If you’re reading this right now, chances are you’ve given up on industrial cosmetics, or are thinking about it. We will not focus now on the negative impact of such infamous shampoo components as detergents, parabens, mineral oils and other “harmful” – this topic deserves a separate careful study. Now I propose to master the experience of using natural hair products that you can cook at home on your own from affordable and inexpensive ingredients.
Be warned: there is no universal remedy that will please everyone. Different types of hair and skin require an individual approach. From the proposed methods, you can choose what is right for you. In addition, the hair will get used to natural remedies within two to three weeks, or even a month. They may look a little worse than usual at first, as it takes time to recover from the damaging effects of industrial shampoos. But if you are serious about it, this should not stop you! You will certainly be able to choose from a variety of recipes several suitable ones.
If it seems to you that it is impossible to wash your hair without shampoo bought in the store, you are in for a pleasant surprise! The trend of completely abandoning shampoos is now becoming very popular in the world. It got the slightly ambiguous name “No Poo”, which means, of course, just “NoShampoo”. Some girls wash their hair only with plain water for several years, and claim that their hair is in perfect order. In addition, there are many ways to cleanse the hair with improvised means. For those for whom plain water is not enough, we will give a few recipes.
1. Baking soda. Can’t believe baking soda can be used instead of shampoo? She, of course, does not lather, but, nevertheless, she perfectly dissolves fat and rinses her hair, while not drying them. Pour three tablespoons of baking soda into a glass. Dilute a little with warm water, or a decoction of nettle, chamomile, wormwood, crushed rhizomes of cairo and other plants also used for rinsing. Spread the resulting mixture on the scalp and hair and massage. At first, this process will seem rather strange, but you quickly get used to it. After washing, be sure to rinse your head with water with lemon, a decoction of plants, or use a conditioner that does not contain silicone.
2. Mustard. Mix three tablespoons of mustard with warm water until a slurry is formed. Apply evenly to hair and scalp. If you have time, you can wrap your head and hold the mustard as a mask for 10-30 minutes. At this time, the blood will actively circulate in all layers of the skin, enriching the hair follicles with useful substances. As a result, “sleeping” bulbs are activated, hair falls out less, becomes thicker and better. Mustard is a universal remedy, but it is best suited for oily hair.
3. Lemon juice and lemon or lime zest. I once bought a shampoo in Thailand called Kaffir Lime. As it turned out, it just contains juice, dark green citrus zest and water. Of course, he did not lather at all, and for some time I doubted whether they could wash my hair thoroughly. And my hair is thick and curly, it is not so easy to wash it. But one day I just poured it on my hair, rubbed it a little and washed it off. The sensations were somewhat different than after using the “real” shampoo, but, undoubtedly, the head became clean and the hair shiny. After that, I completely switched to this tool, and then I mastered other methods of harmless hair cleansing.
4. Rye bread. A piece of rye bread should be poured with hot water, let stand for a while, then knead to the consistency of porridge. Ideally, you need to wipe the resulting product through a sieve – in this case it will be easier to rinse your hair. Apply to the hair and scalp, massage, if possible, hold on the hair as a mask. Then rinse thoroughly. From the regular use of rye bread, the hair becomes thick, strong and voluminous.
5. Dairy products. It turns out that hair can be washed with kefir, yogurt and even whey. Apply to hair evenly, wrap with polyethylene, and wrap with a towel on top. Wash off after half an hour. If there is no time for a cleansing mask, you can simply dilute kefir or yogurt with hot water and rinse your hair with a warm mixture.
6. Pea flour. This recipe is from China. You can make pea flour yourself using a coffee grinder, or you can buy ready-made in a store for vegetarians. Pour a tablespoon of flour with warm water and mix. Distribute the resulting mass through the hair, massage for a while, then rinse. You can also use rye, oat and rice flour. It is also useful to add mustard powder to the resulting product.
7. Soap nuts. These are the fruits of the tropical plant Sapindus, called “Indian soap”. They completely replace shampoo and soap, while being an environmentally friendly, absolutely safe and effective detergent. They have hypoallergenic properties, and after use they completely decompose in the environment, leaving no pollution. Soap nuts can be used to make shampoo. To do this, pour 10 nuts with water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. After cooling, you can apply to wet hair and wash as you would with a normal shampoo. If foam does not appear the first time, rinse and apply a second time. Store liquid soap made from nuts in the refrigerator, add a little hot water before use. When washing, make sure that soap does not get into your eyes, this is very unpleasant. But if this still happened, do not be alarmed, just rinse your eyes thoroughly with water.
8. Green (potassium) soap. It is called green because hemp oil was previously used for its manufacture, in which case the soap turned out to be a beautiful bright green color. It is a natural safe detergent that is made from vegetable oils, mainly from rapeseed and sunflower. It may be yellowish or brown. The soap does not contain preservatives, has high washing power and antibacterial properties, after use it completely decomposes without harming the environment. When buying this soap, vegetarians should carefully study the composition: sometimes fats of animal origin are added to the raw materials for its production.
9. Soap root. To obtain a natural cleanser from the root of the thorny root (Acantophyllum), we take 20 g of dry matter and boil them in 300 ml of water for half an hour. Very large pieces of the root need to be boiled longer – up to two hours, so that all saponins (soaping substances) are in the decoction.
10 Soapy drug (Saponaria officinalis). This herbaceous plant from the clove family also contains many saponins and can be used as a natural cleanser. In addition, soapwort has medicinal properties and was widely used in folk medicine. It was used for various skin rashes, dermatitis, lichen and eczema, and wounds were treated with crushed root. To prepare a detergent, pour 100 g of soapwort with a liter of water, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Soapweed is a poisonous plant, therefore, just in case, we warn you: it is better not to drink the decoction. This plant is unpretentious, it can be planted in the garden, then it will always be at hand.
11 Starch. One of the undeservedly forgotten traditional hair cleansers. Corn or potato starch effectively removes excess oil from the scalp and hair roots. Pour two or three tablespoons of starch on the hair as evenly as possible, distribute, paying special attention to the roots of the hair. After that, you can wipe your head with a dry towel and comb. In this case, starch particles are removed from the hair along with impurities. Hair stays clean and voluminous. This is a dry method of cleansing the head. If dry cleaning is not suitable for you, and the result did not satisfy you, wet your head after the procedure and rinse with plain water. The “dry” option can be alternated with wet products. This method is especially relevant in winter, when there is no time to wait until the hair is dry after washing, and you do not want to dry it with a hair dryer. After all, from drying with a hairdryer, the hair dries, their structure deteriorates, they begin to break, and at the same time look dull and lifeless.
12 Co-washing. Its essence lies in the fact that the head is washed only with a balm or conditioner, without the use of shampoo. This rapidly growing hair care method is suitable for those who do not have problems with oily scalp or dandruff. Of course, this kind of problems can go away after some time if they are caused by an imbalance and the work of the sebaceous glands, but I am afraid that it will not be easy to wait for this moment, suffering from itching and dirty hair. Personally, I like to combine the use of any natural hair cleanser followed by a silicone-free conditioner.
To make your hair shiny and easy to comb, after washing, rinse it with acidified water or infusion of herbs. For the first option, add half a lemon or a tablespoon of vinegar to a liter of water. And the herbal decoction will have to be prepared in advance: pour 3-5 tablespoons of dried plants with a liter of boiling water, “wrap” and let it brew for at least half an hour. While rinsing, massage the head, trying to rub the healing liquid into the scalp. Interestingly, rinsing with herbal decoctions also replaces washing your hair with shampoo!
Birch leaves, nettle and burdock (aka burdock) strengthen hair and accelerate their growth, nettle and calendula help fight dandruff, chamomile soothes and disinfects the scalp, improves the color of blond hair, makes it brighter and lighter. A decoction and tincture of sage is also an effective means of combating dandruff, this plant, by the way, makes dark hair brighter, as it contains coloring pigments. For oily hair, a mixture of sage and oak bark is suitable, for dry, split and damaged hair – mint, dandelion and plantain. A decoction of a mixture of calamus, thyme, red pepper and burdock will help against hair loss. St. John’s wort, horsetail, rosemary and coltsfoot are good for hair. A decoction of the peel of apples gives softness and shine.
It is very effective to add natural vegetable oils, base and essential oils to all liquid products. You can add a few drops of essential oils, and two teaspoons of base oils. By mixing natural cleansers with decoctions and oils of medicinal plants, you can endlessly experiment and improve the condition of your hair – believe me, this is a very interesting process.
And do not forget that in addition to cleansing and rinsing, it is also desirable to carry out nourishing procedures. To create effective natural masks, there are simple rules and many recipes, but this is a topic for a separate conversation. And do not expect that from one procedure your hair will instantly become thick and beautiful in every way. Remember: the secret of healthy hair is in systematic care, as well as in an attentive attitude to nutrition and lifestyle in general.