Diluted honey or tea washes

[Sw33th34rt4my]

Does anyone have experience with either diluted honey or herbal tea for washing? My scalp just seems to hate any and all shampoo and I'm very limited as to what I can use. My hair HATES aloe in any form, I'm allergic to sulfates and most fragrances. Even natural added fragrance can give me migraines. I don't have any skin issues, just allergies. So, I'm looking for tips, suggestions or experiences for more natural ways to wash.

[cheeky]

I recently began using rhassoul clay for a wash. Just like all natural mixes, you can get as fancy as you want, adding aloe juice, honey etc. It is a lower pH than bentonite clay, thus gentler. If you have curls, it really defines the curl pattern.

Rhassoul Clay Wash Vid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA2131_T7jA&t=533s)

Minimalist Beauty Rhassoul vs Bentonite (http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/rhassoul-clay-versus-bentonite-clay/)

[Nymphe]

I use oat water whenever I feel the need. Thread: oat water for hair? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=131870)

[Ophidian]

Lots of threads around here for alternative washes (clay, rye flour, egg, oat/rice water, etc) that you might like to try. I am currently experimenting with very dilute fragrance-free shampoo and herb washes. I just tried an old recipe I found floating around on the boards and really liked the results. It is a formula from user Dianyla that has a shampoo-like consistency and cleansing from herbs containing saponins (her recipe calls for soapwort but I used yucca). This was definitely more cleansing than tea rinses I have used in the past, which had more of a conditioning effect though of course the herbs you use affect this.

More info on herb washes:
http://www.gossamerstrands.com/Hair/Indianherbs.htm
http://www.gossamerstrands.com/Hair/Westherbart.htm

[likelikepenny]

I use diluted ACV for my scalp. So far, it's one of the only things that works for me.

[Reyn127]

I experimented with using various teas to wash my hair for about 3-4 months. Some days my hair looked and felt fine, but most of the time the teas didn't help remove any sebum or oil, so my hair just looked greasy the majority of the time. Like, sometimes worse after washing than before.

I do use honey kind of as a conditioner mostly on my ends (I'm pretty sure it's a humectant?), just by mixing in a spoonful into a mug of hot/warm water, add 3 drops of almond oil and some essential oil for scent, mix it up and then just soak my ends in it. I have never used it as a shampoo type thing, though.

What I'm currently using to wash my hair is rye flour shampoo. It's a Witch with a B to rinse out, but it gets my hair really clean and is completely natural.

[likelikepenny]

I've used strongly brewed green tea and ACV to wash my hair. It worked pretty well, but I find green tea too astringent for my dry hair.

ACV alone works just fine though.

[melikai]

I switched to Water-Only last December I think it was, after being sulphate-free and washing every 5 days or so for a few years. Even when I was using very "gentle" shampoos, I was still having problems with itchy and dry scalp, and my hair being sort of puffy and lifeless. I tried many many different types of washes before this.

I've been very happy with it so far. It takes more work in that I brush and comb my hair a lot to distribute sebum (I have a growing selection of tools in place of products!), but my hair is much healthier, my scalp issues are gone, and my hair just seems more vibrant and alive overall. It's also refreshing to not have to deal with any products or fuss with mixtures and potions, in or out of the shower!

[ArtificiallyRed]

I used raw honey to wash my hair for about 6 months. It was surprisingly good, didn't dry out my scalp which was my main focus for using it, but my hair always felt heavy and clung to my head.

I would put about 1tbsp of raw honey in a container (like a plastic bottle) with warm water and mixed it until it dissolved. Then I would pour the honey over my hair and scalp and sort of smoosh it in and leave it on for a few minutes, then rinsed it out.
Then I would follow up with a tea rinse, usually Rooibos.