Shampoos contain hair stripping detergents that do more damage than good. Conditioners are designed to cover up the fact that the shampoo is destroying our hair and coat hair with artificial oils that wear off quickly. Chemical hair dyes have a question mark over them and the effects of long-term use. What is scientifically acceptable today may be outlawed tomorrow.
With some home remedies we can be 100 percent certain that the botanicals are actually in the bottle and allow our hair to begin the transformation back to naturally looking after itself. All recipes are taken from The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book by Josephine Fairley, published in 2005 by Silverdale Books.
Simple Soapwort Shampoo
- 2 tablespoons crushed fresh soapwort root or
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried soapwort root.
- 2 tablespoons of herbs (elderflower, fennel, horsetail, nettle and rosemary are
- herbs that hair loves.)
- 5 drops of essential oil (lavender or - if you have a tendency to dandruff -
- sage or rosemary.)
- 1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) filtered, mineral or rainwater.
Method:
Pour the water over the soapwort root and the herbs in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool thoroughly, then strain though a piece of muslin or kitchen paper over a sieve; press down to extract as much as possible of the herbs. Add the essential oils, drop by drop. Transfer to a sterilised glass bottle, shake and store in a cool dry place out of sunlight.
Use around 200 ml (7fl oz) each time you wash your hair, wet hari, pour the liquid into the palms of your hands and massage n well, until your hair is lathered (note that it will not lather as much as commercial brands), Rinse thoroughly and follow with a final herbal rinse made as an infusion from the same herbs used in the soapwort mixture.
Keeps for 1 week in the fridge - or can be frozen and defrosted as required.
Making A Herbal Infusion
Pour 600 ml (1 pint) of boiling water over 25g (1 0z) dried herbs and flowers and allow to steep for several hours. Always make infusions in glass, stainless steel or enamel, never aluminium (as the herbs can leach out the metal. Will keep for 1 week in the fridge.
Herbal Hair Shine Treatment
For hair that is dry and brittle or has split ends. This is a pre-shampoo treatment to put the back the gloss and shine into your hair. For long hair, this recipe is sufficient for one use, for short hair use less. Will keep well in a jar between treatments.
- 10g (1/2 oz) rosemary leaves
- 10g (1/2 oz) dried chamomile flowers
- 100 ml (3 1/2 oz) coconut oil
Method:
Chop the rosemary leaves and place in the top of a double-boiler with the chamomile flowers and the coconut oil and heat for 30 minutes; you may need to preheat the coconut oil, if it's solidified. Remove from heat, allow to col and pour into screw-top jar. Seal and leave for a week. Then heat again and strain through a sieve, to mremove the herbs. To use the treatment, scoop the mixture out with your hands and work into scalp and hair. comb through from root to tip, if possible. Wrap your hair in a hot towel for 30 minutes. Then shampoo out the treatment (you'll probably need to shampoo twice) and condition hair, a capful of cider vinegar in the final rinse works as an effective conditioner.
Cooling Scalp Saver
To keep hair in optimum condition we need to concentrate on looking after the scalp as this is where the bulb of the hair is rooted, which is the only living part of the hair. This recipe has a cooling, soothing and moisturizing effect.
- 1/4 cucumber, peeled
- 150ml (5fl oz) yoghurt
- 1 heaped teaspoon honey
Method:
Liquidize the cucumber then mix with the yoghurt and honey. Apply carefully to dry hair, smoothing it on so that every hair and scalp are thoroughly coated. Leave for 10 minutes, then shampoo.
Look out for my future articles on natural colour treatments.
Happy Healthy Living!
Taryn Whitehead - I have been writing poetry from a young age and won a number of awards in school Speech and Drama. I have always best expressed myself ...
