Product Information

Chebe powder is an all-natural powder mixture originating from a tribe in the Chad Republic in Africa. It has been used for centuries and is beloved for hair growth: In fact, one Google search will leave you with plenty of photos of women in Chad with hair down to their waists—all thanks to the lubricating properties of this powerhouse powder.

Benefits of Chebe Powder

1. Helps hair retain length.
“The powder itself doesn’t make your hair grow; however, the benefits and properties it has do,” says texture specialist Michelle O’Connor, global artistic director at Matrix. Read: The powder won’t actually stimulate the follicles and cause hair growth, but its moisturizing abilities help the hair you already have stay healthy and strong (and healthy hair tends to grow longer and faster).

2. Locks in moisture.
Generally, you would mix chebe powder with a carrier oil before applying to the hair (don’t worry; we offer a tutorial down below), which seals in moisture and delivers fatty acids and antioxidants to the strands. But “the seeds that are used also have different types of oils in them,” says Martey-Ochola. “They have an emollient, conditioning activity to them that will allow the hair to maintain its integrity from a moisturization perspective.”

3. Reduces breakage.
According to Martey-Ochola, the fine powder can “fill in” the spaces on the hair shaft—meaning, it helps seal down the cuticle. This not only helps trap in water nutrients (leaving hair conditioned and moisturized), but a closed, lubricated cuticle also means less friction between the strands. In turn, this also means less breakage: “[The strand] becomes a little stiffer and doesn’t break as easily,” she notes.

4. Mildly exfoliates the scalp.
Depending on how you use it, chebe powder can exfoliate the scalp—the powder has a gentle, grainy texture, so you could use those granules in a DIY scalp scrub. “That allows for a refreshing feeling on the scalp,” says Martey-Ochola. She also notes that cloves have some naturally astringent properties that could help balance oil on the scalp as well—some research also touts cloves’ ability to relieve itch.

We should note that if you do use chebe powder on the scalp, you’ll want to thoroughly rinse it out after scrubbing—you don’t want to let it build up on the follicles.

5. Keeps hair color vibrant.
As a general rule, healthy, moisturized hair tends to hold on to color for longer. “Healthy hair is better at maintaining the strength of color production.” She also notes that chebe powder may contain natural dyes that can help duller strands appear more vibrant—there isn’t much research on that front, but you might want to keep it from staining your clothing if you use it.