An ancestral ingredient is making a comeback in natural hair routines — and it outperforms many modern shampoos.
Long before pearly bottles and silicone formulas, a fruit from Asia was already making hair lather. This forgotten ingredient, a natural treasure used for centuries to wash hair without damaging it, deserves our attention.
Native to India and Nepal, Sapindus mukorossi produces small shells rich in saponins, natural cleansing agents. Since Antiquity, Ayurvedic medicine has recommended them to purify the scalp and provide shine and suppleness. Far from modern detergents, they eliminate impurities without stripping the hair fiber: sebum remains balanced, the cuticle closes, light is reflected. Result: a soft, authentic shine, without a greasy effect. These little magic shells? These are soap nuts, or reetha.
To use them, we make a homemade decoction. Simply boil a handful of soap nuts (or the shells only) in half a liter of water for 10 minutes, then leave to cool. The liquid obtained, slightly viscous and foaming, is applied to wet hair like a classic shampoo. A gentle massage, rinsing with clear water: the hair is clean, supple, silky. Some add a spoonful of amla or shikakai powder for an even more restorative effect. The decoction will keep for about a week in the refrigerator in an airtight bottle. For daily use, you can also grind dry nuts into powder and mix them directly with lukewarm water before application. The advantage? No stripping, no hair that re-greases too quickly: the soap nuts wash just enough, without disrupting the natural balance of the scalp. The hair quickly gets used to it and finds its original rhythm and texture.
This ancestral secret is making a comeback in natural routines. Soap nuts can now be found on organic and zero waste sites, but also at Aroma-Zone, in the form of sachets of whole nuts from organic farming. The price? Around 11 euros per kilo, enough to prepare for several months of home care.
Obviously, sometimes, true luxury is not in a bottle, but in a simple and ancestral gesture. Soap nuts remind us: when you let nature do its thing, your hair shines by itself.
