Color Enhancing Herbal Shampoo

I bet that I am ask at least 20 times a week what kind of shampoo I use on my own hair.   I can always tell when my friends use my bathroom that they check out my personal care products too.  I think that is a normal girl thing to do.  Plus it can be confusing and expensive to try everything.  Even in my own salon there are so many choices.

It is not really a secret that I don't shampoo any more and there are only two professional products that I feel good about telling my clients to get.  Those two products will cost an arm and a leg.

The happy news is there is no need to break the bank.  You can have beautiful healthy hair for just pennies.  The things I have already discussed in this blog are basic NoPoo, how to get your hair clean, cleaner, and conditioned.

Today I want to share how to use your shampoo to enhance your hair color.  This will work for all hair types, however, the more porous your hair is the faster it will work.   If you have permed hair this may not be a good option for you as the results will be really unpredictable.

Basic Shampoo mix
(2 teaspoons Herbs)

8 oz distilled water

3 ounces liquid castile soap

3 Tablespoon aloe vera gel

¼  teaspoon of jojoba oil (for oily hair)  3/4- 1 teaspoon jojoba oil (for dry hair)

30 drops of pure rosemary, chamomile, lavender, or sage essential oil  (or what ever you want to smell like)

Herbs for everyone

Rose petals

rosemary

Herbs for Blonds

sunflower petals

chamomile flowers

calendula flowers

lemon rind

Herbs for Brunettes

sage

nettle

rosemary

crushed black walnut hulls

Herbs for Red hair

hibiscus flowers

red clover flowers

rose hips

red rose petals

First you need to pick 2 or 3 herbs you are going to use and place them in the bottom of a glass jar.  Boil the water and pour over your herbs.  Immediately put a lid on the jar and let it steep till it is completely cool.

Strain out the herbs and put the liquid into a pretty bottle that has been washed out.  Add the castille to the container and then the jojoba and essential oil.  Last add the aloe to the bottle.  Put the lid on and give it a good shake. * Shake it back and forth like windshield wipers not up and down.  You will get a better mix.

This shampoo will stay good for about a week.  If you are going to take longer to use it store it in the fridge.  Make sure to shake this up before every use.

These make cute "any time" gifts for the ones you love.  If you do give them out make sure you rite down what herbs and oil you used because you are going to be asked to do it again.

Have fun and enjoy this one!

*note:  castille soap is made from olive oil and can easily be found at the health food store.

Soapwort Shampoo

The house that we live in was built by my husbands Grandparents in the late 40s.  I love our home and I love that I can tell a lot about Grandma Ruthie by the things in our home.  She must have been a character.  There were rooms that were red from top to bottom.  The downstairs bathroom is black and white subway tile to the ceiling and who can forget the Turquoise kitchen.  (I would like to) 

When I moved in 10 years ago there was no yard to speak of.  After years of being forgotten and neglected the desert had simply taken it back.  Along the North and the east sides of the house, however, there were two kinds of plants.  I could tell that they were the old flower beds.  It was really important to me to save those flowers at any cost.  I lovingly weeded and watered.  I transplanted some to fill in the bare spots and to my happy surprise they did wonderful.  I just love the idea that the same flowers that Grandma planted are still here and giving us joy.

The tall ones had pink blossoms.  I ask Glen if he knew what they were called and he told me that they were pink bettys.

I was very happy when I came across a page in one of my herb books that said that soapwort and pink bettys are the very same plant.  Other Names: soaproot, bouncing bet, leatherwort, Fuller's herb, bruisewort, crow soap, and sweet betty.


Soapwort is a perennial European native herb which has become thoroughly naturalized in the United states.  found growing in moist ditches, along road sides, waste places,near old home sites, in meadows, and as a planted ornamental.

Cultivation: 
Propagate Soapwort with seeds or by division done in early spring.  Soapwort spreads vigorously it has many attractive and aromatic flowers and can be used as a ground cover.  Succeeds in any moderately fertile well drained soil in sun or in semi-shade.  It prefers a neutral to alkaline soil.  The fragrant flowers have five white to pinkish petals, each notched and refluxed, about an inch in diameter and are borne in large clusters sin axils of leaves and at the tip of the stems.  Flowers bloom from June to October.  It colonies from underground rhizomes.  The root is harvested in the spring and can be dried for a later herb use. Use the flowers and leaves fresh as a body soap.

A soap can be obtained by boiling the whole plant (especially the root) in water.

It is a gentle effective cleaner, used on delicate fabrics that can be harmed by synthetic soaps. The best soap is obtained by infusing the plant in warm water. 

Take care when using it as a shampoo because it can irritate the eyes.  (just like most shampoo does) 


Pretty Betty shampoo

2 1/4 C. water
1 T. soapwort
2 t. chamomile flowers or rosemary

Bring the water to a boil and them remove from heat. Add the chamomile and soapwort.  Cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes.  Strain into a bottle and use as shampoo.  It is just that easy!

Other alternative shampoos I use are baking soda  and yucca.

Yucca Shampoo

I have not been using shampoo for quite a while now and I have never been happier with my hair.  You can read all about the vinegar/baking soda method (here). 

Here in the Desert Southwest it is very common for the Native girls to use Yucca shampoo. 

Yucca is a desert plant that is associated with the Earth Goddess by the locals.  It is said that having one in your garden promotes balance with nature.  Just like it's blossoms that spring up in the summer it helps us to rise above the prickly painful parts of life and Bloom beautifully.

The Yucca is a leathery plant whose leaves are very sharp and pointed.  It does very well in the hot dry climates here but on the years that it rains.....  Just beautiful!

You can buy the root at a health food store. The dried root works every bit as well for making soap.  If you do decide to dig your own please be careful to save the plant.   This is actually pretty sustainable if we don't kill the plants.  The roots of the Yucca grow in the shape of a capitol T.  Only take one of the arms of the T, the plant will live and you will have enough for a whole year.

Use 2 Cups rosemary (for dark hair) or Chamomile (for light hair) tea.  Mix it with powdered/crushed yucca root.

Use enough on your hair to work up a mild lather.  Keep the left over in the refrigerator.

I tried this and it is just amazing!  It made my hair so shiny and it felt so thick.   It also seemed to bring out my natural curl.  If you want to spice up your No Poo routine I defiantly recommend this one.

No Poo!

I have a confession to make....

I do hair for a living and I haven't used shampoo or conditioner in over 6 months.  Really!

I know what you are thinking.  Ewwww.  To be honest though my hair has never been this healthy or shiny.  It is growing so fast and has lots of body.  I feel like the girl in the pantine commercials.  (and I even bleach some of it)

I started looking into shampoo alternatives for my daughter who is very sensitive to chemicals.  I found that there are lots of different things you can do.  I picked baking soda ans vinegar.

All you have to do is put a big heaping tablespoon of soda in about 8oz of water and use that instead of shampoo.  It will not bubble so you just have to have faith that it is cleaning your hair.  (make sure to rinse)  Then you take 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon and mix with 8 oz of water and use as the conditioner.  Any acid will work. all you are trying to do is lower the PH of the hair back down to 4 or 5 so the cuticles will close.  So you brunettes can use beer and the red heads can use wine if you want.  Be advised that you will smell like your acid of choice until your hair dries.

If I need a bit more moisture on the ends I just use a dab of coconut oil.

Try it you wont be sorry.


Other no shampoo recipes:
Soapwort Shampoo
Yucca Shampoo
Natural highlights
Natural conditioner