Select Page

A ton of my shampoo recipe creations have come up short in one or more important shampoo requirements. This recipe, however, I managed to hit them all while not reacting with my the hard water in my apartment!  While soapnut shampoo will still be near and dear to my heart,  this recipe is great for people who are dipping their toes into the homemade-shampoo-world.

Check out all the stuff it does!

Looking for a shampoo recipe for hard water? Check.
Looking for a shampoo recipe that also works in soft water? Check.
Looking for a shampoo recipe that lathers a ton? Check.
Looking for a shampoo recipe that smells amazing? Check
Looking for a shampoo recipe that creates volume? Check.
Looking for a shampoo recipe that leaves you with silky soft hair? Check.
Looking for a shampoo recipe that costs less than $2 for a full bottle? Check.

Now that’s a hard-working homemade shampoo!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup gentle bar soap, grated (I recommend Kirk’s Castile Soap because it works in hard water without leaving your hair gunky and residue-y…if this isn’t a concern for you, feel free to use any gentle bar soap that you like)
  • 1/4 cup aloe vera juice
  • 1/2 cup homemade full-fat coconut milk (if you buy some from the store, I’d recommend getting a brand without any thickeners or additives…I haven’t tried it with additives like guar gum so no guarantees if you go this route but I have a hunch it wouldn’t be a complete disaster?)

Pre shampoo recommendation:

I highly recommend doing an aloe vera gel scalp treatment before you shampoo your hair.  I’ve noticed huge improvements in hair shedding and breakage since incorporating this into my hair care routine.

Steps:

1. Shred your bar soap using a cheese grater into a medium sized pot. It’ll look like this:

2.  Add your aloe vera juice and full-fat coconut milk to the pot so that it looks like this:

3.  Put the pot on over low heat and stir continuously until the soap shreds have incorporated into the mixture.  This takes just a few minutes.

4. Let cool slightly and then transfer to an 8 ounce pump-top or disc-top container.

To Use:

Use this shampoo like you would any shampoo.  It comes out very liquid-y but foams up A TON once you lather it up (that’s my favorite part!).

I like to follow it up with a properly diluted apple cider vinegar rinse.  Hello, shiny hair!