While new cosmetic products are hitting the market everyday, home made remedies and recipes never fall out of place. They are the age old grandmotherâs recipes which hold the same importance as they had in the yesteryear. Talking of hair, it is one of the most precious possessions of an individual. So it is taken care of with utmost concern and priority. Shampoo is an important product for cleansing the scalp and the hair shafts so that the pores can breathe freely and hair growth it healthy. Opting for chemical based shampoos is not as beneficial as the homemade shampoos. The first benefit of home made shampoo is that you are aware of each and every ingredient that went into the making of the same and the benefits of each of them. The second benefit is that the natural ingredients used in such a product does not have any side effects and is soft on the hair and the scalp. So there is no risk of any sort of hair problem or skin problem arising out of home made shampoos. While these are the good points of home made shampoo, most of the times people stay away from making one for them as they think that the process is extremely cumbersome and difficult to follow. On the contrary, here is an easy by which you can make shampoo at home.
Complexity level
Easy
Time required
30-45 minutes
Resources required
1. Castile soap bar
2. Clean and fresh water
3. Glycerin
3. Essential oil (optional)
4. Herbs (optional)
5. Vegetable oil (optional)
6. Air tight container
Instructions
1. Grate the Castile bar
To begin with, you need to grate and shred the Castile soap bar so that it can be put to various actions easily. Therefore, you have to grate the whole bar as per your requirement. Get hold of a sharp kitchen knife and scrape off from the surface of the soap bar gently. You will find that the soap gets peeled off the bar as semi transparent scales or flakes. Store these flakes in a separate bowl and keep on scrapping till you have prepared soap flakes as much as eight tablespoonfuls. Approximately eight tablespoonfuls of soap flakes make a complete batch.
2. Melt Castile flakes
Once your Castile soap flakes are prepared, get hold of a metallic container, large enough to hold three cups of water. Pour the clean water, set aside at the beginning of the project in the already recommended quantity and set the oven at a medium flame. When the water starts boiling, drop all the Castile soap flakes into the water and keep on stirring. You will find that these flakes will melt gradually, producing miniature bubbles that will ultimately develop froth on the surface. All this while you need to stir the mixture so that there is no spillage.
3. Add glycerin and other ingredients to the mixture
When you find that the shampoo has become too frothy and warm, get hold of a medically acclaimed glycerin. Pour about three tablespoons full of glycerin into the mixture, while continuing to stir the mixture. Glycerin acts as natural hair hydrant and tames frizz. You can further add aloe vera gel or juniper oil or jojoba oil into the same for extra benefit as per our hair type. If you have dry hair, you can further add half teaspoon of light vegetable oil to the same. If you have oily hair, you can add a teaspoon of white vinegar or a few drops of tea tree oil to your home made shampoo.
4. The final stage
When your shampoo is completely ready, turn off the flame, take the container away and allow it to cool completely, in natural air. Once cooled, pour the mixture into a glass contained and refrigerate it.
Frequently asked questions
1. Can I make shampoo for a whole month and refrigerate it to use throughout the duration?
A. Preferably no, because the natural ingredients present in the shampoo might rot or start reacting in a negative way when kept for a prolonged period.
2. Do I need to refrigerate the home made shampoo immediately after use?
A. Yes, because there is no preservative in the product and it will get damaged if not refrigerated in time.
Quick tips:
1. Home made shampoo does not give bubbly shots similar to that of the chemical ones. But it does not mean that they are less effective.
2. Always use standard ingredients that are of high quality so that there is no skin irritation or hair problem.
3.Castile soaps are available at any health store while glycerin can be bought from any crafts shop.