Every ingredient, explained.

In the blend

The light, clear carrier at the heart of the base. Along with moringa, it's one of the two oils the bhringraj is infused into. It's coconut oil with the heavier fatty acids removed, so it stays liquid, spreads easily and never feels waxy. If you're sensitive to coconut, read Good to Know on the product page.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

A light, oleic-rich oil. In Sundhara it softens and smooths the strand and helps hair feel conditioned, without feeling heavy. It's a big part of why the oil doesn't feel greasy.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

A coconut-derived emollient with a fast, silky, almost dry finish. It helps the oil spread and sink in instead of sitting on top. It's coconut-derived too, even though the name doesn't say so.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

Coco-caprylate is a modern ingredient, made from coconut fatty acids and caprylic acid, so it has no traditional use.

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

Technically a liquid wax ester, similar to the scalp's own sebum, so it feels familiar and easy to wear. It adds slip and a light, conditioned feel.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

The rich, coating oil of the blend. It gives Sundhara its slip and shine and helps seal moisture into the strand. Roasted-and-pressed ("Jamaican black") is the traditional preparation.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

The newest oil in the blend. Rich in linoleic and oleic fatty acids, it softens the strand and adds to the cushioned, conditioned feel of the base.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

A lightweight, dry-touch, oxidatively stable emollient. It softens while keeping the whole oil from feeling greasy, and it doesn't go "off" the way some oils can.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

A blend of essential oils and fragrance oils that gives Sundhara its scent. It makes up about 1% of the formula. Because every batch is made by hand, the scent can vary a little from one batch to the next and deepen over time.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

A form of vitamin E, here as an antioxidant for the oil itself. It helps slow the oils from oxidising and going rancid, so the bottle stays fresh longer.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

Tocopherol has no traditional use here. It's in Sundhara to protect the formula.

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

The herbal infusion at the base of Sundhara. Eclipta prostrata has a long history in Ayurvedic hair oils; here it lends a conditioning, herbal character to the blend.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

In the blend

Rosemary shows up twice in Sundhara: as rosemary leaf extract, and as rosemary essential oil in the fragrance. Together they add a fresh, herbal character, help keep the blend fresh, and leave hair feeling conditioned and the scalp feeling refreshed.

Traditional use ◇ Anecdote

What the evidence says ◆ Evidence

Rosemary is one of the most-studied botanicals in scalp and hair care. The study most often cited is a 2015 trial in SKINmed (Panahi et al.): 100 adults with androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss) used either rosemary essential oil or 2% minoxidil on the scalp for six months. Both groups had a higher hair count at six months than at the start, with no significant difference between them, and scalp itching was less common in the rosemary group.

It's worth knowing the limits. It was a single, fairly small trial, in one specific kind of hair loss, with no placebo group. It tested rosemary essential oil on its own, not a leaf extract, and not a blended hair oil like this one. The results are promising but not conclusive.

What that means for Sundhara: it's a cosmetic oil. We include rosemary for how it makes hair and scalp feel, and we don't claim it grows hair or treats any condition.