One of the things that makes ShiKai unique is that our hair and therapeutic body care products utilize natural herbals and botanicals to produce a desired affect. To get the best results from many of these ingredients, we prepare them into concentrated, water soluble “extracts” which are then used within 24 hours.
The process of making extracts is time-consuming yet very simple. We start with dried flowers (like chamomile) or dry botanical powders (like henna), and we steep them in a tank of hot water. No alcohol is used. When the solution is suitably infused, we perform a "rough" filtration to separate the bulk plant material from the liquid and then follow with a "fine" filtration. The end result is a thick, rich "tea" that we then add to the shampoo or lotion in place of water.
Our shampoos contain between 10% and 20% extract. That's a generous amount, and it's enough for the products to really do what they say they will do. This isn't about a label claim, it's about making products that <em>really</em> work. We know of no other hair care brand that does anything like this. We do it, because we are committed to quality. And because we think it works the best.
The extracts we prepare and use in our formulations are:
- Shikakai
- Golden henna
- Red henna
- Chamomile
- Rooibos
- Black malva
- Blue malva