Natural Hair and Body Care

In this week's natural living class we covered hair and body care! To make your own shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, and bath salts you will need:

1. Coconut Oil
2. Castile Soap
3. Olive Oil
4. Essential Oils
5. Water
6. Guar Gum
7. Epsom Salts
8. Baking Soda
9. Raw Sugar

Here are the recipes we used:

Shampoo
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
5 Tbsp. Castile Soap
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil (for dry hair)
10 drops Essential Oil

• Lavender for oily hair
• Cedar Wood for oily hair and to strengthen and thicken hair
• Peppermint for dry hair
• Lemon for oily hair and to strengthen hair
• Mel A (Tea Tree) for oily hair and dandrif

I did not add olive oil, and I used 10 drops of Mel A.

This shampoo is very gentle, you should use about 1/2 tsp. at a time.
Shampoo should be refrigerated if you won't use it up in a week. Otherwise the coconut milk may go bad.

Conditioner
1/4 - 1/3 Cup of Water (use less water for dryer hair/thicker conditioner)
1/3 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Guar Gum
5-10 drops Essential Oil (same as shampoo)

I used Mel A again. I love it's smell!

Conditioner will expire when the oil expires, or the first expiration date of the ingredients.

Body Scrub
3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil - melt
3 Tbsp. Sugar (raw cane or brown sugar)
10 drops Essential Oil

• Lemon to brighten, cleanse, and detox skin
• Frankincense to detox skin
• Lavender for eczema, sensitive, and dry skin
• Orange and Mel A to tighten, firm, anti-aging, and fight cellulite
• Mel A and Purification to fight acne

I chose Orange and Mel A and use it every other day in place of body wash.

Bath Salts

1/2 Cup Epsom Salts

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

10 drops Essential Oils (choose depending on your need)

• Sick: Thieves and RC
• Pain: Peppermint
• Relax: Lavender & Frankincense
• Detox: Lemon & Ginger
• Anxiety: Lavender, Blue Spruce/Balsam Fur
• Sore Muscles: Peppermint & Copaiba
• Energy: Peppermint/Citrus
• Sleep: Lavender & Cedar Wood

I used 5 drops of Lavender and 3 drops of Frankincense for relaxing. This will make enough for two bathes.

I really liked the bath salts and would definitely make that recipe again (even for gifts for friends!) I also liked the body scrub which left my skin feeling SO moist and rejuvenated. The shampoo left my hair feeling very clean and the conditioner was a great texture. However, my hair quickly felt and looked oily, so jury's still out on those.