Aritha (Reetha) Powder for Hair & Scalp

How Your Hair Feels

After a well-diluted Aritha wash, your roots usually feel clean, light and less coated, and fine hair often has more lift. It's a cleanser, not a conditioner, so follow with your usual conditioner on your lengths if they need more slip.

Oil and Product Residue

Aritha's saponins help lift excess oil, the oil you put on before washing and light styling product, so the rinse carries them away. Very heavy oiling or a lot of product may need a second short wash rather than a longer first one. Hard-water minerals are a different problem: a dedicated chelating shampoo deals with those.

Who It Suits

Oily scalps, product-heavy roots and people who like a single-ingredient wash they mix themselves. Dry, curly, porous or bleached hair usually does best with a more diluted wash, mostly on the scalp, or with Shikakai taking a bigger share of a blend. If your scalp is sensitive, patch test first and start with a dilute wash.

Before You Start

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use (see Care & Safety). You'll need about 10 g of powder for short hair, up to about 40 g for long or thick hair, comfortably warm water (never boiling) and a bowl. Aritha stings the eyes, so plan to rinse with your head tilted back.

The Hair Wash

1. Add comfortably warm water to the powder gradually, stirring, until you have a smooth, thin, pourable wash, thinner than a hair mask.
2. Let it stand 5–10 minutes, then stir again.
3. Wet your hair and scalp thoroughly.
4. Apply it to your scalp and roots first and massage gently with your fingertips. Smooth only a little through your lengths.
5. Leave it on for 3–5 minutes, keeping it away from your eyes.
6. Rinse very thoroughly, head tilted back, until your scalp no longer feels gritty, especially at the nape and behind the ears. If any gets in your eyes, rinse them straight away with plenty of clean water and don't rub them.
7. Condition your lengths if they need it.
8. Use it up to twice a week.

Aritha Water

For less grit, stir the powder into warm water, let it stand, then strain it through muslin and use the liquid the same way. Make it fresh for each wash.

Mixes

Shikakai: 1 tablespoon of each for medium-length hair, warm water to a thin wash, stand 10–15 minutes, massage in for 60–90 seconds, leave 3–5 minutes and rinse very thoroughly, keeping it out of your eyes. For dry, curly or porous hair, use less Aritha rather than leaving the wash on longer. Amla, Shikakai and Bhringraj: see the four-powder hair wash.

Tips

Little foam doesn't mean little cleaning: judge the wash by how clean your roots feel. If your roots still feel oily, do a second short wash rather than leaving the first one on longer. If your hair feels squeaky, rough or tangled, use more water and less powder, keep it to your scalp and condition your lengths: Reetha side effects.

Sapindus Mukorossi Fruit Powder – 100 %

Warnings

For external use only. Do not eat or drink. Aritha stings the eyes strongly: keep the wash and rinse water out of them, and if any gets in, rinse straight away with plenty of clean water and don't rub them. Don't apply to broken or irritated skin or scalp. Keep out of reach of children. Stop using it if irritation occurs.

How to Patch Test

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use, with the mix you plan to use. Put a little on a small area of clean, unbroken skin, leave it for 24–48 hours, then rinse it off; rinse it off straight away if it burns or itches. Don't go ahead if the skin burns, swells, blisters or turns red, or if it itches and the itch doesn't settle. Test again whenever you add something new to the mix. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later.

Using It Safely

Rinse the wash out and stop using it if your scalp burns, stings or itches while it's on, or if you see redness, swelling, blisters or a rash. Keep the wash to 3–5 minutes and rinse it out thoroughly. Anything you add, such as other powders, oils or essential oils, brings its own risk of irritation. Use comfortably warm water, never boiling, and pour the powder gently and mix close to the bowl, so you don't breathe in the dust. If an eye still hurts, stays red or your vision is blurred after rinsing, see a doctor or pharmacist straight away; if your face, lips or eyes swell, or you have trouble breathing, call 911.

Storage

Keep the pouch sealed in a cool, dry place away from moisture, steam, heat and direct sunlight, and use a clean, dry spoon. Don't put wet powder back in the pouch. It keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging; a mixed wash doesn't keep, so make it fresh each time. Throw the powder away if it has got damp, shows mould or smells unusual; small differences in colour and smell between batches are normal.