Qi Ayurveda launches hair care products in Coimbatore

The scent of herbs wafts through the dry summer air. As dusk sets in, we gather at a long table in businesswoman Rajshree Pathy’s Coimbatore farmhouse, looking at bottles of her new hair care products. Kama She opened a few to smell the earthy oils, shampoos, and conditioners that Rajshree, co-founder of Ayurveda and founder of India Design Forum, will be launching soon.

The program, called Qi Ayurveda, began as an experiment when Rajshree wanted to incorporate Ayurvedic principles into modern products. Rajshree said her mother and her aunt took her to an Ayurvedic practitioner when she was eight or nine years old, when she first sniffled or had a runny nose. I remember him taking me there. “He was sitting at his rickety old wooden desk whipping up a green concoction to treat her,” she says.

She remembers that Sundays were oil massage days for her mother, when she would soak eucalyptus leaves in water and give them a bath. “Ayurveda has been a part of my life,” she says, adding that her own brand, Her Qi, is an effort to keep “this great tradition” alive.

Firstly, Qi Ayurveda has four product ranges for hair, all of which include hair oils, shampoos, and conditioners. They include his Restore (Chemparatyadi), infused with hibiscus extract; Wellness (Chandanadi) with Sandalwood Oil. Hydration with olive leaf and jujube extract (Dhurdhurpathradi) and nutrition with false daisy extract (Bringamaladi). The products are infused with botanical-based, Swiss-certified active ingredients with a delicate aroma.

It took Rajshree two-and-a-half years to get here. After several discussions and testing of formulations and oils with Swiss labs, she says her team arrived at a product that the modern world finds appealing. She remembers carrying small bottles of Ayurvedic oil to her lab during the early stages of her formulation.

Swiss scientists were intrigued by the “dark, smelly liquid” she brought with her. After talking with four such labs, one of them finally agreed to cooperate with her. But this is not before she provides details on all the ingredients in the oils, some of which contain as many as 300 herbs. The oils are sourced from a small family-run unit in Kerala, Rajshree said, adding that she also hopes to launch skin care products by the end of the year.

Qi Ayurveda products will soon be available at Good Earth Stores across India and at www.qiayurveda.com. Prices start from ₹1,800.