Naturopathic Control: natural hair care

While the basic homemade shampoos in our list below are effective, we sometimes customize them. We do this with additional essential oils whose healing properties offer the solution to personal hair and or scalp concerns that we currently have. I have compiled a list of some more common essential oils that are useful for homemade shampoos and conditioners.

How essential oils can solve your hair and scalp problems:

If you need to:	Solution. Use single or multiple oils (See details of each oil below):
Promote hair growth	Rosemary, Jojoba(technically a wax), Bay, Ylang Ylang
Stop hair loss, temporary alopecia, seborrhea / seborrhoea and other scalp disorders	Rosemary, Tea tree, Jojoba (technically a wax), Cypress, Bay, Lavender, Patchouli
Combat dandruff	Tea tree, Rosemary, Lavender, Patchouli, Cedarwood
Combat lice	Tea tree, Lavender
Have a general hair tonic	Rosemary

Combining essential oils

While most oils may be combined with each other, certain mixes are particularly fragrant and healthful. We have also included this information below.

Precautions & Alternatives

Always do skin patch tests to determine whether you are allergic to an essential oil before using it for the first time. Below is a list of precautions. However, also note the alternatives when certain oils do not suit your personal circumstances.

How much essential oil should I use?

We have found that the required quantity of essential oils is not an exact science. However, the following are suggested quantities.

For approx 1/3 cup of shampoo:

approx 15 drops - age range from teens to mid-60s
approx 7 drops - ages outside of the teenage to mid-60s range
approx 1-4 drops - children under 7
approx 5 drops - pregnant women

Essential oils for hair - Details

Name	Benefits	Properties	Mixes well with (oils for your concern)	Precautions & Alternatives
Rosemary	Boosts hair and scalp health; Promotes hair growth	Smell: Strong & Clean Visual: Clear Other: astringent	Lavender, Peppermint	Not for pregnant women or individuals who suffer from hypertension and or epilepsy. As alternatives: Ylang Ylang (for hypertension sufferers); lavender (for hypertension sufferers); Aloe Vera gel methods
Jojoba (technically a wax)	Combats dandruff, hair loss (like temporary alopecia); promotes hair growth	Other: Antiseptic; antifungal; resistant to high temperatures		As an alternative to oils, Aloe Vera gel alone
Cypress	Combats hair loss (temporary alopecia);			As an alternative to oils, Aloe Vera gel alone
Bay	Combats hair loss; Improves scalp health; promotes hair growth	Smell: sweet and fresh Other: Antiseptic; astringent;	Lavender; Rosemary	Eugenol content may irritate skin; Not for pregnant women. Aloe Vera gel
Lavender	Combats dandruff, lice and other scalp disorders	Smell: Very fragrant Other: antiseptic; hypotensive	Rosemary; Bay; Tea Tree; Ylang ylang; patchouli	As an alternative to oils, Aloe Vera gel alone
Tea Tree	Combats dandruff and other scalp disorders; Combats lice	Smell: Sharp Other: antifungal; antiseptic	Rosemary; Lavender	Avoid use on broken skin. As an alternative to oils, Aloe Vera gel alone
Ylang Ylang	Combats excessive sebum secretion; Promotes hair growth	Other: Hypotensive (reduces blood pressure); antiseptic; sedative	Lavender	Excessive use causes nausea
Patchouli	Combats dandruff and other scalp disorders;	Smell: musky Other: antiseptic; astringent; fungicide	Lavender	Excessive use may cause loss of appetite. As an alternative to oils, Aloe Vera gel alone

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Storage

Place your product in a cool, dark place. If possible, use a dark bottle. These measures are useful for extending the shelf life of the natural, organic ingredients in your product.

Recipes for natural Homemade Shampoo:

Why we use natural shampoos and conditioners?

When I underwent the live blood analysis, I was surprised to see that the ingredients in my hair products had entered into my blood stream. In fact, the doctor explained that each chemical hair treatment creates a spike of toxins in women’s blood analyses. In short, hair care choices can affect our health. Learn more about why we use natural homemade shampoos.

USES & BENEFITS:

· To thoroughly clean your hair and scalp. In fact, this recipe has been used successfully for decades as Rastafarians' all-natural method of shampooing their interwoven hairstyle popularly called 'dreadlocks'. However, it is safe for any hair type.-- --

· To relieve seborrhoea (which is the itchy, incrusted accumulation on the scalp when excessive secretions of natural scalp sebum oil mixes with dirt) and dandruff

· To condition your hair. This recipe can moisturize and revitalize the hair and scalp, which in turn promotes hair growth and prevents excessive hair loss). Note that excessive hair loss caused by genetic conditions may not be preventable by this shampoo.

· To replace chemicals shampoos with an all-natural shampoo

· To avoid high cost of specialized hair loss treatments.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOMEMADE ALOE VERA SHAMPOO (Buy Ingredients for aloe vera shampoo from Amazon):

1. The gel of half or a whole leaf of Aloe Vera (depending on the length of your hair). Buy from Naturopathic Control's Amazon Store.

This ingredient

is non-toxic

is antibacterial

helps to reduce the excess sebum that our scalp secretes. This in turn allows the scalp to breathe and the follicles to renew themselves

brings the pH of the scalp into balance

It contains numerous minerals and vitamins from which your hair and body will be nourished

does not usually cause allergic reactions. I am one of the very rare cases that experience stinging if contact is prolonged. Although not advisable, I do continue to use it without this problem by rinsing it out thoroughly and promptly.

is antibacterial and antifungal.

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2. Drops of Jojoba Oil (optional. Useful for very dry hair only). Buy from Naturopathic Control's Amazon Store.

is so structurally similar to sebum, the natural oil that our scalp secretes, that its presence could trick the skin into thinking that enough is already present. In turn, the skin produces less sebum. The wonderful part is that, unlike sebum, this oil does NOT clog the pores of our scalp.

is stable which means that it is resistant to high temperatures (the limits of which your hair treatments should fall very well within)

3. One quarter to half cup of water

4. A blender

5. A container

INSTRUCTIONS - Buy from Naturopathic Control's Amazon Store:

1. Remove the gel from the aloe leaf. Discard the skin.

2. Blend the ingredients until they are uniform

3. Pour your new shampoo mixture into the container (to be carried to where you will wash your hair).

4. Apply and massage the shampoo to your wet hair and scalp.

5. If necessary, repeat the previous step as many times as you wish until you are satisfied with the cleanliness of your hair.

6. You may leave the shampoo for a few minutes to allow the gel to further condition your hair.

7. Rinse thoroughly.

8. To maximize the effects of this shampoo, you may continue to use it as frequently as you need to shampoo and over extended periods

OBSERVATIONS & RESULTS:

· This shampoo felt very slippery between my fingers. This was great because it was easy to lather. However, the lather is slippery and a bit unlike the soapy lather that you might be accustomed to with commercial shampoos.

· After using this recipe, my hair feels very clean. There is no lingering smell of the aloe vera after washing.

· Build up and itching problems that I had had before using this recipe stopped.

· Over time, my hair grew faster stronger and thicker.

MORE INFORMATION RELATED TO MAKING NATURAL SHAMPOO AT HOME: