Ok, so it’s not my
typical type of post, but since people were asking for the recipe and results
… J
So, why make your own shampoo? Well, I’ll tell ya: toxicity, cost, and effectiveness. Yes, in that order. It was my friend (and Arbonne Associate) Rachel
who alerted me to the toxic ingredients in most of my go-to health and beauty
products, thus launching me on my “eliminate the toxins!” journey. (Or craze, depending on who you talk to.) Unfortunately, I can’t afford Arbonne
routinely … and the Environmental Working Group Cosmetics Database that Rachel
pointed me to left me feeling really discouraged. Finding products that were easily available;
economical; and non-toxic really
presented a challenge. So I started
scrounging blogs for help.
Many people have had luck with the “No-poo” method. But I had my doubts … and upon reading one
bloggers review that it did NOT work well with baby-fine hair, I felt justified
in my hesitation. That being said, if
you want a truly cheap and green hair-cleaning product, just go with good ‘ol
baking soda, diluted in water. Then
rinse with vinegar to eliminate tangles.
Voila’! Clean hair.
In any case, I’d also read that Dr. Bronner’s “Magic” Castille
Soaps could be used as shampoo, so long as you “Dilute, dilute, dilute!” However, a couple of months yielded less than
satisfactory results. I have oily scalp,
and using the Dr. Bronner’s seemed to simply encourage that. I needed something definitively formulated
for my oily, dandruff-prone scalp and multi-textured hair (a lovely side-effect
of three pregnancies: half my hair is baby fine and straight; the other half is
more wiry and curly). I’ve been learning
a lot about how certain natural oils and essential oils interact with the skin
since beginning my cloth diapering journey; so I knew that while my skin needed
gentle moisturizers with the presence of antimicrobial agents, my tresses
themselves needed easily-absorbed high-volume moisture. Then I stumbled across this
formula and knew I’d hit pay dirt—it only needed a few modifications.
A note on dandruff: of
the herbal anti-dandruff options found on the web and in books, tea tree oil is
the most commonly accepted. I based the
concentrations I used off the advice
found at the LIVESTRONG website.
Other essential oils were added according to these guidelines
provided by Organic Impact.
For
normal/combination hair, combine:
1.
½ C Dr. Bronners Baby Mild Castille Liquid Soap
2.
½ C whole coconut milk (preferably organic)
3.
½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil (again, preferably
organic)
4.
15 drops peppermint essential oil – pH balance for dry or oily hair
5.
(Optional)
25 drops tea tree oil – 5% formula for dandruff treatment
6.
(Optional)
~1/2 tsp guar or xanthan gum—this can function as a thickener, though it seemed
to me that the Dr. Bronner’s cut right through it
Mix well and transfer into a bottle. It’s very runny, so be aware of this when
applying. Although I haven’t tried it,
another blog recommended the use of cooled green tea in place of the distilled
water to “wake one’s roots” and “invigorate the scalp”. Might be worth a try someday.
Review: the
shampoo, while runny, blended beautifully.
It cleaned my hair well without feeling overly “squeaky” or
stripped. I opted out of conditioning to
see how it played out as is. My hair,
once damp, released its tangles without too much protest; and I was delighted
by the manageable texture the mix afforded my hair. It’s been relatively easy to manage and I’ve
not had the urge to itch. Overall,
pleased … and I even doubled its use as a bodywash.
Since I’d found another recipe
that used water instead of coconut milk, I decided to try it for my children’s
shampoo (with the exception of the baby, their hair is too long and thick for a
multi-purpose baby wash).
For fine hair,
combine:
1.
½ C distilled water (okay, I cheated and used
filtered water that had been previously boiled and cooled)
2.
½ C Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Castille Liquid Soap
3.
½ tsp organic extra-virgin olive oil
4.
15 drops lavender essential oil—calming and mildly antimicrobial
5.
(Optional)
10 drops tea tree oil—2% formula for cradle cap
Mix as above. I
recommend using a foaming pump dispenser for this one.
Review: Though the tea tree oil overpowers the lavender
a bit, I was impressed overwell with how well this mix agreed with the kids’
hair and skin. It actually brought out
their curls in the same way that the adult formula textured my choppy
waves. And sinceDr. Bronners, along with
the tea tree, lavender, and peppermint essential oils have other common uses in
the “green household”, the initial investment was well worth it.
