The best use of herbs for hair, at least in my opinion, is in the conditioning treatment. While there are recipes for “conditioner” that one can make, they tend to be a bit more complicated and involve a few more ingredients (like emulsifying wax–hair conditioner is basically just watered down lotion for your hair). The two easiest conditioning treatments to make and incorporate into your hair care (particularly if you are trying to go shampoo-free) is the Vinegar Rinse and the Oil Treatment.
Vinegar Rinse
A Vinegar rinse can be used after you shampoo or a shampoo alternative (like baking soda). It leaves your hair shiny and bouncy and less tangly. If you are going for the less processed approach, apple cider vinegar is the better vingar to use, simply because white vingar has been filtered and distilled and lacks alot of the good stuff of ACV…but it does work. The vinegar rinse can pretty much be used any time you wash your hair.
Ready to Use Recipe
2 tbsp vinegar
2 c boiling water
2 tbsp dried herbs
Combine and let steep until cool. Strain and use, or strain, cover and refrigerate for use within several days (I don’t recommend this–noting worse than pouring cold stuff on your head).
Big Batch Recipe
~1/4 c of herbs
2 c vinegar
1/4-1/3 c honey
Add herbs to vinegar in clean jar or bottle. Allow to infuse in cool, dark place, taking out to shake periodically for about 3-4 weeks. Strain, add honey and shake til dissolved. Add about 2-3 tablespoons per cup or so of water to make rinse when ready to use. You can store the bottle/jar in the bathroom.
Oil Treatments
Oil Treatments are basically an uber-conditioning treatment that can be used in any hair type, but they offer the most benefit for dry or damaged hair. Its best to use an oil treatment more sparingly than the Vinegar Rinse, but how often depends on your hair and scalp.
Single Use Oil Treatment
1/8 c carrier oil
6-10 drops Essential Oils
Add essential oil to carrier and mix. Heat oil til warm and apply to ends of hair, working your way upwards with a brush or fine tooth comb until all hair strands are covered. If you are treating your scalp, massage into your scalp as well. Let sit in your hair for at least 30 min to an hour (you can pretty much leave it on as long as you can stand it).
Big Batch Infusion
~1 c of chopped/crumbled dry herbs
3 c carrier oil or carrier oil combo
30-40 drops essential oil (opt) or combo
Put herbs in a clean jar, add carrier oil and store in cool dark place, shaking periodically over the course of 4-6 weeks. Strain and filter. Add essential oils. Use 2 tablespoons for oil treatment. As above, heat oil til warm and apply to ends of hair, working your way upwards with a brush or fine tooth comb until all hair strands are covered. If you are treating your scalp, massage into your scalp as well. Let sit in your hair for at least 30 min to an hour (you can pretty much leave it on as long as you can stand it).
Carrier Oil Options
**Jojoba is good for all hair types**
Dry: Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Coconut
Normal: Olive Oil,
Oily: Grapeseed
Infusion Herbs
Different herbs can be used to address different qualities of one’s ha
Herbs By Hair Color:
If you like your hair color, and just want to give it a bit of *pop* or some extra depth, these are the herbs you can use in your hair. If you have an in-between hair shade, these herbs may help shade them towards whichever direction you wish to go.
Blonde–Calendula, Chamomile, Lemon Peel, Cassia (Senna)
Red–Calendula, Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Henna*
Brown–(Black) Tea, Rosemary, Sage, Black Walnut Hulls
*the best place to go for information on using Henna for hair (their sister site on henna use in general is excellent too, and you can find info on indigo and cassia also)
Herbs By Hair Type:
**Lavender is good for all hair types**
Dry:Chamomile, Lavender, Elder flower, Cassia (Senna), Henna
Normal:Chamomile, Basil
Oily: Rosemary, Peppermint, Lemon peel, Yarrow, Witch Hazel
Essential Oils for Hair:
**Cedarwood, Lavender, Sage, Rosemary and Ylang-Ylang essential oils are good for all hair types**
Dry: Jasmine, Clary Sage, Chamomile, Sandalwood, Geranium
Normal: Geranium, Juniper, Sandalwood, Thyme, Orange, Sandalwood
Oily: Lemon, Lemongrass, Tea Tree, Thyme, Peppermint, Eucalyptus
Got Flakes? Treating Dandruff:
Oil Treatments: Olive Oil, Avocado Oil
Herbs: Calendula, Chamomile, Lavender, Yarrow, Burdock, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Nettle, Plantain, Catnip
Essential Oils: Tea tree, Clary Sage, Lavender, Cedarwood, Cypress, Rose
Other Ideas:
Tomato juice–gets rid of smells like smoke, skunk, etc (works for clothing and skin too)
Peanut butter–gets bubble gum out of hair, just apply to the gummed up area, detangle and wash out, repeat if necessary
Super Mayo Conditioning (seriously it works, my grandma says so)
Beer Rinse, the stouter the better (my grandma says so)
Green Tea shampoo-free method
A looooong list of hair recipes
No ‘Poo Troubleshooting Livejournal Group
February 10th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Though I am not currently no ‘poo, I am all set up for it with an old mayo jar of baking soda and a jug of vinegar in my bathroom along with small plastic bottles to mix the goodies up in. I shoved some fresh rosemary stalks into my jug of vinegar about a year ago and have just left them in there. When I am ready to shower with no ‘poo stuff, I put a spoonful of the baking soda in one little bottle and a glug of infused vinegar in the other then fill them both with hot water from the shower (I fill them with hot, hot hot water before adjusting the temp for my own enjoyment… keeps the stuff from cooling off too much during the time I am washing my body). Works like a charm… I don’t know why I’m not doing it these days. The commercial conditioner I have smells terrible and doesn’t work any better. Huh.
February 12th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Lol, I’ve done the same thing a couple of times…somehow something comes up that I start using shampoo once (free samples, traveling, etc) and then I feel like I need to finish the container, and then I end up buying shampoo again, and its downhill from there until I think about going ‘poo free again.
What is funny is that my kids only get shampoo’d about once or twice a month (since they are at the age that they hate it because of the threat of getting it their eyes–Chickadee will only go along with it if she is at the salon getting her hair cut), no baking soda or ACV at all, and you would never know. If I could put up with the ick factor, I’d go for it…but water only “washes” (basically just rinse and scrub your scalp as if you were getting a salon wash) only last so long before I give in (although, I’m up to a week now from 4 days, so I have hope I can keep it there).