In my daily struggle to reduce my carbon footprint to the size of a gnat turd, I am always trying to come up with ways of living more naturally and cost effective. I am one of the cheapest people on the planet and if I can save a buck, I will. I have been reading a lot of articles lately about the dangers of traditional shampoos. Articles like this one: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/shampoo022105.cfm and this one http://www.thenhf.com/article.php?id=580. Pretty scary. Now I don't think that everyone who uses a brand name, non organic shampoo is going to get cancer and die. It just makes you think about what you put on your body. Here's a general rule of thumb for living more naturally: If you can't eat it, don't put it on your body. Plain and simple. Why do so many people try to live a healthy lifestyle, but still put chemicals, toxins, and pesticides all over their bodies? This includes cosmetics, lotions, etc. Today I had an epiphany... Why should I spend so much money on an organic shampoo/conditioner if I can make it myself? I won't! Understand that making your own organic shampoo may still cost a little more than a $1 bottle of dollar store shampoo or Suave, but not by much. It will still be cheaper than buying a bottle of an organic brand. Also note that I did not invent this recipe, I found it online here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Shampoo/step2/STIMULATE/ There are other recipes on this site, this is just the one I went with because I like the smell of peppermint, plus I have seborrheic dermatitis and the tea tree oil is really good for it :-). I altered the recipe slightly based on what works best for my type hair. I also have fairly long (tailbone length) fine/thin virgin hair that I work VERY hard to take good care of as naturally as I can. Enough rambling, here we go!
What you will need:
WARNING!!! Essentials oils can be extremely dangerous if used improperly. Use with caution and be sure to keep them away from children and pets!!!
Pour 1/4 cup distilled water in one measuring cup, then pour 1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap in the other. IN THE CUP WITH THE CASTILE SOAP add grapeseed, peppermint and tea tree oils. Mix well. It will become cloudy at this point, this is normal. I also used slightly less than 1/4 cup of soap because my hair is so thin and fine that even the smallest amounts of soap can weigh it down and make it look greasy. Now add the distilled water to the soap/oil mixture and mix well. Pour mixture into your bottle/dispenser (you may need to use a funnel). Ta da! DIY 'poo!
I have not used this shampoo yet as it is not a wash day for me. I only wash my hair twice a week and tomorrow is my wash day. I can't wait to try it! I am a little concerned that the oils will weigh my hair down and cause it to look greasy, but I will be sure to rinse very well and if it looks weighed down, I will add some more distilled water to the mixture. It's all trial and error and hopefully it will make my hair and scalp happy. If this recipe just doesn't work for my hair, I will try a baking soda recipe and see how that works out. Baking soda shampoo would be the cheapest of all recipes!*jumps up and down* I will talk about my experience with my new 'poo in my next post.
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