Friday, December 16, 2011

Homemade Shampoo & Body Wash without dangerous chemicals!!!

I have been researching for several days about how to make my own shampoo & body wash without harmful chemicals.  It took me forever to find one that I liked, even then I tweaked it quite a bit to make it my own.

We have extremely hard water. Usually after we shower we need lotion or creme because our skin is so dry. No matter what soap, body wash, shampoo we use we always end up with that feeling of dry itchy skin.   After using this shampoo/body wash my skin isn't itchy and dry.

***hair is still wet, waiting for it to dry for results on it.***

Ok my hair is finally dry. So what's the results?  My hair feels oily to the touch, but it doesn't look that way. It's not a nasty oily feeling, it feels kinda like a good creme moisturizer when it's first applied to your hands. My hair isn't dry and brittle feeling either. It has more body and bounce to it. It is shining a lot more than it has in a long time. It actually looks healthy.

My daughter has stringy, thin, curly hair. I will use it on her hair tonight to see how it works on her hair.

 I used it on Halle's hair. It had a lot more body and lift to it. It looked healthier too.  Her ponytail didn't fall out this time. Her hair is usually so thin that a simple ponytail will fall out over time. Her naturally curly ends had more curl and bounce to them. I'm very impressed!!!

I used the recipe from Passionate Homemaker as my base formula. But I changed what I was thought was important. Read after recipes for my reasons to change the formula.








 Version for myself
1    c. Dr. Bronner’s organic castile liquid soap (Baby Formula works best for all ages)
1/4 c. water
1.5 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2-3 drops Aloe Vera Concentrate
10-15 drops Lavender Essential Oil
10-15 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
(Shampoo or closeable tips applicator bottle that's is leak proof)





Version for my husband: (omit vinegar because he HATES the smell)

1    c. Dr. Bronner’s organic castile liquid soap (Baby Formula works best for all ages)
1/4 c. water

2 drops Aloe Vera Concentrate
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
8 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
(Shampoo or closeable tips applicator bottle that's is leak proof)



Version for kids: (increased water content to use in spray bottle)
1    c. Dr. Bronner’s organic castile liquid soap (Baby Formula works best for all ages)
1/2 c. water

1.5 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2-3 drops Aloe Vera Concentrate
5-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
5-10 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
(Spray bottle from Beauty Supply Store)

Milky Reaction After Adding Vinegar
  1. Mix soap and water in pourable bowl, large measuring cup, or use regular bowl and funnel.
  2. Add vinegar, if needed. This will cause the ingredients to turn milky. Use a whisk and blend gently.
  3. Use Aloe Vera Concentrate SPARINGLY! 1-2 DROPS PER OUNCE OF FLUIDS. I used less than that because I don't want my hair to be too oily.
  4. Add in Lavender and Patchouli Essential Oils (or any that you prefer). Mix gently with whisk.
  5. Pour into bottles. REMEMBER THIS IS WATERY
Use small amounts at first, until you find the right amount for your hair length.  I put three small dabs on my scalp which was too many, but I needed an extra dab for my ends. REMEMBER THIS IS WATERY. I needed a small amount in a loofah to use as a body wash.


Why Aloe Vera in Shampoo?
USE A VERY TINY BIT OF THE CONCENTRATE IN YOUR SHAMPOO.
According to Buzzle: "Using aloe vera for hair loss is the first step, you can undertake to arrest hair fall. Aloe vera is a natural hair conditioner and you can very well replace aloe vera for the chemical laden conditioner, which you are currently using. There are enzymes in this magical plant, which promotes hair growth, hence you will see a number of hair care products, where aloe vera for hair regrowth has been used. Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties, which help in regeneration of hair on the scalp.

Aloe vera is one of the main ingredients in a number of aloe hair shampoo and conditioners, which are available in the market. It actually contains all the ingredients required for cleaning and conditioning the hair. When aloe vera is used for an extended period of time, it makes the hair healthy and dense."


Why Lavender Essential Oil in Shampoo?
Besides the fact that it smells GREAT. Using Buzzle again to describe the benefits of Lavender Oil "Lavender oil, one of the best aromatherapy oils is known to be very effective in treating the problem of hair loss. Regular usage is helpful in controlling hair fall and improving hair growth. Alopecia areata, a condition wherein you lose excessive hair, especially in patches can be treated with lavender essential oil. Daily massage with lavender oil will definitely help significant re-growth and give you the results in a few months. Moreover, a massage with lavender oil is also helpful in curing insomnia. It is known to improve sleep quality. One of the lavender oil benefits is that it relaxes you and helps you get rid of anxiety and depression. The calming and soothing effect of lavender oil is beneficial for relieving stress. This in turn helps control hair loss, as insomnia, stress, depression are one of the causes of this problem. Sufficient sleep and mental peace ensures that you do not face hair loss problem. Moreover, it also enhances blood circulation, hence a scalp massage will definitely help improve hair growth.

You can use lavender oil for hair growth and get rid of other problems like itchy scalp and dandruff. It is a powerful antiseptic and useful in disinfecting the scalp hence, treating dry scalp, lice, lice eggs or nits. It also fights fungi, viruses and other microbes. You can opt for a daily scalp massage with lavender oil for hair growth and use one of the undermentioned hair masks as well."

Why use Patchouli Essential Oil in Shampoo & Body Wash?
Research on eHow: "Patchouli oil makes an excellent massage oil for its aromatherapeutic properties, as well as for its benefits as a topical skin application. Patchouli oil is an effective moisturizer and has been known to ease a number of skin conditions such as eczema, acne and dermatitis. It reduces the appearance of scars and fine wrinkles, and can even be helpful against dandruff and other scalp conditions."

What are the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?
Apple Cider Vinegar has many benefits for the hair. Get rid of dandruff; it is sticky skin cells flaking off. ACV has mild exfoliating properties which helps exfoliate the skin.  ACV is slightly acidic which helps balance the scalp and skin pH levels. On the skin is a protective acid mantle, alkaline soap strips it away. A normal acid mantle will detoxify and eliminate waste properly on the skin and scalp.  ACV is also helpful in removing shampoo, soap, and style product build up. Hair shafts are protected by an outer clear cuticle which protects the hair's inner color pigments and hair cells. Using ACV will remove the hard water residue leaving your hair shinier and appearing healthier.

BUT VINEGAR STINKS!  True as this may be, the good thing about vinegar is dissipates into the air within 30 minutes. The scent that will remain are the essential oils you added to your shampoo.

5 comments:

  1. This is great! It seems like every shampoo out there has that sodium lauryl sulfate stuff in it and I know that's not good on the hair. I have three girls with lots of hair so it's great to have this resource. Thx for posting!

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  2. Thank you for your kind words. My daughter and I have long hair. We find this works great. I recently tried the one without the apple cider vinegar and it works just as well. I have read of people using similar shampoo recipes without apple cider vinegar, then rinsing with it.

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  3. where did you buy the ingredients?

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  4. I have a version of this and love it. 1 cup of Castile liquid, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/8 cup honey. Absolutely love it and even use it as body wash now. No more chemicals in the shower, now I am looking for a face moisturizer ( I have combination skin) and body moisturizer.

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  5. love the natural recipe! but vinegar should neeeever be mixed with castile soap! the milkyness youre seeing is from the vinegar unsaponifying the oils in the castile soap. aka, the oils are back to their original states and dont clean anything. rinsing with diluted vinegar After you wash is recommended to help return your hair back to its natual PH levels. and dr bronners (the company) recommends a ratio of 1 lart soap to 10 parts water for shampoo. anyyhing less than that and it's extremely drying to hair.
    I love the no-poo aspect :) just wanted to let you know so no ones hair was ruined :)

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