Has anybody ever tried doing homemade shampoo?? Did you like it and which version did you use? I of course went to good ol' faithful Pinterest, and there are many different versions didn't know which one to use??!!! Any suggestions??
I've considered it many times. I believe Birbitt http://www.homeschoolspot.com/member.php?u=5909 does the no 'poo thing, as well as a few others...you might try messaging her? Most people I know start out using baking soda for 'washing' and vinegar for 'conditioning' then they tweak it from there... If you google "no poo method" you'll get tons of sites and recipes.
Great thanks!!! I have seen the baking soda for washing but didn't know if anybody has even tried it. I found a few different ins in Pinterest as well.
I have used the baking soda and vinegar method. It DOES work. However, the baking soda is very strong and left my hair dry over a period of time. I adjusted the amount of baking soda but then it didn't work as well. I now melt a bar of glycerin soap in a gallon of water. I can dilute it into two gallons, I have done four in the past, but my family prefers it full strength or diluted only once. It works great on my hair and over the past year I have managed to get rid of all my dry hair. My natural curl is completely back and I no longer struggle with split ends which was a huge problem when I used shampoo. I also do not lose a lot of hair like I did when I used shampoo. A huge plus is that my daughter and I do not struggle with psoriasis and eczema of the scalp as often as we did with shampoo. I have tried other "shampoo" recipes and some are alright but after a while, they all left my hair heavy. The glycerin is the only thing that does not strip my hair of natural oils, yet it cleanses beautifully. Like any homemade recipe, a person will have to adjust it their hair and also to their water type. I find that hard water works against many homemade recipes. Again, just like any homemade shampoo recipe, your scalp will have to go through an adjusting period. So your hair might seem to have more oil the first week or two. I didn't have to wait long for my scalp to adjust.
Yes, I do use baking soda "shampoo" to wash my hair, and for a rinse I use apple cider vinegar. Both of these I dilute in water and add some essential oils to for additional benefits and fragrance. It works very well. I only need to wash my hair about twice a week, though while adjusting to the switch it was a daily thing because my hair got oily. Our motivation for using this is to get chemicals out of our home. Depending on your motivation, it may or may not be the best option for you. If you are just looking for less expensive options or something different, or to reduce but not eliminate chemicals Patty's recipe may work very well for you (I think it's a great recipe and if I could find a glycerin soap I'm ok with I'd do it!) ALSO I have found that hair can be washed with regular soap (not the stuff you buy in stores, but real cold process soap) and rinsed with the same ACV rinse and it comes out looking shiny!
This is true. You can find food grade and non-food grade glycerin soap. You can find pure glycerin soap at BJ's Health Foods and most health food stores for that matter. I use the bar but I have heard of some people preferring the liquid soap. I do not give glycerin much of a thought since it is used in almost everything we buy in the store from what we eat to what we put on our bodies and since I am not eliminating everything that contains glycerin, I am not going to worry about washing my hair with it either. You can find animal and vegetable glycerin. There is also a slight difference between glycerin and glycerine. From what I have read, people regularily confuse the two. Then I have also read that they are one in the same. Who knows.
Patty, how long did it take for the eczema to clear up? My dd13 struggles with this terribly! She uses a medicated shampoo recommended by her doctor, but I'd love a more natural version. She does have oily hair and is in the pool twice a day for swim practices.
I noticed there was significantly less itching after a week, give or take. After using it for about a month I noticed the scales were gone and the cracks on the back of my neck and Ems lower head were completely gone. Ems still struggles with flare-ups on occasion, mainly when she goes swimming at her friend's house. I don't think there is any way around that one since chlorine is so strong. Still, it is less than it was when we were using shampoo and something is better than nothing. On occasion, something she eats triggers a mild flare-up but again, nothing that requires antibiotics like before. The back of my neck still burns if I go jogging and sweat. Other than this, for the most part, I am impressed with the results. I also add a couple drops of tangerine essential oil but have been thinking of adding tea tree oil instead since it has healing properties. Like anything else, it is worth a try. If it doesn't help, you can stop using it.
Birbitt, I was washing my hands a minute ago and started wondering what you use for soap. Do you make soap and how do you extract the natural glycerin, which is a by product of true soaps? It happens naturally due to the chemical reaction caused by the lye. Do you buy soap that has had the natural glycerin removed? This is what a lot of the big brand soap makers do. They remove the glycerin and sell it to makeup, food, and other manufacturers since it is a natural humectant and if it is purified, it becomes food grade. In turn the cheaper soap manufacturers somtimes add glycerin that is the by-product of biofuel, saving the good stuff for resale because it is "natural" compared to the glycerin that comes from biofuel. I do not use any soap for my face. No matter how "natural" it is, my skin is naturally dry. I use oil cleansing and have had great success with it. So going soap or cleanser free isn't unusual. This is why I was wondering what you use.
Oh, I hope you do not mind my asking.:love: I currently hand-mill my soap so I can use non-detergent ingredients that burn my skin. It also allows me to add oils and stretch the bars from three to nine. I make my own deodorant, clothes soap, hand-milled soap, face cleanser, and moisturizer too. My goal isn't so to be natural as much as save money and save my skin from the itching. Since I am making my own products, it allows me to see what is going into everything and is more "natural". Again, this isn't my main goal but the two somewhat come together.
I have had great success with apple cider vinegar as a rinse after washing my hair. All those pesky white flakes are gone. I also started using a warm oil "mask" on my hair at the same time, so I dont really know for sure if it was the oil or the vinegar that made the difference, but from what I've researched on the net, its the apple cider vinegar.
ACV is great! It has numerous of uses. When I started trying different homemade shampoos, I used it on a regular basis. Then I slowed down because it lightened my hair a bit, nothing drastic but enough for me to notice. I have dark hair so it was more noticable than I was comfortable with. I would love to use it for every wash because it does soften the hair and makes it shiny. But, like chamomile, it isn't too good for dark hair. Now, I boil rosemary and mint leaves, strain them, and store it in the 'fride. Rosemary is good for dark hair and it also helps heal the scalp. Once in a while I will mix it with the vinegar for a fabulous rinse, but I usually just use it as is. Tea is also a great rinse since it is good for dark hair and it balances the PH of the hair but it doesn't smell as nice as rosemary and mint.
wow, I learn so much every time I come here! Rosemary and mint....cant wait to try it! ACV (thanks for the abbreviation) is smelly, thats the only down side....any ideas on how to temper it?
Nope.:lol: Thankfully it isn't smelly once it dries. The rosemary and mint will smell really strong when you boil it, but it will leave a nice, mild, fragrance in your hair once it is rinsed.
lol, sitting here sniffing my hair, trying to determine if the smell really does disappear after it dries...there is still a faint whiff, but that might be because I inhaled my hair halfway down my throat in my search for the smell
Dd doesn't so much have flakiness but big sores that itch. There are sometimes patches of itchy spots. I know that the chlorine aggravates it, but I'm thinking she's not going to give up swimming over it.
Ems would get chunky sores that bleed when scratched or if she brushed them off accidently. I do not know if chunky is the word. It was more like very thick, dry, crusty, skin that would get infected and bleed if scratched. Then of course it would itch all day and burn. Since she stopped using shampoo, she is doing much better. Like I said, she still has a flareup every now and then, but we aren't running to the doctor because of infections anymore. She hasn't had to use steroid creams or antibiotics for a while now. ...and I do not blame your daughter for not wanting to stop doing something she is passionate about.
I am going to finish the bottle of shampoo I have now and then I am going to make some. I am kind of scared to do the apple vinegar because of I have oily hair that is curly and gets very frizzy. Love hearing from all of that have done this!!!!
acv rinse question? How do you use the acv to rinse with? Do you use it strait? Diluted? Use a spray bottle or pour it on and how much does it take?
