Organic Amla Fruit Powder For Hair
$9.95
Radico Organic Amla Fruit Powder is milled Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis) fruit, 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 (3.5 oz). Enough for about 3 full-length treatments at shoulder length, or 13 to 20 smaller applications.
The one herb here that changes the colour
Of the eight single herbs Radico makes, six add no colour of their own — a spoonful of any of them into a shade changes nothing you would notice. Two do more than that, and amla is the stronger of the two. Colorless henna is the other: it carries almost no pigment, but dilution is the whole reason it sits in a blend.
It is naturally acidic, and acidity holds a henna result back from the brightest, most orange end of its range. The same henna mixed with amla reads cooler and deeper: the difference between a copper that looks orange and one that looks auburn.
That is not a drawback. It is the reason amla is in 23 of Radico’s 24 shades — more than any other herb — with the proportion in each recipe measured for the tone that shade is meant to give. The only one without it is Violet.
What is actually in it
Amla is not a one-compound herb. Three are worth naming, and they are not equally specific to it.
| Compound | Class | Identifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Emblicanin A | Ellagitannin | C34H22O22 · 782.5 g/mol · CID 119058016 |
| Emblicanin B | Ellagitannin | C34H20O22 · 780.5 g/mol · CID 119058017 |
| Gallic acid | Phenolic acid | C7H6O5 · 170.12 g/mol · CID 370 |
The first two are characteristic of amla; the third is not. Emblicanins A and B are what researchers use to identify Phyllanthus emblica material, and they occur as a pair — B is A with two hydrogens removed, the same skeleton after oxidation. Gallic acid is genuinely present and part of what makes amla acidic, but it turns up in a great many plants, so naming it tells you far less about what is in the pouch.
A note on vitamin C. Amla is widely described as rich in vitamin C, and the fruit is. That figure comes from nutritional analysis — it describes what amla does when eaten. What ascorbic acid does on a scalp, applied as a water paste and rinsed off within the hour, is a different question, and not one we have found answered in the literature. We would rather not carry a number across from one context to another and let it imply something it was never measuring.
We also do not list essential fatty acids for this powder. Those belong to the seed oil rather than to milled fruit.
What the research has examined — and what it has not
Most published work on Phyllanthus emblica concerns oral use. The emblicanins have been studied in cell and animal models, and the fruit’s nutritional profile has been characterised in detail. Very little of that is about hair.
Here is the honest position. We have not found published work establishing what milled amla fruit does when applied to a human scalp as a water paste. We are not claiming it treats any scalp or hair condition, and in the United States a cosmetic may not make that claim.
The one effect we do describe — that amla shifts a plant colour cooler — is not a health claim. It is a colour outcome measured into every recipe, and one you can see for yourself in a strand test.
How to use it on its own
Amla is a strand herb rather than a scalp herb, so most people take it through the lengths rather than working it into the roots.
1. Weigh the powder
Weigh rather than spoon — a spoonful of milled fruit can vary by a third depending on the spoon and how it is scooped.
Full-length treatment
| 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) |
Scalp and roots only
| Short to shoulder length | 5–8 g (about ¼ oz) |
|---|---|
| Long or very thick | 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) |
2. Mix with warm water — and decide which treatment you are making
Amla is used two ways, and the ratio and the time on the hair go together. A loose mix worked through and rinsed, and a thick one left on under a cap, are not the same treatment.
| Use | Water | Consistency | Time on the hair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday care | 3–4× the powder’s weight in ml | Loose, like a pourable conditioner | 15–20 minutes |
| Intensive mask | 2× the powder’s weight in ml | Thick yogurt — holds on the brush | 30–45 minutes |
The everyday mix is the easier one to keep up, and it is what most people settle on. Use the mask ratio when you want a concentrated treatment rather than a routine one.
| Powder | Water, everyday (3–4×) | Water, as a mask (2×) |
|---|---|---|
| 5–8 g (¼ oz) | 15–32 ml (½–1 fl oz) | 10–16 ml (⅓–½ fl oz) |
| 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) | 30–65 ml (1–2¼ fl oz) | 20–32 ml (¾–1 fl oz) |
| 15–20 g (½–¾ oz) | 45–80 ml (1½–2¾ fl oz) | 30–40 ml (1–1⅓ fl oz) |
| 30 g (1 oz) | 90–120 ml (3–4 fl oz) | 60 ml (2 fl oz) |
| 50–60 g (1¾–2 oz) | 150–240 ml (5–8 fl oz) | 100–120 ml (3½–4 fl oz) |
Stir until there are no lumps, let the paste stand 5 minutes and check again — the powder keeps absorbing water after the first mix. Past 1:4 it thins toward water; at 1:1 it will not wet through at all.
Thinning it does not weaken it. We measured the paste at one part powder to three parts water and read pH 3.46; at 1:4 it reads 3.47, and at 1:5 still 3.47. Amla buffers itself, so the everyday mix is just as acidic as the mask — what differs is how long it sits and how concentrated it is, not what it is. The water we mixed it with reads 6.65, for comparison.
3. Apply through the lengths
Work from the mid-shaft down, then bring what is left up to the roots if you want it there.
4. Leave it on
Fifteen to twenty minutes for the everyday mix; thirty to forty-five for the mask. 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 hair. 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. 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 gradually shift your colour. How often you use it is a matter of what your routine allows.
Adding amla to a colour
This is where amla differs from every other single herb we make. It will change the result. That is what it is for, and it is worth doing deliberately rather than by accident.
What it does
- Cools a henna result. A copper that was reading orange moves toward auburn.
- Deepens it slightly. The same shade reads a little darker and less bright.
- Does not lighten, and does not cover more gray. Adding amla will not solve either of those.
How much
There is no single correct ratio, because it depends on how far you want to move the tone and how much henna is in the shade to begin with. Small amounts do more than people expect.
If you are starting out, add amla at around a tenth of the colour powder by weight — roughly 3 g of amla to 30 g of a shade — and strand test before committing to the whole head. You can always add more next time; you cannot take the coolness back out once the colour is on.
Two things to keep in mind. Amla is already in 23 of Radico’s 24 shades, in a proportion measured for the tone that shade is meant to give — so if you are colouring with Radico, you are adjusting a recipe that already contains it. And on an indigo-containing shade the effect is less predictable than on henna alone, because you are altering the conditions two pigments are developing in rather than one: mild acid assists henna and hinders indigo, so you are helping one and holding the other back at the same time.
Which Radico herb should you choose?
| If your concern is | Choose |
|---|---|
| Dullness — and softening henna’s warmth | Amla (Phyllanthus emblica, syn. Emblica officinalis) |
| Dry or brittle strands | Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) |
| Thinning, weak or tired-feeling hair — care at the root | Bhringraj (Eclipta prostrata, syn. E. alba) |
| An itchy or sensitive scalp | Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) |
| A flaking or tight-feeling scalp | Neem (Azadirachta indica) |
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
Phyllanthus emblica belongs to the Phyllanthaceae family. Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application, and stop use if irritation develops.
Radico Organic Amla Fruit Powder is a cosmetic product for external use on hair and scalp. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
All items on Radico USA website ship for a flat-rate to any address in the continental US for just $4.99.
Get free shipping on any order above $25.
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 Amla Fruit Powder — nothing else. A single-ingredient treatment, milled from organically certified Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis) fruit. No fillers, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no PPD, no ammonia. Amla is the one herb in Radico's single-herb range that changes a colour result: it is naturally acidic, and acidity shifts a henna result cooler.
100% organic, made in India. Net weight 100 g (3.5 oz). Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application. Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis) belongs to the Phyllanthaceae 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
Yes, and it is the only one of Radico's eight single herbs that does. Amla is naturally acidic, and acidity holds a henna result back from the brightest, most orange end of its range, so the same henna mixed with amla reads cooler and deeper. It is the difference between a copper that looks orange and one that looks auburn. This is why amla is in 23 of Radico's 24 shades, in a proportion measured for the tone each shade is meant to give.
There is no single correct ratio, because it depends on how far you want to move the tone and how much henna is in the shade to begin with. Small amounts do more than people expect. A reasonable starting point is around a tenth of the colour powder by weight — roughly 3 g of amla to 30 g of a shade — followed by a strand test before committing to the whole head. You can always add more next time; you cannot take the coolness back out once the colour is on.
No. Amla cools and slightly deepens a henna result, but it does not lighten hair and it does not improve gray coverage. If a colour is coming out too light on gray, the answer is indigo or a different shade rather than more amla.
Amla is a strand herb rather than a scalp herb, so most people take it through the lengths: 15 to 20 g for short hair, 30 g (1 oz) at shoulder length, or 50 to 60 g for long or very thick hair. For roots and scalp only, 5 to 8 g covers short to shoulder-length hair. Weigh rather than spoon, as a spoonful of milled fruit can vary by a third.
It depends which of two treatments you are making. For everyday care, use three to four times the powder's weight in millilitres - 90 to 120 ml for 30 g - which gives a loose mix you work through the lengths and rinse after 15 to 20 minutes. For an intensive mask, use two times the weight - 60 ml for 30 g - a thick yogurt that holds on the brush and sits under a cap for 30 to 45 minutes. Past 1:4 it thins toward water; at 1:1 the powder will not wet through at all. One thing worth knowing: thinning it does not weaken it. We measured the paste at pH 3.46 mixed 1:3, and 3.47 at 1:5, against 6.65 for the water itself. Amla buffers itself, so the everyday mix is just as acidic as the mask.
Amla is widely described as rich in vitamin C, and the fruit is, but that figure comes from nutritional analysis and describes what amla does when eaten. What ascorbic acid does on a scalp, applied as a water paste and rinsed off within the hour, is a different question, and not one we have found answered in the literature. What can be said is that amla is acidic, and that its acidity is what visibly changes a plant colour result.
Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis) belongs to the Phyllanthaceae 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 →