Shampoo: A part of Indian culture since the 16th century
Shampoo undoubtedly holds a place in the bathroom closet of every household across the world. Be it for hair fall control, anti-dandruff purposes or smoothening, we are kind of obsessed with this haircare product! However, very few of you might know that shampoo isn't an offering of the Western world, it originated in India. Yes, you read that right! Of course, the name was different, but the concept of using natural ingredients to clean the hair dates back to the 16th century Indian civilization. So, let’s sink our heels into what made shampoo as we know it today.
A five-century-old invention
Did you know that India is one of the oldest civilizations and has always been a source of immense knowledge to the world? Indian universities like Takshashila and Nalanda existed well before the likes of Cambridge and Oxford. Just like that, cleaning hair using resources from nature has been part of the Indian culture much before it dawned on the West. The word ‘shampoo’ originated from the Hindi word ‘Champu’. This word was derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Champi’, which meant ‘to massage or press’. Now, that’s interesting, right?
The power of natural ingredients
In the 16th century, shampoo was made as a paste from plant products. Some of the natural ingredients used were:
- Shikakai: A mixture of hibiscus, tamarind, fenugreek, holy basil, green gram, and curry leaf is called Shikakai. An interesting thing about this paste is that this product maintains hair growth and does not cause any side effects.
- Amla: Growing up, you must have heard from your parents about how the fruit amla (Indian gooseberry) is good for you. Ancient Indians also believed the same and used it for cleaning hair. For instance, amla is loaded with vitamin C and helps strengthen hair, fight dandruff and prevent early greying of hair.
- Reetha: This is another plant whose powder was used to clean hair, reduce dandruff and keep the hair shiny.
You might still find these ingredients in some households as components of herbal shampoos.
Meet the 19th century Shampoo Surgeon from Patna
Now, let’s look at how the Western world adopted these ingredients into modern day shampoos. Sake Dean Mahomed, a young Indian barber from Patna, introduced shampoo to the Western world. Born in 1759, he learned head massaging or ‘champi’ using natural ingredients. In the 19th century, Mahomed moved to Brighton, England, where he opened a spa called ‘Mahomed’s Baths’. Soon, he was known as the personal ‘Shampoo Surgeon’ of King George IV and King William IV. Mahomed became so popular that hospitals started referring patients to him and called him ‘Dr Brighton’. He also published a book in 1822 titled ‘Shampooing, or benefits resulting from the use of Indian Medicated Vapour Bath’.
We have now come a long way from Mahomed’s shampoo. In the 20th century, it became known as a product to cleanse hair and not just massage it. Nowadays, shampoos are made from natural or chemical ingredients and even customized for nearly every type of hair.