For beautiful hair the secret is gentle products that nourish and care for your hair without damaging the structure with harsh ingredients. There are shampoos and treatments for any type of hair and even if you are lucky enough to have a healthy hair and scalp, you will now have alternatives to the chemical laden store brands.
Some herbs that are helpful for the hair are:
Catnip- to promote hair growth
Chamomile- keeps scalp and hair follicles healthy
Comfrey- soothes and heals scalp irritations
Elderberries- Adds color to gray hair
Lemon balm- mainly for its fresh fragrance
Lemongrass- Astringent and tones the scalp
Lemon Verbena- fresh fragrance
Nettle- astringent, good for the treatment of skin irritations and itching
Parsley- relieves skin irritations
Rosemary- color enhancer for dark hair and controls dandruff
Sage-astringent for oily hair, helps damaged or fragile hair
Thyme-antiseptic, astringent
Yarrow- tonic for the hair
There is much more to hair care than shampoo and conditioner. You can treat your hair and scalp to a prewash treatment or a dandruff treatment. You can easily prepare an herbal rinse that adds shine to the hair shaft and because you are not removing the oils from your hair, there is no need for a heavy conditioner to be able to comb it . The soap in shampoos are actually harsh detergents that strip the natural oils from your scalp and hair shaft, creating an itchy irritated skin and dry splitting hair follicle. You can get your hair just as clean in a much more natural way by using a shampoo that contains soap instead of detergent.
I often create a shampoo base by melting castile soap with distilled water. This stew as it is sometimes referred to, is a thick soupy consistency, that mixes well with herbal infusions to create the specific shampoos that I want. Here are some recipes for different hair problems. Feel free to email me if you have a particular question or request and I can send along a recipe for healing.
Dandruff treatment
Shampoo your hair with a gentle product and massage some of this treatment into the scalp after you rinse. You can gain greater benefit from this recipe if you rub some into your scalp before you go to bed.
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 2/3 cup cider vinegar
- ceramic bowl
- strainer
- plastic bottle to store finished product in.
- Place herbs in bowl,
- Pour boiling water over them
- Cover and steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain into the bottle,
- Add vinegar and shake
- Store in a cool, dark place.
Prewash honey treatment- for damaged or chemically treated hair. Use regularly if hair is dry or you have split ends
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 5 drops rosemary, lavender or geranium essential oil
- small cup,
- ceramic or glass bowl
- spoon,
- plastic shower cap
- hot towel.
Warm the olive oil and honey in microwave and add essential oils. Apply to your hair, massaging into scalp. Cover hair with shower cap and wrap the towel around your head. Leave on for 10 minutes.
Shampoo hair with a gentle shampoo like the following-
Chamomile shampoo
- 1 handful fresh or dried chamomile flowers
- 1 ¼ cup boiling water
- 3 Tbsp pure soap flakes
- 1 Tbsp glycerin
- 2 ceramic bowls
- strainer
- wooden spoon
- 14 oz bottle for storage
place flowers in a bowl and add boiling water. Let steep for 15 minutes, strain into other bowl
rinse the first bowl,
combine the soap flakes and add the chamomile infusion.
Let stand until the soap softens. Beat in glycerin until well blended.
Store in bottle and keep in a cool, dark place.
Herbal rinse- good for everyday use and also for itchy scalps if quantity of herbs is doubled
- 1 Tbsp herbs(from list above)
- 1 quart boiling water
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 ceramic bowls
- strainer
- cup
Place herbs in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Steep for 20 minutes
Strain the infusion into the other bowl and add vinegar
After shampooing and rinsing your hair, hold your head over the bowl and pour cupfuls of this rinse over your hair.