Everything people ask us

Twenty-one botanicals across the range — bhringraj, amla, hibiscus, shikakai, reetha, neem, tulsi, brahmi, manjistha, kasturi haldi and the rest. Every one is listed on the pack in full, with nothing folded into a vague "herbal blend" or "fragrance".

Our ingredients page lists all twenty-one with their botanical names and what each one is doing.

Our powders are ground botanicals and nothing else. Where a product needs to be a cream or a liquid, it needs a few functional ingredients to stay stable and safe — and those appear on the label by name.

We would rather tell you that than print "100% natural" over an ingredient list that says otherwise.

No to all three. The scent you get is the herbs themselves, which is why it shifts a little between batches — sandalwood and rose are agricultural products, not perfume formulas.

The powders are, and they can be, because there is no water in them for anything to grow in. That is also why they must stay completely dry — see the question about clumping below.

Yes, across the whole range. No animal-derived ingredients, and no animal testing at any stage — not by us and not by anyone we work with.

From Indian growers, in season, bought as whole leaf, pod, root or peel rather than as pre-made extract. They are milled and blended in Kolkata, close to when they are used.

We know our suppliers, but we cannot yet name the individual farm behind every batch. That gap is listed openly on our sustainability page.

No. Organic certification is a paperwork and cost exercise we have not gone through, and claiming it without the certificate would be dishonest. Our herbs are whole and traceable to our suppliers, which is a different claim and the one we can actually stand behind.

Around 24 months unopened, and about six months once opened, kept dry and closed. The batch number and date are printed on every pack.

Herbs do not spoil dramatically — they fade. An old jar is not dangerous, it is just weaker than the one you bought.

Small shifts are normal and expected. A monsoon harvest of hibiscus is not identical to a summer one. If a jar smells sour, damp or fermented, that is not batch variation — stop using it and write to us.

Take out what you need with a dry spoon, into a non-metal bowl. Add water, rose water, yoghurt or milk a little at a time until it is a spreadable paste — thick enough to stay where you put it.

Mix it just before you use it, and use all of it.

No. There is nothing in it to stop bacteria growing once water is added, which is exactly the trade-off of a preservative-free product. Mix small, mix fresh.

Once or twice a week suits most people for masks and hair packs. Cleansers can be used more often. More frequently is not better — herbs work by repetition over weeks, not by intensity in one sitting.

Almost always it is moisture, from a wet spoon or wet hands, or a bathroom shelf. Break up the lumps and keep using it if it smells and looks normal.

Store it somewhere dry and cool instead — a bedroom shelf beats a bathroom one, especially through a Kolkata monsoon.

Kasturi haldi is the non-staining wild turmeric, so it will not leave you yellow the way kitchen turmeric does. Manjistha and rose can tint fabric, though, and bhringraj-heavy hair packs are dark.

Use an old towel and an old T-shirt. Every Indian household already knows this rule.

Oil first, then cleanse. Warm oil into the scalp, leave it an hour or overnight, then wash it out with a shikakai or reetha cleanser. Cleansing before oiling just removes the oil you are about to apply.

Yes. Only change one thing at a time, though — if you start three new products in a week, you will not know which one did what.

If you use strong actives like retinol or acids, leave a day between those and a herbal mask rather than layering them the same evening.

Skin usually shows something in two to four weeks. Hair is slower — six to eight weeks of consistent use before a fair judgement, because you are waiting on growth, not on a coating.

If three months of regular use has done nothing for you, the honest answer is that it is not the right product for you, and we would rather you spent your money elsewhere.

Yes, every time you try a new product. Put a small amount on your inner forearm or behind your ear, leave it 24 hours, and check for redness, itching or burning before you use it properly.

Plant ingredients cause allergic reactions in some people just as synthetic ones do.

Rinse it off with plenty of cool water and stop using it. If the reaction is severe, spreading, or involves swelling or difficulty breathing, seek medical help immediately rather than emailing us first.

Once you are alright, write to care@11roots.in with the batch number. We want to know, and we will sort out a refund.

Ask your doctor before you do. Several traditional herbs are usually advised against during pregnancy, and that is a judgement for someone who knows your history — not something we can answer over a website.

Our formulas are designed for adults. For a child, check with your paediatrician first and patch test even if they say yes.

Please talk to your dermatologist before using anything new, including ours. These are cosmetic products, not treatments for a medical condition, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Our herbs are the ones Indian households have used for generations to care for hair, and they can help hair look and feel stronger. But hair fall has causes that no jar can reach — thyroid issues, low iron or vitamin D, PCOS, post-illness shedding, medication, chronic stress.

If your hair fall is sudden, heavy, or coming out in patches, see a doctor and get bloodwork done. That will do more for you than any product, ours included.

Shikakai and reetha are mild and mildly acidic, which is gentler on colour than a sulphate shampoo. Test on a small hidden section first, especially with lighter or fashion shades, since herbs can shift tone slightly.

Begin with the gentlest things — oat and aloe based products rather than a full ubtan — use them once a week, and leave the mask on for less time than the label suggests. Patch test first, and add one product at a time.

Free on every order above ₹999, anywhere in India. Below that it is a flat ₹69 per order, however many jars are in it.

We dispatch within 24 to 48 hours. After that it is 2 to 3 working days within Kolkata and 4 to 7 across the rest of India — up to 10 for the Northeast, Kashmir and the island territories.

Yes, on serviceable pincodes, with a ₹49 handling fee. Prepaid orders move through dispatch a little faster.

A tracking link reaches you by email and SMS when the parcel is dispatched. It only starts updating after the courier's first scan, so give it a few hours before worrying.

Yes, any time before it is dispatched — email us quickly with your order number. Once it has gone to the courier it has to be handled as a return.

Unopened and unused products, within 7 days of delivery. Anything damaged, wrong or faulty, tell us within 48 hours with photographs and we will replace or refund it in full.

We cannot take back an opened jar that has nothing wrong with it — ground herbs cannot be resold or reused. The reasoning is set out on the returns page.

Photograph it before you open anything further, including the outer box, and send the pictures with your order number the same day. We will replace it.

Not yet. Write to us if you would like to be told when that changes.

Yes. It comes with your order confirmation, and we can re-send it or add your GSTIN if you email us with the order number.

Kolkata. The herbs are blended and packed here, in the city where most of these recipes were learned in the first place.

Eleven roots is the idea — the core of traditional Indian hair and skin care that everything else builds on. Twenty-one is the number of botanicals we currently use across the full range.

We are just starting to get onto shelves around Kolkata. Email us and we will tell you the nearest stockist, or send it to you directly in the meantime.

Yes, and we would like to hear from you. Write to care@11roots.in with your store or salon name and where you are, and we will come to you with samples.

Rinse and dry it, keep the glass and the metal lid separate, and hand them to your kabadiwala rather than binning them. Leftover herb paste goes into a plant pot or the compost, not down the drain.

There is a full breakdown on our sustainability page, including what we have not fixed yet.

Sometimes. Whatever is open is on our careers page, and if nothing there fits you are welcome to write to us anyway.

We do, selectively, and we prefer people who will actually use the products for a few weeks before saying anything about them. Email us with where you post and who reads you.