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Learn herbal hair & skin care

Twelve single-ingredient powders, explained properly. Start with an ingredient, pick a routine, or search everything we have written.

Start with an ingredient

The twelve powders

Each one has a full reference page: what it is, the science, the benefits, the safety notes, and every article we have written about it.

Glossary A–Z
Aloe VeraAloe vera (syn. Aloe barbadensis)Aloe Vera Powder is the whole leaf of the aloe vera plant, dried and milled to a fine powder for external use on hair and skin. Read the guide AmlaPhyllanthus emblicaAmla powder is the dried fruit of Phyllanthus emblica, deseeded and milled into a fine cosmetic powder for hair, scalp and sele... Read the guide ArithaSapindus mukorossiAritha powder is the dried fruit of the soapnut tree, Sapindus mukorossi, finely ground into a powder you mix with warm water t... Read the guide BhringrajEclipta prostrataBhringraj powder is the dried leaf of the herb Eclipta prostrata, finely ground into a soft green powder for hair and scalp care. Read the guide BrahmiBacopa monnieriBrahmi powder is the dried leaf of Bacopa monnieri, milled fine and mixed fresh with warm water into a rinse-out hair and scalp... Read the guide HennaLawsonia inermisHenna powder is the dried leaf of the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis, milled fine and triple sifted. Read the guide IndigoIndigofera tinctoriaIndigo powder is the dried leaf of the indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria, milled to a fine green powder. Read the guide Multani Mitti (Fuller's Earth)Multani Mitti is fuller's earth: a naturally occurring absorbent mineral clay, mixed with water into a rinse-off mask that take... Read the guide NeemAzadirachta indica (neem)Neem Powder is the dried leaf of Azadirachta indica, milled to a fine green powder and mixed with water into a rinse-off mask f... Read the guide Orange PeelCitrus aurantium dulcis (sweet orange)Orange peel powder is dried sweet orange peel, finely ground into a powder that you mix with water and use as a rinse-off face ... Read the guide ShikakaiAcacia concinnaShikakai powder is the dried fruit pods of Acacia concinna, finely ground into a powder you mix with warm water to wash your hair. Read the guide Walnut ShellJuglans regia (common walnut)Walnut shell powder is the hard shell of the common walnut, dried, ground and sieved into fine particles that you mix with wate... Read the guide

Start here

New to plant-based colour and care? These four cover the ground most people need first.

Covering greys with hennaWhat plant-based colour really does to grey hair, and what it will not do. Your first henna, step by stepA beginner method for copper-red, from mixing to rinsing, with real timings. Henna and indigo for brown hairThe one-step mix, the simpler of the two routes to a natural brown. Safety and patch testDo this 24 to 48 hours before the first use of anything, every time.

Browse by kind of question

Guides 16 Outcome-led routines for one concern at a time. How-to 21 Single-task recipes, measured and step by step. Myths 8 A claim, a verdict, and what to do instead. Troubleshooting 11 Symptom-led fixes for when it has already gone wrong.

Latest from the library

Guides18 Sep 2026 Where to Buy Ayurvedic Hair Powders in the UK: What to Check Before You Buy Supermarkets, health shops, Asian grocers and online specialists don't stock the same kind of herbal powder, and the ... Guides18 Sep 2026 Which Ayurvedic Hair Powder Should You Use? Amla vs Bhringraj vs Brahmi vs Reetha vs Shikakai Nine powders, and the difference between them is what job they do rather than which is strongest. Here is which one s... Myths18 Sep 2026 Can Grey Hair Turn Black Again Naturally? What Amla, Bhringraj and Indigo Really Do Colouring grey hair and reversing grey hair are two different things, and only one of them is possible. Here is what ... Guides18 Sep 2026 Chemical-Free Hair Dye: What Plant Hair Colour Can and Can't Do "Chemical-free" is not a thing any hair colour can be, but the question underneath it is a fair one. Here is how henn... Guides15 Sep 2026 What Can You Mix With Henna? Water, Indigo, Amla and Aloe Vera Powder Warm water or warm filtered tea is all henna needs, and indigo is the only addition that changes your colour. What am... Troubleshooting15 Sep 2026 Itchy Scalp After Henna? Causes, Reactions and What to Do Mild itching after henna is usually dryness or leftover paste. The four likely causes, what to do now, how to patch t...