How to Make Organic Shampoo & Conditioner

Make your own organic hair products using natural ingredients.

A quick glance at the ingredients listed on most bottles of shampoo or conditioner can be a frightening experience. Many hair products are filled with chemical additives and lengthy, scientific sounding words that are impossible to pronounce and often bad for the environment. Creating your own organic shampoo and conditioner enables you to control the chemicals that come into contact with your body and it's easy to do, using products available at most craft and health food stores.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid castile soap
• Purified or spring water
• Almond or apricot kernel oil
• Essential oil
• Fresh or dried herbs
• Rosewater
• Jojoba oil
• Vitamin E oil
• Avocado
• Organic coconut milk
• Pot
• Glass jar with lid
• Double boiler
• Bowl
• Blender

Instructions

1. Choose the herbs you want to use based on your hair needs. To moisturize dry hair, you can use orange blossoms or comfrey root. For oily hair, choose lemongrass, strawberry leaf or white willow bark. To add shine, choose nettle or quassia. To promote growth, select sage, basil or rosemary.

2. Boil 1 cup of purified or spring water. Place the herbs you've chosen in a 10-ounce glass jar and pour boiling water over them. Cover with a lid and let steep for 15 minutes.

3. Strain the herbal water from the jar and pour into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of liquid castile soap and 1 tsp. of almond or apricot kernel oil. Blend thoroughly.

4. Add an essential oil you like for fragrance and place the mixture in a sealed plastic container. This organic mixture is enough for 20 to 25 shampoos.

5. Warm 1 cup of rosewater in a double boiler, then add 1 tbsp. of jojoba oil and stir.

6. Add 10 drops of Vitamin E oil to the mixture and blend in a blender at high speed for two minutes. This creates a single application of conditioner. Apply it to hair and massage in. Leave it on for several minutes for extra moisturizing. Rinse and shampoo after use.

7. Peel, pit and mash an avocado. Slowly blend it with 1 cup of coconut milk in a bowl. This creates another single use conditioner. Apply to hair and leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse and shampoo.

References

• Long Locks: Hair Care Recipes Cookbook
• Care2: Basic Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner Formulas
• The Daily Green: Make Your Own Organic Bath Products