Product Review: Amla Oil (and the smell)

[Carlie]

I believe most people who use this product, myself included, don't leave the house w. Amla Oil still in their hair. I use it as a pre-poo and after shampooing, my hair and scalp both smell very clean...not like Amla Oil. If anyone's hair still smells like Amla Oil after shampooing, perhaps it would be a good idea to invest in a better shampoo.

Is there anyway to mask the smell? Do you ever feel like "I hope no one smells this on me" when you have it in your hair?

 

[good2uuuu]

It's official. I am defiantely the wierdo here. I like the way my amla oil smells. I use Dabur.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I believe most people who use this product, myself included, don't leave the house w. Amla Oil still in their hair. I use it as a pre-poo and after shampooing, my hair and scalp both smell very clean...not like Amla Oil. If anyone's hair still smells like Amla Oil after shampooing, perhaps it would be a good idea to invest in a better shampoo.

LOL! Carlie you are too funny. Are there other Desi products you recommend that do not have such a strong smell? I know that you use it regularly, so I know that it must work well, because you have beautiful hair, but I think that I will not be able to use it because I cant stomach the smell. TIA.

 

[mrslee]

Ok, I did use a lot more than that because I was using a prepoo. I don't think that three drops would be enough for anyone to notice. Have you noticed an improvement in your hair or has it helped your hair to grow? You have gorgeous hair. What is your regimen?

Thanks!
I am going to use more when I do pre-poo's. Last night was the first night I used it and a little this morning. I am going to pre-poo my hair with it tonight for an hour and see how it comes out. Right now my hair feels soft and silky. I am mainly concentrating on my ends. I frequently get split ends and I am tired of it.

My regimen-

Twice a week-
Wash with Mane and Tail Shampoo
GPB for light protein or Emergencee (every 2 weeks)
Conditioners- Ultra Hydrating Balm or Salerm Wheat Germ Mask
Leave ins- Rusk Smoothie and John Frieda extra frizz ease serum
Oils- Jojoba, Castor, rosemary mix (every day on scalp and ends)

@ Carlie, IF my hair turns out half the way yours look, I will be very pleased! I am going to put up with the smell until further notice!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Thanks!
I am going to use more when I do pre-poo's. Last night was the first night I used it and a little this morning. I am going to pre-poo my hair with it tonight for an hour and see how it comes out. Right now my hair feels soft and silky. I am mainly concentrating on my ends. I frequently get split ends and I am tired of it.

My regimen-

Twice a week-
Wash with Mane and Tail Shampoo
GPB for light protein or Emergencee (every 2 weeks)
Conditioners- Ultra Hydrating Balm or Salerm Wheat Germ Mask
Leave ins- Rusk Smoothie and John Frieda extra frizz ease serum
Oils- Jojoba, Castor, rosemary mix (every day on scalp and ends)

@ Carlie, IF my hair turns out half the way yours look, I will be very pleased! I am going to put up with the smell until further notice!

Thanks for the regime. Also, if you airdry your hair, how do you airdry your hair? Also, who makes the Ultra Hydrating Balm? TIA.

 

[senimoni]

I believe most people who use this product, myself included, don't leave the house w. Amla Oil still in their hair. I use it as a pre-poo and after shampooing, my hair and scalp both smell very clean...not like Amla Oil. If anyone's hair still smells like Amla Oil after shampooing, perhaps it would be a good idea to invest in a better shampoo.

Wait so...you put it in again after you shampoo....is it not as much or do you shampoo again??

 

[Carlie]

Are there other Desi products you recommend that do not have such a strong smell?

Amla and Vatika are the only ones I use.

 

[Carlie]

Wait so...you put it in again after you shampoo....is it not as much or do you shampoo again??

No, I only use it BEFORE shampooing. In that quote I was saying that after shampooing, my hair and scalp both smell clean and not like Amla Oil.

 

[Carlie]

@ Carlie, IF my hair turns out half the way yours look, I will be very pleased! I am going to put up with the smell until further notice!

awww, thanks! I hope it works out okay for you.

 

[mrslee]

Thanks for the regime. Also, if you airdry your hair, how do you airdry your hair? Also, who makes the Ultra Hydrating Balm? TIA.

I just let it hang loose and airdry. Although I dont like the way my hair looks when I do this, maybe the healthier it gets this will change.
The balm is by Biolage.

 

[ximenia]

Hi y'all. There's an amla oil pomade by http://www.qhemetbiologics.com. It's made with pure amla oil and doesn't have a strong smell. I love it on my scalp and it's not greasy.

 

[Miss*Tress]

And maybe the smell may ward off men

Anky, you are too much. Why do you want men to stay away from you?

 

[Miss*Tress]

The powder has a kind of fruit/herbal smell to it. It doesn't smell as strongly as the oil -which reminds me of old woman perfume. The store amla oil contains extra fragrances which really don't mix well with amla. The amla powder is a brown color and over time it does deposit a little bit of it's natural color onto your hair. Kind of like the way people used plants and berries for dyes back in the day. My hair has a tendency to get this reddish tint to it, so I like that the amla powder neutralizes that. It just has a healthy darkness to it, IMO.

When I make the paste, I just pour out however much powder I'm going to use into a bowl and then add enough oil to make the paste. Then I take a perm brush and just part my hair in sections and apply it starting at the roots. Just like I was giving myself a touch-up. It's not a perfectly smooth paste, so make sure that you wear a shirt you don't mind oily amla bits dropping on. Sometimes I apply it all the way to the ends using my hands or I'll just add a plain oil to the ends. Then I pin it up, put a plastic cap over it and leave it on for a couple of hours or overnight and shampoo out the next day. There is a lot of rinsing involved to get it out.

My hair lightens due to the relaxer, so I decided to try the Amla powder (I have enough oils at home).

I mixed the paste and applied it. Unfortunately, I put too much water so it was a little thin. Also it smells like a walk through the woods in autumn when the leaves have fallen and it may have rained. I quite like the woodsy odor; other people may not.

Next time I'll mix it directly with my oils like myco. This way I don't have an extra step in my routine. For now the paste is still in my hair and I'm going to wash it out later.

ETA The description on the packet says the paste can be applied to the face to clear up pimples.

 

[Jewell]

I would like to try Amla Oil, but are there any formulations where the main ingredient isn't mineral oil? I try to avoid mineral oil at all costs...I will try to get the Vatika oil in the meantime. My pre-poo treatment that I did with Pompeii Extra Virgin Olive Oil (from the grocery store ) Thurs night to Fri morning made my hair incredible! This will be my staple.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I would like to try Amla Oil, but are there any formulations where the main ingredient isn't mineral oil? I try to avoid mineral oil at all costs...I will try to get the Vatika oil in the meantime. My pre-poo treatment that I did with Pompeii Extra Virgin Olive Oil (from the grocery store ) Thurs night to Fri morning made my hair incredible! This will be my staple.

Could you tell me how you did the EVOO treatment? I use coconut oil and that works welll, but would love to try EVOO. How much do you use?

Also, I have not found an amla oil without mineral oil in it, which is why I returned it. I figure I can stand the small bottle of the stinky Vatika that I have and will keep it because it has coconut oil in it. It is too stinky to use for an overnight treatment but I will use it as a 30 minute pre-shampoo treatment until its gone.

 

[Faith]

I tried the amla and vitaka oils last night and I actually liked the smell of the amla more than the vitaka. If you have all used WGO you will know why these two are nice smelling in comparison. LOL!

 

[senimoni]

I just bought the Amla today....all the stores were out of the Vatika. I opened it up in the car...it doesn't seem that bad to me. Maybe it will be different once I have it on my hair.

 

[LeNghtyDreAms]

My hair is dyed a really light brown, which is the color i'd like for it to stay, so is there any amla oil that doesn't make your hair jet black? And where besides online can one purchase Amla oil? does the grease darken your hair?


thanx!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I tried the amla and vitaka oils last night and I actually liked the smell of the amla more than the vitaka. If you have all used WGO you will know why these two are nice smelling in comparison. LOL!

WGO must really smell funky! As was mentioned by a number of people in the thread on sweet smelling hair, I am not down with having my hair smelling funky

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I just bought the Amla today....all the stores were out of the Vatika. I opened it up in the car...it doesn't seem that bad to me. Maybe it will be different once I have it on my hair.

It didnt smell so bad when I took a whiff from the bottle. It's when I poured it all over my head for a prepoo that the smell hit me. My knees went week, my stomach turned and I had to lie down.

 

[senimoni]

For those of you who have used it for a while....have you noticed a change in your hair?

 

[CLASSYEBONYGIRL]

It didnt smell so bad when I took a whiff from the bottle. It's when I poured it all over my head for a prepoo that the smell hit me. My knees went week, my stomach turned and I had to lie down.

I can just imagine your reaction . I ordered the Alma herbal hair oil from naturalplaza.com and when I used it for the first time I almost went nuts. It has a very high perfume scent (old woman perfume) that made me want to stiffle and pass out immediately .I just started using it so I am not sure how beneficial it is to my hair.

 

[ximenia]

tryn2growmyhair & Jewell, the Qhemet amla pomade contains NO mineral oil. Here's a description: http://www.qhemetbiologics.com/pomades.html

 

[Jewell]

Could you tell me how you did the EVOO treatment? I use coconut oil and that works welll, but would love to try EVOO. How much do you use?

Also, I have not found an amla oil without mineral oil in it, which is why I returned it. I figure I can stand the small bottle of the stinky Vatika that I have and will keep it because it has coconut oil in it. It is too stinky to use for an overnight treatment but I will use it as a 30 minute pre-shampoo treatment until its gone.

Hey! I soak my entire head in it, put on a plastic cap and wrap a towel around my head. Since 70% of your body heat is lost through the head, the body heat allows it to penetrate. When I get up, there is condensation on the inside of the cap, indicating that heat was produced. I put a towel on my pillow, just in case a little comes out, and I shampoo with Nexxus Botanoil in the morning. It made my hair very soft, shiny, and strong. I just follow with my usual Keraphix and Humectress. I'll continue to do this on Thurs night, and shampoo Fri morning. I just use enough to cover all the hair, and no more than about a capful of excess remains in the plastic cap. HTH!

 

[Jewell]

tryn2growmyhair & Jewell, the Qhemet amla pomade contains NO mineral oil. Here's a description: http://www.qhemetbiologics.com/pomades.html

Thanks!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I can just imagine your reaction . I ordered the Alma herbal hair oil from naturalplaza.com and when I used it for the first time I almost went nuts. It has a very high perfume scent (old woman perfume) that made me want to stiffle and pass out immediately .I just started using it so I am not sure how beneficial it is to my hair.

Girrrrl, it sounds like we both had the same reaction to it. I will never go near that stuff again. Thank heavens I bought a small bottle of the Vatika. That, I will use up and never buy again either!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Hey! I soak my entire head in it, put on a plastic cap and wrap a towel around my head. Since 70% of your body heat is lost through the head, the body heat allows it to penetrate. When I get up, there is condensation on the inside of the cap, indicating that heat was produced. I put a towel on my pillow, just in case a little comes out, and I shampoo with Nexxus Botanoil in the morning. It made my hair very soft, shiny, and strong. I just follow with my usual Keraphix and Humectress. I'll continue to do this on Thurs night, and shampoo Fri morning. I just use enough to cover all the hair, and no more than about a capful of excess remains in the plastic cap. HTH!

Thanks, yes it does help. I think that I will do this with plain coconut oil or EVOO, though as the smell of amla makes me ill - I mean my stomach literally turns. Do you then airdry or do you blowdry or rollerset?

 

[Faith]

It's funny how different oils affect different people. I didn't care for Keracare's essential oil..it was too candy sweet smelling..got on my nerves after awhile.
Which brand of amla oil did you use? The Dabur one in the green box..it's green in color with the woman in yellow on it?

 

[CatSuga]

Does it still smell after you wash it out?

 

[Faith]

Does it still smell after you wash it out?

Who are you asking?