This has become our favorite shampoo since we stopped using store shampoos and body washes several months ago!
This shampoo/body wash is quick and easy to mix up and even though it may seem odd to put honey in your shampoo, I highly recommend you try it!
It is NOT sticky at all and the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the honey are oh so good for your hair and scalp (and skin for that matter!) Not to mention the softness it imparts on your hair! Hair and scalp just seem to be moisturized and the oil production balanced!
It seems to also cover pretty much any hair and scalp problem our family has (from dandruff to eczema) which is an added bonus!
My children and I also use it as a body wash, so for us, it’s an all around good thing! For my husband I replace the vanilla essential oil with peppermint and/or tea tree essential oil, so he doesn’t smell quite so “girly.”
Orange And Vanilla Honey Shampoo
1/2 cup of castile soap (I generally use Dr Bronner’s Citrus or Baby Mild)
3/4 cup of raw honey (I use Nature Nate’s Raw Unfiltered honey, which I can get locally at Fry’s/Kroegers!)
1/4 cup authentic African black soap (optional - can be replaced with with more castile soap or any other natural liquid soap)
1 tsp of sweet orange essential oil (use no more than 1/2 tsp if making for a baby)
1/2 tsp of vanilla essential oil
Mix everything together and fill into a shampoo bottle!
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To use, wet your hair, then massage shampoo into your hair and scalp. A little goes a long way with this shampoo!
You don’t need to pay special attention to the ends of the hair - the scalp is the important part.
Rinse thoroughly!
There is no need for conditioner, but for added benefits, use a Raw Apple Cider Vinegar rinse!
I generally use 1/8 cup of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar to 2 cups or so of cool water! This is your final rinse, don’t wash it out!
Using cool or cold water closes the cuticles in your hair and makes it even softer and gives it amazing shine!
As always, be aware of the transition period if you are switching from regular shampoos, even some organic ones. Your hair and scalp will go through a transitional period, which can mean that your hair looks dull or oily after the first couple of times using this shampoo. Generally these effects are however short lived and your hair and scalp will adjust and come out healthier and happier at the other end!
If you are lucky like our family, we skipped the transition period and went straight to happier and healthier hair and scalps!
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Yay! This sounds great! I have everything except for the Castille, which I'm running to get some tonight. Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteI have made this several times. It is very thin and doesn't lather well. Am I doing something wrong?
ReplyDeleteI have tried this several times. It is very thin and seems hard to use. It lathers nicely but seems difficult to move around. Am I doing something wrong?
ReplyDeleteI have made this several times. It is very thin and doesn't lather well. Am I doing something wrong?
ReplyDeleteLinda, You do need to 'shake up' the bottle each time you use the shampoo. I find this makes quite a bit of lather. I also use it to wash my face a occasionally. Very nice recipe.
DeleteHi Linda,
ReplyDeleteyes, it is thinner/runnier than regular shampoo, but mine lathers up really well! It does however not keep the lather like the store-bought shampoo, so it will die down much quicker than you might be used to. I can't say I have noticed that it doesn't move around. To me it's much like any other shampoo - then again, I've been using this kind of homemade shampoo for about 2 years now, so my memory may be a little faulty on that one!
The only thing I can think of is that your castile soap reacts differently? If you're using the Dr. Bromner's however, then that wouldn't be it either! Sorry, I can't be more helpful!
Hi! I was wondering where you got the bottle....I want to make this and give it as gifts!
ReplyDeleteSpecialtybottle.com
DeleteHas a variety of containers.
Tamika, I'm sorry, it's just an old shampoo bottle. I removed the label and reused :)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the shelf life of this shampoo?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the shelf life of this shampoo?
ReplyDeleteI make shampoo about every 3-4 months and I've never had a problem (sitting at room temp,) so at least that long :)
ReplyDeleteSince the majority ingredient is HONEY, which never spoils, you should be able to keep this shampoo forever!
ReplyDeleteSince the major ingredient in this is HONEY, which NEVER goes bad, you should not ever worry about this shampoo expiring. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat brand of essential oils did you use in this recipe? Do different brands of essential oils change the results with this recipe?
ReplyDeleteI have used a variety of brands of essential oils and as long as it's pure essential oil, it doesn't seem to make a difference. The ones I've use are Aura Cacia, Mountain Rose Herbs, and my most used essential oil brand - Eden's Garden.
ReplyDeleteWould this be good for shaving? A 3 in 1 would be amazing. The recipes I'm finding for shaving cream seem like they would clog the drains and razor. My husband currently uses conditioner but I'm in the process of replacing commercial products with natural homemade products. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea! We have never used it as that. Let us know how it works out if you try!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that Castille soap will strip salon color from hair. Any idea if this is true? I spend way too much money on my hair to have that happen.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have heard that too, but it hasn't happen to me at all in the last few years! Granted, I only have highlights and my hair is made of pretty sturdy stuff, but I've never had any stripping, fading or "discoloring," so I'm not sure that applies universally!
ReplyDeletecan i use neem oil and agave nectar to replace honey? its too expensive in jamaica
ReplyDeletecan i use agave nectar and neem instead of honey? too expensive in jamaica
ReplyDeleteAgave Syrup won't do the same. The honey is added for it's particular properties - it's an emolient, which means it's a natural softener, it stimulates hair follicles, stops your scalp from drying out and it's antibacterial, all of which makes it very desirable as a hair care ingredient. Agave syrup doesn't do any of that, so if you don't want to use honey, just omit it.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can add a little neem oil - it has many great properties that would be quite beneficial in a shampoo!
I am excited to try this! I found this recipe @ Affimity, and I'd to try/gift this! Honey has so many great benefits. I've only previously used the baking soda no-poo, without much success. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWant to make sure I'm reading the recipe right and it is 3/4 CUP of raw honey, right? It was somewhat difficult to get the honey to break down and mix up so I was afraid I might be using too much. I did just now try it on my hair for the 1st time (with equal parts of soap/honey) and it seems a bit sticky - but maybe after it dries that feeling will go away. I used the raw apple cider rinse but had to rinse it out because my hair just felt so heavy and full of "stuff." I even got back in the shower to make sure I had rinsed the "shampoo" out completely (because my hair was difficult to comb out, even with a wooden comb). That's when I decided to try the raw ACV rinse. When I did finally get it to comb out, a lot of hair was in the comb. Wonder if I am doing something wrong?
ReplyDeleteThis is happening to me too. My hair feels very full of "gunk" and not so easy to comb out (I have long hair). It's hard to know if I'm washing out all of the ingredients. I washed it this morning and may wash again tonight to see if that helps. Last night I added another 1/2 cup of Castile soap and African Black soap, but that didn't help me yet. I don't want to give up on this yet.
DeleteYes, it's 3/4 cup, but I tend to use the liquid raw honey, rather than the crystalized/creamy honey. I dont' think the creamy honey disperses enough and it would make it quite heavy indeed.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of what you describe - can't say I ever had that problem. I would guess that maybe you are using too much shampoo. It really will just take a very little bit.
If this is your first time on homemade shampoo, your hair and scalp is going to take some time adjusting, so it could be some of that too.
Other than that, I don't know. Since I've never experienced it, I'm really just guessing!
Sort of makes sense now. I probably got the wrong honey. Have never used raw honey (live in a rural area and ordered it online) and didn't realize there's a liquid choice. I will try liquid honey and see how that goes. My hair is feeling better as it dries. I've been no-poo now for 5 months but had been washing with egg yolks, a tiny bit of baking soda, and lemon juice until now (and my hair never felt very clean). Have very hard water here too... and fine thin oily shoulder length hair. Thanks so much for your quick reply! I do love the smell of the orange (I used lavender instead of vanilla oil). Not going to give up trying until I get it just right...
ReplyDeleteI just tried this recipe and had the heavy gunky hair reaction. How many times do you think it will take for this to work properly? My hair feels like I washed it with glue. Can't wait to wash it out! (I did do the apple cider vinegar rinse as well, BTW - when it's cold out, room temp cider vinegar rinse is shockingly cold)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I'm beginning to wonder if there is a hair type that this works better on than others. In our family we never had "gunk" problems with this shampoo, but it seems that several of you do.
ReplyDeleteAs for cold rinses, yes, I hear you! It can indeed be shocking! :)
Do feel free to add a little hot water to get it to a more agreeable "room" temperature!
Do you think it would make much of a difference if I used only African Black soap and not the combination of it and the castle soap?
ReplyDeleteDo you think it would make much of a difference if I used only the African Black soap instead of the combination of it and castle soap?
ReplyDeleteIn cleansing and functionality I don't think it would make a difference. It would probably make the shampoo a little thicker, as the castile soap tends to be quite runny, but that would probably be an advantage! Try it and let us know how it works out! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDo you think it would make much of a difference if I used only the African Black soap instead of the combination of it and castille soap?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the recipe but I want you to make some more flavors shampoo and body wash too like Lemon Or strawberry.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone had any issues with "seperation" from this recipe? I haven't tried it yet, but that's always a problem I notice with homemade bodywash/shampoo (after a few days).
ReplyDeleteHas anyone had any issues with "seperation" from this recipe? I haven't tried it yet, but that's always a problem I notice with homemade bodywash/shampoo (after a few days).
ReplyDeleteThere is a little bit of separation. Nothing a quick shake before use doesn't solve, though.
ReplyDeleteSo I went out and bought all ingredients I needed for this homemade shampoo. I followed all the directions right. And I just used this shampoo on my hair and I honestly did not like how my hair felt after two washes. My hair felt like I had was on my hair. What did I possibly do wrong. I followed the recipe. I am going to have to try another DIY shampoo see how that goes.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't like it! You may not have done anything wrong. Everybody's preferences, hair types, hair conditions and such, is different! The only thing I would suggest is to follow it up with the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse and see if that makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteThat usually takes care of any feelings of residue and makes the hair very soft and shiny!
Also remember that there is a transition period. Your hair/scalp may do strange and unusual things as it adjusts!
Linda... Adding water to the recipe is not recommended since water can cause bacteria to grow in your mix. Water is definitely a no-no. ☺️
ReplyDeleteDo I need to add or change anything for well water?
ReplyDeleteDo I need to add or change anything if we have well water?
ReplyDeleteDo I need to add or change anything for well water?
ReplyDeleteSorry Pam, I have no idea! I've never been on well water. However, if in doubt, just use store bought water.
ReplyDelete