Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Homemade Herbal Shampoo

I have long been looking for an organic shampoo that works well and does not cost an arm and a leg and it has finally come down to me starting to make my own.  I adapted a recipe from herbmentor and so far am liking it.  I suggest you reading the post as they offer different ingredients for different hair types.  My hair tends to be on the oily side and thin, so here is the formulation I came up with for my hair (I used all organic ingredients):

*8 ounce distilled water
*2 tsp nettle
*2 tsp oat straw
*3 ounces castille soap
*3 T aloe vera gel
*1/4 tsp jojoba oil
*15 drops rosemary essential oil
*5 drops sage essential oil
*3 drops tea tree oil
*7 drops lavender essential oil

Bring the distilled water to a boil.  Place the nettle and oat straw in a 16 ounce glass bottle.  Pour the hot water over the herbs and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  In a 16 ounce glass bottle add essential oils.  Roll the bottle in your hands (with cap on) to allow the oils to mix together.  Then add jojoba oil and again roll the bottle for a few seconds.  Strain the nettle and oat straw tea and add to the jar with the essential oils.  Add the castille soap and aloe.  Lightly shake to mix well.  This should last a few months, keep in fridge to extend shelf life.  Use about 2 tsp to 1T worth per shampoo.  Avoid getting in eyes because of essential oils and shake well before each use.

photo credit: www.itsnature.org

I used more rosemary in my essential oil base because it is very beneficial for the scalp and hair.  It helps stimulate hair growth and helps hair to grow stronger and longer.  It also is touted to slow hair loss and pre-mature graying.

If you want to use this shampoo while nursing or pregnant, leave out the essential oils.

2 comments:

  1. About 5 years ago I stopped using any shampoo and that works great for me. My hair is medium long and fine, and I used to wash it every day because it always looked lank. Now I just do a good scrub under the shower and follow with a coolish rinse and I'm good for a few days. Occasionally I'll scrub with a little baking soda and from time to time I'll rinse with cider vinegar, but that's it. Your shampoo sounds divine, though.

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  2. Really good to have the making of homemade herbal shampoo. This will make the hair in a good condition to have the natural hair. Thanks for the effective sharing.

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