DIY Shampoo

I haven’t used regular shampoo brands in a very long time trying to limit exposure to unnecessary chemicals. Over the years I have tried every DIY shampoo recipe I came across – baking soda, honey, coconut milk, clay, etc.. A lot promise that after weeks of ‘detox’ the hair would get magically beautiful and naturally radiant… Maybe it does somewhere in the pretty world of Pinterest but not around here. I would get one good hair day a week if I was having a lucky hair week. I guess even the most expensive shampoos often fail, so it must just be ‘the thing’. Or, it can be a ‘me’ thing.

The idea for this recipe came from my love of browsing ethnic food stores, with Indian being the favorite. I was curious about all the exotic smelling powders in the Indian beauty isles, and after doing some research I knew I had to have them in my life… I use this shampoo interchangeably a brand called Aubrey Organics, which has a great selection with very mild ingredients. My homemade version takes longer to wash out of the hair so on the days when I’m short on time I use Aubrey’s.

This shampoo is made of three plant powders that were used in India and Asia for generations. The powders were simmered in water until they became almost a paste, with a sleek, very pleasant feel to it. Besides cleaning hair without stripping natural oils (because of their neutral PH), those plants have multiple nourishing properties – they make hair healthier and stronger, encourage it to grow faster, treat scalp problems, to name a few. They have a specific herbal smell that I really like. The smell doesn’t linger so I tend to add a bit of natural perfume.

The only required ingredients are soap nuts, shikakai, amla and water. The rest can be easily omitted but here is why I use them: herbs like burdock, nettle and chamomile are beneficial to the hair so I figure adding them only increases the healing properties of the shampoo; honey is a natural humectant (draws moisture from surroundings) so it should help moisturize strands without adding grease; vitamin E oil helps it last longer (I use my batches for two weeks) since this shampoo is water based and water encourages ‘things’ to grow. You can use a teaspoon of citric acid instead (find it by canning supplies in grocery stores) if your hair is very oily; it would have the same preserving effect as vitamin E, and being acidic it also encourages cuticles to close, making hair shinier. Citric acid also clarifies hair from mineral deposits and I use it in my DIY hair clarifying treatment. The only effect of xanthan gum is thickening to have less waste from shampoo spilling.

Washing hair with this will feel different, as I mentioned it’ll probably take longer. I usually apply it to my hair first thing in the shower, comb it and go about other things. When I’m almost done with my shower, I rinse it, apply another round of shampoo, which will foam more now, massage it into the scalp really well, and rinse. Even though it’s brown in color, it doesn’t affect my very light hair. I don’t use conditioner afterwards and it’s still easy to brush. I feel that my hair has more volume without conditioner.

I also use this stuff all over my body, and wash my face with it as well, alternating it with the oil cleansing. So if you make it and happen not to like it on your hair – use it as a face and body wash.

Soap Nut, aka Aritha or Reetha (Sapindus)

Soap nuts are technically fruit that come from a family of trees grown in India, China and Japan. They contain high amount of saponin, a compound that has the ability to produce soap-like foam and act as a surfactant. For centuries it has been used by natives to wash hair and clothes, to remove lice, disinfect wounds and even clean jewelry. Besides their excellent detergent power, soap nuts were used internally to treat numerous ailments, from common cold to epilepsy (source).

Mountain Rose Herbs sells whole soap nuts at good price, but it’s kind of a pain to grind them because they are somewhat waxy. Because of that I buy the powdered version either on Amazon (here), or at local Indian stores. Something to remember – they foam, but not as much as regular soap, although their dirt removing ability is the same.

Shikakai (Acacia Concinna)

The literal translation of ‘shikakai’ is ‘hair tree’ so when I saw that I thought that I was heading in the right direction. It has been used by Ayurveda since ancient times. It is best known to promote hair growth. It acts both as detergent and conditioner, and has a low PH, making it a mild cleanser for hair without stripping natural oils (source).  It also shows antifungal abilities (source), good for young kids at school perhaps?

Amla (Phyllanthus Emblica)

Amla, also know as Indian Gooseberry, is believed to be a wonder fruit (source). It has many applications in Ayruvedic medicine, hair care preparations, as well as Indian cuisine. It has great conditioning properties and is used to reduce/prevent hair loss, keep natural hair color (source).

I took this shot to show you the consistency of this DIY shampoo. I know what you are thinking, stop it! I’m just trying to be helpful 🙂

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