Calling all soap nut shampooers

**Neoma** · March 19th, 2023, 05:03 PM

We've got several old soap nut threads and an excellent article in case you don't know what they are or how to use them.

I thought about resurrecting one of the old articles, but decided to start a new one instead.

I'd love to hear from long-term soap nut (reetha) shampooers.

What's your hair type?
How long have you been using soap nuts?
Are they your primary cleansing method?
What is your soap nut recipe?
How frequently do you wash your hair?

I'm sure that I could think of more questions, but that should do it for now.

I'm growing my hair out again after keeping it short for the past couple of years. I'm trying use more natural products. Last night I cooked some soap nut shampoo and oiled my hair with coconut oil.

This morning, I shook about a cup of the shampoo in a Mason jar until it was 95% foam. I applied it to my hair while it was dry to cut through the oil. Rinsed. Shampooed with the other half of the shampoo.

I didn't use an acid rinse or conditioner. My hair is super shiny, soft, and silky. There was a little bit of static when I brushed it with my bamboo/wood brush several hours after it dried.

**Kingsdaughter** · August 9th, 2023, 12:02 AM

Hi there, Great idea for a thread! I love soap nuts for shampoo and I have used them off and on for several years. My hair is medium fine, mostly straight with medium volume (sorry, I can't remember the abbreviations) I really want to get back into using soap nuts again. They got my hair cleaner than anything I have ever used. I found soap nuts to work well for weekly washings, although I once used them to remove ten days worth of grease (not a trace of grease left!) I had silky weightless hair, but also the static you experienced. I found that using conditioner afterward took care of the problem.

Here is my recipe, it is not very precise.

About 20-30 soapnuts
About 2 or 3 cups of water

Either simmer on the stove for 20 minutes or soak overnight to use the next day (my preferred method)
Place into a reusable condiment bottle (can be found at Walmart). I love these because they make the application process so easy.
Shake well and use half on dry hair and the other half for a second rinse.
Follow with conditioner if desired.

And that is pretty much it. Just wondering, does anyone have a homemade conditioner recipe? It would be nice not to need something store-bought.

**Molly_Marie** · August 12th, 2023, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Neoma

We've got several old soap nut threads and an excellent article in case you don't know what they are or how to use them.

I thought about resurrecting one of the old articles, but decided to start a new one instead.

I'd love to hear from long-term soap nut (reetha) shampooers.

What's your hair type?
How long have you been using soap nuts?
Are they your primary cleansing method?
What is your soap nut recipe?
How frequently do you wash your hair?

I'm sure that I could think of more questions, but that should do it for now.

I'm growing my hair out again after keeping it short for the past couple of years. I'm trying use more natural products. Last night I cooked some soap nut shampoo and oiled my hair with coconut oil.

This morning, I shook about a cup of the shampoo in a Mason jar until it was 95% foam. I applied it to my hair while it was dry to cut through the oil. Rinsed. Shampooed with the other half of the shampoo.

I didn't use an acid rinse or conditioner. My hair is super shiny, soft, and silky. There was a little bit of static when I brushed it with my bamboo/wood brush several hours after it dried.

For those that use the foam method like described in the article, how long does the soapnut "shampoo/tea" last for? I'm assuming it would be kept in the fridge. If 1 cup of the liquid lasts for 8-16 washes, assuming we are using 1/2 or 1 oz per wash, my guess is it would go bad maybe before we finished using the batch especially if I only wash my hair ever 2-3 days. Does anyone have any experience with this method?

**Molly_Marie** · August 12th, 2023, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Kingsdaughter

Hi there, Great idea for a thread! I love soap nuts for shampoo and I have used them off and on for several years. My hair is medium fine, mostly straight with medium volume (sorry, I can't remember the abbreviations) I really want to get back into using soap nuts again. They got my hair cleaner than anything I have ever used. I found soap nuts to work well for weekly washings, although I once used them to remove ten days worth of grease (not a trace of grease left!) I had silky weightless hair, but also the static you experienced. I found that using conditioner afterward took care of the problem.

Here is my recipe, it is not very precise.

About 20-30 soapnuts
About 2 or 3 cups of water

Either simmer on the stove for 20 minutes or soak overnight to use the next day (my preferred method)
Place into a reusable condiment bottle (can be found at Walmart). I love these because they make the application process so easy.
Shake well and use half on dry hair and the other half for a second rinse.
Follow with conditioner if desired.

And that is pretty much it. Just wondering, does anyone have a homemade conditioner recipe? It would be nice not to need something store-bought.

Yeah I was also wondering about the conditioner. I really like the idea of not having to use store bought conditioner. I personally like how my hair feels without it too -- it is way more fluffy and light. I wonder if I still use a few drops of oil once my hair is dry, on my ends, if that would be good enough. Also thanks for sharing your soapnuts recipe!

**Kingsdaughter** · August 14th, 2023, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by Molly_Marie

For those that use the foam method like described in the article, how long does the soapnut "shampoo/tea" last for? I'm assuming it would be kept in the fridge. If 1 cup of the liquid lasts for 8-16 washes, assuming we are using 1/2 or 1 oz per wash, my guess is it would go bad maybe before we finished using the batch especially if I only wash my hair ever 2-3 days. Does anyone have any experience with this method?

I've heard it keeps up to a week in the fridge. The extra can be frozen in mini ice cube trays and stored in the freezer. Then you can use it one cube at a time.

**Kingsdaughter** · August 14th, 2023, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Molly_Marie

Yeah I was also wondering about the conditioner. I really like the idea of not having to use store bought conditioner. I personally like how my hair feels without it too -- it is way more fluffy and light. I wonder if I still use a few drops of oil once my hair is dry, on my ends, if that would be good enough. Also thanks for sharing your soapnuts recipe!

I actually decided to try flaxseed gel as a conditioner last night. It was a success. I had my mom feel my hair after it dried and she said it was the softest my hair had ever been! Maybe I won't need chemical-filled store-bought products anymore! For the gel, I just soaked flaxseeds in water until the liquid thickened a bit, then I strained out the seeds and used the gel on my hair after the soapnut shampoo. My hair was light, shiny, and hydrated afterward.

**Molly_Marie** · August 14th, 2023, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by Kingsdaughter

I've heard it keeps up to a week in the fridge. The extra can be frozen in mini ice cube trays and stored in the freezer. Then you can use it one cube at a time.

Oh that makes total sense! Didn't even think about freezing it. Thanks for the idea!!

**Molly_Marie** · August 14th, 2023, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by Kingsdaughter

I actually decided to try flaxseed gel as a conditioner last night. It was a success. I had my mom feel my hair after it dried and she said it was the softest my hair had ever been! Maybe I won't need chemical-filled store-bought products anymore! For the gel, I just soaked flaxseeds in water until the liquid thickened a bit, then I strained out the seeds and used the gel on my hair after the soapnut shampoo. My hair was light, shiny, and hydrated afterward.

ohh, I have heard a lot about the flaxseed gel but I have never actually tried it. Now I really want to give it a go and see what it would be like on my hair. Also, where do you get your soapnuts from? I tried doing a recipe using some soapnut powder from a local Indian store in my town, but I didn't have the best results. I'm wondering if using the actual soapnuts would be better. Plus the powder is almost impossible for me to strain out.

**Kingsdaughter** · August 14th, 2023, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by Molly_Marie

ohh, I have heard a lot about the flaxseed gel but I have never actually tried it. Now I really want to give it a go and see what it would be like on my hair. Also, where do you get your soapnuts from? I tried doing a recipe using some soapnut powder from a local Indian store in my town, but I didn't have the best results. I'm wondering if using the actual soapnuts would be better. Plus the powder is almost impossible for me to strain out.

Yes, using the whole soap nuts has worked well for me, I especially like that you can dry them out and reuse them 2 or 3 times! It saves a lot of money. I get mine from Amazon. I just looked for whatever had the best reviews and the lowest price.

**Molly_Marie** · August 15th, 2023, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Kingsdaughter

Yes, using the whole soap nuts has worked well for me, I especially like that you can dry them out and reuse them 2 or 3 times! It saves a lot of money. I get mine from Amazon. I just looked for whatever had the best reviews and the lowest price.

Okay thank you!! I’ll look into buying some.