Acacia Concinna

Acacia concinna has been used traditionally for hair care in the Indian Subcontinent since ancient times. It is one of the Ayurvedic medicinal plants. The fruit is known in India as shikakai, `fruit for hair`, is a traditional shampoo used in India. In order to prepare it the fruit pods dried, powdered and made into a paste. While this traditional shampoo does not produce the normal amount of lather that a sulfate-containing shampoo would, it is a good cleanser. It is mild, having a naturally low pH, and doesn`t strip hair of natural oils. Usually no conditioner is needed, for shikakai also acts as a detangler. Acacia concinna extracts are used in natural shampoos or hair powders. The plant parts used for the dry powdered or the extract are pods. The pods contains high levels of saponins, which are foaming agents that are found in several other plant species.