This Stellar Ayurvedic Ingredient Is The Best Kept Secret For Hair Growth

BY CRESCENCIA NGA CHE

Amla oil is a staple in many Indian beauty routines for its ability to boost hair health and growth. Can this ayurvedic oil be the one you’ve been looking for? 

Amla oil has been the best kept secret for long, healthy, and radiant looking hair in the Asian community for centuries, genetics aside. My Asian girlfriends swear by it as part of their natural ayurvedic inspired hair care routine. 

Needless to say that they talked me into giving amla oil a try for my natural, afro hair, and needless to say that I continue to be blown away by how it has brought life back into my curly hair and accelerated its natural growth. Yes, it has joined a coveted spot in my favourite hair growth oils collection.

So, you may wonder, what’s the big deal about amla oil? Is it once again one of these hyped ingredients that the beauty industry is trying, yet again, to shove down our purses to make money out of our already squeezed incomes? The simple answer is “nope”. 

Let’s take a look at what amla oil actually is, and how from a clinical study standpoint it can help support your hair growth and health, and how to add it into your hair care routine.

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1. Rich Roots Amla & Rosemary Hair Oil – 2. Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Clinical Densifying Scalp Treatment – 3. PATTERN Moisture Milk – 4. AGENT NATEUR Holi(locks) Strengthening Hair Growth Serum – 5. Curlsmith Post-Wash Calming Conditioner – 6. Undefined Beauty R&R Sun Elixir Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Glow Oil – 7. Tracie Martyn Amla Purifying Cleanser – 8. Derma E Reparative Styling Hair Repair Oil – 9. Sun Bum Deep Conditioning Mask – 10. Qhemet Biologics Castor & Amla Nourishing Pomade

What Is Amla Oil?

Amla oil comes from the amla fruit known as the Indian gooseberry and emblic myrobalan, which originates from the amalaki tree that is native to the Indian subcontinent. 

Many Ayurvedic practitioners believe in the therapeutic benefits of amla oil which is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants, proteins, amino acids, iron,  magnesium, potassium, pectin, and carotene, just to name a few.

Amla oil hair treatment in the Indian subcontinent is akin to the rice water hair mask in some parts of China that is designed to boost hair strength, health, growth, and natural hair colour. 

Many generations in Southeast Asia have been using amla oil with effective results for so many years that it has become a staple in their hair care routines to revive damaged, dyed, and bleached hair.

Beyond the traditional rituals that have been passed down from one generation to the next, a few clinical studies seem to evidence the therapeutic benefits associated with the use of amla oil as a hair treatment to achieve darker, longer, stronger, healthier, and shinier hair.

Amla Oil Health Benefits

One of the health benefits associated with amla oil is that it helps strengthen the scalp of your hair. It reduces premature pigment loss from your hair, and by doing so it helps slow down the greying process.

Amla oil is also helpful in treating male baldness by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha reductase in the body according to a 2012 study. 

Amla oil  also stimulates hair growth, reduces hair loss, prevents and treats dandruff and dry scalp, which is especially helpful  when the winter is coming (source 3). 

I don’t know about you,  but I love doing hair oils in the winter and summer, because I find that my scalp is a little bit  drier than usual during these periods of the year. Amla oil hair masks help me lock in moisture and keep my hair better hydrated.

Another health benefit of amla oil is that it helps prevent and treat parasitic hair and scalp infections like lice infections, and it also helps prevent and treat fungal and bacterial hair and scalp infections (Source 4). 

How to Use Amla Oil

When shopping for amla oil, try to pick a product where the ideal concentration of the ingredient forms 7.5 percent of the formula based on clinical studies (source 4). 

You can also opt to get amla oil as a single ingredient product that you can use as a standalone product or as part of a hair care routine.  Bear in mind that amla oil pairs well with many other hair care ingredients.

I started using amla oil together with coconut oil a lot more during quarantine when we were finally home and we were able to better take care of ourselves. This stuff is truly amazing. 

For those with blonde or light coloured hair, it is wiser to choose a hair mask or treatment oil that contains amla oil as a key ingredient in the formula. 

If you choose to use it as a stand alone product instead, it is helpful to do a patch test, because amla oil is super pigmented courtesy of its green pigment colour. 

I personally really love the amla oil as a staple organic oil. Other amla infused hair products that I like to use as part of my haircare routine include Rich Roots Amla & Rosemary Hair Oil to support hair growth and help reduce my scalp dryness and itchiness. Another favourite amla oil containing formula that I thoroughly enjoy is Qhemet Biologics Castor & Amla Nourishing Pomade; this little darling helps me reduce shedding and breakage of my edges and ends when styling my hair. 

When it comes to using amla oil as a hair treatment, consider massaging the oil onto your scalp in circular motions to make sure it deeply penetrates the roots of your hair strands. Massaging your scalp this way is also a great way of increasing  blood circulation and helping with hair growth.  

I love mixing amla oil with some coconut oil for the ends of my hair. I generally go for the organic, unrefined coconut oil that comes into a raw, physical form that I gently melt into my palms before applying it gradually from the mid section of my hair to the ends of my hair strands for added moisture.

Once I have done it, I partition my hair into four sections and leave the conditioning oil mixture on my hair for 30 minutes, an hour, or overnight, depending on my time availability.

If you choose to keep your hair oil mask overnight, make sure to wrap your hair in a scarf or a hair bonnet, as this will further help lock in moisture. Use pillowcases that you can throw into the washing machine the next day, as you may end up with oil residues on your pillow sheets.  

After that deeply nourishing oil treatment during which I sometimes choose to read a book, paint my nails, or simply do my favourite green clay face mask, I head out to the bathroom for shampooing time. If I have a lot of buildup, I opt for a clarifying shampoo cleaning routine. Otherwise, a sulphate-free shampoo for a gentler cleanup is more appropriate when I am doing a mid-month hair cleaning routine. After shampooing, I like to apply the leave-in Sun Bum Deep Conditioning Mask  that is infused with amla and bamboo extract throughout my wet hair to lock in moisture and strengthen my hair.

Once the shampoo time is done, I sometimes choose to let my hair air dry or I go for a blow dry with my dyson airwrap when I am about to head out. What I notice is that my hair is visibly healthier looking, softer, and more hydrated with the right level of shine. It is such a breeze to put my fingers through my hair with great ease. My hair strands are also more voluminous. 

Overall, my blow dry lasts much longer with the amla oil and coconut oil hair mask that I will highly recommend you give a try to revive your dull looking hair. This might be the magic concoction that your hair needs to bounce back to life. Who knows? Just give it a try.

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