H.e.L
March 29th, 2021, 05:49 PM
Sooo...about a year ago I was looking for a low-chemical or chemical-free way to wash my hair. I've tried WO (even SO), they just didn't work for me. I tried diluting shampoo, Chagrin Valley bars, lots of stuff. I liked the CV bars the best, but found it built up more frequently than I liked, forcing me to use the dreaded baking soda rinse to cleanse myself of the dreaded waxies every month or two.
I really liked the idea of using flaxseed gel as my shampoo (I find it to be very slightly cleansing). But I couldn't get that to work by itself, so I gave up for a little while. Then eventually, on random inspiration, I decided to try infusing my flaxseed gel with soapwort instead of plain water with herbs. It worked AMAZINGLY well, and I've been using it exclusively to shampoo my hair once a week ever since. It makes my hair perfectly clean, and so well nourished I almost never have to add oil.
My hair is SO soft, manageable, and smoothed (by which I mean it basically never gets frizzy.) It’s pretty much the perfect all-in-one shampoo and conditioner. Soapwort is a very gentle–yet effective–cleanser and flaxseed is super nourishing. DREAM TEAM.
What I do is:
INGREDIENTS:
• 3 Tbsp fresh (or 1Tbsp dried) soapwort per cup water
• 6 cups water (calculate to fill your preferred container)
• ⅓ to ½ cups flaxseeds (for the above mentioned 6 cups, use more if you want your washing gel to be thicker/goopier. I like it rather thin.)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
• 1 Tbsp each other hair herbs for scent/other benefits (marshmallow, horsetail, nettle, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, etc)
• 5 drops of any desired essential oils
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Boil the water
2.) Add the soapwort, flaxseed, herbs
3.) Cover the pot and lower temp to allow a consistent gentle simmer (15min for fresh soapwort, 20min for dried.) Stir occasionally.
4.) Leave to cool (add essential oils, if desired, when the gel is room temperature)
5.) Strain with nylons/cheesecloth/fine-mesh sieve (depending on gel thickness)
6.) Freeze excess in 1oz ice cube trays
7.) Thaw 2 ice cubes per shampoo, I do this once per week.
8.) *OPTIONAL* I follow with an ACV rinse just on principle (I have slightly hard water.)
I haven't tried this recipe with soap nuts yet, but theoretically it should be a similar experience. (As I understand it, if you wanted to use soap nuts you'd replace the soapwort in the recipe with 2-5 soap nuts per cup water, and mash them while boiling to release sufficient saponins.)
OBVIOUSLY YMMV.
**Please treat each unfamiliar ingredient with all due caution in case of skin sensitivities/allergies.**
If you read this and end up trying it, I'm interested to hear about your experience.
Good luck, and thank you for your time!
I really liked the idea of using flaxseed gel as my shampoo (I find it to be very slightly cleansing). But I couldn't get that to work by itself, so I gave up for a little while. Then eventually, on random inspiration, I decided to try infusing my flaxseed gel with soapwort instead of plain water with herbs. It worked AMAZINGLY well, and I've been using it exclusively to shampoo my hair once a week ever since. It makes my hair perfectly clean, and so well nourished I almost never have to add oil.
My hair is SO soft, manageable, and smoothed (by which I mean it basically never gets frizzy.) It’s pretty much the perfect all-in-one shampoo and conditioner. Soapwort is a very gentle–yet effective–cleanser and flaxseed is super nourishing. DREAM TEAM.
What I do is:
INGREDIENTS:
• 3 Tbsp fresh (or 1Tbsp dried) soapwort per cup water
• 6 cups water (calculate to fill your preferred container)
• ⅓ to ½ cups flaxseeds (for the above mentioned 6 cups, use more if you want your washing gel to be thicker/goopier. I like it rather thin.)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
• 1 Tbsp each other hair herbs for scent/other benefits (marshmallow, horsetail, nettle, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, etc)
• 5 drops of any desired essential oils
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Boil the water
2.) Add the soapwort, flaxseed, herbs
3.) Cover the pot and lower temp to allow a consistent gentle simmer (15min for fresh soapwort, 20min for dried.) Stir occasionally.
4.) Leave to cool (add essential oils, if desired, when the gel is room temperature)
5.) Strain with nylons/cheesecloth/fine-mesh sieve (depending on gel thickness)
6.) Freeze excess in 1oz ice cube trays
7.) Thaw 2 ice cubes per shampoo, I do this once per week.
8.) *OPTIONAL* I follow with an ACV rinse just on principle (I have slightly hard water.)
I haven't tried this recipe with soap nuts yet, but theoretically it should be a similar experience. (As I understand it, if you wanted to use soap nuts you'd replace the soapwort in the recipe with 2-5 soap nuts per cup water, and mash them while boiling to release sufficient saponins.)
OBVIOUSLY YMMV.
**Please treat each unfamiliar ingredient with all due caution in case of skin sensitivities/allergies.**
If you read this and end up trying it, I'm interested to hear about your experience.
Good luck, and thank you for your time!