Today I’m sharing my favorite DIY hair care products and my all natural hair care routine.
My all natural hair care routine
It took me a long time to finally come up with a hair care routine that I was really happy with. I had some strict guidelines! Anything that I’m going to use on or near my body has to be REALLY safe, pure, and natural. So pure you could eat it! Or almost.
Also, I really enjoy DIY. I wanted to be able to easily make whatever I am using on my hair. I like doing this because it puts me in total control of the quality and ingredients, and it saves money.
With those rigid criteria, I got to work creating and testing. Eventually, I came up with a complete routine that I really, really love.
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The wash
For shampooing my hair, I tried lots of different things. Some were sketchier than others! There were commercial shampoos that claimed to be natural, but still had less than ideal ingredients. I also tested so many homemade shampoo recipes that still left my hair greasy. Then there was the no poo method… yikes! Way too harsh.
Eventually I designed my own shampoo bar recipe, and I’ve never looked back. My shampoo bars use 100% grass fed tallow, as well as other ingredients that nourish hair. I love them so much! They lather beautifully, leave hair soft and clean, and smell so good. They are also a very popular product in my shop.
The rinse
After shampooing with one of my shampoo bars, I like to do a shine boosting rinse to reset the ph of my hair. This helps hair to be smooth and shiny. Here’s how I do it: I put 1/4 cup vinegar (either apple cider or white both work, but I do prefer raw apple cider) into a pint jar, and fill the jar the rest of the way with water. After all of the shampoo is rinsed out of my hair, I pour the diluted vinegar over my hair, and thoroughly rinse it out.
Another thing I like to do when I wash my hair is to do a cold water rinse before getting out of the shower. This really helps to close the hair follicle for smooth, shiny, frizz free hair.
Condition
If I feel the need for some extra conditioning and detangling, I reach for my leave in conditioner. I’ll be adding that recipe to my blog very soon. I spray some on wet hair, and comb it through. Sometimes I use the leave in conditioner on dry hair to tame frizz as well. I also love using it on my daughter’s hair for detangling.
Every once in a while, if I want to do a deep conditioning treatment to really moisturize my hair and prevent split ends, I will work a very small amount of my grass fed tallow balm into the ends of my hair. I do this before washing, and let it sit for 20-30 minutes before shampooing it out. It is amazing how soft and moisturized this leaves my hair!
Dry days
Ever since becoming a mom, dry shampoo has become my very good friend. I use that on those days when I need to stretch the time between washings. It works so well, with no nasty chemicals whatsoever. That recipe will be coming to my blog very soon as well.
Detox
If I go somewhere to get my hair cut, and they wash my hair using commercial shampoo, I use my hair detox to quickly get rid of the silicones and polymers from their shampoo and other styling products.
My all natural hair care routine video
What does your hair care routine look like?
Do you make any of the products you use? Have you tried anything really crazy? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it!
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Hello Marisa!
Do you think that the vinegar rinse is necessary after using the shampoo bars? I am thinking about making them and just wanted to know 🙂 Thanks so much! Love your blog and products!
Hi Marissa,
I’ve switched to using the tallow shampoo bars you’ve referred from Buffalo Gal as I’m not able to make my own & love them! I make my own hair rinse similar to your recipe, but you mentioned a leave-in conditioner recipe? Have you posted that somewhere I just haven’t found on your website or Youtube channel? Would love that. I tend to only use the hair rinse, rinse it out and rinse my hair with cold water, but feel I could use more sometimes too.
I’m so glad you like the shampoo bars! Here is my leave in conditioner recipe: https://bumblebeeapothecary.com/leave-in-conditioner-spray-diy/
Hi Marisa;
Thanks for this thoughtful post. I’ve pinned it into one of my boards on Pinterest. I’ve been really thinking about my haircare routine, my hair falls like there’s no tomorrow and I know I could easily prevent this with natural care. I make a lot of my own products but still have to find out a good DIY shampoo (the one I made at my Dermocosmetics course in Spain was giving me scalp problems). Anyway, I was wondering how do you feel about animal derivatives in natural skincare as I can see you use tallow. Is the vegan way something you’ve thought about? I still use beeswax but I will probably stop using it once I finish what I’ve got left at home.
Just wondering, really, to see what other fellow DIYers feel about this issue.
Thanks again!
Patri from OhMightyHealth xx
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And thanks for saving on Pinterest 🙂 I view it this way: If I am careful to use only animal products that come from humane, non cruel, and sustainable sources, I think it is good. There is research that shows that factory farming is bad for our health and bad for the earth, but that animals raised with sustainable practices are very good for us and the earth. 🙂 I did try eating vegan and vegetarian for a while, but it was not at all good for my health. Once I did the GAPS diet and included lots of organic, pasture raised animal products, I became healthier than I’d ever been before. So I know that this is the way for me, and I just make sure to source my animal products responsibly. Also, I do know that losing hair can mean thyroid problems, so you might think about looking into that. Hope that all makes sense!