Homemade Shampoo

It's not really all that crazy when you think about it. Have you ever read the ingredients list on the back of a bottle of shampoo? If I can't pronounce it or have any inkling what part of God's creation it came from, then I have a hard time putting it on my head, the house for my brain. Do I make everything homemade? Uh...(hahahaha!)...no. But because, for years, I've scoured the countryside (granted, an exaggeration) looking for hair care products for my children that did not contain cancer-causing parabens, and I didn't have just a whole lot of luck, I finally came to the realization that it can't be that hard to make myself. And, oh yeah, it helps to read a really great blog called Passionate Homemaking, written by a really clever au naturel gal who tries these things out and then vouches for them. 

My entire family started using this homemade shampoo back around March and, after all this time, I can safely and confidently say that it is good stuff. It lathers. It cleans well. It rinses out easily and beautifully! It saves us money. It doesn't cause me to fret over what chemicals are being absorbed into my beloved family members' largest organ--their skin! And I can't foresee us ever going back to the bottled kind.

So here's how it's done.

You'll need:

1 cup Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild castile soap

2 Tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

3/4 Tablespoon tea tree essential oil and Vitamin E essential oil (a combined 3/4 Tablespoon, that is)

1/4 cup water

I just funnel all the necessary ingredients into a spray bottle. (This shampoo must be sprayed on, as it's very liquidy--nothing like traditional shampoos.) You'll need a decent spray bottle. And voila! That's all there is to it.

Using the baby mild soap means you can use it "across the board" at your house (from Daddy to baby), but it's also unscented, which is a good thing since the tea tree oil is pretty strong all by itself. I actually like the invigorating effect the scent has on me, especially since, on any given morning, I'm the bleary-eyed mama trying to face a day of cleaning and corralling after not much sleep. Ahem... It helps me wake up a bit.  ;)

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.