How to Make Your Own Shampoo

Have you looked at the list of ingredients on a bottle of shampoo lately? Some of the ingredients routinely found in shampoo products are suspected of causing cancer; and methylisothiazoline, found in many popular, brand name shampoos has been shown to cause central nervous system damage in rats. Even baby shampoos contain low levels of dioxane and formaldehyde. Although organic shampoos are available, some so-called “organic brands” contain dioxanes, cancer causing substances which are allowed because they’re a by-product of the manufacturing process. One way to avoid these chemicals is to make your own shampoo, and it’s surprisingly easy to do. It’s also more cost effective than purchasing over-priced store bought brands.

The simplest way to make your own shampoo is to buy a large bottle of liquid castile soap from your local natural food market. Castile soap is an all-natural cleaning agent made from olive oil. It contains no synthetic chemicals, carcinogens, or animal ingredients. When making your own shampoo, the objective is to use liquid castile shampoo as a shampoo base to which you add your own herbs and essential oils. The types of essentials oils you can use when making your own shampoo are almost limitless. Drops of rosemary oil can be added to give hair additional shine and body. Peppermint oil works well for oily hair, while lavender oil is ideal for dry, damaged hair. Spend some time researching the properties of essential oils before selecting ones to go in your homemade shampoo.

Once you have your ingredients, mix a half cup of castile shampoo with a half cup of water. Add a teaspoon of olive oil or almond oil and stir the ingredients well. Add several drops of your chosen essential oil to the mixture and mix until all ingredients are completely dissolved. Place into a glass bottle and store it in a cool, dark area until you’re ready to shampoo your hair.

The Advantages

When you make your own shampoo using castile soap and essential oils, you’ll have a natural product free of synthetic chemicals, and you’ll be saving money at the same time. Castile soap based shampoo doesn’t lather as well as traditional store bought shampoos which means it’s gentler to the hair and less likely to remove natural oils that nourish the hair and scalp. You can always change the essential oils you add to your homemade shampoo to meet the specific needs of your hair type. When you make your own shampoo, the savings can be significant, particularly if you buy castile soap in gallon jugs online. Enjoy making your own shampoo!

Have you looked at the list of ingredients on a bottle of shampoo lately? Some of the ingredients routinely found in shampoo products are suspected of causing cancer; and methylisothiazoline, found in many popular, brand name shampoos has been shown to cause central nervous system damage in rats. Even baby shampoos contain low levels of dioxane and formaldehyde. Although organic shampoos are available, some so-called “organic brands” contain dioxanes, cancer causing substances which are allowed because they’re a by-product of the manufacturing process. One way to avoid these chemicals is to make your own shampoo, and it’s surprisingly easy to do. It’s also more cost effective than purchasing over-priced store bought brands.