Conditioning herbal rinses?

[jeanniet]

I washed my hair yesterday for the first time with a mix of shikakai, amla, and brahmi, and it turned out great. I did follow it up with Biolage Balm conditioner, because I was paranoid about having enough conditioning effect to prevent tangling. I'd like to get away from using commercial conditioners eventually, and want to try some kind of herbal rinse to give me some slip/detangling after the wash. Anybody have ideas/recipes? I do have marshmallow root and whole methi seeds, and I use Kimberlily's defrizz spray.

[mira-chan]

I washed my hair yesterday for the first time with a mix of shikakai, amla, and brahmi, and it turned out great. I did follow it up with Biolage Balm conditioner, because I was paranoid about having enough conditioning effect to prevent tangling. I'd like to get away from using commercial conditioners eventually, and want to try some kind of herbal rinse to give me some slip/detangling after the wash. Anybody have ideas/recipes? I do have marshmallow root and whole methi seeds, and I use Kimberlily's defrizz spray.
If you can grind the methi and marshmallow root then you can use that as a pack, mud consistency, for conditioning. They can be used separate or together. You can also boil the marshmallow root with a bit of starch (corn, arrowroot, etc.) to thicken it and you'll have something that looks like regular conditioner and works like one.

[little_cherry]

Hibiscus powder is also conditioning. :)

[GrowingGlory]

Goldenseal tea is an antibacterial and conditioning rinse.

[ratgirldjh]

You can also make fenugreek tea and use it as an after wash conditioning rinse. I think you boil about a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds and then let them steep til they gel and strain and add to a quart of water and shake it good.

Or you can use like a teaspoon of powder and a cup of hot water and let it steep til it gels and then add to a quart of water and shake it good.

Fenugreek builds up on my hair - so YMMV.

For some people this rinse is wonderful.

[jeanniet]

Thank you, mira-chan, I'll have to try the marshmallow conditioner.

little_cherry, I have dried hibiscus, but it's not powder. I could still make a rinse/tea from that, right?

My only concern with methi is the smell--although I'm half Indian and love the spices, I don't really want it in my hair. I guess I can try it and see what the scent is like. Thank you all for your ideas. :applause

So many things to try! :D

[mira-chan]

Yes you can use the hibiscus dried flowers as a tea or make the starch conditioner if you want something thicker. It works great.

[jeanniet]

Could you give me approximate amounts of herb power, arrowroot, and water? Thanks so much! :)

[moominhapa]

I'll also throw in a vote for hibiscus. I'd make a strong "tea" with it and use it as a rinse, leaving it in for a while before rinsing out. I've also tried adding nettle with good results.

[Choctaw]

I add boiling water to dried hibiscus flowers and couple tablespoons of fenugreek seeds and let it steep. Some times I prepare tea in the morning before I leave house or prepare it the night before. The longer it steeps, the more mucilage is released by fenugreek. I strain the tea, some times add a tablespoon of acv and use it as a leave-in conditioner. I also use it as liquid for ayurvedic pastes. It also tastes good with a spoon full of honey.

[mira-chan]

Could you give me approximate amounts of herb power, arrowroot, and water? Thanks so much! :)
For the conditioner consistency I use a very full table spoon of arrowroot per cup of water. I used shredded not powdered plants for this but I used about 1- 2 tea spoons worth I guess for the same amount of water depending on the herb. I put in less of the marshmallow root than fenugreek. For whole hibiscus I used two flowers per cup.

[jeanniet]

Thanks, everyone! I only wash once a week, so this will give me quite a few ideas to work on for the next few weeks at least. I'll report back on how things go. :)