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If you’re looking to cut down on toxins in your home, why not make your own shampoo?
Making your own homemade shampoo is a straightforward DIY project that will restore and strengthen hair while promoting hair growth.
Why make your own shampoo instead of buying it in a store?
Do shampoo manufacturers really have our best interests at heart? Perhaps you believe they do. But if you’re reading this article, you’re probably beginning to question your belief.
You might not want to use a traditional shampoo because they contain ingredients that are bad for you. Those ingredients include things that mimic estrogen, can cause hormone imbalances, and include carcinogens or substances that can cause severe allergic reactions.
Personally, I like to do my own shampoos and conditioners at home. I know what’s in my products and I’m not giving all my money to commercial shampoo companies. I also like to scent them any way I want or add tea tree oil or lavender or whatever I happen to be in the mood for
Want to learn how to make your own shampoo? Keep reading !
Making Homemade all-natural Shampoo
This shampoo can be made in the comfort of your own home using ingredients found in any grocery store. It’s also cheaper and works just as well as expensive brands.
You can make an all-natural shampoo that works for all hair types by combining castile soap, water, and essential oils.
This shampoo is ideal for normal hair, or as a base for adding your own favorite essential oils.
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon jojoba
1/4 cup castile soap
10 drops approximately of your favorite essential oils
Instructions
In a glass jar, combine the water, castile soap and jojoba oil. You can even use an old shampoo bottle to do this
Stir until the contents are well mixed.
Add a few drops of your favourite essential oils. I’ll recommend my personal favourites later in the post.
Mix well.
Shake well before using.
In comparison to commercial shampoos, this mixture may seem thin, but I’ll give you a tip later to make it thicker.
If you keep this shampoo in a tightly sealed container, it will last for a month.
Here are a few essential oils I like to use.
- Lime
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Sandalwood
- Bergamot
Here are some tips for thickening homemade shampoo:
If you want to thicken your shampoo, try adding arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more until it reaches the thickness you’re looking for.
Oat flour can be used to thicken homemade shampoo. Mix a cup of oatmeal with two cups of water in a blender until smooth. Strain out the pulp, and then store your oat flour in a jar. Add 2 teaspoons of oat flour to each bottle of shampoo and shake well before using.
Baking soda can also help thicken shampoo. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with the shampoo and mix well.
Shampoo bar Lye-Free
The shampoo bar recipes are a bit more time-consuming than the liquid shampoo recipes, but if you love the idea of not having to carry bottles of shampoo with you when you travel or are an eco-friendly type of person, you can try this recipe. In many recipes of shampoo bar you will find Lye but this can be harsh on some types of skins. This is why I am giving you Lye free recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup castile melt-and-pour soap
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon castor oil
½ teaspoon black molasses
15 drops patchouli essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
15 drops vanilla essential oil
1 soap mold
Directions:
Chop the melt-and-pour soap base into small pieces.
Melt castile soap base in a double boiler.Water should be simmering, not boiling.
Stir the soap base until it is melted. Add the oils and black molasses, then stir until everything is blended well.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Let sit for a few minutes until slightly cooled.
Add essential oils, and mix well.
Pour into mold, and let sit overnight.
Clarifying shampoo
Clarifying shampoos are used to remove product buildup and are typically used once per week. They’re made to remove hairspray buildup, hair mousse buildup, and other chemical products. This recipe is great for your clarifying shampoo. This recipe is a great one to try if you’re looking for a gentle clarifying shampoo.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a glass container. Give the container a friendly shake to mix the ingredients together.
Hair growth shampoo (Green tea and honey recipe)
This green tea and honey recipe may help with hair growth. Green tea helps get rid of dandruff, which can cause hair loss and dry out the scalp. Honey is a great moisturizer for hair that is dry.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup green tea
¼ cup castile soap
1 tablespoons lime juice or aloe vera
5–10 drops of peppermint and lavender essential oils
Directions:
Brew green tea leaves (or bags).
Mix together brewed green tea and your other ingredients.
Dry Hair shampoo (Aloe vera recipe)
If your hair is dry and brittle, try this aloe vera DIY shampoo. Aloe vera helps balance the pH level of the scalp to lessen hair loss, and almond oil soothes inflamed skin.
Ingredients:
½ cup castile soap
½ cup water
⅓ cup aloe vera
4 tbsp. almond oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients.Store in a bottle and always shake well before using.
Soothe Shampoo Recipe
The chamomile in this shampoo makes it a calming treat for your hair. Chamomile also has natural lightening properties, so combine it with lemon juice if you want to lighten your hair!
Ingredients:
1 cup distilled water
1 cup castille soap- try Lavender!
6 chamomile tea bags
1 1/2 tablespoons glycerin
Directions:
Place 1 cup of boiled water and the tea bags into a mug and steep for 20 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and discard.
Add 1 cup of castille soap to the tea.
Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon of glycerin until well blended.
Store in dark, cool place in a sealed bottle.
Dandruff Shampoo Recipe
Most adults get dandruff at one time or another. It can manifest itself as either dry, flaky skin or oily skin with flakes. Contrary to popular belief, dandruff is not caused by a dry scalp or improper hair care. It’s usually caused by increased oil production, hormonal fluctuations, stress and illness.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap
1/2 teaspoon jojoba, grapeseed, or other light vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons apple juice
6 finely ground cloves
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small grinder or blender for about 30 seconds.
Wet your hair with warm water, apply the shampoo to your hair, and rinse the shampoo out of your hair with warm water.
Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated. After 3 days, throw them out!
DIY Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a recipe you can try at home when you don’t have time to wash your hair. You can also use it on someone’s hair who can’t wash their own and even to remove oil from the hair if fresh water isn’t available.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch or cocoa powder for dark hair
1 tablespoon crushed lavender or other fragrant herb
Directions:
Comb the mixture through hair. The more you use the more thoroughly you will cover your hair.
You can make this in large quantities and keep the extra in a cool, dry place.
NATURAL SHAMPOO TRANSITION TIPS
When you switch to a natural shampoo, it may take some getting used to. You and your hair may not like this new kind of shampoo at first. But give your hair time. It’ll get used to the natural ingredients in the shampoo and eventually look and feel great.
Over-washing your hair can alter the oil and pH balance in your scalp, causing you to produce excess oils. Your scalp produces natural oils that smooth, moisturize, and protect your hair from drying out, breaking off, and becoming damaged. When you wash your hair, you remove natural oil from the hair and scalp. The excess oils produced by your scalp offer no benefit to your hair whatsoever. It is better to wash less frequently so that you allow the natural oils on your scalp to remain in place for as long as possible.
If you wash your hair less often, the natural oils in your hair will do the work of keeping it healthy. Start with three days a week, and then reduce another day every few weeks . I used to wash my hair every day, and by the end of the day, it was practically greasy. Now I wash my hair up to twice a week, and it never looks greasy.
Dry shampoo can help you get through the transition from commercial shampoos to natural shampoo.
Safety tips
When you switch to homemade shampoo, keep these things in mind.
Your hair may be used to commercial shampoo and will therefore take a little while to adjust to the new recipe. Once it adjusts, however, your hair should feel fine.
If you have hair or scalp sensitivities, you should consult a dermatologist before making any changes to your routine.
The downside of homemade shampoos is that they are rarely made by people like me with no expertise in formulation. We don’t understand the delicate balances of ingredients and their uses.
Homemade shampoos have a short shelf life and are hard to measure, which means it’s hard to know when they’ve gone bad or whether you’re using too much of one ingredient by accident.
Finally, if you have color treated hair or have problems with seborrheic dermatitis, you may want to be careful about the pH level of your shampoo. Castile soap has a high pH level.
Here are few websites where you can find ingredients to make your own shampoo:
Making your own shampoo can be a simple, frugal, less harsh alternative to commercial shampoo. You can make it yourself using common household ingredients, such as baking soda and apple cider vinegar. However, DIY shampoos are not clinically tested, and the homemade versions may not produce the same results as store-bought products.
I strongly recommend that you consult with a dermatologist before using this product if you have any questions, concerns, or pre-existing skin or hair conditions.
If you have other recipes , share with us
See you for the next buzz 🐝
DISCLOSURE: Restless Bee is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Credit for the photos of this article:, Victoria Emerson, Anna Shvets, Sarah Chai , Karolina Grabowska
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