Product Review: Amla Oil (and the smell)

[Jewell]

Thanks, yes it does help. I think that I will do this with plain coconut oil or EVOO, though as the smell of amla makes me ill - I mean my stomach literally turns. Do you then airdry or do you blowdry or rollerset?

I always airdry...no matter what!

 

[senimoni]

Alright so I tried it....it does have a strange smell...but it didn't really bother me. I washed actually CO washed....so once it dries I'll have to smell it again.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

It's funny how different oils affect different people. I didn't care for Keracare's essential oil..it was too candy sweet smelling..got on my nerves after awhile.
Which brand of amla oil did you use? The Dabur one in the green box..it's green in color with the woman in yellow on it?

I used Darbur Amla LITE. I shudder to think of what the regular one smells like. I read that that one is sticky to boot.

 

[Faith]

I used Darbur Amla LITE. I shudder to think of what the regular one smells like. I read that that one is sticky to boot.

How weird....I wonder if I got a different batch. My is far from sticky (WGO is stickier in my hair) and mine smells good...weird. My hair probably just has a different reaction to the oil.

 

[senimoni]

How weird....I wonder if I got a different batch. My is far from sticky (WGO is stickier in my hair) and mine smells good...weird. My hair probably just has a different reaction to the oil.

Did you have the lite?? I did not but mine wasn't sticky either

 

[senimoni]

On a side I'm thinking the Vatika must be way more popular b/c I went to 3 Indian Stores and they were all out of it

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

On a side I'm thinking the Vatika must be way more popular b/c I went to 3 Indian Stores and they were all out of it

Vatika probably is more popular because IMO the ingredients are healthier for the hair and the smell is midly, IMO, less offensive. Vatika is coconout oil based Amla is mineral oil based. Thats the ONLY reason why I will use it until it is finished.

 

[mrslee]

So far I am loving both products. I use the Amla oil at night and then in the mornings I rub a little of the Vatika all over concentrating on my ends. My hair feels wonderful! I am also using it on my daughters hair and it seems to be responding well to it also.
My vatika oil is $1.99 at the Indian Store, I better go and grab another bottle before the word gets out! LOL!

 

[pbuckley]

Just thought I'd add a comment. I went to an Indian grocery store here and was looking for the Amla Oil. The indian women working (not sure if she's the owner) asked if I need assistance. I told her I did. I told her I wasn't sure if the Amla Oil was what I needed for my hair. She asked me what I was trying to achieve. I told her that I have been having some minor breakage, I am looking for my hair to be stronger, and I would love for it to grow longer. So she said so your looking for overall health for your hair. I said yes. She told me that she would recommend the Vatika oil, she said it had Amla Oil in it, Cocomut oil, Lemon oil, and Brahmi, which were all very good for the strength and protection of your hair. She said I should use heat the entire bottle in the microwave for 2 minutes and use it as a pre-shampoo, each time I wash. She said she recommends this to cancer patients when there trying to grow there hair back. She said she had a bald spot in the middle of her hair and it has fully grown back due to this product. She told me not to expect results overnight. She said use it with an open mind and at the end of using the entire bottle look at my hair results. She said she wouldn't recommend the Amla Oil because of the smell, she said she felt this one was used mostly by women wanting to keep it on for hours. She said I she leave the Vatika on for a minumim for 15 minutes but could go as long as I wanted. This is the one she recommended and the bottle I purchased.

http://www.angelfire.com/mac2/herbalhair/Copy_2_of_daburv.jpg

I am going to get my hair done this week by the domician salon and get my ends dusted. I will record my measurements after and post and measure again within a month to see my results. Anyone having postive results?

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Just thought I'd add a comment. I went to an Indian grocery store here and was looking for the Amla Oil. The indian women working (not sure if she's the owner) asked if I need assistance. I told her I did. I told her I wasn't sure if the Amla Oil was what I needed for my hair. She asked me what I was trying to achieve. I told her that I have been having some minor breakage, I am looking for my hair to be stronger, and I would love for it to grow longer. So she said so your looking for overall health for your hair. I said yes. She told me that she would recommend the Vatika oil, she said it had Amla Oil in it, Cocomut oil, Lemon oil, and Brahmi, which were all very good for the strength and protection of your hair. She said I should use heat the entire bottle in the microwave for 2 minutes and use it as a pre-shampoo, each time I wash. She said she recommends this to cancer patients when there trying to grow there hair back. She said she had a bald spot in the middle of her hair and it has fully grown back due to this product. She told me not to expect results overnight. She said use it with an open mind and at the end of using the entire bottle look at my hair results. She said she wouldn't recommend the Amla Oil because of the smell, she said she felt this one was used mostly by women wanting to keep it on for hours. She said I she leave the Vatika on for a minumim for 15 minutes but could go as long as I wanted. This is the one she recommended and the bottle I purchased.

http://www.angelfire.com/mac2/herbalhair/Copy_2_of_daburv.jpg

I am going to get my hair done this week by the domician salon and get my ends dusted. I will record my measurements after and post and measure again within a month to see my results. Anyone having postive results?

Thanks for the tip. This is realy helpful. I guess I just wanted to clarify something with you: She said that Amla oil (not Vatika) should be left on for hours and she said not to use it because of the smell? Is this true? I want to make sure that I understood you.

I will definitely finish the Vatika and post my results too. I can stand a 15 minute Vatika pre-poo. I'll cover my hair with a plastic cap and hold my nose.

 

[Faith]

Did you have the lite?? I did not but mine wasn't sticky either

No I bought the regular oil

 

[elaine]

Yeah, that's the type of smell I had with Glover's (the floral scent) when I went to work with it in my hair one day and when I was around other people. It's such a strong smell even with the foral scent. I just washed my hair after I got home. I also had to wash my pillowcase from sleeping with it in my hair because of the smell. I don't see how some ladies apply it everyday or often during the week. Now, I either use it as a pre-wash treatment or it just sits in my cabinet.

If you want to smell it yourself, go to the Shalimar Grocery Store on Hurstborne (next to the Shoe Carnival). The small bottle is 1.99. They also sell the Vatikar Coconut oil for about 3.00

 

[pbuckley]

Thanks for the tip. This is realy helpful. I guess I just wanted to clarify something with you: She said that Amla oil (not Vatika) should be left on for hours and she said not to use it because of the smell? Is this true? I want to make sure that I understood you.

I will definitely finish the Vatika and post my results too. I can stand a 15 minute Vatika pre-poo. I'll cover my hair with a plastic cap and hold my nose.

She said that she found that the Amla Oil was used primarliy by women who wanted to keep the oil on for hours, she also mentioned that the smell was really strong and she did not recommend it because of the smell.

She said that the Vatika also has the Amla Oil in it as well as a lot of other good ingredients, she said you should keep it on a minimum of 15 minutes for good results but could leave it on as long as you wanted.

Question for you, I thought everyone was hating on the smell of the Amla Oil does the Vatika smell just as bad?

 

[mrslee]

She said that she found that the Amla Oil was used primarliy by women who wanted to keep the oil on for hours, she also mentioned that the smell was really strong and she did not recommend it because of the smell.

She said that the Vatika also has the Amla Oil in it as well as a lot of other good ingredients, she said you should keep it on a minimum of 15 minutes for good results but could leave it on as long as you wanted.

Question for you, I thought everyone was hating on the smell of the Amla Oil does the Vatika smell just as bad?

I dont think either product is offensive. I like the smell of the Vatika oil better than Amla oil. I use the Vatika oil daily on my ends and nape area. The amla oil, I will use as a pre-poo once a week. I love both products and my hair feels and looks wonderful! I think I have a little "Indian" in me! LOL

 

[senimoni]

I think I have a little "Indian" in me! LOL

Hahaha That is too funny.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

She said that she found that the Amla Oil was used primarliy by women who wanted to keep the oil on for hours, she also mentioned that the smell was really strong and she did not recommend it because of the smell.

She said that the Vatika also has the Amla Oil in it as well as a lot of other good ingredients, she said you should keep it on a minimum of 15 minutes for good results but could leave it on as long as you wanted.

Question for you, I thought everyone was hating on the smell of the Amla Oil does the Vatika smell just as bad?

It depends on what you think is "bad." I personally think that both smell bad, but that Vatika is not as bad and is milder. I feel that the Amla has an offensive odour -- I (and most of the people that I know) react to it the way we would react to any offensive strong odor, like strong underarm odor.

 

[pbuckley]

I used the Vatika last night for the first time. I saturated my dry hair with it, put a plastic cap on, and warmed a towel in the microwave and wrapped it around my head. I let it set for an hour. I couldn't smell it that way, but I must say the smell didn't bother me at all, no complaints. I washed my hair with Kenra mosturizing shampoo, con with Pantene for color and naturals, and put some surge lotion motion 9, Kera care creme conditioning and Rusk leave in on my wet hair. Put in two low ponytails, twisted my ends and put in one silk rollers on each ponytail end. Did the scraf method that sylver2 mentions and I went to bed. Woke up this morning with nice moisturized hair. I'll keep this up and see what happens within a month!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I used the Vatika last night for the first time. I saturated my dry hair with it, put a plastic cap on, and warmed a towel in the microwave and wrapped it around my head. I let it set for an hour. I couldn't smell it that way, but I must say the smell didn't bother me at all, no complaints. I washed my hair with Kenra mosturizing shampoo, con with Pantene for color and naturals, and put some surge lotion motion 9, Kera care creme conditioning and Rusk leave in on my wet hair. Put in two low ponytails, twisted my ends and put in one silk rollers on each ponytail end. Did the scraf method that sylver2 mentions and I went to bed. Woke up this morning with nice moisturized hair. I'll keep this up and see what happens within a month!

Thanks for the update. I will keep the bottle of Vatika that I have. The amla oil was taken back.

 

[mrslee]

I used the Vatika last night for the first time. I saturated my dry hair with it, put a plastic cap on, and warmed a towel in the microwave and wrapped it around my head. I let it set for an hour. I couldn't smell it that way, but I must say the smell didn't bother me at all, no complaints. I washed my hair with Kenra mosturizing shampoo, con with Pantene for color and naturals, and put some surge lotion motion 9, Kera care creme conditioning and Rusk leave in on my wet hair. Put in two low ponytails, twisted my ends and put in one silk rollers on each ponytail end. Did the scraf method that sylver2 mentions and I went to bed. Woke up this morning with nice moisturized hair. I'll keep this up and see what happens within a month!

Thats wonderful!! I had similar results as well. This is what i said in a post I created this morning.

I have been using the Dabur amla and vatika oils for about two weeks now. Last night I did a pre poo with the Amla oil. My hair was drenched. I covered my hair with a baggie and let it sit on my hair for 3 hours. Afterwards I rinsed washed with CON, conditioned with Biolage Ultra Balm. Used the Rusk smoothie and the CHI serum. airdried and flat iron.
My hair is looking fierce! I wish I could take pics! It looks so healthy, thick, black, silky smooth and my ends look like I had a trim! I cant believe how my hair has done a 180. I was almost in tears last night, it was just gorgeous!!!

My piece in the middle has finally caught up with the rest of my hair. Right now I am 1/2-1 inch from bra strap!!

It may be all the vitamins I am taking as well, whatever it is..... I am loving the results!!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Thats wonderful!! I had similar results as well. This is what i said in a post I created this morning.

I have been using the Dabur amla and vatika oils for about two weeks now. Last night I did a pre poo with the Amla oil. My hair was drenched. I covered my hair with a baggie and let it sit on my hair for 3 hours. Afterwards I rinsed washed with CON, conditioned with Biolage Ultra Balm. Used the Rusk smoothie and the CHI serum. airdried and flat iron.
My hair is looking fierce! I wish I could take pics! It looks so healthy, thick, black, silky smooth and my ends look like I had a trim! I cant believe how my hair has done a 180. I was almost in tears last night, it was just gorgeous!!!

My piece in the middle has finally caught up with the rest of my hair. Right now I am 1/2-1 inch from bra strap!!

It may be all the vitamins I am taking as well, whatever it is..... I am loving the results!!

Question for you, Mrs. Lee. What vitamins are you taking? Also, have you done the same exact routine before without using amla? That's how you will know what it was. I sometimes do a control experiment like this to see what works for my hair.

I am happy that this works for you. I just cant stand the smell of Amla, so I wont be using it again.

It sounds like you have different hair from mine. I could never flatiron my hair -- not even once, it would break right off .

I am happy for you that this works and hope you'll share these additional details with us.

 

[mrslee]

Question for you, Mrs. Lee. What vitamins are you taking? Also, have you done the same exact routine before without using amla? That's how you will know what it was. I sometimes do a control experiment like this to see what works for my hair.

I am happy that this works for you. I just cant stand the smell of Amla, so I wont be using it again.

It sounds like you have different hair from mine. I could never flatiron my hair -- not even once, it would break right off .

I am happy for you that this works and hope you'll share these additional details with us.

Yes, I am still doing the same routine. I was using jojoba, castor and rosemary oil mixture every day or so on my hair and ends. Now I just use the "Indian" oils the same way. I usually use M/T shampoo, but I didnt want to use a strong poo and decided to go with CON for this time around. I have been using the Smoothie and the CHI serum for a while now. I know for sure it was the "Indian" oils and possibly the vitamins. I have been taking HF 37, B-5 and a multi womens vitamin. I have been on these for about two months now. I would attribute the vitamins to work on my new growth only. IMO. I think it is the oils that is making my hair more healthier throughout. I can actually run my comb through my hair without it catching towards the end. ITS WONDERFUL!!!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Yes, I am still doing the same routine. I was using jojoba, castor and rosemary oil mixture every day or so on my hair and ends. Now I just use the "Indian" oils the same way. I usually use M/T shampoo, but I didnt want to use a strong poo and decided to go with CON for this time around. I have been using the Smoothie and the CHI serum for a while now. I know for sure it was the "Indian" oils and possibly the vitamins. I have been taking HF 37, B-5 and a multi womens vitamin. I have been on these for about two months now. I would attribute the vitamins to work on my new growth only. IMO. I think it is the oils that is making my hair more healthier throughout. I can actually run my comb through my hair without it catching towards the end. ITS WONDERFUL!!!

Wow, you are using Amla oil in your hair everyday? Power to you girl. I could not do it. I would get sick from the smell.

I am happy it works for you. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I have used the jojoba, castor, rosemary oils that you speak of. They are great.

 

[mrslee]

Wow, you are using Amla oil in your hair everyday? Power to you girl. I could not do it. I would get sick from the smell.

I am happy it works for you. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I have used the jojoba, castor, rosemary oils that you speak of. They are great.

Actually I use a little bit of the amla every other day or so. I use the Vatika oil everyday.
I think the Amla smells strong when using alot of it on your hair. I use very little unless I am doing the pre-poo.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Actually I use a little bit of the amla every other day or so. I use the Vatika oil everyday.
I think the Amla smells strong when using alot of it on your hair. I use very little unless I am doing the pre-poo.

Thanks for the tip. Maybe that was the problem. My usually prepoo is to soak my hair in an oil. With olive and coconut oil this was not a problem but doing with this with amla made me physically ill. The Vatika doesnt smell as badly to me.

 

[Miss*Tress]

I pre-pooed with Dabur Amla Oil today; soaked my hair in it for about 2 hours with a baggy for the ends, shampooed, deep-conditioned, roller set and dried. My hair feels really soft and moisturized. I will definitely use the Amla again, but the smell is unpleasant so I wouldn't recommend everyday or overnight use.

 

[Jewell]

I have been pre-pooing with Dabur Vatika Oil and EVOO, and using the Vatika Oil everyday for the last month, and I absolutely love it. I'm going to order 3 more bottles online, since there are no East Indian stores here.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I pre-pooed with Dabur Amla Oil today; soaked my hair in it for about 2 hours with a baggy for the ends, shampooed, deep-conditioned, roller set and dried. My hair feels really soft and moisturized. I will definitely use the Amla again, but the smell is unpleasant so I wouldn't recommend everyday or overnight use.

I still have Darbur Vatika, so I will be using that for a pre-poo and yes, the amla oil stank to high heaven and made me feel ill. I think that I will use up my Darbur Vatika for a little before a shampoo as a pre-poo until I finish it up. It's mostly coconut oil, so I will be using my coconut oil for my usual pre-poos.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I still have Darbur Vatika, so I will be using that for a pre-poo and yes, the amla oil stank to high heaven and made me feel ill. I think that I will use up my Darbur Vatika for a little before a shampoo as a pre-poo until I finish it up. It's mostly coconut oil, so I will be using my coconut oil for my usual pre-poos.

The Vatika oil did not smell as bad this time. I only used it for a two hour pre-poo, I would not be wearing it overnight like I would with some sweet smelling virgin coconut oil, because it does not smell as good. I think it's the amla oil that made me feel . I also did not notice a difference with how my hair felt.

 

[Ashee]

I've mixed my Amla oil with Cinnamon, Garlic, Rosemary, & Wheatgerm Oils for a pre-poo treatment for about 2 days a week and then use a mixture of Amla Oil with Scurl, Cinnamon, Rosemary & Surge (this is an everyday moisturizer as well - nightime)
I don't have a problem with the oils smell but to me it smells like my Rosemary oil...

 

[MissYocairis]

Ok, y'all. I know that there are people out there who love Amla oil but I bought the Dabur Vatika and Dabur Amla oil and it stinks someting fierce.

Also, is there a dye in the Amla oil? I put Vatika and Amla in my hair and it made made my hair really dark. Also, my stomach feels terrible, because of the strong smell. I am going to have to wash this out a day early because of the smell and I am not happy about this, because I am trying to wash my hair less.

Does anyone know of a better smelling variety or know of a way to make it at home? Maybe I can buy dried amla and boil it? Thanks in advance.

Off to wash the noxious oil out of my hair,
Tryn2growmyhair

I use Dabur's Amla oil and the smell didn't bother me at all. However, I did find that Dabur has both an Amla Oil and an Amla LIGHT Oil. The Amla Light oil is faint, light green in color and is infused with Shikakai oil which supposedly takes away the heavy, stickiness of pure Amla. I prefer the Amla light. It makes my hair heavenly when I mix it with pure jojoba and do a pre-poo for several hours. My hair literally takes on a healthy, conditioned sheen and feel that are from within and not layered on top. The light oil has a fragrant smell, I'm not going to lie, but it hasn't darkened my hair (highlights) and I love the results.