Amla Oil: Miracle oil or nightmare?

Amla Fruit from the Gooseberry Tree

If you have not heard, Amla Oil is a plant based oil from India that is quickly becoming popular among naturals. It is purported to cure a dry itchy scalp, aids with hair growth, slows down shedding, and can even slow the process of graying. The people of India have been using it in their hair for years. It comes from the gooseberry tree in India, and is produced from the Amla fruit.

A popular brand of Amla oil is Dabur Oil which can be found at local Indian stores. The pricing is relatively inexpensive. However, this oil is mixed with several other oils including mineral oil, which may be a deterrent if you are looking for completely natural hair care products. As a hair aid, the oil is to be placed in the hair and left in for an hour and then rinsed out, or overnight and then rinsed out. Dabur Oil has a strong smell that many people do not care for and it is suggested to do the oil treatment at night.  You can find more ways to use this oil here “3 Ways to Use Amla Oil On Natural Hair.”

However, I was researching the “Indian Oiling Method” by Hadassah, creator of Nappily Nigerian Girl, which is a process of oiling your hair daily to promote growth and length retention, and came across some Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) containing Amla oil and thought I would use it as a part of my oiling regimen.

This should be good for my hair right?

I began using the JBCO with Amla, mixed with coconut oil, on my scalp and hair every day to every other day. When my wash day came, I was surprised to see that I was shedding more than usual. I thought it may have been because I started using a new co-wash and leave-in by III Sisters of Nature. However, upon further research, I realized it was because of the Amla oil.

Several other woman who used the oil, and did not rinse it out, also experienced increased shedding. Click Here to see a conversation on a hair forum where women discuss increased shedding due to Amla oil.  The writer, Skills, on Hairscapades posted a picture showing that a patch of hair was missing from the back of her head after she regularly used Amla oil on her scalp. 

 I think Amla oil may be a good oil that promotes hair growth and reduces shedding, but it MUST BE RINSED OUT. I do not recommend using JBCO with Amla as this is a product that is meant to be applied to the scalp daily and left on. Instead of helping your hair growth process, it will harm it.

If you choose to use Amla oil, or Amla powder, make sure you rinse it from your hair completely. If you find that you have increased shedding while using Amla, then you may be in the minority of women, like myself, who simply cannot use the product or are allergic to it. I still have some of my JBCO with Amla left over, I will try it as a pre-poo and see if I still have a lot of shedding. I did not have the red scalp reaction that Skills had so I may just be using it wrong. 

If you use or have used Amla Oil, please comment below with your experiences.

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