Homemade shampoo ingredients
If you're worried about harmful chemicals in personal-care products, you can make your own. With increasing access to organic and natural ingredients---such as castile soap and essential oils---creating your own products is easier than ever. Making your own natural shampoo allows you to personalize its scent by varying the essential oils and herbs. Homemade natural shampoo is more cost-effective than manufactured organic shampoos, and you can concoct your shampoo recipes to deliver aromatherapy benefits and suit your specific hair needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of distilled water to a boil. If you do not have distilled water, you can use tap water; however, the additives in some regional water supplies will negatively affect the quality of your homemade shampoo.
2. Add 2 tbsp. of dried herbs---such as chamomile---to the boiling water. If you do not have dried herbs, you can substitute 3 to 6 herbal tea bags.
3. Steep the herbs in water---removed from the heat source---until the mixture is lukewarm.
4. Pour the herbal water through a strainer to remove the herbs from the liquid. Return the liquid to the saucepan.
5. Add 2 tbsp. of castile soap to the cooled herbal infusion. Stir well.
6. Add 1 tsp. of vegetable oil to the mixture. Stir well.
7. Add 10 to 15 drops of essential oil to the mixture. You can mix complimentary scents---such as sweet orange and lime---to form a desirable scent or combine herbal attributes.
8. Pour the mixture into an airtight container, such as a glass bottle or used plastic shampoo bottle.
9. Following use of the shampoo, rinse your hair with equal parts apple-cider vinegar and water. This will naturally condition your hair and smooth your transition to natural shampoo (though it is an optional step).
Tags: natural shampoo, castile soap, distilled water, Stir well, your hair