1. INTRODUCTION:

The hair of the head has historically been associated with beauty and social primeness. innumerous cases from all the art forms can be cited drag- porting the special elevation swung the hair by people of nearly all times and societies. Whereas the hair has been trimmed, shaped, and indeed colored since the most ancient times, fairly little emphasis has been placed on the process of drawing it. Only in this century has a real technology in the cleaning of the hair and crown developed.

First came the mass distribution of cutlet cleaner and aseptic installations to make fleshly cleanliness and particular hygiene practical. Next came the specialization of ingrained soap products for the hair and crown, offered in a multifariousness of types and forms.¹ Shampoo is really the ornamental product that we use on a regular base to clean our hair and crown. Traditionally used to cleanse the hair and crown, herbal soaps are classified as ornamental medications and contain ancient Ayurvedic sauces. Their primary purpose is to painlessly exclude canvases, environmental pollutants, dandruff, dirt, and other debris while also nourishing your hair. Herbal soap backups synthetic soap that's vended in stores with factory- grounded sauces. The significance of herbal soap stems from two factors people prefer it to chemical products these days since chemicals have negative consequences, and people need and are decreasingly apprehensive of natural constituents in cosmetics.^2,3

1.1. Herbal shampoo:

The herbal shampoo is defined as a type of cosmetic preparation that uses herbs that is natural ingredients from the plant.⁴ Any hair cleansing solution, made from the extracts of Ayurvedic herbs and flowers, can be termed as ‘herbal shampoo'. It can also be defined as a hair care product in form of viscous liquid used to remove dirt, oil from the hair and make them clean.⁵The shampoo has abundant abilities like lubrication, conditioning, hair growth, reduction of hair loss, maintaining hair colour, medication. It has various roles like anti-dandruff property, cleansing action, also acts as a keratolytic agent. The main aim of shampoo preparation is to clean dirt and dandruff, also used to make hairs soft and silky.⁶

Fig no.1: Herbal Antidandruff Shampoo

1.2. Ideal properties of shampoo:^7,8

· The shampoo should be viscous enough to staying hand before application to hair and scalp.

· The shampoo should rinse out easily.

· The hair should be left in a manageable condition when combed dry.

· It should have optimum viscosity such that it facilities ease during application.

· It should have good spreading properties.

· It should be able to remove waste materials such as debris, soil, sebum, dead cells, salt (due to sweat) etc. from the scalp.

· It should produce lather with both cold and hot water.

· It should not produce any kind of irritation or itching to the scalp

1.3. Types of shampoo:⁹

Various types of shampoo are available and they are classified as follows,

1. Powder Shampoo

2. Liquid Shampoo

3. Lotion Shampoo

4. Cream Shampoo

5. Jelly Shampoo

6. Aerosol Shampoo

7. Medicated Shampoo

8. Antidandruff Shampoo

9. Antilice Shampoo

10. Antibaldness Shampoo

1.4. Major Problems related to hairs:

1.4.1. Dandruff:

Dandruff is characterized as a hyper proliferation of the scalp epidermis accompanied with scalp itching and redness. Dandruff mechanism is the result of the activity of enzyme called lipase. The malassezia fungus (causes dandruff) uses this enzyme to break down sebum to oleic acid (pro-inflammatory free fatty acids). Also; this fatty acid penetrates into the top layer of scalp and causes inflammation and increased skin cell flaking, in susceptible people. Now –a-days many chemical treatments are available for reducing and removing highly resistant dandruff against therapeutic cure, on the other hand, there are many antidandruff products with poor clinical efficacy in market. Due to these concerns, tendency to use medicinal plant extracts treat dandruff is in vogue.⁷ Dandruff can be treated in two ways using herbal based antidandruff shampoo and using chemical based antidandruff shampoo.¹⁰

1.5. Pharmacognosy of common ingredients used in shampoo formulation:

1.5.1. Nirgudi¹¹


Synonym:	Sinduvara, Samphalika, Nila
Family:	Verbenaceae
Biological name:	Vitex negundo
Biological source:	This consists of dried leaves and flowers of Vitex negundo, family: Verbenaceae.
Chemical constituents:	Leaf juice of nirgudi contains casticin, isoorientin, chrysophrnol, lutenol, and hydroxyl benzoic acid. Vitexin and isovitexin are isolated from methanolic extract of nirgudi leaves.
Health benefits:	Anti-inflammatory action Antifungal activity Aromatic, analgesic, vermifuge.

1.5.2. Neem¹²


Synonym	Margosa, Indian lilac
Family	Meliaceae
Biological name	Azadiracta indica
Biological source	It consists green leaves of Azadiracta indica Linn. Belonging to family Meliaceae.
Chemical constituents	It contains genin, sodium nimbinate, nimbin azadirachtin, nimbidiol, quercetin, nimbidin, etc.
Health benefits	It is used as an antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, analgesic agent. Neem is used in treatment of dental problems. Neem oil is used to treat mouth ulcers.

1.5.3 Reetha ^{13, 14}

3. Reetha
Synonym	Soapnut, Soapberry, Washnut
Family	Sapindaceae
Biological name	Sapindus mukorossi
Biological source	It is obtained from the fruits of Sapindus mukorossi plant.
Chemical constituents	Sesquiterpeneoidal gtlycosides, Saponin, Triterpene, Oleanane, Dammarane, Tricullane
Health benefits	Used as a foaming agent. Promotes healthy hair growth.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS:

2.1 Collection of Herbal Plant Materials:

The different parts of plants such as leaves, fruitsof nirgudi, neem, and reetha fruits are collected from local market of Jmaner. And many excipients collected from Department of Pharmagosy of college. As per the requirements the crude drugs are cut, dried and extracted.

2.2 Extraction Procedures:

2.2.1. Extraction of Vitex negundo (Nirgudi):

· Fresh leaves of nirgudi plant are collected and shed dried for 10 - 15 days.

· The dried leaves are then powdered using a motor and pestle and sieve the fine powder.

· Take accurately 25 gm of powder and mix with 150 – 200 ml of water as a solvent.

· Boil the mixture on the hot plate till it become half and then filter the mixture using a muslin cloth.

· Collect the filtrate and allow it to cool.

2.2.2. Extraction of Azadiracta indica Linn. (Neem):

· Fresh leaves of neem plant are collected and shed for 10- 15 days for drying

· After that the dried leaves are triturated in morter and pestle to make a fine powder.

· Take 25 gm of neem leaves powder in a beaker and add 100 – 150 ml of water in it and mix well.

· The beaker is kept on hot plate for 1 hour at 90⁰C, after 1 hour the beaker is kept at room temperature for cooling and filtered with the help of muslin cloth and stored at 4 ⁰C.

2.2.3. Extraction of Sapindus mukorossi (Reetha):

· Fresh fruits of Sapindus mukorossi are collected; seeds are removed and chopped finely.

· The chopped fruits are collected and shed dried for 3 – 4 weeks.

· The dried fruits are powdered using mixer grinder and the powder is sieved.

· Weigh accurately 25 gm of fine powder and mix with 150 ml of water in a beaker.

· Allow the mixture to boil on a hot plate for 90 minutes.

· The mixture is kept aside for cooling and filtered using a filter paper.

2.3 Formulation of herbal antidandruff shampoo (Table no. 1)

Sr. No.	Ingredients	Batches				Category
Sr. No.	Ingredients	F1	F2	F3	F4	Category
1.	Nirgudi extract	10	10	10	10	Antidandruff agent
2.	Neem extract	4	4	4	4	Antibacterial agent
3.	Reetha extract	5	5	5	5	Foaming agent
4.	Guar gum	1	2	2	2	Thickening agent, Gelling agent
5.	Gelatine	-	2.5	5	7.5	Conditioning agents, thickening agent and Protein Additives
6.	0.1 M NaCl sol	7	7	7	7	Cleansing aid and Foam stabilizer
7.	Glycerine	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.5	Moisturizing Agent and Humectant
8.	Vitamin E	2	2	2	2	Preservative
9.	Activated charcoal	1	1	1	1	Detoxifying andPurifying Agent
10.	Lemon oil	1-2 drops	1-2 drops	1-2 drops	1-2 drops	Cleansing and Clarifying Agent, Antimicrobial and Antifungal
11.	Rose oil	2-4 drops	2-4 drops	2-4 drops	2-4 drops	Fragrance
12.	Distilled water	q. s.	q. s.	q. s.	q. s.	Vehicle

2.4 Procedure for prepare shampoo:¹⁵

1. Take 7ml of 0.1M sodium chloride solution in a beaker and add 2gm of guar gum into it.

2. After that 0.2ml Glycerine was added to a beaker, and make a uniform mixture.

3. Add 5ml of gelatine solution, one or two capsule of vitamin E and 1gm of activated charcoal powder in the beaker

4. Heat the mixture in water bath and wait until it becomes uniform.

5. Take accurately 5ml of reetha extract, 10ml of nirgudi extract, and 4 ml of neem extract were mixed thoroughly.

6. Water was added into it as required, to make the paste smooth and uniform.

7. 2-4 drops of rose oil were added as perfume to the mixture.

8. Add 1-2 drop of lemon oil as a preservative. Continue to stir it for some time to avoid formation of any lumps in it.

9. Finally, the herbal antidandruff shampoo was cooled and evaluated.

3. Evaluation parameters of herbal antidandruff shampoo:

To evaluate the prepared herbal formulations, various quality control tests including visual assessment and physicochemical controls such as pH, density and viscosity were performed. Also, to assure the quality of products, specific tests for herbal shampoo formulations including the determination of foaming ability or foam stability, skin irritation test, solid content test, microbial contamination, dirt dispersion test etc. are carried out.

3.1. Physical appearance/ visual appearance:

The herbal preparation was formulated and evaluated for colour, odour, clarity, foaming ability and pH.

3.2. Determination of pH:

The developed formulation was diluted with distilled water to prepare a sample with 10% concentration. The pH of the prepared samples was measured using a digital pH meter at room temperature (30±2°C).¹⁶

3.3. Determination of solid content:

A clean dry evaporating dish was weighed and the initial weight of the evaporating dish was recorded. 4 gm shampoo formulation (not the 1% solution) was placed in an evaporating dish. The dish and shampoo were weighed and the initial weight of the shampoo and dish was recorded. The exact weight of the shampoo was calculated and only the initial weight of the shampoo was recorded. The evaporating dish was placed with a shampoo on a hot plate until the liquid portion evaporated. After drying, weighed the dish and shampoo solid and results were noted.¹⁷

3.4. Determination of Viscosity:

The viscosity of herbal shampoo was evaluated by using Brookfield Viscometer. The viscosity of shampoo was measured at room temperature i.e. 30±2°C with varying rpm.

3.5. Foam ability and foam stability:

The foaming ability was determined using the cylinder shake method. 5ml of shampoo was taken into measuring cylinder and make up volume upto 25 ml and shake properly. After that 5 test tubes are taken and stock solution was added in each test tube as (1, 2,3,4,5 ml). Then makeup volume upto 10ml in each test tube with water. Foam in each test tube is measured in cm and foaming index was calculated.¹⁸

3.6. Dirt dispersion test:

Two drops of the shampoo were added to a large test tube containing 10ml of distilled water. One drop of India ink was added, and the test tube was stoppered and shakes it ten times. The amount of ink in the foam was estimated to be None, Light, Moderate, or Heavy.¹⁹

3.7. Skin irritation test:

The test was performed on human volunteers. The prepared herbal formulation was applied to the skin for 5 min and then washed. Skin irritation and inflammation were also examined.

3.8. Wetting time:

The wetting time was calculated by noting the time required for the canvas paper to completely sink. A canvas paper weighing 0.44g was cut into a disc of diameter 1-inch. Over the shampoo (1% v/v) surface, the canvas paper disc was kept, and the time taken for the paper to sink was measured using a stopwatch.¹⁸

3.9. Microbial contamination:

The prepared herbal shampoo was poured onto a sterile petri plate under aseptic conditions and allowed to set. The petri plates were incubated at 37⁰ C for 24 h, and microbial growth was observed.¹⁵

4. Observations and Results:

4.1 Physical parameters:

Table No.2

Sr. No.	Parameters	Observations /Results
1.	Colour	Greenish black
2.	Odor	Aromatic odor
3.	Clarity	Clear
4.	Texture	Smooth texture

4.2 Evaluation parameters:

Table No.3

Sr. no.	Parameters	Batches
Sr. no.	Parameters	F1	F2	F3	F4
1.	Skin irritancy	Non irritant	Non irritant	Non irritant	Non irritant
3.	pH	5.45	5.57	5.53	5.40
4.	Dirt dispersion	Light	Light	Light	Light
5.	Solid content	14 %	17 %	18 %	21 %
6.	Viscosity	2997 cP	3029 cP	3093 cP	3304 cP
7.	Foaming ability	500	500	500	500
8.	Microbial contamination	Not detected	Not detected	Not detected	Not detected

5. CONCLUSION:

The main purpose behind this formulation is to develop a herbal shampoo showing antidandruff and antibacterial properties. Herbal shampoo is prepared to eliminate the side effects caused by synthetic shampoos. It is formulated by using the herbal extract of nirgudi, neem and reetha. The shampoo is greenish black in colour with an aromatic odour and having a smooth texture. It is also non-irritant when applied on skin and gives a better range of foaming when used. Gelatine is used as a thickening agent, as the concentration of gelatine increased its viscosity also increases. It thereby enhances smoothness and shin and provides mild conditioning effects. If the concentration is higher, it may form a semi-solid gel that is difficult to dispense and also suppresses foam formation. Evaluations are carried out such as physical appearance, pH, foaming ability, solid content, dirt dispersion, skin irritancy and microbial contamination. For which all the batches F1 to F4 show results of acceptable range. Amongst them F3 shows better foaming properties, shows optimum pH of 5.53, and its viscosity is 3093 cP with having solid content of 18 % in the formulation. It is a clear, non-viscous solution showing good conditioning properties when applied on hairs. And gives most accurate results for all the evaluation, but further scientific validation is needed for identifying its overall quality.

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Received on 16.04.2025 Revised on 28.05.2025

Accepted on 30.06.2025 Published on 08.07.2025

Available online from July 12, 2025

Asian J. Pharm. Tech. 2025; 15(3):237-241.

DOI: 10.52711/2231-5713.2025.00036

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.