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Herbal shampoo

115g of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.

15g of rosemary - stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness

15g of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial

15g of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth

15g of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions

2000 mg of MSM – provides organic sulphur to your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrient into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.

One empty 250ml plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.

Method:

Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strained herbal tea into the 250ml plastic bottle. Now, pour the 115g of castile soap into the 250ml plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste. But now you have a shampoo that has no additives that can harm you.

Editor Note: MSM is called methylsulfonylmethane, an organic sulphur compound. You can get it in gel, liquid, powder, cream or capsule form. Consult your doctor before using MSM, especially if you are using medications.

Ravishing Rosemary Hair Conditioner

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is thought to stimulate hair growth. A great remedy for itchy scalps and dandruff this easy to make recipe will leave your hair feeling softer, more manageable and smelling wonderful.

The Ingredients

• Rosemary essential oil *

• Carrier oil (sweet almond or olive oil) slightly warmed

The Instructions

Add 2-5 drops of rosemary essential oil with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil of your choice, blend well. Work the oils through dampened hair and massage the scalp. Wrap your head in a warm towel and leave on for 45 minutes to deep condition the hair. Wash out and rinse with cool water. Keep out of eyes.

Ingredients can be found at any health food store.

Warning: Avoid if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or epileptic.

NOTE:

Rosemary - (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needles used in landscaping, especially in areas having a Mediterranean-type of climate. It is a member of the mint family.

Soapwort Shampoo Recipe

Suitable for all hair types. Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) contains saponins which is similar to soap. It lathers when agitated.
Lemon Verbena for a citrus fragrance and catnip to promote healthy hair growth

The Ingredients

• 2 cups distilled water

• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried soapwort root (chopped) (most health food stores would carry this)

• 2 teaspoons Lemon Verbena or 2 teaspoons Catnip

The Instructions

Bring water to a boil add soapwort and simmer, cover for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add herb then allow mixture to cool. Strain the mixture keeping the liquid. Pour into a bottle. Makes enough for 6-7 shampoos. Must be used within 8-10 days. Store in a cool dark place.

NOTE:

Distilled water - is water that has been treated by boiling and condensation to remove solids, in-organics, and some organic chemicals

Soapwort - In traditional medicine, the roots are used to treat certain skin diseases. The leaves are rich in natural surfactants which form a natural lather that is ideal for cleansing the skin. Soapwort extracts are also used in cleansers, make-up removers, and shampoos.

Homemade Egg Conditioner Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon baby oil

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 cup water

Directions:

Beat the egg yolk until its frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add to the water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.

NOTE:

Eggs are an excellent source of high quality protein.

• A good source of 11 essential nutrients.

• One of the few food sources of vitamins A and D.

• An excellent source of choline (an essential nutrient which plays a role in brain development and memory. One egg yolk provides nearly half the recommended amount of choline per day).

• A source of the carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin) - which may reduce the risk of cataracts and age related macular degeneration.

Try to stick to organic free range eggs as always!

Chamomile Shampoo

The Ingredients

• 4 bags of Chamomile tea (or 1 handful of fresh Chamomile flowers)

• 4 tablespoons pure soap flakes

• 1 1/2 tablespoons glycerin*

The Instructions

Let the tea bags steep in 1 1/2 cups of boiled water for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and with the remaining liquid add the soap flakes. Let stand until the soap softens. Stir in glycerin until mixture is well blended. Pour into a bottle. Keep in a dark, cool place.

NOTE:

Glycerin: A transparent sweet liquid, a by-product of soapmaking. Glycerin is used in many cosmetic products. It acts as a humectant. Which means it retains moisture. You can purchase it at most drug stores or health food stores.

Tropical Conditioner

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado (peeled and mashed)

• coconut milk

Directions:

Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Mash together until its smooth and about as thick as shampoo. Comb it through the hair and let sit for 10 -15 minutes, wash out.

Dry Shampoo Recipe

Cornstarch is used to absorb the hairs oils.

The Ingredients

      1/2 cup Cornstarch

The Instructions

Sprinkle the cornstarch in your hair, let it absorb for a few minutes, brush it out. This is great if you are in a pinch.

NOTE:

Cornstarch: is the starch of the corn, or maize, grain. It has a distinctive appearance and feel when mixed raw with water or milk, giving easily to gentle pressure but resisting sudden pressure. It is usually included as an anti-caking agent in powdered sugar (10X or confectioner's sugar). For this reason, recipes calling for powdered sugar often call for at least light cooking to remove the raw cornstarch taste.

Deep conditioner 

The Ingredients

• 1 small jar of real mayonnaise

• 1/2 of an avocado

The Instructions

Put together in a medium bowl and squish together with your hands until it's a minty green color. Smooth into hair all the way to the tips. Put on a shower cap or wrap your head with saran wrap.

Leave on for 20 minutes. For deeper conditioning put a hot, damp towel around your head -over the saran wrap. And if you have really long hair and only need deep conditioning at the ends, cut the ingredients in half and apply only to the ends and just wrap them.

Avocados contain vitamin B6 & vitamin E

Avocado intensive hair treatment

- Mash one avocado which is recommended for its hydrating benefits and proteins and mix with one-tablespoon lemon juice, one teaspoon of sea salt, and one tablespoon of pure aloe until it becomes a paste.

- Comb through hair with your fingertips.

- Cover hair with a plastic shower cap or bag, and wrap a towel around it to seal in the treatment.

- Leave in for 20-30 minutes and enjoy a great book, CD or even better - just savour the peace and quiet!

- Unwrap you newly conditioned hair. Rinse, shampoo and rinse again for soft, luxurious hair!

Herbal shampoo

The Ingredients

2 tablespoons catnip
1 tablespoon castile soap
1/4 cup boiling water
 

The Instructions
Place boiling water in a cup and add catnip. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Add castile soap to cup. Mix well. Apply entire portion to wet hair and lather well. Rinse with cool water.

Hot Oil Hair Treatment Recipes

The Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon soybean oil

• 2 teaspoons castor oil

The Instructions

Combine ingredients then warm on low heat. Massage mixture into the scalp and hair. Wrap hair in a hot towel for 15 minutes. Shampoo & rinse out.

Rosemary Hot Oil Treatment

(For Dry Hair)

• 1/2 cup of dried rosemary leaves

• 1/2 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients then heat up until warm. Strain. Coat the entire scalp and ends of hair with the oil mixture. Wrap hair in saran wrap and a towel over that, leave on for 15 minutes. Wash hair twice to remove the oil. Use this treatment twice a month or when your needs a deep conditioning. Leaves your hair shiny and re-hydrated

Herbal Shampoo

This is another alternative to the recipe above.
 

The Ingredients
120g Soapwort chips
300ml pint distilled water
Essential oil(s)

The Instructions
Simmer soapwort in water until liquid is reduced by half. Allow to cool and filter. Add a few drops of essential oil. Bottle and use as regular shampoo - Low lather level. Keep in refrigerator.
 

Dandruff Remover

Dandruff is dead skin that forms on the scalp. Skin cells die and flake off the body all the time, but if the rate is increased and the scaly flakes are not removed then they can be seen on the head. Normally skin cells die and are replaced around once a month, but with people with dandruff, the process is speeded up to about once every two weeks.

The Ingredients

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup of White Vinegar

The Instructions

Combine ingredients then apply directly to the scalp. Use before shampooing. Apply twice a week.

Castile Shampoo

1/3 distilled water
1 tsp. lavender leaves and flowers
1 tsp. nettle
1 tsp. peppermint
1 tsp. thyme
2/3 cup liquid castile soap
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. sweet almond oil
1 tsp. witch hazel extract
8 drops ylang-ylang essential oil
6 drops clary sage essential oil
7 drops cinnamon essential oil

To Make This Shampoo Recipe: In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Add the lavender, nettle, peppermint and thyme. Cover and let steep for 25 minutes. Strain and discard the solids. Add the castile soap to the herb water, then the salt, sweet almond oil, witch hazel, and the essential oils. Blend well, continuing to stir as the mixture cools and thickens. When the mixture reaches room temperature, transfer it to a container and seal tightly. If stored in a refrigerator, the shampoo should keep for 2 weeks. Shake before using. This recipe makes approximately 1 cup, which is enough for 4-5 shampoos. Massage about 1/4 cup of your shampoo recipe into wet hair, lather and rinse with warm water.

You need a shampoo that is especially effective at cleaning away the grit. This purifying shampoo is mild enough to use every day and strong enough to wash the day right out of your hair. Feel the rejuvenating effects of this purifying shampoo recipe.

or

Mix 1 part liquid castile soap to 2 parts herbal infusion. Add 1/2 tsp glycerine per 200 ml shampoo. 10 drops chamomile essential oil, 20 drops each of lavender & eucalyptus essential oils, and a fresh sprig of rosemary to the bottle. Shake before each use.

Fresh Soapwort shampoo (Made using the herb fresh)

Vinegar hair rinse

The outer layer of the hair, the cuticle, covers the hair shaft and protects it like the bark on a tree. The cuticle is made of overlapping layers of long scales that lie along the surface of the hair like shingles on a roof.  It is the condition of the cuticle scales that determines whether you are going to have a bad hair day. When the cuticle is in good shape, is unbroken, and lies flat, your hair has a smooth appearance.  When the layers of the cuticle are tightly knit together, the light is able to reflect off the cuticle. This is what makes hair shine!  The cuticle opens when we shampoo our hair.  When the cuticle layers are open and not knit together, the hair will feel rough, coarse and brittle.  The hair will absorb the light rather than reflect it, which gives the appearance of dull and lifeless hair.

Vinegar removes scaly build-up and residue from hair shafts and closes the cuticles.   Since residue coats the hair causing it to look dull, removing residue gives your hair more shine.  By closing the cuticles, the hair slides more easily and there will be fewer tangles. Vinegar has a tonic action that promotes blood circulation in the small capillaries that irrigate the skin.

Rinsing your hair with vinegar after shampooing leaves it shining. 

Certain herbs can highlight or enhance your hair colour, as well as condition it.   For example, rosemary and parsley are good for dark hair, sage will darken greying hair, chamomile will highlight blonde or light brown hair, calendula conditions, lavender and lemon verbena add fragrance, linden is good for frequently shampooed hair, and nettles will control dandruff.

This rinse is made from the herbs themselves, not essential oils.  You can use either fresh or dried herbs.  If you have a rosemary bush handy, use a sprig or two-- each about 5 inches long.  For dried rosemary use about a tablespoon.  Rosemary is one of the best herbs for hair.  Fresh lavender is also nice to use.   Most of the herbs you can grow in your garden will probably be useful in some way or other.  Fresh herbs are wonderful to use, but do remember to rinse them if they have been sprayed with anything.  Cut fresh herbs in the morning after the dew has dried.

If using dried herbs, you can use them either loose, tied up in cheesecloth or muslin fabric, or in teabag form (like one chamomile teabag).   If use using loose herbs,  you will need to strain your "tea" prior to use (a coffee filter is excellent)-you don't want to have bits of herb caught in your hair afterwards!

To use - Rinse through wet hair after shampooing.  Rinse it out with fresh water or, for extra conditioning benefits, just leave it in and towel dry hair.  The vinegar scent will disappear as your hair dries. (The vinegar smell really does disappear when dry, all you are left with is the faint smell of the herbs / oils you used in the rinse)

Simple vinegar hair rinse Recipe

A good amount to make for long hair is 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of water.  If you want to get fancy, create a vinegar rinse tailored to your hair by adding herbs and/or natural essential oils. (See below)

Herb & Vinegar Hair Rinse Recipe #1:

This recipe makes a larger batch and takes longer to prepare

Ingredients:

2 cups of cider vinegar

1 cup chopped herbs of choice (see list below)

Directions:
1. Place approximately 1 cup of chopped herbs in a glass jar.
2.  Cover with 2 cups of vinegar.
3. "Steep" this mixture in a tightly closed jar or bottle in the refrigerator or in a dark, cool place for two weeks.
4. Strain steeped vinegar from herbs through cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a fresh, clean bottle.
5. Refrigerate up to 6 months.  (put about a weeks worth in the shower)

Tip: If you don't want to wait two weeks, speed up infusion by heating the vinegar before pouring over herbs. "Steep" for a few days.

When ready to use: dilute 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of the herbal vinegar in 1 cup of water.  Rinse through wet hair after shampooing.  Rinse it out with fresh water or, for extra conditioning benefits, just leave it in and towel dry hair.  The vinegar scent will disappear as your hair dries.

Herb & Vinegar Hair Rinse Recipe #2:

This is a quick recipe for one application

Ingredients

2 tablespoon of cider vinegar

herbs of choice (see list below)

about 2 cups of boiling water

Directions:
1) Boil the water in a small saucepan.

2) Add the herbs and vinegar.  Cover and allow the "tea" to steep for at least 15 minutes.  If you want a stronger herbal infusion, add more herbs, cover and simmer on the stove for 15 minutes.  Then turn off the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. 

3) Allow your infusion to cool.  It should be used that day or refrigerated for later use.  You may also double or triple the recipe.  Just be sure to refrigerate the unused portion.

4) When you have finished rinsing the shampoo out of your hair, pour the rinse on your hair and massage your scalp.  If you have very long hair, as I do, you can dip your hair into the jug before pouring its contents over your head.  Avoid getting the rinse in your eyes, particularly if you have used essential oils.  Also make sure the temperature of your rinse is just right for you.

5) Rinse it out with fresh water or, for extra conditioning benefits, just leave it in and towel dry hair.  The vinegar scent will disappear as your hair dries.

6) Make sure you rinse out the shower afterwards, as some herbs can leave it looking slightly tea stained; similarly, watch out for your towels. The staining is only temporary and washes out very easily; it is more likely to occur with extra strong infusions.

Rose Vinegar

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vinegar
One tablespoon fresh dried rose flowers
One cup distilled water

Directions

Heat the rose flowers with the vinegar and water.   Bring to a boil and steep for 30 minutes. After cooling , place mixture in a jar with a tight fitting lid and let sit for 2 weeks.  Strain the rose flowers from the vinegar and use the liquid for your hair rinse. 

You may add essential oils to the recipe above (I would suggest adding up to 10 drops of lavender or 5 drops of rosemary essential oil) or use the essential oil hair rinse recipe below.   Some words of CAUTION:

• There are many wonderful essential oils that could be used but you MUST do some research. 
• Essential oils are very strong and many can be skin irritants if not used correctly.  Lavender is one of a very few essential oils that can be used directly on skin.  Others like clove or thyme essential oil WILL irritate your skin if used full strength.  Even though the oils are diluted in this recipe--you must be knowledgeable about the amount of essential oil to use in your dilution.
• Essential oils are expensive.  But do NOT use the cheaper fragrance oils or "nature identical" oils.  These are synthetic, can cause skin irritation and provide none of the benefits of natural botanical essential oils.

Eucalyptus Hair Rinse:

Bring 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup gumnuts to a boil, then turn down heat and let them simmer, covered, for a half hour.

Drain, add 1 cup cold water, then pour over scalp and hair and leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse off.

This is really good for camping, etc. to keep bugs off of you, and also just a nice rinse. Use after shampoo (and before conditioner if needed).