20 minutes.
3. Strain it and massage it on your scalp.

Why Use This Mask

It goes back to the root cause of split ends and resolves it, thereby removing the split ends.

How Often To Use?

Use this oil instead of your regular oil.

10. Shikakai Hair Pack For Dandruff

Let’s see how can we prepare a hair pack for dandruff making the use of Shikakai.

Ingredients

• Shikakai powder
• Neem leaves
• Methi powder
• Amla powder

How To Make The Mask?

1. Mix all these ingredients and boil them in water for about 20 minutes.
2. As the mixture cools down, mash the ingredients and then strain them.
3. Apply the strained water to your scalp and massage it.
4. Let the mask sit for 30 minutes.

Why Use This Mask

This hair mask actively combats the problem of dandruff and removes the dead skin cells.

How Often To Use?

You can practice this once a week.

Also read:

Natural Ingredients to Keep Your Hair Healthy

25 Best Herbs for Hair Growth and Thickness