No ShamPoo – 2

I’ve been experimenting with natural shampoo for some time now and the reason was simple, the constantly increasing number of hair care products and designed such that  one product would create a requirement for the other. Ofcourse having silky & shiny hair is a all girls dream but then, what are we compromising with. Recently, when my hairs started falling way more than they normally do and the home remedies that worked earlier were in-effective this time, I looked around for more. And that is how I landed up at no-poo method and eventually creation my own shampoo!

Shikae, Amla & Reetha

In my previous post I shared my first recipe on natural shampoo, though it was great (click here to check), I have been planning to make a all natural shampoo that can be stored without adding any preservatives for which I was in search of raw shikakae & amla. Finally my long wait come to an end, my sister who is here, has brought some for me. So here I am with the second alternative. It can be stored for a month!!!

Recipe: Soaked the 100 gm of reetha, Amla & Shikakie overnight in 2 ltr water. Next day remove the seeds and smash it in the water, then boil it for 5-8 minutes. Once cool, strain & bottle it. Thats it, your herbal shampoo is ready!

Soaked overnight

Follow your usual regime, wet your hair thoroughly and add a little at a time. Let it sit there for some time, before raising.

Natural, home made shampoo ready to be used!

A few things to be mentioned here, natural shampoo does not produce the kind of leather that a chemical based shampoo does. A chemical shampoo does nothing more that cleaning that too in a harmful way, leaving behind  its residue on our scalps which penetrate inside and show effects on long run. On the other hand a natural shampoo not only cleans but also nourishes the hair from within. Secondly, there is no way we can research on all the ingredients added to chemical shampoo and their effects on our health. Instead of hopping from one to the other, if we could give enough time to adjust & rely on to natural ways it will save us from a lot of health problems . I have been using it since last two weeks & I just love it. I’m still getting use to the no leather feeling but the benefits are keeping me motivated!  I like it as much as the first one but I think, I’ll stick to this one (it saves the pre preparation time :P). If you happen to try it, do share your experience!

No Shampoo (No Poo ) – 1

By now you must have heard or read about the “No-Poo”method or may be even tried it! In case, if you have not, its basically a method of washing your hair with natural ways rather than  using chemical based shampoo.

So before i jump into my experiment with no poo method, did you know, that the word shampoo in English language was derived  from India!!! In Hindi, its called  chāmpo which is again derived from the Sanskrit root capayati which means to press, knead, soothe! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shampoo Modern day shampoo was introduced in 1930 and hence, must have become prevalent in India around 1990’s. Not very old, isnt it?

Surfing through net i found many videos on No-poo methods, mostly using baking soda and water. But i wanted to try something which is more common to our lifestyle, something more a part of age old Ayurveda tradition and naturally available.

Then i remember, as a kid,  we had many soap nut plants in our school and children would play magic tricks of creating foam without soaps! So, refined my search and found that, many have suggested amla and shikakai along with reetha to be very useful.Though powder form is easily available, i wanted everything raw to get the rawest feeling.

Reetha and amla are available and am still in search of shikakai (online the price is way more than it should be). During this waiting & searching phase, a neighbor seeing my curiosity suggested me this recipe using reetha alone.

A good prior wash!

Recipe:

Its very simple & easy, take 20-30 pieces of reetha/soap nut (depending on the length of your hair), crush them to remove the seeds and  soak it in cooked rice water over night. Next day, grind it & filter it and thats it, your shampoo is ready! Wet your hairs thoroughly before adding reetha shampoo. Instead of pouring all the shampoo at a time, keep adding little a time. Let it be there for some time and lastly wash it off.

My Experience

• It took me some time to the quantity right,
• My hair was completely clean and oil free
• It did burn my eyes but i’ll continue using it.

Few important tips to remember:

• It does burn your eyes a bit, like regular shampoo but its not unbearable or harmful.
• While grinding better take less quantity to save yourself from the latter cleaning.
• You can try the same with water but that left my hair a bit dry, as i do not use conditioners, i prefer prior oiling.
• I’m not sure if this one can be stored in bottles or fridge (do check the next shampoo post where I’ll share shampoo recipes that can be stored)

If you are looking for a healthier alternative for your hairs, you should definitely give it a try. Initially you might miss the feeling that you are use to, but, if you worry about whats penetrating into your skin, what effects would the residue of chemical shampoos have on your scalps and health, then, do give it a good try before reaching any conclusion.

All the best!