Did you know that shampoo was invented in India?

Shampoo comes from the Hindi word champu, derived from Sanskrit chapyathi, meaning ‘to press’. Not only the word, we have given the world one of the most essential everyday items, the shampoo. Today we are going to look at its fascinating history.  

When did shampoo come to be used?  
We do not know for sure, but old Indian literature and even art work have examples of shampoo being used. We can safely assume that it was well in use even 600 years back in our country. Boiled reetha (soap berries), amla (gooseberry), hibiscus, shikakai (acacia) and other flowers, herbs and leaves good for hair were boiled to make a thick hair wash liquid. Many ancient queens had elaborate hair sessions where apart from this herbal shampoo, they used hair packs, hair oil, hair perfume and even applied vapours to promote scalp health.  

Who made Indian shampoo world famous?  
Yes, there was such a character too in our very colourful history. Sake Dean Mahomed was born in 1759 in Patna to family from the barber caste. But the simple haircut was not enough for him, so he grew up experimenting with herbal mixes and soaps. He also perfected an elaborate technique of giving the champi or head massage. Mahomed sailed to England with his wife and children, set up a spa in Brighton called Mahomed’s Baths, and started offering massage cum herbal hair treatment. Hospitals sent him patients for treatment and Mahomed was ‘shampoo surgeon’ for two of Britain’s Kings! He wrote a book called ‘Shampooing or the benefits resulting from the use of Indian Medicated Vapour Bath’.  

When did the modern version of shampoo come to India?  
Indians, like the rest of the world, started using chemical compound shampoo in the 1900’s. The first sachet shampoo was floated by Chik Shampoo, and immediately became a hot favourite due to its convenience and low price. Interestingly, after all these years, we are again exporting ayurvedic, herbal and natural shampoos and hair packs. While we have come very far from Mahomed’s packs and boiled shampoo mixes, it seems the old naturally made shampoo is making a comeback again.