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How to Make Homemade Shampoo

Making your own home made shampoo is a great way to start experimenting with using essential oils and the healing properties of herbs

You can find herbs in small amounts or in bulk online or at most health food stores. Many recipes use culinary herbs, which are available right in your own kitchen.

Once you have the basic recipe down, start experimenting with different scents to create calming, stimulating, or rejuvenating shampoo that suits your mood and personality - and cleans your hair - without using harsh, dangerous chemicals.

Supplies You May Need

When it comes to suppliers, Mountain Rose Herbs is one of the leading online stores supplying 100% pure steam distilled plant oils with unsurpassed fragrances and oustanding depth, and importantly they are all therapeutic grade oils from reputable distillers.

They have a great selection of basic ingredients such as butters, wax and carrier oils, as well as any essential oils you might need. There are lots of other suppliers out there whose quality is similar to Mountain Rose but we havent found one thats beter value for money.

Make your own basic shampoo

4 ounces of castile soap, preferably unscented - homemade castile soap
1/2 ounce dried rosemary
1/2 ounce dried sage
1/2 ounce dried nettles
1/2 ounce dried lavender

Mix the herbs together in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

To make one batch of home made shampoo, put 1 heaping tablespoon of the herb mixture in a glass bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling distilled water. Let steep for 30-40 minutes and strain into a clean bottle or jar. Add the castile soap, shake to mix, and your homemade shampoo is ready to use.

Here are some other herb mixture combinations you can use to make your homemade shampoo suit your hair type. Use the same process as above, just substitute the herbs:

Normal hair:
Horsetail, red clover, chamomile, and/or marigold. Add 2 teaspoons of complimentary essential oils to the mix, if desired.

Dry hair:
Comfrey, red clover, orange flowers, lavender, elder flowers, and/or chamomile. Add 2 teaspoons of jojoba oil to the mix.

Oily hair:
Nettle, rosemary, peppermint, burdock, and/or lemongrass. Add 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil to the mix.

For dandruff and dry scalp:
Nettle, comfrey, birch bark, white willow bark, peppermint, and/or lemongrass. Add 2 tablespoons of plain borax to the mix.

If you want to go super-duper basic, just buy a box of plain borax (20 Mule Team) laundry soap. Make sure it is 100 percent borax with no other added ingredients.

It doesn't foam up like commercial shampoo, but don't worry. Use a small handful and rub it through your hair for completely clean hair and scalp. When your hair dries, it will feel so soft and wonderful.

Now you know how to make homemade shampoo!

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Homemade Shampoo