A shampoo is one that that almost all of us use to cleanse our hair. But did you know that most of the commercially sold shampoos are made with sulfates, parabens and other harmful ingredients for the hair?
Well, there’s nothing better than using herbal and all organic hair shampoos and guess what, you can even make them at home.
Here are 6 best shampoo recipes to make at home:
1. Soap-free everyday hair cleanser
You will need:
- 1 tbsp green tea leaves
- ½ cup hot water
- ¼ cup freshly extracted aloe vera
Method: Soak the green tea leaves in the hot water and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes until it completely cools down. Then, into a blender, add in the freshly extracted aloe vera and the strained green tea and blend unit it the mixture turns completely liquidly.
To use: Pour this cleanser over your wet hair and massage it in for a few minutes before rinsing it off.
Tip: You can also replace the green tea leaves with 5 to 6 dried hibiscus petals.
Shelf life – To keep the shampoo for 3 months, add 0.50 grams of liquid germall plus preservative to 100 grams of shampoo.
2. Protein hair cleanser
You will need:
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1 tsp flaxseed powder
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ tsp hair oil of your choice (optional)
Method:
Into a mixing bowl, add in the dry you will need and combine well. Then, add in the hot water little by little until it forms a smooth and liquidy paste. Those who have frizzy hair can add in the hair oil, but this step is completely optional.
To use: Massage this onto your wet hair and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes before rinsing off.
Tip:
- You can also substitute the hot water with green tea.
- Those who like to oil their hair before applying any hair cleanser, you can also add in 1 tbsp of liquid castile soap or baby wash to this mixture before application.
3. Shampoo Bars
You will need:
- 15 – 20 curry leaves Or 2-3 rosemary stalks
- 1 cup hot water
- ¼ cup fresh aloe vera gel
- ¼ cup liquid castile soap
Method:
Into a bowl, add in the curry leaves or rosemary leaves. To it, add in the hot water and let it soak overnight. Strain it the next morning to use only the water. Then into a mixing jar, add in the curry leaves water along with the aloe vera gel and castile soap and mix well.
Shelf life – To keep the shampoo for 3 months, add 0.50 grams of liquid germall plus preservative to 100 grams of shampoo.
There are two ways you could use this:
- Store in a dispenser bottle and use a little on your scalp every time you have a hair wash, before using a conditioner.
- If you do not want to use any preservatives then you can also pour this mixture into ice cube trays, freeze and use them as shampoo bars during your hair wash, by simply wetting the cube with water and rub it between your palms until it lathers and then you can use it on your hair and scalp. Remember to store the remaining shampoo cubes in the freezer.
4. Hair wash powder
You will need:
- 3 tbsp soapnut or shikakai powder
- 2 tbsp fenugreek powder
- 2 tbsp hibiscus powder
- 1 tbsp amla powder
- 1 tbsp liquid castile soap (optional)
- ½ tsp hair oil (optional)
Method: Mix all the dry you will need well and store in a jar.
To use: Into a small mixing bowl, add in 2-3 tbsp of the mixture and to it add in hot water or green tea in order to get the mixture to a liquid consistency. Add in the liquid castile soap and hair oil (optional for those with frizzy hair) and mix well. Gently massage onto wet hair and leave it for 5 minutes before rinsing off.
5. Herbal Hair Wash
You will need:
- 4 – 5 soapnuts
- 6 – 8 shikakai pods
- 6 – 8 dried amla
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 4 cups water
Method:
Into a jar or bowl, add in the soapnuts (gently crushed), shikakai pods, dried amla and fenugreek seeds and soak this in 4 cups of water overnight. Cover this mixture with a lid. The next morning, mix this well and pour it into a heating pot or saucepan and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat. After you turn off the flame, keep it covered until completely cool. Then, strain it using a muslin cloth and use the liquid to fill up an ice tray and freeze.
To use: Once frozen, you will get the herbal hair wash bars. To use, simply wetting the cube in water and rub it between your palms until it lathers and then you can use it on your hair and scalp. Remember to store the remaining herbal hair wash cubes in the freezer.
you can watch the full video here –
6. Organic hair cleanser
You will need:
- ¼ cup gram flour
- 1 tbsp fenugreek or flax seeds powder
- ¼ cup rice water
Method to make it and how to use it: Into a mixing bowl, add in the gram flour and fenugreek powder and mix it well. Then add in the rice water and mix into a smooth paste. Let this sit for around half an hour to one hour before using it. After half an hour, you will notice that the mixture has thickened, add in some water and make it a runny consistency. Partition your hair and apply this evenly all over your scalp and hair. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before washing off with plain water. Lastly, condition your hair with your regular conditioner.
To make the rice water, here’s how you can make it:
Wash 1 cup of rice (of your choice) two to three times with water. Then, into a bowl, pour in the washed rice and then add in 400 to 500 ml of water. Mix it well or shake it well once you screw on the lid and let it sit for 25 to 30 minutes. Strain this after half an hour and you can use this unfermented rice water for the recipe.