Homemade Hair Washes

Hair washes use one or more cleansing herb or ingredient; however, they can also contain some conditioning ingredients. Everyone's hair is a little different; texture, color and damage can all affect the way hair responds to different ingredients and combinations of ingredients. Every recipe can be altered as you become more confident and aware of how your hair and scalp reacts to particular ingredients. Here are the best recipes for homemade washes that I have tried and tested. Please note at unless stated otherwise, whole herbs are used in the recipe.

Hair Gravy
Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of soapwort root chunks (saponaria officinalis)
• 1 Tablespoon of white willow bark chunks (salix alba)
• 2 Cups of water
• 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch
  

Mixture Instructions:

1. Bring the water to a boil. While filtered water is best, plain old tap water can still do the job.
2. Add soapwort root and willow bark to the boiling water.
3. Reduce the heat and let the ingredients simmer for around twenty minutes.
4. Remove the hot pan from the heat and strain the mixture. For best results, I suggest using a jelly strainer or sieve; however, muslin or cheesecloth will work as well. Return the strained liquid to the pan.
5. Mix cornstarch and a small amount of cold water into a slurry.
6. Add the cornstarch slurry into the strained liquid and cook the mixture on low heat until the starch thickens the mixture.
7. Allow the mixture to cool completely before use. The mixture should be about the color and consistency of turkey gravy when it is done. This recipe is for a single application.
   

Instructions for Use:

1. Apply the mixture directly to your dry hair, concentrating on the roots and scalp. A nozzled squirt bottle, such as condiment bottle, is a very effective way to apply to the hair. If your mixture is very thick, you might need to trim the tip off the nozzle for a wider opening.
2. Massage the treatment in and let sit for around five minutes
3. Rinse the mixture out thoroughly.
   

Simple Fragrant Wash

• 2/3 Cup of either yucca or soapwort
• ¼ Cup of marshmallow
• ½ Cup of red clover
• ½ Cup of rose buds
• 3 Cups of water
  

Instructions for Mixing and Use:

1. Place all of your ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil.
2. Let the mixture simmer for around ten minutes.
3. When done simmering, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit until it has cool enough to use.
4. Strain the herbs from the resulting liquid, which will give you enough liquid for a single wash. I suggest using a mesh strainer, but cheesecloth will do the job as well.
5. Pour the mixture through dry hair two or three times, catching as much of it as you can in a basin each time.
6. Gently massage the liquid into your scalp, let sit for a few minutes and rinse well. You can follow up with vinegar rinse if desired.
   

Fragrant Conditioning Wash
Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of yucca
• 1/3 Cup of soapwort
• ¼ Cup of dried rose buds
• ¼ Cup of lavender
• ¼ Cup of horsetail
• ½ Cup of red clover
• ¼ Cup of marshmallow
• 2 Chamomile tea bags (optional)
• 4 cups of water
  

Instructions for Mixing and Use:

1. Place all of your ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. The tea bags are an optional ingredient.
2. Let the mixture simmer for at least ten minutes, the longer it simmers the more concentrated the final result.
3. When done simmering, turn off the heat and let the mixture rest until it has cool enough to touch.
4. Strain the herbs from the resulting liquid, which will give you enough liquid for a single wash.
5. Pour the mixture through dry hair two or three times, catching as much of it as you can in a basin each time.
6. Gently massage the liquid into your scalp, let sit for a few minutes and rinse well. You can follow up with vinegar rinse if desired.
   

Clay Hair Wash
Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup of finely powdered rhassoul clay
• 14 Ounces of tap water, any floral water, infusion or tea (your choice)
• 2-4 Drops of essential oil of choice (optional)
• 1 16-Ounce bottle
  

Instructions for Mixing and Use:

1. Alternate adding a few ounces of liquid and between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of the clay into the 16-ounce bottle. A funnel will come in very handy during this. Be sure to cap and shake the bottle through out the filling process. If you too much clay all at once it will clump and be difficult to mix. Make sure you leave enough room in the bottle for the contents to mix when shaken. The final consistency should be the same as a regular shampoo or conditioner or slightly thicker.
2. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, if you choose, and shake some more. You may find that the final mixture can vary in consistency: sometimes it is thick while other times it is thin and runny. However, it works fine either way.
3. Wet your hair like you would for a regular shampoo. Smooth the clay mixture onto your hair. Pay particular attention to your scalp, massaging well.
4. Let the leftovers drip, and run your hands down the length of your hair to spread the drips throughout the entire length.
5. Shower as you normally would, rinsing out the clay mixture just like any other shampoo. Do not forget to completely rinse your ears; it can be embarrassing to walk around all day with dried mud in your ears.
6. Clay washing notes, please know that when using a clay wash it is not necessary to condition, although some like to oil their hair before or after the clay wash. When switching to a clay wash from normal shampoo there will be an adjustment period of two to four weeks where your hair might feel a little dry or tangly, oiling your hair can help ease the transition.