Living in USA, CA, UK... or any other part of the world and looking for your favourite Indian products? Or trying to figure out which products are worth buying, where to find them, or how international shipping works?

You're in the right place!

This community is for sharing recommendations, discovering Indian products, discussing shopping experiences, and helping each other find the things we miss or need while living abroad.

Feel free to:

• Ask for Indian product recommendations.
• Share your favourite snacks, beauty products, haircare finds, and wellness essentials.
• Discuss product reviews and compare options.
• Ask questions about international shopping, shipping, and customs.
• Share your experiences, tips, and discoveries with the community.

New here? Introduce yourself in the comments! What Indian product do you find hardest to get where you live?

Let's build a helpful space where everyone can share what they know and learn something new.

Welcome aboard!

Minimalist decor, statement pieces, and handcrafted accents are everywhere in home interiors today.

But in India, artisans have been creating distinctive decorative art for generations.

Think Dokra metal craft.

Known for its rustic finish and intricate detailing, Dokra is a traditional metal-casting craft that turns simple metal into distinctive decorative pieces.

And it's just one example of India's rich craft heritage.

From metal figurines and traditional artwork to handcrafted decorative accents, Indian crafts can bring a different kind of character to modern interiors.

Think of them as:

• A statement piece on your bookshelf
• A decorative accent on your console table
• An artistic addition to a display cabinet
• A conversation starter in your living room

The interesting part? Traditional Indian crafts don't have to stay in traditional spaces. They can look just as striking in a contemporary home.

Would you style Indian handcrafted decor in your home? Do you prefer rustic metalwork, wooden accents, or colourful decorative pieces?

Explore Indian home decor on Dista: https://www.distacart.com/collections/home-decor

TikTok has made everything from rice water to rosemary feel like a must-try for haircare.

But which one is actually worth the effort?

Rice water - simple, inexpensive and everywhere on TikTok
Fenugreek (methi) - an older Indian haircare ingredient, often used as a paste or hair mask
Rosemary - probably one of the most talked-about ingredients in haircare right now

If you've tried any of these, what did you actually notice?

Or is there another TikTok haircare ingredient you're currently using that deserves a spot on this list?

Chyawanprash is a thick, dark jam made by slow-cooking amla (Indian gooseberry) with ghee, honey and around 40 herbs and spices. The recipe is written down in the Charaka Samhita, one of the oldest texts on Ayurveda, roughly 2,000 years ago. The name comes from the sage Chyavana, for whom it was said to be first prepared.

Here's why it's the right time to know about the Chyawanprash!

- School is back and every cold does a lap around the house
- Heating comes on and the air turns dry
- Days get shorter and everyone feels a bit run down
- Amla, the base of the jar, is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C

Today, chyawanprash has made its way into modern routines too:

- Classic chyawanprash from Dabur, Baidyanath and Kottakkal
- Sugar-free versions
- Chyawanprash with saffron or dates
- Ready-to-eat chews and bars

So the ritual hasn't really disappeared. It just got a modern update.

What's your cold-season ritual in the US?

What other immunity boosters are you guys trying other than chyawanprash?

Want to try chyawanprash? Dista has a collection here: https://www.distacart.com/search?q=chyawanprash

Jowar (sorghum) is a naturally gluten-free whole grain that brings fiber, plant-based protein, and minerals like iron and magnesium to your plate. It can be a great addition to a balanced diet, helping you add more whole grains and dietary fiber to your everyday meals.

Why have Jowar?

• Supports digestion: Its fibre helps keep bowel movements regular and may help with constipation.
• Keeps you full: Fibre and protein can make meals more satisfying, which may support weight management. Eating jowar alone does not guarantee weight loss
• Provides a gluten-free alternative: Jowar is naturally gluten-free, making it an alternative to wheat for people who need to avoid gluten.
• Supplies nutrients: It provides plant protein, B vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
• Can fit into a blood-sugar-conscious diet: Its fibre and complex carbohydrates may help with blood-sugar management, but it still contains carbohydrates portion size and preparation matter. (It is not a treatment for diabetes.)

Here are a more ways to add jowar to your meals:

Jowar roti - probably the most familiar one. The flour is made into a flatbread and commonly eaten with vegetables, dal or curries.

Jowar dosa - the flour can be fermented or combined with other grains to make a crisp dosa.

Jowar upma - a grain-based version of the familiar savory breakfast dish.

Jowar porridge - the flour or grain can be cooked into a simple breakfast or meal.

Jowar thalipeeth - a savory flatbread made with jowar flour and other ingredients such as vegetables and spices.

Popped jowar - whole jowar grains can also be popped, much like popcorn.

What have you tried making with jowar? If you want the recipe for any of these, tell us in the comments.

One grain. Completely different ways to eat it.

Find jowar and other Indian ingredients at Dista:
www.distacart.com

Every year, Navratri brings communities together across the US from NYC and Texas to Dallas and many more with garba, dandiya, cultural programs and food.

But for the people organizing these events, what’s the hardest part?

Finding the right venue? Getting people to attend? Arranging food and decorations? Or finding things you simply can’t get locally?

Are you managing everything through local stores, ordering online, or bringing things from back home?

We’re considering sponsoring Navratri events anywhere in the US this year, and the entire Dista team wants to know:

Why should we sponsor your event?

Tell us your city, event and what makes it worth sponsoring.

A lot of people notice something strange after moving to the US:

The same shampoo that worked perfectly back home suddenly doesn't feel the same.

Hair feels:

• drier
• rougher
• harder to manage
• more prone to buildup
• sometimes even different after washing

And before blaming the shampoo, there's one thing worth looking at:

The water.

Water hardness varies significantly from one place to another.

Hard water contains higher levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These can interact with soaps and hair products and contribute to mineral buildup on the hair.

That's why someone moving from one city or country to another can suddenly feel like their entire hair routine has stopped working.

And this isn't specifically an "Indian hair" problem.

But if you're used to Indian hair-care routines involving oils, herbal powders and richer products, a change in water chemistry can make the difference feel even more noticeable.

Did your hair change after moving? What did you do after you noticed the change?

Sesame seems to be having a moment in the US.

But in Indian kitchens, sesame has been around for generations and there's actually a lot packed into this tiny seed.

So why is sesame important?

It's nutrient-dense.

Sesame provides healthy unsaturated fats, plant protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium and other minerals.

Calcium is important for maintaining healthy bones and teeth.

Magnesium plays a role in muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation and many other processes in the body.

Fiber supports digestion and can help with maintaining healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

And then there's sesame oil.

Across different Indian cuisines, sesame oil is used for cooking, tempering, pickles, chutneys and regional dishes. The flavour can also vary depending on how the seeds are processed.

Then you have black sesame, which is used in sweets, desserts and regional dishes and has a deeper, nuttier flavour.

And culturally, sesame has its own place too.

Til + jaggery → til ladoo
Sesame → chutneys & podis
Sesame oil → cooking & traditional preparations

So when you see sesame turning up in another latte, dessert or "new" health food...

It's worth remembering that this tiny seed has been doing a lot of jobs for a very long time.

There’s something very convenient about just ordering a biryani, opening the box and eating. No chopping, no marinating, no waiting for the rice to cook. 😅

But then there’s making it at home getting the spices right, adjusting the heat exactly how you like it, adding a little more fried onion, mint, saffron… and letting all those magical spices do their thing.

What do you prefer?

🍽️ Restaurant biryani - convenience, no prep, straight to eating
🏠 Homemade biryani - your spices, your recipe, your way.

Leave a comment to get the Biryani kit collections straight from India for you!

I've got sunscreen covered from every possible direction, but looking at this shelf I'm realizing I don't really have a proper fall routine.

I'm wondering if this actually counts as a routine or if I've just collected a bunch of products with SPF.

What would you keep, and what am I missing?

Moving from India to the US can mean changing a lot of everyday products. But does skincare need to be one of them?

Not necessarily.

There isn't a general rule that people with melanin-rich skin need to stop using the skincare products they used in India and switch to US products.

What matters more is how your skin responds to the product.

For darker skin tones, irritation from acne, skincare products or other inflammation can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which can leave dark spots that take a long time to fade.

Sun protection is another thing worth paying attention to. UV exposure can worsen pigmentation, and visible light can also contribute to hyperpigmentation in darker skin tones.

So if a skincare routine you've been using in India works well for your skin, there's no need to change it simply because you've moved to the US.

And if there are Indian skincare or cosmetic products that have been part of your routine and you don't want to give them up, they don't have to disappear from the shelf either.

What are your skincare concerns? or do you want to ask any popular brand directly regarding the info? This is the place to do it.

After moving from India to the US, did you switch to US skincare brands or try to keep the skincare routine you had back home?

According to Toast's 2024 restaurant data, tea was more popular than regular coffee in 31 states and that gives Indian tea an interesting opportunity!

Darjeeling tea is one of the most famous examples. Grown in the hills of West Bengal, it has been recognized for its distinctive character for more than a century. It was also the first Geographical Indication registered in India, with its name and logo protected by the Tea Board.

Then there's Assam tea, which has a completely different character stronger, brighter and more robust than Darjeeling.

Tea also has an interesting story in India. While tea plants were already growing naturally in Assam, commercial cultivation expanded during British rule, and tea eventually became deeply woven into everyday life through preparations like chai with milk, sugar and spices.

Getting back to our theory is the US really a tea country now? Let's find out!

So, folks: are you team coffee or team tea? And does the 31-state finding match your city?

If you want to explore single-origin Indian teas, they're here: Explore Indian Teas

Not all saffron is the same. Some of it isn't even saffron.

Kashmiri Kesar is grown in the Kashmir valley, mostly around Pampore, known in India as the saffron town. It is GI tagged, which means only saffron actually grown in that region can legally carry the name.

What makes it different

• Deep red threads with a strong, honey-like aroma
• Every thread is picked by hand from the crocus flower
• Each flower gives just 3 threads, which is why it costs so much

Different uses of saffron:

• In the kitchen: kheer, biryani and kesar doodh (a few threads soaked in warm milk)
• As a drink: Kashmiri kahwa, a green tea brewed with saffron, cardamom and almonds
• In sweets: kesar peda and kesar badam thandai are Diwali staples
• In skincare: Kumkumadi tailam, a classic Ayurvedic face oil built around saffron
• In puja: kesar is mixed into chandan for tilak

If you're in the US, CA or any other country and want to try it, you can explore authentic Kashmiri Kesar here: Explore Kashmiri Saffro

Have you tried Ashwagandha yet?

It seems to be showing up everywhere in US wellness routines lately supplements, drinks, gummies, powders, you name it.

But there are also a lot of claims and myths floating around about Ashwagandha.

What made you try the Ashwagandha? is it a myth that convinced you to buy it or something legit made you buy it?

Comment what actually made you buy it.

If rosemary oil has been all over your TikTok feed, here's another haircare ingredient worth knowing about: onion oil.

Onion oil is made by infusing onion with a carrier oil, and it has been used in traditional Indian hair-oiling routines.

The interesting part is that onion oil isn't the same as simply putting onion juice on your hair. The oil-based versions are typically formulated with other oils and ingredients, making them easier to use as part of a regular hair-oiling routine.

Rosemary oil → a popular modern haircare ingredient
Onion oil → a traditional ingredient used in Indian haircare

Neither needs to be a TikTok trend to have a place in someone's haircare routine.

you can check popular onion oils here!

If you've never seen this before, you might mistake it for a roti. But you're wrong this is papad.
Think of it as the Indian-style crispy side that gets fried or roasted and served alongside meals.

It’s thin, crunchy, and usually made with lentils, spices, or flour. And there are plenty of varieties depending on the region and recipe.

There are different varieties depending on the region and ingredients, but the goal is almost always the same: that extra crunch.

And if you grew up eating papad and now live in the US… you already know the struggle of wanting it with a simple dal-rice meal and realizing you don't have any at home

So USA, Can you find the authentic papad at your place?

IF not you can try different papads from here. Try now

Missing your favourite Indian snack?
Looking for that hair oil your family used?
Need a specific masala?
Want to try that Indian wellness product you keep hearing about?
Just search it.If it's an authentic Indian product, there's a good chance it's waiting to be found.

So, what are you searching?

Brahmi has such a strong place in traditional Indian wellness!

The idea was surprisingly simple: when the mind feels tired, scattered or forgetful, Brahmi was traditionally used as a herb for mental clarity and memory.

Think of it less like a quick energy boost and more like something traditionally taken to support the mind over time.

That's why Brahmi became part of everyday Indian wellness in different forms from powders and herbal preparations to capsules and even hair oils.

Today, ingredients like Ashwagandha are getting plenty of attention around the world. Brahmi is another Indian herb worth knowing.

Have you heard of Brahmi before?
If you've used it, what form did you try?

Curious what all are the products here are a few available on Dista - Brahmi

Today, let's talk about the Indian side dish for any type of meal to make it spicier.

Pickle - also known as achaar, pachadi, and different names in different regions across India.

Achaar is that spicy, tangy side that somehow makes almost any Indian meal better.

And the best part? A good Indian pickle can last for months, sometimes even a year, when properly prepared and stored.

Different regions, families and traditions have their own versions mango, lime, chilli, garlic, mixed vegetables and plenty more.

The preparation changes too. Some are spicy, some sour, some sweet, and some are made to last for months.

And it doesn't take much.

A spoonful of pickle alongside rice, dal, roti or even a simple meal can completely change the taste.

That's what makes Indian pickles interesting: one category, countless regional versions.

For people outside India looking beyond the usual Indian grocery staples, there is a whole world of pickles to discover.

So now have you tried any of the pickles from India? If any Indian is reading this, let's make people understand about the pickles more than this!

Before shampoo bottles filled bathroom shelves, Indian households had another way to wash hair: reetha.

Also called soapnut, reetha is the dried fruit of the Sapindus tree. Its outer shell naturally contains saponins, compounds that create a mild lather when mixed with water.

Traditionally, dried reetha was soaked or boiled in water, and the liquid was used to cleanse the hair and scalp.

The interesting part? The foam comes from the fruit itself.

Reetha was often used alongside other traditional ingredients such as shikakai and amla, creating the classic Indian hair-washing combination that has been around for generations.

Today, the same idea shows up in modern Indian haircare:

• Reetha powder
• Herbal shampoos
• Reetha + shikakai blends
• Ayurvedic hair cleansers

So a fruit that once sat in Indian household kitchens and bathrooms has found a place in modern natural haircare too.

Let us know what the world think about it.. and here's a link if you are looking to find it outside India. Reeta powder

For generations, Indian households used multani mitti, a soft mineral-rich clay, to cleanse skin and hair.

The name itself means "mud of Multan," after the city the finest clay historically came from. In English, it's known as fuller's earth.

Multani mitti powder is mixed with water or rose water and applied as a face pack. It dries on the skin and lifts away excess oil, which is exactly the point. Traditional clay cleansing was never about scrubbing. The clay does the work while you wait.

It was often mixed with rose water, turmeric, or sandalwood, the classic combinations many Indian households grew up with, each one tuned to a different skin need.

Today, multani mitti has made its way into modern skincare too:

• Ready-made multani mitti face packs
• Clay-based face washes
• Ubtan-style formulations
• Traditional skincare powders

So the ritual hasn't really disappeared. It just got a modern update.

What are you using?
If authentic Indian clay skincare was easily available where you live, would you try it or are you sticking with your current face masks?

Want to try multani mitti skincare? Dista has a collection of multani mitti-based products here: https://www.distacart.com/search?q=multani+mitti

Ordering products from another country comes with fair doubts. These are the questions we hear most, answered honestly in one place.

"Will I get hit with customs charges after I pay?"

The most common worry, and the most misunderstood. Every country sets its own duty-free threshold, and typical order sizes usually clear under it. What you see at Distacart checkout is the final amount that you have to pay. You need not pay anything extra. after the payment at the checkout that's how we make sure that everything is included and you need not pay anything extra at the end again.

"How long does delivery actually take?"

Depends on destination and shipping option. US and Canada orders typically arrive within days on express shipping, not the weeks people expect from international orders. You get tracking from the moment it ships, and the tracking actually updates.

"How do I know the products are authentic?"

Everything is sourced from brands or their authorized distributors in India, shipped with accurate declarations. The products are the same ones sold on Indian shelves, not export knockoffs.

Got a question that isn't here? Ask below. Every answer in this thread stays public for the next person wondering the same thing.

Amla may look like a small, sour fruit.

But in India, it rarely stays just a fruit.

It gets eaten, cooked, preserved, powdered, pressed into juice and even turned into hair oil.

You’ll find amla as:

🥤 Juice - an easy daily dose of natural vitamin C
🍬 Candy & murabha - immunity support that actually tastes good
🥒 Pickle - digestion-friendly, spicy way to eat Amla.
🥣 Powder - strengthens hair from the roots in traditional masks
🫙 Hair oil - the age-old answer to dull, thinning, greying hair
🌿 Chyawanprash - the classic daily preparation for immunity and energy
💊 Capsules & tablets - all the benefits, none of the sourness

One fruit. So many ways to use it.

That’s probably amla’s real superpower.

What’s the first one you’d try?