Shampoo Recipe

You know those commercials that show a before shot of a dry poofy frizzed out head of hair, and then an after shot of silky smooth hair that probably took hours of styling and loads of professional and damaging products to achieve that "all natural healthy look"... well here is a recipe that will actually achieve that look with out the products and professionals and chemical dependency.

Shampoo Recipe
1 cup distilled water
1/4 cup Liquid Castle Soap
1 Tablespoon Lemongrass (dried)
1 Tablespoon Henna (because I have red hair and would like to keep it red)
2 drops Essential Oil (fragrance of your choice, I used peppermint)

 Put your herbs in a 10 -12 oz glass jar. Bring the water to a boil, pour it into the jar with the herbs, seal the jar and wait 10 - 20 minutes. (Be careful, the jar gets HOT)

Strain the herbs out and pour the water into a bowl. Add the Liquid Castle Soap, you can use the unscented kind, here I used almond. Stir well. Add your drops of essential oil for added fragrance. Stir well.

Pour mixture into a bottle of your choice. I recycled an empty shampoo bottle. This Shampoo will be very watery and thin and will not lather like store bought shampoo but will clean more effectively. Since your hair has been dependent on chemical shampoos for so long, it has been stripped of it's natural oils on a daily basis and therefore has been trained to produce more oils to stay hydrated. Because of this, your hair will probably be extra oily and maybe even greasy for about a month after switching to homemade Shampoo. I added a little witch hazel to my mix, but you can also rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar to reduce the oily film.

Different herbs will produce different results. I used Lemongrass because it has natural cleaning properties and henna because I have dyed red hair and henna will give your hair a red tint. Below are a list of some herbs that you might want to consider for your own hair type. You don't have to use any or you can use a few, the combination is up to you and the measurements can be played with. This is your own recipe, so experiment and have fun!

For Dry Hair: Comfrey Root, Avocado or Grape Seed Oil

For Normal Hair: Dandelion, Clover, Horse Tail

For Oily Hair: Watercress, Strawberry Leaf, Lemon Grass

For Shine: Egg, Raspberry , Nettle, Vinegar

For Manageability: Yogurt, Beer

For Dandruff: Comfrey, Nettle, Peppermint, Vinegar

The following herbs will help you maintain a certain color, again everyone's hair is different so you'll need to experiment with combinations and measurements to find what works for you.

For Blonde: Chamomile, Lemon Peel, Honey, Lemon Juice, Calendula

For Brunette: Sage, Lavender, Cinnamon, Cloves, Rosemary

For Red: Henna, Calendula, Red hibiscus, Cinnamon, Beets

For Black: Indigo, Lavender, Sage


If you try this recipe please comment with your experience and an alterations you may have made! : )