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Hair
Care with Home Recipes
For this I generally use
castile soap. This is a very pure
and mild liquid soap made from
olive and coconut oils and is very
good for the hair and skin.
Unfortunately any shampoo made by
this method will be very runny; I
haven't yet worked out a way to
thicken the shampoo
satisfactorily. I keep mine in a
plastic bottle; when I have to use
it I squeeze some shampoo into the
lid and pour it onto the top of my
head.
Basic
Castile Shampoo
Mix 1 part liquid castile
soap to 2 parts herbal infusion.
Add 1 tsp glycerin per 200 ml
shampoo, if desired; it
facilitates mixing, also 1 capsule
of St.
John’s Wort. (promote hair
growth!)
Shampoo for Blondes: use
chamomile or calendula marigold
infusion
Shampoo for Brunettes: use
rosemary or sage infusion
For Oily Hair: use yarrow, lemon
balm, thyme or lemongrass
infusion.
For Dry Hair: use chamomile, red
clover, comfrey or chamomile
infusion.
For all hair types: parsley,
linden (lime flower), rosemary or
nettle.
Essential oils can also be
added to shampoos, both for scent
and for their herbal properties.
Some to try are: rosemary, basil,
marjoram, lemongrass, lemon and
lavender.
Herbal
shampoo
2 tablespoons catnip
1 tablespoon castile soap
1/4 cup boiling water
Place boiling water in a cup and
add catnip. Allow to steep for 10
minutes. Add castile soap to cup.
Mix well. Apply entire portion to
wet hair and lather well. Rinse
with cool water.
A natural
shampoo combination using honey,
for dry, damaged or treated hair:
2 cups liquid castile soap
(lavender from a health food store
is best)
1/2 half cup of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vitamin
B liquid.
Blend and use one teaspoon per
washing massaging into the scalp.
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to Contents.
Conditioners
Apple
Cider Vinegar Conditioner
The best conditioner you
can use after a gentle herbal
shampoo is a weak vinegar rinse.
Add a tablespoon of apple cider
vinegar to a liter of water and
use this as the final rinse. It
works even better if you can catch
the run-off in a bowl and use the
vinegar water several times. It
restores the PH balance of the
hair and leaves all hair types
soft and shining. Use the
following herbal vinegar recipe to
add the properties of herbs to
your rinse.
Herbal
Vinegar for Hair
Fill a jar or bottle about
half full with a combination of
some or all of the following
herbs: rosemary, sage, chamomile,
catnip, yarrow, lemon peel, orange
peel, basil, lavender. Fill the
bottle or jar to the top with
vinegar - use a good quality apple
cider vinegar or white wine
vinegar. Seal and shake every day
for a few weeks. Strain and use a
tablespoonful in your final
rinsing water.
Essential
Oil Conditioner
After towel drying the
hair, put a few drops of rosemary
oil in the palm of your hand. Coat
your brush or comb with the oil by
rubbing it in your palm, and comb
the hair with it. Rosemary oil is
very good for the hair, and the
strong green scent fades as the
hair dries. As it is a volatile
oil, it does not leave the hair
oily. You can mix the rosemary oil
with either lavender or basil oil.
Hot
Oil Treatment for Damaged Hair
This is to be used before
shampooing, once a week. Simply
warm a little olive or coconut oil
with vitamin
E and apply to the
scalp; work well through the hair
to the tips. Wrap head in a warm
damp towel (dip it in hot water
and wring out) and then in a large
shower cap to prevent loss of
heat. If the towel cools down,
reheat it. Leave on for 20 minutes
and then shampoo well.
Hot-oil
hair treatment
3 tablespoons pure jojoba oil
2 capsules of
vitamin E
Warm the jojoba oil and apply it
to your hair, starting at the ends
and working up to the top of head.
Wrap hair in a towel and relax for
an hour, or leave the oil in
overnight. Rinse and shampoo hair
as usual. Do once a week, more
often if your hair is extremely
dry.
Yogurt
Conditioner for Dry and Flyaway
Hair
Whisk together 4
tablespoons of natural, unflavored
yogurt and 1 egg. Apply after
shampoo and massage thoroughly
into the hair, leaving on at least
5 minutes. Rinse out thoroughly
with plenty of lukewarm water (not
too hot, or you'll end up with
cooked egg in your hair!)
Leave-in
conditioner for dry hair
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 cup cider vinegar
In a glass jar with a lid, drop
the rosemary and mint leaves and
cover with the cider vinegar. Seal
the jar and leave for two weeks.
Strain the potion. After
shampooing, pour a tablespoon onto
dry hair and leave in.
Conditioner
for oily hair
1 lemon
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Wash, slice, and de-seed the
lemon. Whir lemon in a blender to
a smooth pulp. Filter through
muslin. Mix with the cider
vinegar. After shampooing, blot
hair with a towel and rub
lemon-vinegar mixture into scalp.
Leave on 5-10 minutes, then rinse
with cool water.
Conditioner
for fine hair
2 strips kombu (Japanese seaweed)
3/4 cups boiled spring water
Steep kombu in spring water for 30
minutes. Remove the seaweed. After
shampooing, massage into hair.
Rinse.
Hair
Egg Conditioner
1
teaspoon baby oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup water
Beat
the egg yolk until its frothy, add
the oil then beat again. Add to
the water. Massage into the scalp
and throughout your hair. Rinse
well.
Hair
Conditioner One
Combine
mashed avocado with some coconut
milk. Comb it through the hair and
let sit for 10 -15 minutes, rinse
out.
Hair
Conditioner Two
Mayonnaise
is a great conditioner for dry
hair.
Depending
on the length of your hair, apply
approximately 1/2 cup of
mayonnaise to your dry hair.
Work into hair really well and
then cover your hair with a
plastic bag, allowing to set for
about 15 minutes. Rinse
thoroughly and then shampoo as
usual.
Dandruff
elixir
4 or 5 drops tea tree oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
2 capsules of vitamin
E
In a glass jar with a tight lid,
combine ingredients. Shake well.
After sectioning wet hair, dab
mixture onto a clean cotton wad
and stroke along the scalp. Wrap
hair in a towel and let sit for 2
hours. Work shampoo into hair with
a little water to remove oil.
Rinse.
Dry
Brittle Hair Treatment
1/2
c Mayonnaise
Shampoo, few drops
Luke warm water
2
capsules of vitamin
E
1
cup of vitamin
A
For conditioning dry, brittle
hair. Mix mayonnaise with shampoo
add enough lukewarm water to mix.
Apply to hair after a regular
shampoo. Leave on 10 minutes and
then shampoo out.
Back
to Contents.
Herbal
Rinses
Hair can be kept soft and shiny
with herbal rinses. Pour the
infusion over the hair after
washing it and rinsing thoroughly.
It's even better to use a bowl to
catch the infusion in as it runs
off the hair, and to pour it over
the hair several times. Regular
use of some of these infusions
will add tints and highlights to
the hair.
For
Brunette Hair:
Use an infusion of
rosemary, sage, parsley or catnip.
Rinsing with a pot of black tea
will darken the hair if used over
a period of time, and a
tablespoonful of lemon juice in
the final rinse will eventually
add highlights.
For
Blonde Hair: Use an
infusion of chamomile or marigold.
A tablespoonful of lemon juice in
the final rinse will help lighten
the hair over time, but also tends
to be drying.
For all
hair colors and types: Yarrow,
catnip, nettle and parsley make
excellent rinses to improve shine
and condition.
Remove
Hair Build-up
1/4
cup vinegar
1 cup water
After
conditioning the hair use this as
a final rinse. Leaves your hair
soft and shiny.
Remove
Conditioner Buildup
Baking
soda removes conditioner build-up
from your hair. Rub in and rinse
thoroughly, then shampoo with your
regular shampoo.
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