It’s been over five years since I started using three simple ingredients to wash and condition my hair — and it’s never looked better. My hair is soft, shiny, and split ends seem like a thing of the past. If I’m starting to sound like a shampoo advert, you can relax. I’m not shilling bottles of sulfates — this is a recipe you can make yourself from ingredients in your pantry, and it works like a hot damn!
Why Make Your Own Shampoo & Conditioner?
Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about why on earth would you want to make your own shampoo and conditioner when you can easily buy it in pretty much any grocery store or drug store out there. Well, because what’s in that bottle might not be the best thing for the environment, not to mention the plastic bottle itself.
Conventional shampoos typically contain harmful chemical compounds, and toxic ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a detergent commonly used to make products foam (think of all those suds that show up when you lather your hair or brush your teeth). SLS causes skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritation and is toxic to aquatic organisms — yikes! Not such a great thing when you consider the millions of people washing their hair every morning. Those plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles? No need for those now with this easy recipe.
Unpooing?
This method is often referred to, rather unfortunately, as “unpooing” because it’s a way to clean your hair without shampoo. I usually just say I make my own, instead — it makes me seem crafty and I get to avoid the bewildered looks as people try to figure out what the heck I’m talking about.
I really encourage you to try it — even just once. You have nothing to lose!
First, the shampoo.
- Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 250 ml. (about 8.5 ounces) warm water.
- Mix until dissolved, and then pour over wet hair.
- Massage the mixture into your scalp, concentrating on the crown of the head and the hairline, and then rinse well.
To create the conditioning rinse, follow these simple steps.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to warm water.
- Pour through rinsed hair, and let sit for a few minutes before rinsing well.
TIP: If you have hard water, or live in an area with heavily chlorinated water, you may want to boil the water for a few minutes before cooling and using it for your mixtures.
When you get out of the shower, dry and style your hair as you normally would, and revel in the sensation of clean, sleek, gorgeous hair — with just three ingredients, minimal packaging, and a heaping dose of DIY charm.
Feature image courtesy of martinak15. This article was originally published on November 6, 2015.