Behind theBottle
It began with an aunt in Karachi and a recipe of five herbs. Azra and her daughter, a physician, built on it, and two years of family testing turned it into Elixir. Here are all nineteen botanicals, and why each one is there.
By Azra R., founder · Last updated
An Ayurvedic hair oil is a blend of herbs and plant oils, warmed together so the oil draws out what each herb carries, then massaged into the scalp before washing. South Asian families have made them at home for generations. Elixir is ours: seven slow-infused herbs, twelve nourishing oils and five essential oils, made by hand in small batches in Azra's kitchen in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
A note from Azra
01 · July 2022
In July 2022, I was told I was cancer-free.I had waited a long time to hear those words.What I hadn't expected was how my hair would come back: thinner, finer, more fragile than I remembered it.
02 · Karachi
When I was a girl in Karachi, three times a week I would hear it:
“Azra, aao aur baalon mein tel lagwao.”
My grandmother sat on the bed, I sat on the floor in front of her, and she oiled and combed my hair for what felt like forever, when all I wanted was to go and play.Some days it was plain mustard oil, and it smelled terrible.
03 · The recipe
So after my treatment, I went back to the women in my family.I asked my aunt, who is 89, for the recipe she had been taught: ginger, cloves, fenugreek, onion and amla, warmed in oil.It had never been written down.I sat with my daughter, a physician, and we read everything we could find about those plants.Then we added rosemary, licorice root and twelve oils.
04 · Elixir
Two years of testing on my own family (my daughters, my sons-in-law, my aunt herself, my grandchildren) became Elixir.I still mix every batch by hand, in my kitchen in Richmond Hill.It's the only way I'd have it.
Made the slow way, one small batch at a time
There's no factory behind Elixir. Every batch starts in Azra's kitchen and ends in a hand-signed bottle.
Step 0
Prepare.
The day before, every ingredient is weighed out and its best-before date checked. On the day, every surface, pot and utensil is sanitized with 70% alcohol and left to dry.
Step 1
Infuse.
Seven dried herbs go into warm oil and stay there: amla, fenugreek, licorice root, red onion, ginger, rosemary and whole cloves. We hold the oil at 50 to 60°C for an hour, stirring, never letting it fry or boil. Heat that gentle draws the herbs out without cooking them.
Step 2
Rest.
The pot cools and sits overnight. The herbs keep giving while the oil settles.
Step 3
Strain.
We pour the oil through muslin, then through a finer filter, until it runs clear and golden.
Step 4
Blend and bottle.
Twelve oils go in, from bhringraj to marula, then vitamin E to keep everything fresh, then five essential oils for scent. Each bottle is filled by hand, tagged with its batch number and the day it was bottled, and signed.
The numbers
- Amber glass, to keep light out
- Made at home in Richmond Hill, Ontario
- No water, so no preservatives needed
Why your bottle might look different from your last one:
We use whole, dried botanicals, never standardized extracts. Every harvest is a little different, so every batch carries its own hue, from pale gold to deep amber. Nothing is wrong with your bottle. That's what handmade looks like.
Your bottle, by batch
Match the batch number on your hang-tag to the records below.
Current batch
Batch 01
- Batch size
- 24 bottles
- Bottled on
What's inside Elixir, and why each one is there
We name every ingredient, because you should know exactly what you're putting on your scalp. They work in three layers, the same way the oil is made.
Layer one: the heritage infusion
The herbs we steep by hand
Five of these herbs come straight from the original recipe: amla, fenugreek, onion, ginger and clove. We added two more, rosemary and licorice root. All seven are dried, then slow-infused, so the oil carries what's inside them.
Amla for hair: the Indian gooseberry
Phyllanthus emblica · amalaki in Sanskrit, amla in Urdu
Ask anyone who grew up with South Asian hair care about amla and you'll hear the same thing: it's what keeps hair strong, dark and glossy. The small, sour Indian gooseberry is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C and antioxidants anywhere, and Ayurveda has prized it for hair for thousands of years. Amla conditions each strand from root to tip, helps hair resist breakage, and gives it the deep, healthy shine that makes it look thicker. There's more amla in our infusion than any other herb.
- How it gets in
- dried fruit, slow-infused in warm oil.
- What you'll notice
- softer, glossier lengths after the first few washes.
Fenugreek for hair: the seed in every South Asian kitchen
Trigonella foenum-graecum · methi in Urdu
Fenugreek seeds are rich in protein, iron and lecithin, which is why South Asian mothers have soaked them overnight for hair masks for generations. In Elixir, whole methi seeds infuse into the oil and give it its slip: the silky way it glides through your hair. Fenugreek strengthens strands against breakage, softens hair that feels rough or brittle, and leaves the scalp feeling cared for. Fenugreek is having a moment in hair care; South Asian kitchens never stopped using it.
- How it gets in
- whole seeds, slow-infused.
- What you'll notice
- hair that detangles easily and feels soft, not stiff.
Onion oil for hair: our family's oldest secret
Allium cepa · pyaz in Urdu
Every South Asian family seems to have an aunty who swears by onion for hair. Ours did: onion was in the original recipe from the start. Onion is naturally rich in sulphur, a building block of keratin, the protein your hair is made of. That's why it's a traditional remedy for hair fall, used to strengthen strands and help hair look fuller. We dry the onion and infuse it slowly, so you get the benefit without the smell. Elixir smells of rosemary and geranium, not the kitchen.
- How it gets in
- dried red onion, slow-infused.
- What you'll notice
- stronger-feeling hair, and no onion scent at all.
Rosemary oil for hair, twice over
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rosemary wasn't in the original recipe; it's one of the two herbs we added, and it's in Elixir twice. Dried rosemary leaf goes into the infusion; Spanish rosemary essential oil goes into the final blend. Rosemary invigorates the scalp with a cool, fresh tingle you can feel the moment you massage it in. It's known to soothe an itchy scalp and help hair look thicker and fuller. Our essential oil comes from Spain, a camphor-rich variety with a clean, bright, herbal scent.
- Where it's from
- essential oil from Spain.
- How it gets in
- dried leaf infused; essential oil blended.
- What you'll notice
- a refreshing tingle on the scalp and that unmistakable fresh scent.
Also in the infusion
One of the two herbs we added to the original recipe. Ayurveda's sweet root, slow-infused to soothe the scalp and soften hair. It gives Elixir a faint, warm sweetness underneath the herbs.
We added
From the original recipe. A fragrant root with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe scalp irritation and support a healthier scalp.
From my aunt's recipe
From the original recipe. A traditional botanical believed to improve blood flow and circulation.
From my aunt's recipe
Layer two: the oils
Twelve oils, each chosen for a reason
The infusion carries the herbs. The oils carry everything else: moisture, shine, softness, and nourishment for the scalp.
Bhringraj oil for hair: the king of hair
Eclipta prostrata · bhringraj in Sanskrit · also called false daisy
Ayurveda calls bhringraj the “king of hair,” and no herb is more revered for it. For centuries it's been the heart of traditional hair oils across India, massaged into the scalp to keep hair thick, strong and dark. Bhringraj nourishes the scalp, strengthens hair at the root, and helps it look fuller and healthier with every treatment. If Elixir has a soul, this is it.
- How it gets in
- bhringraj oil, blended after the infusion.
- What you'll notice
- a scalp that feels nourished, and hair that feels stronger over weeks of use.
Black seed oil for hair: the seed of blessing
Nigella sativa · kalonji in Urdu
Black seed has been called “the seed of blessing” for more than a thousand years. Its oil is rich in thymoquinone, a powerful antioxidant, along with essential fatty acids that soothe and balance the scalp. It calms dryness and flaking, helps protect hair from everyday stress and reduce shedding, and nourishes strands so they feel stronger and softer.
- How it gets in
- cold-pressed, virgin black seed oil.
- What you'll notice
- a calmer, more comfortable scalp.
Castor oil for hair: rich, glossy, full-bodied
Ricinus communis · arandi in Urdu
Castor oil is the thickest oil in Elixir, and the reason your hair looks so full and glossy after a treatment. It's rich in ricinoleic acid, which coats each strand, seals in moisture and helps hair resist breakage. On its own, castor is heavy and sticky. Blended with eleven lighter oils, it gives Elixir body and shine without the weight.
- How it gets in
- organic, virgin castor seed oil.
- What you'll notice
- fuller-looking, glossier hair.
The rest of the twelve, and what keeps them fresh
Rich in zinc and fatty acids, pumpkin seed oil nourishes the scalp and helps hair look fuller. From the USA.
Called the miracle tree for good reason. Its light, antioxidant-rich oil nourishes without weighing hair down.
Prized across southern Africa for its silky, fast-absorbing oil. Marula is a big part of Elixir's shine.
Virgin, organic argan from Morocco, rich in vitamin E. It tames frizz and softens dry ends.
Technically a liquid wax, jojoba closely mirrors your scalp's own oils, so it balances rather than clogs. Golden jojoba, from the USA.
Buttery and deeply moisturizing, avocado oil sinks into dry, thirsty hair.
Extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean's oldest beauty secret, seals in softness.
Light and smoothing, sweet almond oil leaves hair sleek.
The base of our infusion: a light, fractionated coconut oil that carries the herbs without heaviness or greasiness.
A natural antioxidant that keeps the oils fresh from the first drop to the last.
Bhringraj, black seed, castor · featured above.
Layer three: the scent
How Elixir smells
Some of the oils Azra grew up with smelled terrible.
Elixir had to be the opposite: an oil you look forward to putting on. Five essential oils, less than one percent of the bottle, give Elixir its scent: herbal and fresh first, softly floral in the middle, warm and woody as it settles.
Top: rosemary from Spain. Bright, clean, herbal.
Heart: rose geranium from South Africa. Soft, rosy, a little green.
Base: frankincense from India, Atlas cedarwood from Morocco and vetiver from India. Resin, dry wood and earth, with a whisper of smoke.
Underneath it all is a little warmth from the cloves in the infusion.
How to oil your hair, the way we do at home
Hair oiling is simple, and it works best when you make time for it. There are two ways we use Elixir.
The weekly treatment (for your scalp)
- 1
Shake well. Real botanicals settle.
- 2
Warm two or three full droppers between your palms, more for long or thick hair.
- 3
Massage into your scalp with your fingertips in slow circles, then work it through to the ends.
- 4
Leave it on for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for a deeper treatment.
- 5
Wash out with a mild shampoo.
Do this two or three times a week.
The daily finish (for your lengths)
Warm two or three drops between your palms and smooth through the mid-lengths and ends, on damp or dry hair, to tame frizz and add shine.
How long does a bottle last?
Used twice a week, one bottle lasts about eight weeks. That's why our subscription delivers every eight weeks by default, so you're never caught without it, and you save 15% on every bottle.
Should you oil wet or dry hair?
For a scalp treatment, apply to dry hair, so the oil can absorb before you wash it out. For shine and frizz, a few drops on damp or dry ends works either way.
What you won't find in Elixir
- No silicones
- No mineral oil
- No synthetic fragrance
- No parabens or preservatives (there's no water, so none are needed)
- No dyes
- No fillers
Just plants, oil and time.
4.9 stars from the people who use it
The best oil I have ever used. I have been using it for the last 2 months. My hair feels healthy and strong. Ordered it for my daughters and grand-daughters too.
You see a difference in your texture even after using it 1–2 times. The shine alone sold me.
It feels light once applied and doesn't feel excessively greasy or heavy… I've used almost two bottles and absolutely love how my hair feels lately — bouncy and shiny.
I have tried many hair oils including very expensive ones and this is different — my hair feels and looks better after a few uses. Definitely going to keep using this.
Elixir started as a family recipe, and it still travels that way. Send a bottle to your mother, your sister, your daughter.
Ayurvedic hair oil, answered
What is an Ayurvedic hair oil?
A blend of herbs and plant oils, made by warming herbs in oil so it absorbs their benefits, then massaged into the scalp. The tradition comes from Ayurveda, India's traditional system of wellbeing, and South Asian families have made these oils at home for generations.
Do Ayurvedic hair oils actually work?
Our customers tell us they notice softer, shinier, stronger-feeling hair within the first few uses, and fuller-looking hair with regular use over several weeks. Consistency matters most: two or three treatments a week.
What is bhringraj?
Bhringraj (Eclipta prostrata, also called false daisy) is a small flowering plant that Ayurveda calls the “king of hair.” It's the most revered herb in traditional Indian hair care.
Is amla oil good for hair?
Yes. Amla, the Indian gooseberry, is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and it's been used for centuries to strengthen hair and give it shine.
How long should I leave it in?
At least 30 minutes. Overnight gives the deepest treatment; wrap your hair or use an old pillowcase.
Will it make my hair greasy?
Not after washing. Elixir is built around light oils like coconut MCT, jojoba and moringa, and it washes out cleanly with a mild shampoo. As a daily finish, two or three drops is plenty.
Does it smell like onion?
No. The onion is dried and slow-infused; you'll smell rosemary, rose geranium and soft woods.
Why does my bottle look different from my last one?
Every small batch uses whole, dried botanicals, so the colour varies naturally from batch to batch. It's the same recipe, made by the same hands.
Is it suitable for colour-treated hair, men and children?
Yes. Elixir is suitable for all hair types and textures, and the whole family uses it. As with any new product, do a patch test first.
How do I reorder or manage my subscription?
Reorder anytime from this page. Subscribers can change, skip or cancel deliveries from their account.
My aunt's recipe was never written down. It came to me by hand.
Now it's in yours.
Thank you for letting it be part of your week.
— Azra
Batch 01
About 24 bottles in this batch
Bottled on Monday, October 12, 2026