I have tried a lot of DIY recipes for homemade shampoo over the past year and a half since deciding to make all of my families’ personal care and cleaning products. I started with Wellness Mama’s coconut milk and castile soap recipe and later tried apple cider vinegar rinses.
There have been recipes that call for apple cider vinegar with coconut oil instead of milk. Most recipes rotate around the same ingredients – castile soap, some form of coconut, water, and essential oils – in varying amounts.
It’s been a learning process with a lot of trial and error. The apple cider rinse left my hair limp and darker than normal making me question if it was getting properly clean. I think there’s an adjustment period with any shampoo but especially a homemade one. I know it’s common for your hair to get oilier as your scalp adjusts. Since switching to a homemade shampoo my scalp is less dry and flaky.
Here is the combination that has worked best for my hair, which is fine, fairly straight, and tends toward oily. I keep things pretty natural and low maintenance in my hair routine. I rarely use any heat sources such as a blow dryer or straightener and I no longer dye it. Also I try to only wash it every other day.
DIY Recipe for Homemade Shampoo
I love this recipe because it’s very easy to make. It only calls for five ingredients (really just four but I count the water). The ingredients are all ones I always have on hand because they have so many uses and come up in most of my go to DIY recipes.
What You Will Need:
- an 8oz glass container (I use a swing top bottle but a pump nozzle might even be better and glass for the essential oils.)
- 1 tsp coconut oil (I use organic and either unrefined warmed to a liquid or lately fractionated.)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup unscented liquid castile soap
- 1/4 cup water (distilled)
- 6 drops of essential oil
I add all the ingredients to my bottle and shake it to combine. To keep the mixing easy, I recommend adding the baking soda after there’s some sort of liquid already in the container. Otherwise it tries to stick in the corners of my bottle.
Store it carefully in your shower and shake well before each use. It will bubble up a lot.
This recipe lasts me about 16 washes. You only need a nickel sized amount depending on your hair length and thickness.
My Favorite Essential Oil Combination:
- 6 drops of lavender
- 4 drops of rosemary and 2 drops of lavender
- 2 drops of lemon, 2 drops of lavender, and 2 drops of rosemary
Lavender is great for supporting fragile hair, helping with dandruff, and promoting hair growth. Plus the scent calms and relaxes you during your shower. Rosemary helps with greasy or oily hair and allow promotes growth. It mixes nicely with lavender and can act as a balance since it’s scent sparks alertness and focus. Lemon also counteracts oily or greasy hair and is a clean and invigorating addition for your senses.
Other Essential Oils to Try:
- Wintergreen for dandruff
- Clary sage or thyme to support fragile hair
- Basil, cypress, or thyme for oily hair
- Thyme or ylang ylang to promote growth
Other Things I Use These Ingredients For:
- Castile soap and fractionated coconut oil are two of the three ingredients in my natural body wash.
- I use baking soda in combination with castile soap for dishes. It’s also an ingredient for my basic homemade mouthwash.
- Both coconut oil and baking soda are part of my simple toothpaste recipe and homemade deodorant.
- I use lavender and lemon in a roller bottle recipe to help allergies.
- For sinus issues, rosemary is one of the oils I apply with a roller bottle.
- Lemon is an oil I add to most of my homemade cleaning products like this all purpose cleaning spray.
Resources:
6 Reasons to Make Your Own Personal Care and Cleaning Products
What are your thoughts on homemade shampoo? Do you make your own personal care items?
