Acacia concinnia DC (Mimosacea)

Commonly called Shikakai or soap pod, this is a climbing shrub native to Asia, common in the warm plains of central and south India. The fruit is known in India as shikakai ‘fruit for hair’ referring to its use as a traditional shampoo.

Cosmetic use

In order to prepare the traditional shampoo, the fruit pods are dried, ground into a powder, then made into a paste which is worked through the hair. It is mild, having a naturally low pH and does not strip hair of natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since shikakai also acts as a detangler. This ancient product is probably the world’s original pH-balanced shampoo. The resulting shampoo is gentle, mild, naturally low pH and is a genuine alternative to surfactant-based shampoos found today.

A. concinna extracts are used in natural shampoos or hair powders and the tree is now grown commercially in India and Far East Asia.

Pods of Acacia concinna (Leguminosae) contain several saponins known for their foaming property, including kinmoonosides A-C, triterpenoidal prosapogenols named concinnosides A, B, C, D and E, together with four glycosides, acaciaside, julibroside A1, julibroside A3, albiziasaponin C and their aglycone, acacic acid lactone.

Extracts of the ground pods have been used for various skin diseases. An infusion of the leaves has been used in anti-dandruff preparation. Leaves and pods are rich in alpha-hydroxy acids that serve as exfoliating and moisturizing agents.

Thus Acacia concinnia pods are effective as hair cleanser, conditioner and for dandruff control, all in one.