I've mentioned before how I started making my own deodorant and love it. Well, chemical-free hair products can be expensive, so I decided to start looking for a cheaper way to have safer products for my hair by making my own shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel. Yep. All three. (This time last year, I would have been rolling my eyes if someone said they were making their own hair products, yet here I am now -- oh the difference a year makes!).
First up: Homemade Hair Gel
My husband is actually the one who put the idea in my head to try making my own hair gel. I've talked so much about getting rid of harmful chemicals that he asked me if he thought the gel he was using was bad for him. Next thing I knew, I was looking for homemade hair gel recipes, saw how easy they were to make, and decided to go for it!
The results of this gel are great! The gel is thin, so I put it in a glass bottle with and spray top (got it at Whole Foods). Sprayed it all over my wet hair, scrunched it up (I have naturally wavy/curly hair), and let it air-dry. It was light, kept the curls together, but didn't look like I had product in it. As my nieces have said to my sister before: "why does Aunt Dana's hair always look wet?" No need to worry about them saying that now (unless they see me just after I do my hair and it is still wet. ;) ). Plus, it has Lavender essential oil in it, so I get to take my essential oils with me. :)
I'm going to make another batch with more gelatin so it's a little bit more thicker and put it in a glass jar for my husband to try out. I'll let you know what he thinks (if he actually tries it out. God bless that man -- I've made him try so many different things this year).
Second: Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner
I figured that if I was going to do the hair gel, I might as well see if there is a more affordable way to wash my hair naturally.
I'm still working this one out. The homemade shampoo looked fine with my curly hair that I let air-dry, but when I brushed it out before bed, it definitely had a greasy feel/look to it. I don't think it's actually grease as much as soap/oil left in it. The conditioner is just a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle (to help balance out the pH after doing the shampoo). Used both products for the first time yesterday. Today, I did my Arbonne shampoo (no chemicals/all natural) and the homemade conditioner. My hair felt great. I think I need to tweak the shampoo formula a little bit, mix it more before putting it on my head, and use a little less around the crown of my head and it should work better. I will keep you up to date on how it goes.
Anyways, it's been fun trying to make new things and SO affordable. It is so incredibly cheap to make your own products and get the unnecessary chemicals out of your house. I can post the recipes I used in future posts if anyone is interested. :)
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