How to Make Homemade Shampoo – Easy Recipes!

How to make homemade shampoo – Tired of harsh, store-bought shampoos stripping your hair of its natural oils? It’s time to take matters into your own hands and create your natural hair care routine. Buying the right type of shampoo can be difficult, especially when most of the shampoos on the shelves contain a mixture of detergents, fragrances, foaming agents, and other elements that may strip the natural oils (also called sebum) of your hair or damage your hair if you use it to wash frequently. If you want to go natural, you may find it difficult to find an all-natural shampoo in the supermarket or online store. Indeed, you can make your shampoo at home. But, how to make homemade shampoo?

Making homemade shampoo is easier than you might think and allows you to customise your formula to suit your specific hair needs.

In this guide, we’ll share simple, effective recipes for homemade natural shampoos. Say goodbye to synthetic detergents, fragrances, and other harmful ingredients, and hello to healthy, vibrant hair. Let’s get started!

Why should you use natural shampoo?

Your hair is unique. Keeping your shampoo chemical-free can be beneficial to your hair and scalp in the long term. It is possible to make your customized hair shampoo that helps clean, moisturize and remove built-up chemicals residing on your hair. Before you get started, read the instructions for making homemade shampoo.

Equipment you need to make shampoo at home

Before making your first shampoo at home, you need to prepare the ingredients and tools to ensure your DIY process goes smoothly.

Prepare suitable bowls to put the ingredients, a wooden spoon, spatula, or hand blender to mix the ingredients, and a suitable glass container to put the homemade shampoo.  Most of the tools can be found in your kitchen easily. If you don’t have the tools to make shampoo in your home,  you can go for an easy option by buying a DIY bowl set like the one below.

MWOOT DIY Facial Mask Bowl Set, 5-Pack DIY Clay Mask Mixing Kit with Brushes and Bowl, Wooden Mask Mixing Tools

Face Mask Mixing Bowl Set, Teenitor DIY Facemask Mixing Tool Kit with Silicon Face Mask Brush Facial Mask Bowl Stick Spatula Gauges Puff, Pack of 8, Green

To ensure a smooth texture of the homemade shampoo, you may need to use a hand blender to blend the natural ingredients. A good blender is essential as you can also use it to make smoothies and soap to keep a healthy life.

UUOUU Hand Blender Stick Blender (Black 200W)

Braun MultiQuick 5 Vario MQ5235 Hand Blender, Sauce Mixer, BPA-Free Plastic Beaker – White/Grey

Russell Hobbs Desire 3 in 1 Electric Hand Blender, Fruit & Veg Mini Chopper & Whisk attachment, Stainless steel blending leg, whisk & blades, 500ml capacity chopping bowl & 700ml beaker, 500W, 24702

After making the homemade shampoo, you can use the following container to refrigerate the shampoo.

Homemade Shampoo Recipes

1. Coconut Scented Shampoo

This coconut-scented shampoo can help your hair grow longer and faster. Coconut oil has vitamins and essential fatty acids that can naturally nourish the scalp and remove the build-up of sebum from hair follicles. Coconut milk also has useful nutrients such as vitamins B1, B3, B5, B6, C, E, iron, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. These nutrients help strengthen hair follicles and nourish the scalp which can contribute to hair growth and keep your hair smooth and silky in the long term.

Ingredients for coconut-scented shampoo

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sweet almond oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil

You can buy coconut milk in supermarkets or convenience stores. For the coconut oil, here are the recommendations.

This Coconut Merchant coconut oil is 100% natural and organic. The coconut oil is extracted using cold pressing and it is ethically sourced. It is rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT), naturally high in lauric acid and sugar-free, has zero cholesterol and no carbohydrates, its perfect for vegan and ketogenic (keto) diets. You can use it on your skin, hair, and cooking. Click here to view this coconut oil on Amazon to make your homemade shampoo.

Another high-rated coconut oil is the Naissance brand. It is a 100% pure and natural food-grade coconut fractionated oil and perfect for all-over moisturization and massage. The Naissance coconut oil consists of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) and is rich in C8 and C10 acids. You can use it to make your own beauty products, shampoo, conditioners, masks, soap, or body products. This coconut oil does not test on animals and is vegan-friendly.  Click here to view this coconut oil on Amazon to make your homemade shampoo.

You may use similar sweet almond oil as shown below.

• This sweet almond oil is 100% natural and has no GMOs. It has over 20,000  positive ratings on Amazon. You can click this link to view the product on Amazon.

You may use similar lavender essential oils as shown below.

• The ASAKUKI lavender essential oil is 100% organic and is naturally therapeutic. It passed the strict quality-control tests are free from any harsh chemicals, additives, and preservatives. This essential oil also comes with a relaxing herb scent and has a relaxing effect on the nervous system. You can use this lavender essential oil to create your own homemade shampoo and use it as a skin remedy for other skin conditions. You can view this essential oil on Amazon from this link.

How to prepare the Coconut Scented Shampoo?

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Apply this shampoo generously to wet hair and massage into a lather through to ends, then rinse the hair thoroughly.
3. You can also put this shampoo in a jar and shake well or pour it into a squeeze bottle and shake well before use.

2. Organic pH Balanced Natural Shampoo

With the benefits of coconut milk and aloe vera gel, this organic pH-balanced shampoo help clean your hair and scalp and maintain the pH level. Aloe vera has powerful alkalizing properties that help balance the pH levels and it has a natural pH level of 4.5 – 5.5. and rich in amino acids, calcium, iron, protein lectin, and potassium. Therefore, using a shampoo that has a neutral pH level in your scalp helps strengthen cellular regeneration. Additionally, the healing properties, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal features of aloe vera help restore the scalp to its natural condition. Indeed, to avoid potential hair loss, it is essential to maintain a natural hair pH level. The best form of aloe vera to use on your hair would be aloe vera gel. When aloe vera gel is paired with coconut milk, this shampoo will be one of the easiest remedies for natural hair growth and help your hair looks shinier, softer, and healthier in the long term.

How do I know my hair pH level is imbalanced?

If you have the following scalp conditions or signs, your hair pH level may be an imbalance, and you may need to consider restoring the right level of pH:

• Itching scalp
• Scalp eczema
• Hair loss
• Mold
• Dandruff
• Scalp psoriasis

Ingredients for Organic pH Balanced Natural Shampoo

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 3 full tbsp aloe vera gel

You may use similar aloe vera gel as shown below.

• This aloe vera gel is the product from Seven Minerals. Currently, it has more than 44,000 positive reviews from happy users. This aloe vera gel is harvested from freshly cut aloe leaves, making it one of the purest and strongest on the market. This aloe vera gel is antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory, it is an ideal 100% natural product to create your homemade shampoo! You can also use it to moisturize and hydrate skin, soften and repair dry, cracked skin, condition hair, reduce frizz and dandruff, soothe blisters, treat athletes’ feet and promote fast hair growth. This aloe vera gel also comes with an e-book with 30 different DIY recipes, plus tips and advice for free – such as how to tame frizzy hair, a formula for reducing dandruff, creating your own soothing baby wipes, the best conditioner recipe, and aftershave recipe. You can view this Seven Minerals Aloe Vera Gel on Amazon from this link.

How to prepare this shampoo?

• Put coconut milk and aloe vera gel in a bowl and mix the ingredients together.
• Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth to remove aloe residue.
• Massage the shampoo into hair and scalp, leave it for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly.
• If you don’t use the shampoo immediately, you can put it in a container and refrigerate it. It has a 1-week shelf life.

If you are looking for the best quality cheesecloth to make your homemade shampoo, Colperun cheesecloth is one of the best quality brands in the market. It is a Grade 100 cheesecloth and made from 100% natural food grade cotton, never been dyed or bleached. The cheesecloth is lint-free, not easy to get loose, and reusable. You can also use it to make soft cheeses or yogurt, roast turkey or chicken, keep chicken or fish intact when poaching, wrap spices, strain stocks, squeeze juice without seeds and etc. Currently, this cheesecloth is the best seller on Amazon. You can view this Colperun cheesecloth on Amazon from this link.

3. Almond hair shampoo

Almond oil is one of the best hydrator to moisturize dull and dry hair, prevent hair breakage, add shine, reduce spilled-end, fight frizz, and make your hair appear more youthful. Almond oil has a high level of vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant that helps your hair look healthier. It also has omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids, and protein which help reduce scalp irritation and help strengthen, moisturize and smooth your hair. When you add dried rosemary as part of the recipe, this natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial remedy provide a support role to nourish hair, prevent hair loss, reduce dandruff and itchy scalp, maintain scalp health, and promote hair growth in the long term. As this shampoo contains nuts, if you have nut allergies, you can use the coconut milk recipes as an alternative.

Ingredients for Almond Hair Shampoo

• 1 cup distilled water
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp sweet almond oil
• 1/4 lemon essential oil

Dr. Jacobs Naturals unscented liquid castile soap is formulated to be extra gentle, hypoallergenic, containing no perfumes or dyes and it is an ideal natural liquid soap base for mixing in essential oils and homemade shampoo. Unlike other castile soap products, this liquid castile soap made by Dr. Jacobs Naturals is specially formulated for sensitive skin to very dry skin conditions such as eczema. The product is recognized by PETA,  cruelty-free, and does not contain damaging palm oil. You can dilute this liquid castile soap and use it as a shampoo, body wash, foaming hand soap, face wash, facial cleanser, shaving cream, baby bath, dog shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc. You can view this Dr. Jacobs Naturals liquid castile soap on Amazon from this link. This liquid castile soap has different scents such as unscented, charcoal, coconut, lavender, rose, eucalyptus, shea butter, citrus, sweet tea tree, and peppermint. 

This Ecodrop lemon essential oil is a highly-rated essential oil for this shampoo recipe. It is extracted from the peel of lemon fruit, grown organically in Italy, and certified under strict Soil Association organic standards. free from any harsh chemicals, additives, and preservatives. You can use it to make your favorite homemade shampoo or other natural recipes, or you can use it to remove accumulated toxins, moisturizes, remove dead skin cells, reduce signs of aging and remove the stain. You can view this lemon essentials oil on Amazon from this link. This essential oil has over 8,000 positive reviews and receives 4.5 stars on average. 

How to prepare this natural almond shampoo?

• Boil hot water and pour it into a bowl. Add rosemary to a bowl of hot water.
• Cover and steep the dried rosemary for about 30 minutes or until you smell the fragrance.
• Strain tea into a bigger bowl, add castile soap, almond oil, and lemon essential oil. Mix well.
• This homemade shampoo is ready to use.

How to create a thickening shampoo?

If you prefer a thicker texture shampoo, or don’t want your shampoo to be too thin or watery, here are three tips on how to thicken the homemade shampoo. You can also use it to thicken homemade conditioners and hair masks.

1. Whole oats / Oatmeal for hair

Whole oats/ rolled oats or oatmeal is one of the best thickening ingredients to mix with homemade shampoo. Oatmeal is full of vitamin B helps increase elasticity and is beneficial to curly and kinky hair. The beta-glucan and polysaccharides in the oatmeal can act as an emollient that helps soften your hair. You can grind ½ cup of whole oat or oatmeal in a blender and slowly mix it with the watery shampoo until it reaches your desired consistency.

2. Arrowroot powder for hair

Arrowroot powder is another common gluten-free cooking ingredient. Indeed, arrowroot powder is a powerful herbal remedy for hair growth and can be used as a thickening agent for homemade shampoo. Arrowroot is a vegetable that has a high level of dietary fiber, iron, potassium, phosphorous and contains health benefits for skin, hair, and digestion. When you use the arrowroot powder and mix it with a few drops of essential oil as a dry shampoo, massage it onto the scalp, and brush out all the powder from the hair, it helps absorb the excess oil build-up and leave your hair soft and clean. If you find your homemade shampoo too watery, arrowroot power is one of the great ingredients to thicken the shampoo with added benefits to your hair growth.

This is a premium arrowroot powder that is unmodified and gluten-free.  You can use it for cooking or use it as a thickening agent for homemade shampoo, conditioners, or hair masks. You can view this lemon essentials oil on Amazon from this link.

3. Cornstarch for hair

Cornstarch, also referred to as corn flour is not only a common thickening agent for sauces, casseroles, soups, and gravies, it is a gluten-free goodie to maintain hair vitality and cleansing agent that help remove grease accumulated on the hair. You can use cornstarch to make dry shampoo, or you can mix it with a watery shampoo to thicken the texture. Cornstarch is great for hair because it contains vitamin A, B, C, and E and help regulate sebum production.

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