By Melissa Corkhill
20th January 2009
It’s so liberating to experiment with making your own bodycare products. And best of all, you get to decide exactly what ingredients go into them too. You can choose the right ingredients for your hair type and then tweak the recipe until you get something that suits you perfectly. And no need to worry about any of the chemical nasties or packaging waste that you get with conventional haircare either.
“No need to worry about any of the chemical nasties or packaging waste.”
Soap Nut Shampoo
You can also adapt this recipe to your hair type, adding chmomile flowers for fair hair and rosemary for dark hair. Steep any herbs along with the soap nuts overnight.
1 cup soap nuts
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Soak the soap nuts in a cup of water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Then, strain the liquid and add the lemon juice. Apply to your hair, massaging into the scalp in a circular motion and rinse thoroughly with water.
Natural Hair Gel
1 long stalk of aloe vera
Carefully peel off the skin, leaving the translucent gel. This can be applied to hair like styling gel and once dry, leaves a healthy glossy sheen to the hair.
Intensive Hair Treatment
I love the rich nourishing feeling and warm, tropical scent of this treatment. Hair looks and feels really soft and restored afterwards.
1 tbsp chamomile flowers
1 cup of coconut oil
3 drops ylang ylang essential oil
Place all the ingredients in a warm place. I like to put them in a bowl, cover with a teatowel and leave by the fire. This allows the oil to soften to a pourable state and is easier to apply to your head. You could put into a bowl on top of a pan of boiling water. Massage small amounts into your scalp, using a circular motion. Comb through and leave to absorb for around half an hour. Then, shampoo out – you might need to rinse twice. This will keep for a week or so in a jar in the fridge. Warm before treatments.
Cooling Rinse
I am addicted to peppermint tea and so using it as a hair rinse seemed the logical next step to drinking gallons a day. This is really refreshing and provides a good wake up buzzy feeling for days when you need a little extra boost.
1 cupped handful of mint leaves and stalks (or 2 peppermint teabags)
1 large mug boiling water
Steep for at least 10 minutes then strain and use as a final rinse after shampooing. You don’t need to wash it out.
Hope you enjoy trying these natural beauty treatments. If you have any holistic haircare tips, please do share them.
