Organic Neem Leaf Powder For Hair
$9.95
Radico Organic Neem Leaf Powder is a single-ingredient scalp treatment, milled from Azadirachta indica leaf grown on our own certified organic farms. One ingredient in the pouch and nothing else — no fillers, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no PPD, no ammonia.
Net weight 100 g (3.53 oz). Enough for 13 to 20 scalp treatments on short to shoulder-length hair, or about 3 full-length masks at shoulder length. It carries no pigment, so it will not colour hair or alter a herbal colour you already have.
Leaf powder, not neem oil
Almost everything written about neem for hair is written about neem oil, which is pressed from the seed. The two are different products, and the difference matters before you buy.
| Leaf powder | Neem oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of the tree | Leaf | Seed kernel |
| How it is made | Dried and milled | Cold-pressed |
| Principal compound | Nimbolide | Azadirachtin |
| Smell | Green, mild, tea-like | Strong, sulphurous, garlic-like |
| Mixed with | Warm water, into a paste | Neat or in a carrier oil |
| Washing out | Rinses with water | Usually needs shampoo, often twice |
| Into a colour mix | Yes — blends dry with the powders | No — oil interferes with plant dye |
If you have read that neem smells strongly, that was about the oil. Leaf powder smells green and grassy, close to matcha. The taste is another matter: neem is markedly more bitter than matcha, and if fine dust drifts up while you are spooning it into the bowl, you will taste that bitterness on the back of the tongue. It is harmless, but it is worth knowing before you open the pouch.
What is actually in the leaf
The major limonoid of Azadirachta indica leaf is nimbolide. The leaf also contains nimbidin, quercetin and β-sitosterol.
A note on azadirachtin. Azadirachtin is the compound neem is famous for, and most listings for neem powder name it. It belongs to the seed. The phytochemical literature treats azadirachtin and gedunin as seed constituents, while nimbolide is described as the major limonoid of the leaf. This powder is milled leaf, so we name the compound the leaf actually carries rather than the one with the better-known name.
We also do not list vitamin E, or the fatty acids linoleic, oleic and stearic acid. Those are the profile of neem seed oil, not of the milled leaf.
What the research has examined — and what it has not
Neem is among the most-studied plants in the traditional pharmacopoeia. Laboratory work on its limonoids, nimbolide in particular, has examined antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity in cell and animal models.
Here is the honest position. That work uses isolated compounds and concentrated extracts, not milled leaf in a water paste on a human scalp. We are not claiming that this powder treats any scalp condition, and in the United States a cosmetic may not make that claim.
What we can tell you is what is in the powder, and how neem has been used: as a scalp herb, applied to the skin at the roots, for a very long time.
How to use it
Neem is a scalp herb. Most people apply it to the roots and scalp only, which takes far less powder than a full-length mask.
1. Weigh the powder
Weigh rather than spoon — a spoonful of leaf powder can vary by a third depending on the spoon and how it is scooped. A small kitchen scale takes the guesswork out.
For the scalp and roots only
| Short to shoulder length | 5–8 g (about ¼ oz) |
|---|---|
| Long or very thick | 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) |
For a full-length mask
| Short / chin length | 15–20 g (½–¾ oz) |
|---|---|
| Shoulder length | 30 g (1 oz) |
| Long or very thick | 50–60 g (1¾–2 oz) |
2. Mix with warm water — and choose your consistency
Add warm water gradually at three to four times the powder’s weight in millilitres. Where you land inside that range is worth thinking about, because it changes how the paste behaves.
Nearer 4× — looser
Easier to work into the scalp. A looser paste spreads under the fingertips and reaches between sections without dragging. Best when you are treating the roots only.
Nearer 3× — firmer
Stays where you put it. At the looser end the paste can drip once it is on the lengths. If you are taking neem through to the ends, keep closer to three.
Either way, stir until there are no lumps, then let the paste stand 5 minutes and check again — the powder keeps absorbing water after the first mix.
| Powder | Warm water (3×–4×) |
|---|---|
| 5–8 g (¼ oz) | 15–30 ml (½–1 fl oz) |
| 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) | 30–65 ml (1–2¼ fl oz) |
| 15–20 g (½–¾ oz) | 45–80 ml (1½–2¾ fl oz) |
| 30 g (1 oz) | 90–120 ml (3–4 fl oz) |
| 50–60 g (1¾–2 oz) | 150–240 ml (5–8 fl oz) |
3. Apply to the scalp first
Section the hair and work the paste into the scalp with your fingertips, then draw the rest down through the lengths.
4. Leave on 30–45 minutes
Cover with a shower cap so the paste stays damp. A dried-out paste stops working — it is the water that keeps the plant compounds in contact with the scalp. We have no reason to think longer than 60 minutes changes the outcome, and we have not tested past that.
5. Rinse
Rinse thoroughly with warm water — powder masks hide at the nape. Shampoo is optional.
How often: once to three times a week, as suits your routine. There is no pigment in it to accumulate, so repeating it will not shift your colour. How often you use it is a matter of what your routine allows.
Neem and colour
Neem is not one of the herbs in Radico’s 24 shades — the only one of our eight single herbs that appears in none of them. Reetha and shikakai are each in one, Sun Blonde; the other five are in eleven shades or more, and amla is in twenty-three. Those recipes are built from henna, indigo, amla and the other pigment and conditioning herbs. Neem does nothing for a colour, so there has never been a reason to put it in one. It is a scalp herb, and we keep it separate.
It adds no colour, though, so if you mix your own it can be blended into henna, indigo or any Radico shade without shifting the tone. Blend the dry powders together before adding water. Bear in mind that any powder you add takes up room: a spoonful makes no practical difference, but a large share lowers the concentration of the herbs that do the colouring, and the result comes out lighter. Whether adding it changes how long a colour takes to develop, we have not measured.
Which Radico herb should you choose?
| If your concern is | Choose |
|---|---|
| A flaking or tight-feeling scalp | Neem (Azadirachta indica) |
| Thinning, weak or tired-feeling hair — care at the root | Bhringraj (Eclipta prostrata, syn. E. alba) |
| An itchy or sensitive scalp | Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) |
| Dry or brittle strands | Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) |
| Dullness — and softening henna’s warmth | Amla (Phyllanthus emblica, syn. Emblica officinalis) |
Of these five, only amla changes a colour result through its own chemistry. The other four add no colour — though, as with any powder, a large share of one dilutes a blend simply by taking up room.
Before you use it
Azadirachta indica belongs to the Meliaceae family, the mahogany family. Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application, and stop use if irritation develops.
Radico Organic Neem Leaf Powder is a cosmetic product for external use on hair and scalp. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
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If you are unsatisfied with the result, please contact us for a free replacement of the color of your choice. Returns within 30 days receive a full refund.
Ingredients
This product contains 100% Organic Neem Leaf Powder — nothing else. A single-ingredient scalp treatment, milled from organically certified Azadirachta indica leaf. No fillers, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no PPD, no ammonia. It carries no pigment, so it does not colour hair.
100% organic, made in India. Net weight 100 g (3.53 oz). Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application. Azadirachta indica belongs to the Meliaceae family. This is a cosmetic product for external use on hair and scalp; it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
FAQ
No. Neem oil is pressed from the seed kernel; this is milled leaf. They have different principal compounds — azadirachtin in the seed, nimbolide in the leaf — and they behave differently. Leaf powder mixes with warm water into a paste and rinses out with water, where oil is used neat or in a carrier and usually needs shampooing out twice. Leaf powder can also be blended into a plant colour; oil cannot, because it interferes with the dye.
The strong sulphurous smell neem is known for belongs to the oil, not the leaf. Milled leaf smells green and grassy, close to matcha. The taste is a different matter — neem is markedly more bitter than matcha, and if fine dust drifts up while you are spooning the powder into a bowl you will taste that bitterness at the back of the tongue. It is harmless, and it does not affect the finished paste, but it is worth knowing before you open the pouch.
Azadirachtin belongs to the seed rather than the leaf. The phytochemical literature treats azadirachtin and gedunin as seed constituents, while nimbolide is described as the major limonoid of the leaf. This powder is milled leaf, so we name nimbolide rather than the compound with the better-known name.
Three to four times the powder's weight in millilitres, so 30 g takes 90 to 120 ml. Where you land in that range changes how the paste behaves. Nearer four times is looser and easier to work into the scalp with the fingertips, which suits a roots-only treatment. Nearer three times is firmer and will not drip once it is on the lengths, which suits a full-length mask.
For a scalp treatment, 5 to 8 g (about ¼ oz) for short to shoulder-length hair, or 10 to 16 g (⅓ to ½ oz) for long or very thick hair. For a full-length mask, 30 g (1 oz) covers shoulder-length hair from scalp to ends. Weigh rather than spoon: a spoonful of leaf powder can vary by a third depending on how it is scooped.
Between 13 and 20 scalp treatments for short to shoulder-length hair, or about 3 full-length masks at shoulder length.
30 to 45 minutes, kept damp under a shower cap. A dried-out paste stops working, because it is the water that keeps the plant compounds in contact with the scalp. We have not found an advantage to leaving it longer than 60 minutes.
No. Neem carries no pigment, so it will not colour hair or alter a herbal colour you already have. It is not one of the herbs in Radico's 24 shades — those are built from henna, indigo, amla and the other pigment and conditioning herbs — but because it is colour-neutral it can be blended into any of them without changing the result.
Azadirachta indica belongs to the Meliaceae family, the mahogany family. Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application and stop use if irritation develops. We cannot tell you whether any plant is safe for you; we can tell you what is in the pouch.
- ・100% Pure Plants, No Synthetic Chemicals
- ・Free from Additives, Artificial Fragrance & Harsh Preservatives
- ・Crafted with Traditional Ayurvedic Herbs
We create products rooted in nature and tradition.
Made with certified organic plant ingredients and no synthetic chemicals, our formulas support naturally healthy hair and skin—without compromise.
Freshness
Sealed Airtight, Ordered Little and Often
Airtight, not vacuum
So the powder stays loose
Some herb powders pack into a hard block under vacuum, and customers asked us to stop. These pouches are sealed airtight with the air left in.
3 years
Unopened, from manufacture
Without the vacuum, we set a shorter limit than our hair colours. The batch number, manufacture date and expiry date are printed on every pouch.
Ordered small
Little time on our shelves
We order single herbs in the smallest amounts we can, so each pouch spends as little time as possible waiting to be sent.
12 months+
Left on every pouch we send
We ship the oldest stock first, and take any batch with less than 12 months left out of sale.
Once opened, press the air out, reseal tightly and keep it dry. Applies to orders shipped by Radico USA. More on freshness →