Non-damaging DIY shampoo?

**meepster** · August 14th, 2020, 01:49 PM

So, I’m a bit of an all-natural hippie type. When my hair was shorter, I was very happy washing it with diluted Dr Bronner’s and a vinegar rinse afterwards. I kept my hair so short that I wasn’t really seeing damage, and my scalp was very happy that way (I have sensitive skin and try to stay away from fragrance ingredients, preservatives, and other such things). “

Now that my hair is growing longer, I’m seeing a little bit of damage on the ends - weird kinked hairs. It’s not a lot yet, but I kinda want to find a different hair washing method now while my hair is still relatively short.

Of those of you who use DIY concoctions for your “shampoo”, what do you recommend? I plan to try egg the next time, but what else do y’all use?

**akurah** · August 14th, 2020, 02:22 PM

Be careful with egg. You can't use hot water when washing with egg, you'll scramble it.

**Chromis** · August 14th, 2020, 04:23 PM

I use shampoo bars with an ACV rinse and have grown from about BSL to calf. I find the liquid castille soaps give me too much build up, so I use regular lye-based ones from places like Chagrin Falls.

**Jane99** · August 14th, 2020, 04:28 PM

True story about the scrambling egg. And it doesn’t smell very good but it does make your hair feel nice once you get the cooked bits out.
I use reetha, shikakai and amla for shampoo. Whole herbs, maybe like 2 shikakai pods 4 or 5 whole amla and 8 reetha to 2-3 cups water. Boiled for a few minutes then left to soak overnight. In the morning put in the blender, strained, then the pulverized herb mix I boil and soak again in another 2ish cups of water for the day and strain at night. I add other herbs to the mix too. Frozen in ice cubes and then 3 cubes to wash my hair focused on the scalp. It’s an acidic mix, no need for vinegar afterwards. Amla can make light hair darker. It works for me.

**daisy rei** · August 14th, 2020, 05:16 PM

On LHN one of the most popular washing methods involves using homemade boiled soaps with an acidic rinse afterwards. I haven't tried it yet personally but it is high on my list of experiments. Here is the link for the enormous thread but it is in German if you don't have a browser with an auto-translator.

**meepster** · August 14th, 2020, 08:25 PM

Is there a difference between the homemade boiled soap and the diluted Dr Bronner’s I’m using? Because I’m not actually sure that it’s what is causing the damage.

**Soj** · August 14th, 2020, 09:31 PM

Dr. Bronner's and vinegar both are not exactly gentle for your hair. See my post "Soapnuts and Indian Herbs FTW" for herbal alternatives for DIY shampoo. My issue is coconut/palm allergies that put all commercial products out of my reach, but I've been VERY happy with the herbal alternatives now that I found a good starting point.

**meepster** · August 15th, 2020, 01:10 PM

Cool, thanks! I will have to try that next. The egg experiment actually went well for me - my hair is less frizzy and has more curl definition, and I did not end up with scrambled eggs in my hair.

I’m pondering further experiments while the Indian herbs get here.

**daisy rei** · August 16th, 2020, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by meepster

Is there a difference between the homemade boiled soap and the diluted Dr Bronner’s I’m using? Because I’m not actually sure that it’s what is causing the damage.

The ingredients are probably very similar, but hair soap has a higher fat content, so it's likely that it foams up a lot less and leaves more of a grippy, "coated" feeling instead of squeaky clean.

When you say your ends are starting to feel dry and damaged, the first thing that pops into my mind: do you have hard water? Hard water is one of the biggest enemies to soap washers. Some people have found the most success using RO (reverse osmosis) water on their scalp and ends when using various no poo methods.

I also wanted to suggest rye flour as an alternative to shampoo! Mixed with water into a thick paste and smeared on the scalp removes grease and dirt surprisingly well. Also on my list of things to try (since ideally I'd like to never buy a plastic bottle again) but it does seem time consuming.

**florenonite** · August 16th, 2020, 07:31 AM

I'd be careful with soap as it's quite alkaline, which can damage the cuticle, especially in hard water. The opening and closing of the cuticle with soap then vinegar is often damaging, similar to baking soda and vinegar washes.

Originally Posted by akurah

Be careful with egg. You can't use hot water when washing with egg, you'll scramble it.

Yup, I've seen reports of this happening even when people were trying to use cool/tepid water.