Creating your own shampoo not only allows you to keep harmful chemicals out of your hair, but lets you customize it to suit your needs.
It is a very simple process, and the recipe listed below has a decent yield.
Half an hour out of a lazy Sunday can provide you with up to 2 months worth of shampoo! Definitely give it a try, and most of all have fun with it!
Basic Shampoo Formula
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (50 ml) fresh herbs of choice, or 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dried herbs
- 1 cup (250 ml) spring water (distilled works fine)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid castile soap (I recommend Dr. Bronner’s)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) almond or apricot kernel oil
- 5 drops essential oil of choice
To make:
- Place herbs in a clean 10-ounce (284 g) glass jar with a lid.
- Boil the water and pour over the herbs.
- Cover and let steep for 10-20 minutes.
- Strain the liquid from the herbs into a bowl.
- Add the liquid castile soap and almond or apricot oil and mix thoroughly.
- Scent with essential oil and mix again.
- Bottle in a plastic container with a spout or a clean reused shampoo bottle.
Yield: Approximately 24 shampoos
Choose herbs for your shampoo that will enhance your hair color and texture, and that address special needs that you may have.
You can mix and match herbs from the following lists to develop an individualized combination that is best for your hair.
Ingredients for Hair Type
Dry: Avocado, Comfrey Root, Elder Flowers, Orange Blossoms
Normal: Dandelion, Horsetail, Clover
Oily: Watercress, Strawberry Leaf, White Willow Bark, Lemongrass
Ingredients for Special Conditions
To Encourage Shine: Raspberry, Nettle, Quassia Bark
To Boost Manageability: Cherry Bark
To Create Softness: Cherry Bark, Burdock Root, Marjoram
To Control Dandruff: White Willow Bark, Birch Bark, Comfrey, Nettle, Peppermint
To Encourage Growth: St. John’s Wort, Nettle, Sage, Basil, Rosemary, Onion
Ingredients to Enhance the Color of your Hair
Blond: Chamomile, Calendula, Lemon Peel, Mullein Flowers
Brunette: Sage, Lavender, Cinnamon, Cloves, Rosemary
Red: Henna, Calendula, Red Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Beets
Darkest: Black Malva, Indigo, Lavender, Sage
Recipe and Herbal Recommendations adapted from:
Herbal Treatments for Healthy Hair by Gretta Breedlove
All images from Google.com
