Do you make your own shampoo?
A lot of people think that making your own shampoo has to be difficult. Those shampoos you buy at the store have at least twenty ingredients, most of which I can’t pronounce, and some of which are harmful to your health.
It isn’t that hard.
Last year I posted the recipe I use for my husband’s anti-dandruff shampoo which is one of my most popular posts of 2012. Since then I have streamlined this shampoo thing to be simple, effective, and work well with even less effort and investment.
You see, I was poo-free for a while but I just hated cleaning my hair with baking soda. No matter what I did it dried my hair out so I just stopped washing my hair. While I still don’t wash my hair most days, two or three times a month I like to give it a good wash. This is when I decided to make my own shampoo.
Now coconut milk is time consuming or expensive so I don’t add it to my shampoo. Instead I use 4 simple ingredients. This recipe works wonderfully for any hair time. You can customize the essential oils you like by using my “essential Oils For Skincare” post. The same conditions for skin apply to the hair.
- 1½ C Dr. Bonner’s Liquid Castille Soap (I use the fragrance free one)
- ½ C Glycerine
- 1 Tbsp Almond or Jojoba oil (Jojoba is more moisturizing and I prefer it in the winter)
- 15-20 drops of Essential Oils (See my post “Essential Oils for Skincare”
- Combine ingredients in a recycled shampoo bottle, shake well, and use like any other shampoo.
- This shampoo is fine to be stored in the shower and is good for a year.
Super easy! This shampoo leaves my hair clean, shiny and rich. There is no oily matting or clumping, it styles nicely (when I am not wearing a pony tail) and it is customized with my favorite doTERRA oils that work for my hair during any specific time of year, which is priceless.
Are you looking for a chemical free alternative? This is it!
Do you make your own shampoo? What recipe do you use?
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Your ingredients list is practically identical to what goes into my cold process shampoo bars! I couldn’t do the baking soda thing, either, because my curly-wavy hair is already so thirsty for moisture/oil that it would become brittle and unruly whenever I tried. We’ll likely stick to the shampoo bars here in our household because I think they last longer and are easier to store, but I’ll keep this in mind if anyone ever says something about wanting ‘normal’ shampoo instead.
Very cool! I liked an herbal shampoo bar I was using when I lived in spokane but it dried my hair out too much here. Maybe ill give it a go again. Thanks!
I have been wanting to make our own shampoo for awhile, but have been kinda scared if it would make my hair oily. I can’t wait to try this recipe! So easy! Thanks!
I gonna give the baking soda a go today and see how it does with my hair. I love the thought of using essential oils in a soap. I have also been thinking of making my own soap bars. Something to look into!
So I came to your blog because I was looking for your dandruff shampoo post to share with a reader who asked about a dandruff shampoo (actually, it was Nicolette who posted right above me! LOL), and lo and behold I find this post on the front page with the dandruff recipe linked in it! Talk about easy! So thanks for that.
Then I got interested in reading about this shampoo recipe and it seems easy enough and pretty close to what I use already. I usually put some Bronner’s in a bottle and add some essential oils along with almond oil. But I’m wondering what is the purpose of the glycerin in your recipe?
I am very glad to have been convenient
As for the glycerin, it adds a thickness and sudseyness to the shampoo that you don’t get from straight Dr. Bonnors soap. My husband is very sensitive to tactile stimulus and just hated the thin liquid from the Dr. Bonnors without so one of my wonderful readers commented that glycerin might be a good option and it was! This shampoo has more of that store bought texture.
I love this idea!
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I’ve tried backing soda in the past and it worked really well for my hair. Then I went overseas and by the time I got back I got out of the habit.
I like the idea of this recipe though so will pin it so I can try it out.
I assume the glycerine has to be liquid. Do you know what stores would carry it?
I have gotten mine off of Amazon and from Mountain Rose Herbs. I have seen it at sprouts and whole foods as well but it is more expensive than purchasing it on line.
Thank you so MUCH for this recipe.
It works well for me.
I appreciate you posting it.
Three tips:
1. I like clear VO5 bottles that you can get at the dollar store for this. Obviously use or discard contents. The labels peel easily off, and since it is clear, you see see if your mixture is mixed well or needs an additional shake before use. (The jojoba oil rises to the top and you can see it if bottle is clear.)
2. Use caution around kids because it is quite runny. They could use half a bottle easily since it comes out so fast. And the base ingredients are not terribly cheap.
3. You might just want to get in the habit of shaking before each use…(see jojoba oil comment above.)
Thanks again….I really appreciate you!
I did no poo for a good while, too….and I really like this option. My hair smells beautiful and not like a vat of chemicals. And no itchy scapl from those harsh ingredients.
All great tips! Thank you for adding them!
I cannot wait to try your natural shampoo. I have very thick, coarse curly hair so baking soda would not be a viable option for me. This looks like something that I could use. The “natural” shampoos in the store are extremely expensive, so I would rather use the homemade version.
This sounds awesome! Where do you by the liquid soap and glycerin?
You can find them at any health food store or get them on Amazon! You can also order from Mountain Rose Herbs (click the banner on the upper right hand on the sidebar of my blog).
Hi! Thanks for this awesome recipe. However I tried it for the first time last evening and my hair came out feeling like wax. I made sure everything was well mixed and I thought I rinsed really good, but my hair is so waxy feeling today that I couldn’t even style it. I normally have soft, shiny hair so I don’t know why this came out the way it is. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Are you switching from regular shampoo to this? What kind of oil did you use in it? Did you rinse your hair or condition with anything?
Ooops, I meant to reply directly below your message and instead replied as a new message. Sorry!
I am switching from regular shampoo, however I only wash my hair every 5 to 7 days and usually around day 4 or 5 I use a mix of baking soda and corn starch as a dry shampoo to soak up some of the oil at the roots. I did use a conditioner after washing my hair and it was a regular store-bought conditioner. I used it because my hair gets so tangled whenever I wash it. Plus we have hard water from a well and that seems to leave my hair less than desirable with all the mineral deposits it leaves behind. Which is another reason I use conditioner. And I just looked back at the recipe and realized I didn’t use the oil. Could that have been why? Maybe the oil will help detangle my hair and relieve me from needing conditioner.
If you are switching from regular shampoo and conditioner you might be having a detox reaction. This happens when people switch to chemical free shampoos/no poo. I think the lack of oil could definitely be a problem. Remember, oil attracts oil, so you want that in there to help your hair find a natural oil balance. I have also found an apple cider rinse (1 part ACV to 4-6 parts water) in the hair helps soften it and makes it easier to brush. Try adding the oil and doing the ACV rinse and see if that helps. Let me know how it goes
Okay, thanks. I’m going to run out and get the oil over lunch break (paying a little more than online, but I want to try it right away). Normally I wouldn’t shower tonight, but I want to fix this so I’ll give it a try and see what happens. I have ACV at home too, so I’ll try that as well. I’m hoping it helps as I’m going away this weekend with my husband (no kids, woo-hoo) and want my hair to be soft and shiny for our date weekend away. Also, I was using Kiss My Face shampoo before. Not completely chemical-free but better than most products on the market, so I would think the transition to this shampoo wouldn’t be so negative. Hopefully my results tonight will be much better. Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I will update you on my results.
I bought the Jojoba oil and added it to the rest of the mix. Then I took my shower last night and I could tell while I was rinsing that my hair was all waxy again. I tried washing a few times to see if the waxy feeling would dissipate, but it was still there. I then tried the ACV rinse. That did help with minimizing the waxy feel and making my hair feel smooth. When I got out of the shower, I was able to comb out my hair fairly easily, without tangles. However, when I dried my hair, it took on an oily feeling. Today when I went to style my hair (no products), my hair was quite oily looking and feeling. And I have blonde hair, so the oiliness seems to be very noticeable as blond hair when oily looks much darker. I used my baking soda/corn starch mixture to make my hair look a little less oily, but I can still definitely see and feel it. Not my normal soft hair at all. Maybe it’s our hard water?? I was looking on Dr. Bronner’s Soap website and it said “True soaps clean hair well but can leave a tangly look & feel; however…” and then it suggests using their conditioner rinse and comments possibly having to repeat the rinse for hard water. There is a good chance this could be the reason. When I visited my best friend in Hawaii a few years ago, I wish I was in the poo-free stage as the water there is completely deposit free. I never used conditioner there because my hair would be silky soft just rinsing it under the water. I never would have needed shampoo either. My only complaint with the water there is that since there were no deposits left in my hair, it wouldn’t style at all. I have straight hair so I my hair was always flat, no body. But I loved how soft and silky it felt. I guess that means I need to move to Hawaii so I can have nice hair. Sounds good to me!
Just an FYI. I did some research online and have been reading a lot about needing to dilute Bronner’s Soap with water and that you aren’t supposed to use it a lot or it may leave a soapy/oily residue on the hair. This may be my problem them. A few recipes only use a few drops of soap with about a 1/4 cup of water. I may try that to see if it works better. I’ll keep you posted so if anyone else ever has similar issues, you can share the info with them.
Thanks for following up Kimberly! I have never had this problem so thanks so much for sharing your experience. Please let me know how diluting it works for you!
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Hi! Thanks for this recipe, it’s a lifesaver. I’ve been looking for a natural shampoo alternative for a while now. I have extremely thick hair that is very long (about an inch or two shy of my elbows). I had a very hard time with any recipe that didn’t suds because I couldn’t work it through all of my hair without using more product than I’d like. I used coconut oil in this recipe, and instead of Dr. Bronner’s I used Kirk’s Coco Castile Soap (I buy the bars then convert to liquid soap – 1 bar of soap grated + 6 cups distilled water + 2 TBS glycerin {leave the glycerin out when making shampoo}, melt together in a large pot, allow mixture to cool in that pot, then hit it with a hand mixer to improve the texture before transferring to container of your choice or using in a recipe) because they are products that I know work for me and I happened to have on hand. My recipe for the Kirk’s soap has a MUCH thicker consistency than Dr. Bronner’s so it is an option for those looking for a less runny shampoo. For Kimberly, I understand what you mean by the waxiness. My hair does feel waxy after using this as well. I feel the glycerin is to blame for that, but it really is essential for the lather. Though I should note that I also have hard water from a well. But once my hair is dry, it looks and feels the same as any other product I’ve used. I had issues with greasiness at first too, the first few washes. Extra oil is normal when switching from commercial shampoo because the harsh ingredients actually strip your hair forcing your scalp to overproduce oil. After you switch, it takes time for your body to adjust and slow oil production. I would continue giving this shampoo a shot to see if that is the case for you. You could also consider using a different oil, as jojoba does tend to be a little heavy. It’s great for dry hair but if you are prone to oiliness something else may work better until your hair adjusts. But I must say, I am able to brush my hair with ease now, where before when I was using commercial products, I used shampoo and conditioner followed by a heavy spritz of detangler and still struggled to get a brush through (and I only use this shampoo, no conditioner!). Another awesome thing I’ve noticed about this shampoo is my hair dries super fast compared to before. I know it sounds crazy, but my air-dry time has literally been cut in half. Which is a blessing for someone with waist-length hair who prefers not to damage that hair by blowdrying =) Thank you so so so much for this recipe. I was beginning to fear that’d I’d have to throw in the towel in my quest for a natural shampoo alternative.
Thanks for your comment Allison! I am so glad it worked for you!