Ingredient

Neem

Azadirachta indica

At a glance

Botanical name: Azadirachta indica
INCI name: Azadirachta Indica Leaf Powder (100%)
Part used: Leaves

Neem leaf powder is the dried, milled leaf of the neem tree, Azadirachta indica, a member of the mahogany family with a long place in South Asian household and Ayurvedic skin and hair care. Mixed with warm water, it makes a fresh paste used as a short face or scalp mask that lifts excess surface oil and everyday residue, so oily skin and roots usually feel clean and fresh. Spierb Neem Powder is one ingredient, neem leaves from India, dried, finely ground and triple sifted, with nothing added.

Is neem powder the same as neem oil?

No. Spierb's is the leaf, dried and milled; neem oil is usually pressed from the seeds: a concentrated, oily material with a different make-up and smell. "Neem" is the everyday English name for the tree; you may also see Indian lilac or margosa, and in Ayurveda it's Nimba. Because almost every part of the tree has been used, "neem" can mean very different products. Neem soaps, face washes and capsules are made products of their own.

Expect a green to olive-brown powder with a strong, earthy smell. It doesn't dissolve, so rinse the paste off thoroughly.

What are the common uses of neem powder?

Neem is used as a rinse-off mask, mixed fresh with warm water each time:

Face mask for oily or combination skin: a thin layer on clean skin for 10–15 minutes, rinsed off before it cracks, once a week. On combination skin, use it on your forehead, nose and chin only. How to use neem powder on your face has the method; it's a weekly mask, not a daily one.
Softer or more oil-absorbing masks: 1 teaspoon each with 3–4 teaspoons of warm water, 5–10 minutes, once a week: with Aloe Vera Powder (left to rest 5 minutes first) for a softer paste, or with fuller's earth (multani mitti), mixed in a non-metallic bowl, to take up more surface oil.
A citrus mask: 1 teaspoon each of neem and Orange Peel Powder with 3–4 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, then a thin layer for 10–15 minutes, rinsed off gently, once a week.
Scalp mask for oily roots: a looser paste along your partings for 15–30 minutes, up to twice a week, mainly on the scalp rather than dry lengths. The oily-scalp neem routine explains it, including why neem water isn't left on overnight.
Hair masks with other powders: 1 tablespoon of neem with 2 tablespoons of Amla, Bhringraj or Brahmi, 15–20 minutes.

Neem never goes into a hair wash. If you wash with Shikakai or Aritha, use the neem mask first, rinse it out, then wash.

Used this way, oily skin usually feels cleaner, less greasy and fresher, and can look less dull for a while; roots feel lighter. Neem isn't a treatment for acne, eczema, dandruff or any other skin or scalp condition, it doesn't lighten skin or fade dark spots, and it doesn't make hair grow.

What are the side effects of neem powder?

Spierb Neem Powder is for external use only: don't eat or drink it. On the skin and scalp, the problems people run into are dryness, tightness, stinging, redness, itching or irritation, mostly when the paste is too thick, left on too long or used too often, and dry or porous hair lengths can feel rough. Any plant powder can also cause a reaction in some people, neem included. If your skin burns, keeps itching, swells or the redness spreads, rinse it off and stop using it.

What are the disadvantages of neem?

It has a strong smell, it has to be mixed fresh and rinsed off, a thick layer can leave green residue, and it can feel drying on dry or sensitive skin and hair. Mixed paste can't be stored, so make only what you'll use.

Who should avoid neem?

Skip it if you've reacted to neem, or to the mix you're planning, before. Don't put it on broken, cut, sunburned, weeping or irritated skin or scalp, or on an active eczema patch: wait until the skin has settled. Very dry or sensitive skin should go carefully, with a thinner layer, a shorter time or the Aloe Vera Powder mix, or choose a different mask.

Patch test the exact mix 24–48 hours before first use. Don't go ahead if the skin burns, swells, blisters or turns red, or if it itches and the itch doesn't settle. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later. Keep the paste and rinse water out of your eyes; if any gets in, rinse them with plenty of clean water. Call 911 if your face, lips or eyes swell or you have trouble breathing; see a doctor or pharmacist if a reaction spreads or keeps getting worse, or if an eye still hurts, stays red or your vision is blurred after rinsing. Keep the powder out of reach of children.

Frequently asked questions

Is neem good for eczema?

No, not as a treatment. Neem leaf powder is a drying, rinse-off cosmetic mask, and eczema-prone skin is usually dry and easily irritated, which is where a drying mask can be uncomfortable. Don't put it on skin that's very dry, cracked, weeping, inflamed or irritated; use it only on intact skin that's comfortable with it.

Is neem cooling or heating?

In Ayurveda, neem is classed as cooling (sheeta). That's a traditional classification, not a measurement. A wet neem mask can also feel cool on your skin, simply because it's wet.

Which is better, neem oil or neem powder?

They're different products. Spierb Neem Powder is dried neem leaf, mixed with water into a rinse-off mask for oily skin and scalp. Neem oil is usually pressed from the seeds; it's a concentrated, oily material used in made products, and it can irritate some people. For a water-based face or scalp mask, choose the leaf powder.

Can I use neem powder daily?

No. Use the face mask once a week and the hair and scalp mask up to twice a week. More often tends to leave skin and scalp tight, dry, rough or irritated.

What does Ayurveda say about neem?

Ayurveda calls neem Nimba and describes it as bitter and cooling, and its leaves have long been used in household face packs and in bathing and scalp routines. That heritage is why many people still choose neem, mixed fresh as a face or scalp mask.

Is neem oil banned in Canada?

Not as such. In Canada, a product sold or used to control insects or other pests counts as a pesticide, and it has to be registered for that use before it can be sold or used that way. So neem oil that isn't registered as a pest-control product can't be sold or used to kill pests. Neem sold for skin or hair care is a cosmetic ingredient instead. Spierb sells neem leaf powder, not neem oil, for use on skin, scalp and hair only.

What does neem smell like?

Strong, earthy and bitter-green, sometimes a little sharp. It's the natural smell of the dried leaf, not an added perfume, and it fades once the mask is rinsed off. How strong it is varies from batch to batch.

Can neem help with skin problems?

Not as a treatment. Neem leaf powder is a cosmetic mask: it lifts surface oil and everyday residue, so oily skin usually feels clean and fresh. It doesn't treat acne, eczema, rashes or any other skin condition, and it shouldn't go on skin that's broken, weeping, sunburned or irritated.