Abstract:
Background: Hair is a vital part in one’s personality. Natural shampoos available for
individualized hair care, does not give additive effect on dandruff, hair growth etc. Therefore, there
is a need of formulating a polyherbal shampoo using ingredients mentioned in traditional medicine
system of Sri Lanka with additive hair care effect.
Objective: To formulate a hair care shampoo incorporating selected medicinal plant extracts and
investigation of its physical properties, antimicrobial activity, and eye irritability
Methods: Phyllanthus emblica, Sapindus trifoliate, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Ixora coccinea, Datura
metel, and Chrysopogan zizanioides were collected and authenticated. Crude aqueous extracts were
obtained separately and mixed to a ratio based on the antimicrobial activity of each to obtain
combined extract (CE). A shampoo base (SB) was prepared using sodium lauryl ethyl sulphate,
sodium chloride crystals, polyquaternium 7, glycerin, and citric acid. Crude extract was added to
the SB to prepare the herbal hair shampoo (HHS). The antimicrobial activity of the HHS was
evaluated using agar disc diffusion assay against Staphylococcus aureus, (ATCC 6571),
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231). Physical
properties (pH, detergency, foaming stability, percentage of solid content) and the eye irritation
level of HHS were determined using standard procedures and Hen Egg Test-Chorioallantoic
Membrane (HET-CAM) assay, respectively. One Way ANOVA test was performed using SPSS
version 16.0.
Results: The zones of inhibition (ZOI) of the HHS were 16.2±0.2, 9.7±0.8 and 3.6±0.3 mm while
ZOI of SB were 31.6±0.2, 0±0.0 and 30.5±0.1 mm against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and
C. albicans, respectively (p<0.05). The detergency power of HHS was 80.9% and the solid content
was 15.2%. The foam height after 5 min was 11.2 cm and the irritation score was zero for HHS.
Conclusion: The formulated polyherbal shampoo has antimicrobial activity against tested
pathogens and tested physical properties suggesting its suitability for hair care treatment
