How to Make Shampoo
Shampoos and conditioners are two of the most important factors of complete hair care. However, though it is actually convenient to visit a local store and pick up a shampoo among the different types of shampoo brands, these hair products that are commercially manufactured are made with a whole lot of chemicals. Hence, though the advertisements promote the shampoos to be the best to maintain healthy hair, it is likely to do considerable harm to the hair in the long run. Hence, a good alternative to this would be to make the shampoo as well as conditioner at home itself. The advantage of doing this is that your hair will be safe from the exposure of harmful chemicals and you can make the shampoo according to the requirements of your hair.
Homemade Shampoos and Conditioners
One important thing that people must remember before beginning the process of making shampoo on their home is that homemade shampoos are not as thick as the commercial ones. Moreover, shampoos that are made at home are not likely to lather when mixed with water as they do not contain any subsiding agents which are one of the main ingredients in the shampoos that are produced commercially. However, the effect of homemade shampoos are as good as the commercial ones and they are effective in cleaning as well as giving the hair a healthy look without exposing it to dangerous chemicals. Now that you know the benefits of using homemade shampoos, let us understand the procedure of making shampoos. Read more on homemade shampoo recipe.
Making Liquid Shampoo
The base of most of the homemade shampoos is castile soap. Though, here we will use the liquid castile soap, it is also fine to use castile flakes for this procedure. However, make sure that the flakes are completely dissolved in water before it is mixed with other ingredients. Know more about shampoo that makes your hair grow faster.
Ingredients Required
- 4 tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 7 ounces distilled water
- 6 tablespoons herbs
To make this natural shampoo, take distilled water in a small vessel and bring it to a boiling point. The next step will be to submerge the herbs in the boiling water. The herbs help in giving a fragrance to the shampoo. However, people use various types of herbs that are good for their hair. For instance, people who have dark hair make the use of rosemary, whereas for those who have light hair, it will be best to use chamomile. One of the most common herbs that are used by people is the lavender as it said to give a soothing effect. Place the herbs that you have selected in a vessel and pour the boiling water over it. Let the herbs sit in the water for half an hour and then with the help of a strainer, remove the herbs from the water. To add extra fragrance, it will also be a good idea to add a few drops of essential oil to the herbal water and set it aside. Take a bottle which you can use to store the shampoo and pour liquid castile soap to it. This should be followed by the herbal water that is set aside. Close the lid of the bottle tightly and shake vigorously so that all the ingredients are fully combined.
Making Shampoo Bars
Another great way of making shampoo at home is in the form of solid bars. The advantage of making shampoo bars is that it's easy to store them and extremely convenient during traveling. Hence, here is the method which will help you in making a shampoo bar.
Ingredients Required
- 16 ounces olive oil
- 4 ounces castor oil
- 15 ounces distilled water
- 16 ounces coconut oil
- 5.9 ounces lye
- 2 ounces any essential oil
- 4 ounces wheat germ oil
Take water in a plastic container and slowly add lye into it. With a wooden spoon, stir the lye into the water until it is completely dissolved. When this is done, set the plastic container aside to allow it to cool. The temperature of the lye should be between 90 to 100 degrees for the process to continue. During this time, take coconut, olive and wheat germ oil in a large pot and heat them on a stove. The temperature of the oil mixture should also come between 90 to 100 degrees. Once both the mixture reach the same temperature, gently pour the lye solution into the pot that contain oils, while continuously stirring with the other hand. The stirring procedure should be done until the mixture becomes thick in texture. Add essential oils to the mixture and stir again.
Once this is done, pour the mixture into the mold and cover it with its lid or wax paper and then with a piece of cardboard. Wrap a thick blanket around the shampoo bar mold and allow it to sit for 18 hours. After the completion of 18 hours, take off the blanket as well as the lid or wax paper and again let the bar sit for 12 hours undisturbed. After this time period, you can take the soap out of the mold and store them by cutting them. However, do not start using the shampoo bars before two weeks.
Making Conditioner
Hair care cannot be complete just by shampooing the hair. Rather one must follow it with a good conditioner. Hence, here is a recipe with which you can use to make a natural hair conditioner.
Ingredients Required
- 1 package gelatin
- cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 whole egg
To make natural hair conditioner, take water in a bowl and empty a packet of gelatin into it. Stir continuously till the gelatin is completely absorbed in the water and set it aside. In another bowl, break the egg and mix by adding two tablespoons for lemon juice. When this is done, mix it with the gelatin mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour the conditioner in a clean bottle and use it regularly after shampooing.
Apart from this, aloe is said to be good for hair too. To make aloe vera shampoo, you just have to mix aloe vera gel with the other shampoo ingredients. Though making shampoo is not very easy, you will surely enjoy the process, especially after you see how much your hair has benefited by using these natural shampoos and conditioners.
