To make homemade shampoo, you will need to create a shampoo base first.  It is very common to use a base made of castile soap. Castile soap is a type of soap made exclusively from vegetable oil rather than animal fat or synthetic substances.  Castile soap is recognized as being more “green” or environmentally friendly than regular soap because of the simplicity in manufacturing it and the fact that is quick to biodegrade.

There are many varieties of castile soap. While olive oil is the most popular base used, other popular castile soap bases are avocado oil, hemp oil, coconut oil, almond oil, and jojoba oil.

Castile soap comes in many forms, from liquid to flakes. First , you must dilute the soap with warm distilled water, making sure to dissolve the soap completely.  It is important to use purified or distilled water because plain tap water can contain minerals may dull your hair’s appearance.  Using distilled or purified water will also make the shampoo more effective and keep it smelling fresh.

Getting Started:

Castile Soap Shampoo Base

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup hot purified or distilled water 
• ¼ cup castile soap
• ½ teaspoon of extra virgin avocado oil

Step 1:  In a bowl combine the water and castile soap and stir until dissvolved.  Next, add the avocado oil to the bowl and stir to combine.

Step 2:  Put the mixture into a container, preferably with a screw on top

Step 3:  The next step is to add your custom blend of essential oils, herbs, or spices.

This recipe will make 1/2 cup of concentrated shampoo

Adding Essential Oils & Fragrance to the Recipe

After you have created your castile soap base, you can add essential and/or fragrance oils to the mixture. Different oils will affect the hair in different ways depending on what you are looking for in a homemade shampoo.

Once you have created your very own homemade shampoo, you will want to store the bottle in a cool and dark area.

SHAMPOO RECIPES

Avocado-Jasmine Shampoo

Ingredients:

• ½ cup shampoo base
• ½ cup aloe vera gel
• ¾ teaspoon olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon jasmine essential oil

Step 1:  Mix together all ingredients.

Step 2:  Place into a clean container preferably with a screw-on lid.

Step 3:  Let mixture set for a few hours to allow to thicken and the essential oils to permeate the mixture.

Step 4:  Work into hair as usual and let sit for several minutes.

Step 5:  Rinse as usual.

 Avocado Deep Moisturizing Shampoo

This recipe works great for hair that is weathered by styling products, chlorine or the sun

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of the basic castile shampoo base
• ¼ cup avocado oil

Step 1:  Combine ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly.

Step 2:  Shampoo into hair as normal and let sit for 5 minutes.

Step 3:  Rinse hair with warm water followed by cool water.