Amla Power – DIY Spicy Shampoo

LAB NOTES & SAFETY NOTICE
For educational purposes only. Content reflects personal, non-professional formulation experiments and is not instructional.
No formula or information on this site is intended for commercial use, consumer application, or third-party use.
Accessing this content means you accept all risks and full responsibility for safety, testing, legal compliance, and outcomes.
[Full Legal Disclaimer & Safety Requirements]

Lab Note: “Amla Power” Spicy Shampoo (The Poetic Effect!)

Hello Hello! 😀 Instead of trying to invent a “miracle anti-gravity” cream today, I decided to focus on something I really needed: a new shampoo!

I formulated this one for the “Autumn hair loss” season. I’m not saying I found a high-tech miracle cure—I’m not even sure those exist! Instead, I used a simple trick: Spicy Essential Oils to help stimulate blood circulation in the scalp. Plus, I added the “Prince” of Indian hair care: Amla Powder!

The Amla Legend

I bought this Amla in India. There, it’s believed to do everything: strengthen follicles, stop dandruff, prevent graying, and even straighten hair! Sips water. If you know me, you know I don’t blindly believe in miracles, but I love the history of Amla, so I added it for The Poetic Effect. 🙂

A Formulator’s Warning: Adding powders to shampoo is tricky! Unless your shampoo is super thick, the powder will eventually sink to the bottom. It can also mess with stability, so I used a higher level of preservative and made a small batch (100g) to be used quickly!

---

The Formula: Spicy Amla Power

Phase A:

• Water: to 100

• Amla Powder: 0.2 (For the poetry!)

• Glycerin: 3.0

• Inulin: 1.0 (For smoothing)

• Hydrolyzed Silk Proteins: 2.5

• Preservative (Cosgard): 1.0

Phase B (The Surfactant Base):

• SLES: 25.0

• Coco Glucoside / Glyceryl Oleate: 2.5

• Decyl Glucoside: 2.5

Phase C (The “Spice” & Conditioning):

• Polyquaternium 7: 2.0 (The conditioner)

• EO of Cinnamon: 10 drops

• EO of Cardamom: 5 drops

• EO of Sweet Orange: 5 drops

Phase D (The Thickener):

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine: 10.0 (The key to the texture!)

• pH adjusted to 4.5 with Citric Acid

---

Notes from my Beaker:

1. Dispersing the Amla: At first, the Amla powder just floated there, so I hit it with the immersion mixer until Phase A was uniform.

2. Surfactant Magic: I mixed the Phase B surfactants first. It’s always satisfying to see that thick, pearly density start to form!

3. One by One: I added the Phase C ingredients (Polyquat and oils) to the surfactants one at a time. I’m not very patient about bubbles :D, so there were a few, but that’s okay!

4. The Big Mix: I poured the watery Phase A into the thick Phase B very slowly. It became very liquid at first—but don’t panic!

5. The “Betaine Flip”: As soon as I added the Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Phase D), the whole thing became dense and thick like a real shampoo. It’s my favorite part of the process!

Final Verdict: It smells incredible—like a spicy tea for your head! My hair felt strong and the scalp felt “awake.” Just remember to shake it if the Amla starts to settle!