This DIY herbal hair rinse is a luxurious way to replace shampoo and conditioner while enjoying the benefits of herbs and flowers. Going no-poo takes a little experimenting and this rinse is beneficial regardless of your shampoo routine.
You can also mix and match a variety of ingredients to create your own signature rinse.
I like to keep life simple, so this quick tutorial will show two beautiful herbal hair rinses you can make from the garden and the basic process of infusing.
The two I selected for their soothing and rejuvenating qualities were Rosemary and Lavender. They both have great benefits for healthy hair and scalp and smell delicious.
Step 1 - Collect Your Ingredients
Ideally you will be able to collect straight from your garden or even by foraging in you neighbourhood. You will need around 5-10 lavender stems, or sprigs of Rosemary.
Freshly cut is always better , but dried will work effectively too. My Lavender is not flowering at the moment but I had a spare bunch dried several months ago. You can read about how to dry your own lavender here, it's really easy.
Step 2 - Find a Glass Storage Container
Use a glass jar or bottle to infuse and store your herbal rinse. You won't want to be leeching any chemicals from plastic bottles into it. I acquired these bottles on a trip to Bali and brought them home as I couldn't work out where to recycle them. They were far too pretty to be thrown away.
Rinse herbs if you feel you need to.
I know exactly where mine came from and they have not been near any pesticides or high traffic pollution, which probably cannot be rinsed off in any case.
Step 3 - Add Your Herbs or Flowers
Add your chosen herbs and flowers to your bottle first. I did single infusions, but you can combine the lavender and rosemary, or any other herbs in one bottle.
Pour in enough vinegar to cover the contents and give it a good shake. I prefer white vinegar, but you can use different types such as apple cider vinegar if you prefer.
Step 3 - Leave to Infuse
Typically I find 2 weeks is a good time frame to allow these to infuse however you can wait for 5-6 weeks if you're patient enough. as you'll only be using small amounts at a time it will continue to infuse between hair rinses.
How to Use The Herbal Hair Rinse
You only need a small amount. I have long and very thick hair and find 1/4 of a cup or less is ample and don't use it too frequently. Once a week or once a fortnight is perfect.
Pour the desired amount into a container, before jumping into the shower. Wet hair thoroughly and top up your container with around half a cup of warm water. Give it a good shake and pour evenly over hair.
Leave for a few minutes and simply rinse off. I haven't gotten this in my eyes yet, but it something you probably want to avoid!
And, don't worry, your hair will not smell like vinegar afterwards.
You can keep reusing the same bunch of herbs until they loose their scent and top up with vinegar when it gets down to 1/3 to 1/4 remaining in the bottle.
This rinse is a fabulous alternative to using essential oils too, and the bottles of herbs and flowers look beautiful. I was really surprised by the amazing colour of the lavender infusion.
Other herbs you may want to experiment with are mint, lemon balm and chamomile. Remember to steer clear of citrus as it will strip your hair and scalp of natural oils and make your skin sun sensitive for 12-24 hours afterwards.
If you plan to use the glass bottle in the bathroom, I recommend selecting coloured glass. This way, if it is accidentally dropped, you will easily be able to see the pieces of glass for cleaning up.
If you're looking for more natural Body and Beauty recipes, or Green Cleaning, head here.