Arappu Powder (Albizia Almara Powder)- Natural Shampoo For Hair

Arappu Powder (Albizia Almara Powder)- Natural Shampoo For Hair

Before COVID hit the world, someone gave me this green powder calling it Arappu powder, back at home and asked me to try washing my hair with this and said I would get hooked on to this. And she was right.. For the last 6 months there has not been any going back for me.   

I grew up using this shampoo powder called Shikakai but very recently I came across the mother of all shampoo powders- Arappu powder as it’s famously called in Tamil language or Albizia Amara. 

Arappu powder is made from the leaves of Albizia Amara or Arappu tree, a naturally found herb specially made for conditioning your hair that is completely non toxic- no mineral oils, parabens, sulphates, silicons, artificial colors or added fragrance and is proven to have enumerable benefits. A new found treasure trove for non toxic lovers in United States. 

Arappu powder for hair

 

Where is Arappu powder abundantly made? 

Albizia Amara tree is also called usila tree as it was originally found abundantly from this small town which is today called Usilampatti in Southern India. But since the chemical invasion with shampoos and soaps, we are completely forgetting the natural practices that our ancestors kept up with. Arappu or Albizia powder for hair was their go to routine back at that time and guess what they had the men enraptured by his wife's tresses

I moved onto natural living the past few years and have been researching so much on natural shampoos. On a quest for a simple living and simple products to use, I stumbled upon the miraculous effects of Shikakai and Reetha  but this powder they say seems to be mother of all. 

Albizia Amara powder for hair

To get closer to this actual truth about this magical powder I reached out to my supplier Raj, living in wet evergreen forest patches of Western Ghats, about this Arappu/Albizia powder. He chuckled and said that Arappu leaves are so widely available there and are harvested at large quantities by the tribal woman. With an increased outbreak of animals attacking the food crops, the tribal women are left to work with wild cultivation as a means of their livelihoods. Because of its wide usage for hair washes and other properties like antibacterial, antifungal the tribal women are quite involved in harvesting the Arappu leaves.


How is Arappu powder made? 

The leaves are fully grown, it’s plucked, sun-dried and made into powder. So easily and effortlessly the powder removes the grime and oil giving the hair a beautiful sheen. 

The Arappu leaves are plucked when they are tender, just like tea harvesting and are sun dried. They are washed off any dirt or soil on them and once they are dried, they are ground to a fine powder. Raj also mentioned that the tribal women, along with Albizia Amara leaves collect various other herbs such as “Shikakai, gooseberry and tamarind in different seasons”. Western Ghats because of its richness biologically and located biogeographically in a very unique terrain makes it a veritable treasure house for biodiversity.

Raj casually remarked with a flippant tone, that his mother though old still doesn’t have a single grey hair. He added, “ If you use Arappu powder, it is unlikely that your hair will start greying till you reach very old age”


Arappu powder or Albizia Amara benefits

  • Absolutely no hairfall
  • Soft and shiny lustrous hair
  • Very cooling to your hair and the body 
  • Gets rid of dandruff completely

I have been having serious hair fall before COVID and I attributed it to the usual entrepreneurial stress and brushed this aside. Once I got curious about this Arappu powder, I began using it for the last 6 months and I can’t believe what it has done to my hair. 

My hair is so soft, moisturizing and always looks so heavily conditioned without dousing my hair chemicals. Now that’s a win. 

How to use Arappu powder for hair? 

  • Take about 1-2 tbsp of Albizia Amara powder in a bowl
  • Add some water to make it into a medium paste
  • Ensure that there are no lumps and apply it to wet hair. It would begin to lather mildly and removes the oil leaving the hair clean
  • Rinse off the powder.

Feel the shine and softness in your hair. 

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If you are oiling your hair:

If you have oiled your hair, you can add 2 tbsp of Shikakai powder and 1 tbsp of Arappu powder to make a medium paste with water. Rinse them off once applied to wet hair. 

  • Shikaki powder is to remove the extra oil that you have applied on to your hair. 
  • Arappu powder will condition your hair making it very very soft and lustrous..

Arappu powder for hair is deemed as a sustainable hair wash alternative. Here is why? 

The Arappu tree or Usila tree easily grows without much water or fodder and can even withstand severe drought conditions. Just like neem tree all these trees which are true treasures provided by mother earth have numerous uses and every part of the tree is put to full use. Arappu leaves when dried and powdered is a wonderful hair conditioner.

The gum from the bark of the tree can be used in making furniture and it yields a dark color wood. The tree also produces a gum which is used to fight ulcers. The fruits when consumed are a wonderful cure to wade off malaria and cough. The leaves are a great fodder for livestock and a fantastic nutrient for crops.

Isn’t this a true treasure from nature? 

Where can you get Arappu powder or Albizia Amara powder? 

If you are interested to get your hands on this powder,  please fill out this request form. Once we have enough requests, Pure Mitti will soon have it in our store. We will cater only to US and Canada audience.  

Here is some natural herbal Hair wash Products from us:
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