Thursday, January 13, 2011

Makin' Poo..........SHAMpoo that is!

After Steve and I made my skirt, I decided to make some homemade shampoo.  I've done this before and liked using it, but haven't made any for a couple years.  Homemade shampoo takes some getting used to as it leaves a different feel to your hair.  There is sort of a break in period as well, but it's worth it if you'd like to try homemade shampoo.

To make the type of shampoo I make, first you need a really lathery bar of homemade soap.  I went to the closet and got a hunk of the soap I made last year.  Click here and here to see what that was all about. 

Then you have to grate that chunk of soap up and weigh it out.  You need 5 oz


This is what I use to grate my soap.  I love this old grater.
Then you have to mix your grated soap with 30 oz of water or an herbal water mix and 1/2 tsp powdered pectin. 

The powdered pectin keeps the soap from clumping and separating back into little grated chunks of soap.

I also put in about 5 drops of rosemary essential oil.

Here is the grated soap with the water, pectin, and rosemary added in.  Instead of plain water I used chamomile tea.  Chamomile is a good rinse for light hair, and even though my hair is brunette I think it'll be ok.  If my hair turns green, you'll know why!

After it is all melted and smooth, I fill a small bottle with the shampoo.  Then I put the rest of the shampoo in a bigger bottle and just refill my smaller bottle.  In this picture it's still warm.  As it cools it will settle and thicken into a nice shampoo texture.  You can also use this as a nice handsoap, it's very smooth and silky! 
I make a hair rinse with vinegar and herbs to use after shampooing.  When you use homemade shampoo it's a good idea to use a vinegar hair rinse to balance your ph.  I don't have any fresh herbs being winter so I just used some more chamomile tea.  I'll mix it in a mason jar, then fill a smaller bottle to keep in the shower.  You have to keep it cool or it will ferment, so I'll keep the big bottle of it in the fridge and simply refill the small bottle as needed.

Stay tuned to hear how I like this batch of homemade shampoo!






God Bless.........................

11 comments:

  1. Good stuff! I've been wanting to try this too. . .

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  2. sounds like it will be nice , looking forward to seeing how it works

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  3. Interesting.... if I ever try it I will let you know :)

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  4. Ahhhh Cool! I will have to try this! I tried one and it failed horribly!! I use Vinegar on a regular basis too. I have less static in my hair when I do.

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  5. I've never heard of homemade shampoo although that doesn't surprise me that it's out there... but I have heard of using vinegar as a hair rinse. I'm curious though, you said that you have to get used to the texture, does it make it more course or something?

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  6. Hi Nicole thanks for commenting! It is just a different texture. Not more coarse, it just feels fuller. It doesn't feel as slick. It is still soft, it just feels more "there", is the only way I know how to put it. I'll be doing an update post next week with more observations.

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  7. Again, I sit here in awe of your skills! Can't wait to see how it turns out for ya.

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  8. Hmmm very interesting - curious to hear more!

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  9. Um yeah, that cheese grater is OLD! Very cool. I never thought about making my own shampoo. I think I should now.

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