Shikakai: “Fruit for the Hair”

Shikakai, or Acacia Concinna, is a small shrub-like tree, which grows in the warm, dry plains of central India. For centuries the people who have had access to this tree have used its pod-like fruit to clean their hair. At ShiKai, we import this shikakai powder from India and use it as the primary cleansing and sudsing agent in our products. Instead of using it in its raw powdered state however, we make an extract, which preserves the beneficial properties and converts shikakai powder into a water-soluble form. This “ShiKai” extract, as we’ve named it, is used in place of soaps and harsh detergents. Natural!