Finding a good shampoo can be stressful, especially if you want to mix your own and you have dry natural hair. While some store-bought shampoos can be stripping and harsh, many homemade shampoos do not seem to clean the hair properly.
The following homemade shampoo recipes may provide that cleansing power without leaving your strands very dry:
Homemade Shampoo Recipes:
African Black Soap Shampoo
African black soap is made with palm leaves, cocoa pod ash, plantain skin ash, palm kernel oil, and sometimes fewer or more ingredients (e.g. shea butter).
Mix this soap with glycerin or honey (both of which are humectants), grapeseed oil (helps to lock in moisture), and clean water so you have a cleansing, non-stripping shampoo.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp African black soap (crumbled into pieces)
1 cup hot distilled water
Two tsp glycerin (or pure honey)
Three tsp grapeseed oil
Instructions:
Mix the ingredients together in a bottle. Shake the bottle well and allow the mixture to cool before using.
Save the remainder in a corked bottle for future use (up to a few weeks).
Coconut Milk Shampoo
Liquid castile soap is made from olive oil (and/or other oils) and water.
Although some naturals have been ripped off from it with all the talk of pH, the reality is that other naturals have faired fine using it in their shampoo recipes.
If you want to give liquid castile soap a try, the following mixture involves the addition of organic coconut milk (for dilution and additional lathering), distilled water (for further dilution), and safflower oil (for moisture).
Ingredients:
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
3 tbsp organic coconut milk
One tsp distilled water
One tsp safflower oil (add more if you desire)
Instructions:
Mix your ingredients together in a bottle. Shake the bottle well before use.
Save the remainder in a closed bottle for future use (can last up to a few weeks).
Follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse (if necessary) for pH balance.