The Challenges of DIY Shampoo

As you have probably already noticed, about two months ago I've entered the “do it yourself” world, starting with a face cleanser (which I loved and still use,DIY: Coco-Lavender Face Cleanser) and eventually going to making shampoos.

I read a lot on the topic and it seemed like most recipes had one ingredient in common: castile soap. 

I chose a recipe that seemed easy and good to go (DIY: Coco Shampoo) and used it for over a week. I must confess that I almost did not make it since I’m somebody that likes the feel of squeaky clean hair. I'm even one of those gals that does the opposite of what you're supposed to do and would wash my hair every day. I eventually gave up on that shampoo recipe since it didn't seem like it was cleaning much and used the rest as a shower gel, which worked quite well!

My next shampoo was actually a fun experiment! I read that aloe vera gel is good to neutralize the skin’s pH, so there goes the nutrinut to Publix to buy an aloe vera leaf to get fresh gel (not bottled). I mixed the gel from one big leaf (getting it open and scooping the contents out is quite fun! Highly recommend to try with the kids…it’s super gooey!) and mixed it with one can of coconut milk. This one was a little better! It didn't seem as oily but my hair seemed to just be accumulating the mix and it just felt like my hair was on hairspray 24/7! Time for the next one...

Shampoo number 3, one tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water. 

In terms of removing the natural oils that your hair produces, this one was the most effective. However, it also dried out your hair big time! Which only means that I moved on to shampoo number 4, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of water (I got all of these numbers from people who like me, experimented with making their own shampoo). This one was the best one so far but in all honesty, I have been washing my hair once a week with regular shampoo. But on the bright side, it feels a lot healthier!

These haven't worked out exactly how I've been hoping for, but I am persistent and will continue to look for the perfect shampoo recipe ;)

If you already have this figured out, share your secrets with the nutrinut :) I'd love to give it your recipe a try!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-