Hair and Scalp Part 2: Shampoo and conditioner substitutes

Eggs, vinegar, clay, tea, rice water, this cleans your hair? Yes it does! And these things don't weaken the hair strands as they’re being used. All of the ingredients listed in this post are natural and cost less than bottles of shampoo and conditioners and support scalp health by balancing the PH to help to heal skin conditions like dandruff and psoriasis, or even just an itchy dry scalp. 

In the 1800s women washed their hair with water only a few times a month, typically in a washbasin at room temperature with eggs or clay powder that would nourish and strengthen the lengths of their hair, and using tea or infused oils to keep their hair clean between washings was not uncommon. 

Shampoo substitutes:

1. Rhassoul or Bentonite clay powder. These are detoxifying because they draw extra oils and chemicals out of hair and skin. It can strengthen the hair shaft instead of wearing it out more like conventional shampoo! Using this consistently has made my hair far less prone to breakage. 

Clay hair wash: 

• ¼ cup clay powder 

• 2 cups warm water

• Optional 1 cup of aloe vera juice

• 5-10 drops of optional cleansing essential oils that simulate blood flow to the scalp and hair growth (peppermint oil, lavender, tea tree, rosemary) 

Mix very well and pour into an applicator bottle or narrow mouth jar. Pour slowly onto wet hair and massage thoroughly from roots to ends. Let sit for several minutes then rinse out. If needed follow with apple cider vinegar hair rinse to remove extra clay. 

2. Apple cider vinegar. I typically use this when my scalp is oily because it can be too drying on the ends of my hair. It’s PH balancing, kills bacteria, removes extra oil, increases blood circulation, and helps exfoliate dead skin. It doesn’t have a particularly nice smell, but it can be diluted extra and used in a spray bottle to wet hair after combing, leaving it feeling softer and cleaner.  

Vinegar hair rinse:

¼ cup apple cider vinegar diluted in 2 cups of water. Use in applicator bottle, large spray bottle, or narrow mouth jar, massaging onto scalp. Rinse thoroughly when finished, the sharp smell doesn’t last long!  

3. Egg whites. This was very commonly used mixed with a small amount of sugar to gently scrub oil, dust, and dirt from the scalp. Organic, free range raw eggs have far less bacteria in them and can be safely used to wash your hair! I’ve even used egg whites directly as hair gel.

4. Egg yolks. The yolk is heavier and full of protein that strengthens the hair shaft and can speed up hair growth by nourishing the scalp. It acts more like a conditioning wash though, so don’t depend on it to remove oil like the clay does! You can use the egg whites and yolk together (well beaten) to clean and condition your hair. 

Egg hair wash:

Beat two eggs thoroughly then slowly pour onto scalp, massaging in the same way you would use shampoo. Let sit for a few minutes then rinse. Follow with apple cider vinegar rinse to remove any extra egg! 

5. Dry shampoo. This is not my favorite way to clean my hair, but it was a common historical way to remove extra oil. Homemade dry shampoos can be made very easily and applied with a large makeup brush, but depending on the color of your hair, white powder that doesn’t brush out entirely won’t look so good. For quite a while as I was giving up washing my hair entirely I used only dry shampoo… maybe two times a week at most. It works but I dislike the messy dusty feel it leaves. 

Homemade dry shampoo:

• 4 tbsp baking soda 

• 2 tbsp corn starch 

• 5-8 drops of peppermint and lavender essential oil

• Optional 1 tbsp of Rhassoul or Bentonite clay powder

Mix well and store powder in a small water tight container. Apply to dry hair roots lightly with a large make up brush then comb or brush remaining powder out. If you’re as messy as me with applying it, this is best done outside or over the sink, 

Conditioner substitutes: 

1. Rice water! This is very popular for hair growth and shine, and it seems to work best on straight fine hair. The plant starch rinsed off dry rice grains is really nourishing and leaves my hair feeling smooth and soft. 

Rice water conditioning rinse:

Let 2 cups of organic white rice soak in about four cups of water for a couple minutes. Stir and strain. The water should be very cloudy! (Don’t waste the rice afterwards, cook it :)

After washing hair, rinse slowly with the rice water and let it sit for close to five minutes before rinsing again. I’ve found that the more often I use rice water, the more it conditions my hair, frequent use will give better results than a one-time try. 

2. Herbal teas. There are several common herbs you can use that soften hair and aid in growth and scalp health. I typically make a lot of tea, store it in the fridge and use a spray bottle to apply it to my hair before bed. Because these homemade teas don’t have any preservatives, keep it in the fridge if you don’t use it up right away, the leaf particles can quickly grow mold otherwise. 

Herbal tea hair spray:

• 3-4 tbsp of any of the following organic, dried herbs: Rosemary, Linden, Peppermint, Chamomile, Oatstraw, Raspberry leaf 

Boil four cups of water and pour over dried herbs in a glass container, let steep for 5-15 minutes then strain with a cheese cloth or clean kitchen towel. Apply to hair using a spray bottle and store extra tea in the refrigerator! 

3. Oils. These all boost hair growth and condition the lengths of your hair– applied lightly after combing or heavily overnight as a hydrating and repairing mask.

Heavy oils I use overnight before washing with clay and vinegar are Coconut oil for split ends and dry flaking skin and Castor oil for hydration and strength. Light oils I use in small amounts weekly are Apricot oil to protect dry hair and Jojoba oil that strengthens hair and promotes scalp health. 

Homemade flax hair gel:

My dad uses this all the time. We boil it down thickly and add essential oils like tea tree peppermint and lavender to preserve it, then store it in the refrigerator. Depending on the consistency you want it can take up to half an hour to simmer. 

• ¼ cup organic flax seed

• 2 cups filtered water

• Optional citric acid powder for a preservative

• 5-7 drops essential oils of choice

Boil water in a sauce pan, add flax seeds and citric acid, stirring constantly and simmering for at least fifteen minutes. (If you stop stirring the seeds like to stick to the pot and burn) Strain seeds out of gel and add essential oils after it’s cooled. Please store in an airtight container in the refrigerator! Let me know your thoughts! Have you ever done any of this before? Next week I’ll wrap up the series with a post on foods that support scalp health and hair growth.