Orange And Vanilla Honey Shampoo And Body Wash

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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Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo And Clarifying Rinse

In my effort to go all natural and mostly organic in terms of food, the next logical step for me seemed to be to go back to making my own beauty products. Prior to getting married and having children, I was making my own soap and many other beauty products.

All that came to a screeching halt when the twins arrived and somehow I never quite got back into it. Don’t get me wrong, we were using the natural and organic stuff, but even those still have many undesirable ingredients.

Since the pregnancy, or since my move to Phoenix, I have had increasingly worse trouble with eczema on my scalp. Oddly enough, my hair remained strong and thick and healthy, but my scalp has been terrible. Itchy, raw, open, and forever flaking.

I’ve tried so many things, even the medicated shampoos which made matters worse really.

Then I went shampoo-less for many years, only using tea tree conditioners to wash my hair. This made things a tad better, but not all that much.

Three weeks ago I decided I had enough and I was going to give my homemade shampoo/hair treatments another go.

I don’t even know why it took me so long to go back to this!

Within just a few washes, my scalp felt significantly more healed of the sores!

Within a week, the flakes were practically gone.

In the two weeks since then, the itching has gone from I-want-to-tear-my-scalp-off-it-itches-so-much-bad to barely moderate!

I still have some residual issues, but it has only been such a short time and I am hopeful that over time, those issues may disappear too!

And my hair has acquired that certain shine and extra luster that I had been missing for a while!

However, having said all of the above, often there will be an adjustment period of two to four weeks when switching from commercial shampoos. Your hair may become frizzy or oily as it adjusts to the no-sulfate and other nasties routine, but eventually everything will level out and you will reap the benefits of the new hair routine!

Coconut Milk Shampoo

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of  Dr. Bronners Organic Castile Liquid Soap, Peppermint (or Tea Tree, Lavender or Unscented)
1/3 cup organic coconut milk
2 tsp. Burdock oil (or organic virgin Coconut Oil, or Hemp Seed Oil)
10 drops rosemary essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
6 drops sage essential oil (or chamomile essential oil)

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients well and decant into a shower save bottle. If the coconut oil isn’t runny by itself, warm it a little to get it to a liquid state before mixing.
I have not had an issue with the shampoo separating, but if it does, just shake it up before use!
Less is more with this shampoo. I have medium short hair, but it’s thick and I have a lot of it and I have never needed more than about 2 tsp.

This shampoo works best if you follow it up with a clarifying rinse.

Clarifying Hair Rinse

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of organic apple cider vinegar

3  cups or so of water

5-8  drops of essential oil (rosemary, peppermint, chamomile (will lighten blond hair), lavender, sage, lemon balm are all good options) - optional

You can also use fresh herbs in place of the essential oils, but steep them in water with a splash of the organic cider vinegar for a few days prior to use.

As you can see above, I currently have a bottle of  rosemary and mint  from my herb garden sitting on my shower shelf and I decant from that and refill right there in the shower. The herbs stay good in there for about a week, imparting their goodness!

To Use:

After you rinsed off all shampoo and/or conditioners, pour the vinegar rinse all over your hair. Cold water is best as it allows the cuticles to close, which will decrease frizz and add shine, but warm is ok too.

I use it cold straight out of the bottle, but it’s hot around here, so cold feels quite good!

Wring out your hair out as much as you can.

That’s it, you don’t rinse it out!

Then towel dry and proceed as normal.

There will be a faint odor of vinegar, don’t worry about that, it dissipates once your hair is dry! And your hair will be so soft and shiny!

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