That name-brand, store-bought shampoo that you’ve been using strips the hair and scalp of natural oils while you shampoo, you then need to use a conditioner to help make your hair manageable. It’s also laden with nasty chemicals that can cause irritation and dryness of the scalp. 

It’s hard to know what exactly they’re putting into it when fragrance is listed on the bottle and it’s even harder to know how it’s going to affect your hair.

There could be long-term effects that you don’t even realise you’re causing until way too late. However this is all easily avoided by choosing a natural bar shampoo such as our Hemp, Bergamot and Rose Natural Bar or by making your own shampoo. 

Personally, I’d recommend that you go natural with all of your skin and hair products. The benefits are endless, but for shampoo specifically, it’s not that hard to make a natural alternative.

Here’s a great method sent in by a reader that is based around using coconut milk:

Ingredients:

¼ cup of coconut milk (canned is fine)

¼ cup of Green Goddess Liquid Castile Soap

6 drops of an essential oil of choice

The process is pretty simple from here. Find a container, an empty bottle will work fine, as will a mason jar or even an old liquid castile soap dispenser, put the ingredients in and mix them by shaking.

As for which essential oils to use, that’s really up to you. Here’s a few that you could use for specific results. …

Lavender and peppermint essential oils help to stimulate the scalp which promotes hair growth.

Rosemary essential oil helps to prevent  dandruff and can help relieve a dry or itchy scalp.

Rose Geranium essential oil helps to strengthen the roots and makes hair shinny.

A teaspoon of olive oil or sweet almond oil would also be a good addition to help with dry hair. 

Regardless of which oil or oils you decide on, the presence of coconut in this mixture is very beneficial. Coconut is something that has many, many health benefits, check out this article from Dr Draxe here. 

Before each use shake well and use within a month as it only keeps for so long.

After shampooing always use an apple cider vinegar rinse to ensure that your hair looks sleek and shiny. ACV will help to seal the hair follicle and revitalise the scalp. The easiest way to do this is to spray on with a spray bottle.

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