I've tried a lot of variations, and this is the recipe I am currently using. It takes a little getting used to, and your hair may feel "crunchy" or dry when you get out of the shower. Depending on your hair's natural state, you can use a little coconut oil on the ends, a leave-in natural brand conditioner, or do a rinse in the shower of 1 T. apple cider vinegar to 1 c. water (best done in a spray bottle). Also, I rarely measure when I make it for myself, so definitely use these proportions as a jumping off point.
This recipe is quite thin or runny. Though I haven't tested it yet, I added 1 tsp. xantham gum (inspired by the recipe found here) to my next batch and will update after I next shampoo!
DIY Shampoo
1/3 c castile soap, such as Dr. Bronner's)
1/3-2/3 c water (depending on how soapy you want it, I tend toward the lower end)
2 t. baking soda
1tsp. coconut oil, melted
5-15 drops essential oil, if desired
In an old shampoo bottle combine baking soda and castile soap, shaking to combine.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and shake.
Voila, you have homemade shampoo!
 |
| finished product in use! |
Love the recipe, question? could you use Tea Tree Essential Oil? Hubby doesnt want to smell like Lavender..lol
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I think Tea Tree would be amazing and give you a really tingly feel, plus it is anti-fungal and would be excellent for your scalp.
DeleteThanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks. Healthy Hair and Scalp Remedy
DeleteWhat happens if you use organic coconut oil in place of virgin coconut oil?
ReplyDeleteAs far as the recipe goes, organic or non-organic won't make a difference :) I prefer organic, unrefined in all my homemade recipes! (although it's a bummer that Trader Joe's doesn't carry organic yet!)
DeleteMaybe I shook too much? but the whole bottle is foam.. In retrospect, shaking soap and water together would likely have that result hmmm...
ReplyDeleteIs it two tablespoons or two teaspoons of baking soda?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure she meant tablespoons, T. is the standard abbreviation for tablespoons :)
DeleteA capital "T" represents TABLESPOON, A lower case "t" means TEASPOON
DeleteWhen applying this shampoo how much should you use at a time? (This recipe was very helpful btw! I couldn't quite switch straight to no-poo, I need the suds!)
ReplyDeleteWhen using this shampoo so you still use conditioner?
ReplyDeleteMy local wal-mart carries organic coconut oil. Love Trader Joes but have to go to Wally World if I need the organic oil. :)
ReplyDeleteI would advise using much less Dr Bronners in the recipe....maybe just around a tablespoon! It is extremely concentrated and have noticed when I use too much it leaves a residue in my hair. I pretty much just use the foam it creates and run that through my scalp only and allow the soap to run through the strands. Since using (correctly), my itchy scalp and dandruff have ceased and my hair looks so healthy!
ReplyDeleteSo you use this exact recipe set aside from decreasing the Dr Bronners? I have recently started using just plain old baking soda and water in my hair with some added mint extract. Has been working great but I'd like to enhance it so to speak with some more sudsing (castile soap). How much coconut milk would you use? As April stated, you can buy organic coconut milk at your local Walmart. That's what I'd do seeing as how mine carries it as well! Just wondering how much I'd use in the mixture. Thanks :).
DeleteCole
Meant coconut oil in reply not coconut milk was a misread. Can you substitute grapeseed oil for coconut oil?
DeleteCole
Hi guys,
ReplyDeleteI have a body odor problem and have found baking soda does the trick for helping me with my body odor. I was wondering instead of using this as a shampoo can I use it as a body wash and what is the maximum amount of baking soda I can add to this????
and by the way is the coconut oil a must???
thank you for tips
I am sure you can use this as a body wash if you like~ As far as the baking soda, the more you add the more the formula will act like a paste or scrub. I'd play around with it. The coconut oil is not a must, but especially if you are using this as a body wash remember that coconut oil has antibacterial properties and can really help with skin and bacteria that might cause odors. Hope it works out well!
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ReplyDeleteI don't know if I posted that right (first time user lol) if I have the lavender and peppermint Castile soap can I use those and if so which one would u think would be best?
ReplyDeleteEither! Any "flavor" of castile soap will work beautifully. Dr. Bronner's has so many varieties- I love the citrus, tea tree, eucalyptus and hemp. Rose is also nice :)
DeleteI love this recipe. It does leave my hair feeling weird when wet, but I just run a dab of leave-in conditioner through it while I am still in the shower, and it softens right up. My hair seems fuller with more body, and it seems to stay cleaner longer. BTW, I have thin, fine hair - all white - and this works great for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like it! I haven't used it myself in awhile and your post is inspiring me to use it again. I definitely think that it's a crunchy recipe texture wise and conditioner or a bit of coconut oil or serum could help certain hair types! Mine tends towards oily, so I wait until it's dry to add any extra conditioning :)
DeleteDo you use a conditioner along with the shampoo or do you use it alone?
ReplyDeleteI've been trying a few natural shampoos and so far all of them have been leaving my hair feeling greasy and really tangled. I have super long straight hair. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is it just my hair detoxing off of store bought shampoo? Of so how long should it take? I'm gonna try this recipe over the weekend and see if it works any better.
ReplyDeleteWhen stopping use of store bought shampoo your hair will go through a detox phase. I quit using store bought about a year ago. I went from washing my hair every day to once a week. I went though about a month long process of detox, during which my hair was disgustingly oily, tangly, itchy, everything. I used a mixture of corn starch and cocoa powder mid week to make it look not so greasy (started with corn starch and added cocoa powder until I felt my head wouldn't be white from using it) and an old make-up brush to apply. I would brush it on to my hair and kind of rub it in then brush my hair out. This method does make ones hair look a bit more dull, but I was determined to make this work for me. My husband HATED it when I did this, since I would leave it in my hair for a few days (trying to tide me over till wash day) I smelt of cocoa powder and when I used to much I could definitely tell from residue on my pillow. I occasionally still get an itchy scalp, when this happens I rub tiny bits of cocoanut oil directly on my scalp (separate the hairs and try to rub ONLY on the skin) I try to do this at night so by morning it has absorbed or rubbed the excess off and not left me looking all greasy.
DeleteI use a baby jar to make my shampoo, fill it maybe a third with castile soap, a dash of olive oil, depending how I'm feeling a good swig of witch hazel( the good kind not the cheap kind with alcohol), of course essential oils (lavender, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, peppermint- all good for the hair and scalp and depending on my mood) fill the rest up with water, give it a shake and it lasts me roughly 4-5 washings. Keeping in mind I usually wash only once a week, maybe twice if I feel I really need to get crud out of my hair so my little baby jar lasts me at least a month. I've not tried it with baking soda, I'll add it to my next batch to give an extra bit of scrubby for me. When I use this in the shower, I try to pour it only on my roots, as that's the part that gets greasy get some nice suds going and then let it wash the rest of my hair as its rinsing out.
There have been a few times I've ran out and used store bought my husband uses( cant quite get him to switch) although it doesn't immediately revert me back to the detox phase, I can definitely tell a difference in my hair as far as texture and body. I have long straight hair and with store bought it seems to be even more straight and flat and straw like.
Does anyone know how this works on low porosity wavy/curly hair? My hair is very low porosity so normally oils just sit on it. But I have seborrheic dermatitis and am getting desperate for something that works and will not ruin my curls or dry them out. Thanks!
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ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI really like this recipe rather then the plain Jane baking soda and water mix but doesn't the coconut oil reset into solid form after cooling off?
Thanks,
Jenn
Jenn
Oh em gee!!! Jordan, I came across this post completely by coincidence (I happened to be searching for baking soda shampoo recipes which, apparently you're four years ahead of me on this...) You are awesome! Congrats on running a rad blog!! <3
ReplyDeleteI wonder, does it have to be watered down? I make my own castile soap by melting down the bars, and it's pretty watery as it is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, does it have to be watered down? I make my own castile soap by melting down the bars, and it's pretty watery as it is.
ReplyDeleteDo you ever use witch hazel? It's an astringent which works well as a prerinse to strip oils from the hair. Great for degreasing greasy hair.
ReplyDeleteI color my hair with henna, it tends to strip the color. I usually use it after the process 1 or 2 times to soften the color, then sparingly.
It doesn't work for me. All the recipes contained castile soap and coconut oil that I have used, left my hair with a sticky residue.
ReplyDeleteI have tried many recipes but none of them was good for my hair.
I also have tried to rinse my hair with a mixture of water and organic apple cider vinegar but my hair still was sticky and looked shineless and awful.
I give up and going back to the good old store bought shampoo.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the person with the dry sin should go for the homemade natural body soaps as it has no side effects. Moreover, it provides your skin with nourishment and moisture and makes your skin look glowing.
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Thank you for this recipe! I'm allergic to coconut oil, but I'm going to try peanut oil instead...Do you know if grapefruit essential oil would be a good addition? I feel like it may dry out my hair...??? Thanks again :)
ReplyDeleteoof, I'd not use any PUFA oils, only saturated or monounsaturated fats
DeleteI'm going to swap out coconut oil with MCT oil, which is refined to be a liquid, not solid
ReplyDelete