Homemade Shampoo + Conditioner

In my journey to rid our home of nasty toxins, I’ve now added shampoo, conditioner and face wash to my ever growing list of homemade things. Today I’ll spill the dish on my homemade shampoo and conditioner, but stay tuned for a post about homemade face wash coming up soon.

This is my first attempt at homemade shampoo and so far I really like it.  I don’t even need to use conditioner!  But wait, this post is about homemade shampoo and conditioner.  I know and I thought I needed conditioner, which I probably did when I was using commercial shampoo which really just strip away the good with the bad, leaving hair feeling dry.  During my switch to all natural products, I actually made this conditioner before the shampoo, since I ran out at home first.  Then once I got around to making the shampoo, it never even crossed my mind to ditch the conditioner.  Well, last weekend the spray bottle for my conditioner broke and there I was in the shower with nothing to do about it.  Turns out, my hair dried beautifully and soft anyway.

So why did I even include the conditioner recipe?  Maybe your hair is different than mine and requires a little extra something after washing.  Or maybe you just like using some form of conditioner.  Whatever your reason, if you want it, the recipe is below for the taking.

But, there is a small catch that I didn’t notice right away with the shampoo.  It requires a more tedious rinse out than my old commercial shampoo, otherwise I notice teeny tiny white specks once my hair is dry that I believe to be the coconut milk.  I actually noticed it while brushing my dry hair before taking a shower.  The brush had a powdery almost film looking substance after brushing, similar to brushing hair with hair spray in it.  I’ve never had this problem before and no, I do not have dandruff.  After noticing this, I rinse my hair more thoroughly and it doesn’t seem to be a problem.

One last thing about this shampoo.  The original recipe calls for the addition of oil (sweet almond, olive or vitamin e).  I used sweet almond in my first batch, but it left my hair too oily.  My second and current batch doesn’t have the oil (just the castile soap and coconut oil), which works better for my hair.  If I were you, I would try it first without the oil, and add the oil in if you feel you need it.  It’s easier to add than it is to take out!

But now I’ve got a question for you:  have you heard of the no ‘poo method and are you ‘poo free?  I had heard about this a while ago, but ran into it again while researching all natural shampoos.  I’m not going no ‘poo since I definitely prefer a hair cleanser that lathers.  But I am intrigued and would be very interested to get your feedback.

As far as conditioner goes, this is my second attempt at using natural ingredients to detangle and soften my hair.  My first attempt was a major fail, but that may have to do with my hair type (I have long straight hair, that tends to get dry near the ends and oily at the roots).  Out of ease, I tried using pure olive oil (coconut works too), but it left my hair too oily.  Maybe I just used too much and added it too close to my roots, I’m not sure.  In any case, I didn’t even give that one a second chance.

After that, I decided to go a completely different path.  Instead of fat (i.e. oil), I went acid (i.e. vinegar).  More specifically, apple cider vinegar.  If you haven’t used this for anything yet, I urge you to purchase some organic, raw, unfiltered, ACV (I like Bragg).  It’s a miracle substance!  Great for aiding relief and recovery from colds, good for baking, cooking and cleaning, and what do you know, it makes a great hair conditioner.  But be warned, this recipe is not your run of the mill, thick and creamy conditioner.  It’s literally water and apple cider vinegar, plus the optional essential oils for scent.  And since this isn’t your average conditioner, it doesn’t make your hair feel as soft and smooth while wet, but once towel dried and brushed, my hair feels and works the same as it did when I used store bought conditioner.  I could have made something thick and creamy, but to be honest, I don’t want to use non-food ingredients in my blender and I don’t want to purchase a second blender just to emulsify my cosmetics.  It seems the recipes I found for thicker and creamier conditioners required some sort of high speed blending.  Everyone has their own preferences.

But, like I said before, I don’t even need conditioner so I haven’t been using it.  You may wish to try washing your hair without the conditioner to see if you need it before you make it.  In any case, if you make it and end up not needing it, just clean your bathroom instead!

COCONUT MILK SHAMPOO

Adapted from One Good Thing By Jillee

Ingredients

2 cups coconut milk (homemade or canned, I used a whole 13.5 oz can)

2 2/3 cup liquid castile soap, scented or unscented (I like Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap – Almond*)

2 tbsp sweet almond*, olive, or vitamin e (I used and love Sweet Almond Oil*) optional

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a shampoo bottle or jar (I cleaned and reused the bottle from the commercial shampoo I had been using).  Shake well to mix before each use.  Store in your shower for up to one month.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DETANGLER

Sourced from DIY Natural

Ingredients

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

8-10 drops essential oil (I use a combination of tea tree and eucalyptus)

Preparation

Combine in a spray bottle and shake slightly to combine before each use. After cleansing, spray into hair roots and ends and allow to sit for a minute or two before rinsing well.  If you rinse properly, your hair will not smell like vinegar once dry.

READER FEEDBACK: Have you tried any natural/homemade shampoos or conditioners/detanglers?

*Tiffany Lane Handmade is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.