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Making your own homemade shampoo recipe is so easy. This recipe is made with just three ingredients and can be made in minutes. I love that I can make my own shampoo and cut down on toxins in the process.
I have been making this particular shampoo for years, and it is still my go-to shampoo recipe. I have since created several other shampoo recipes, like my DIY clarifying shampoo to match various hair types, but this one continues to be my favorite for regular use.
I guess that may be in part because it’s made with simple ingredients. This recipe is perfect whether you have curly hair, oily hair, or anything in between!
Before making this recipe, I tried a few different natural shampoos, but after a few months of outrageously priced shampoos, I decided to make my own because it is a whole lot cheaper.
Sure, you can definitely find plenty of natural shampoos, but not without a hefty price tag. I’ve even made shampoo bars, which are a great option for traveling. They are very moisturizing, which is great for dry, damaged hair.
Ready to get toxins out of your home? Grab my ebook with my favorite DIY all-natural products.
Ingredients Needed
- Water: I like to use distilled water, but you can also substitute it for coconut milk with a preservative.
- Castile soap: My favorite is Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap, especially if you are going to be adding fragrance later on.
- Jojoba oil: This is totally optional, and I suggest only using it if you have dry hair.
- Essential oils: I have my favorite blends listed below, or you can leave this shampoo fragrance-free! The choice is yours.
How to Make Natural Shampoo
Step 1: Add the water, castile soap, and jojoba oil to a glass container. (Use an old shampoo bottle, foaming soap dispenser, or a mason jar)
Step 2: Add in essential oils. (I use orange, lime, bergamot, and peppermint)
Step 3: Secure the dispenser top and shake well to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Step 4: Use just like you would any shampoo!
Expert Tips
- This shampoo is thinner than typical shampoo, but it does lather up a ton! Be sure to follow up with an all-natural homemade conditioner. You can also check out my tips on thickening this shampoo below.
- This shampoo will last up to a month when stored in an airtight container.
Best Essential Oil Blends for Shampoo
Citrus mint refresh
- 6 drops wild orange essential oil
- 5 drops lime essential oil
- 4 drops bergamot essential oil
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
Floral bliss
- 6 drops rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 4 drops thyme essential oil
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
The manly blend
- 6 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 4 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 4 drops melaleuca essential oil
- 2 drops bergamot essential oil
Get my homemade beard oil recipe here.
Citrus bloom
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops roman chamomile essential oil
- 2 drops wild orange essential oil
Get my baby shampoo and body wash recipe here.
Why make your own shampoo?
Traditional shampoos are made up of a number of ingredients you will want to avoid.
They generally contain ingredients known to contain endocrine disruptors, parabens, and carcinogens.
Plus, a lot of the ingredients in this shampoo can be used in a number of different DIYs.
The essential oils can be used to strengthen and help with hair growth, or you can use them in your homemade hair serums, DIY hair masks, and even homemade hair growth sprays and DIY hair styling sprays.
What are the best ingredients for DIY shampoo?
Castile soap
Castile soap is a very concentrated, vegetable-based soap. It is typically made out of olive oil or coconut oil.
In this article on Dr. Bronner’s website, they outline several benefits of using castile soap in your DIYs.
Castile soap is a gentle soap that can be used on sensitive skin, and it is very beneficial for the face. You can buy it scented or unscented; I prefer unscented because I will be adding essential oils to this recipe.
Jojoba oil
Jojoba oil is very moisturizing and can be used on the scalp to help with dry or flaky skin.
However, If you have naturally greasy hair, you can leave this out of the recipe.
Essential oils
Probably one of the main reasons people add essential oils to their DIYs, such as this homemade shampoo, is for the fragrance!
But did you know certain essential oils actually have benefits for the hair? According to one article, lavender and rosemary essential oil can be used to thicken, strengthen, and lengthen hair.
Other oils like sandalwood and cedarwood add a warm, earthy aroma, creating a rich and grounding scent in hair care products.
Adding essential oils to your homemade shampoo will also add a scent without synthetic fragrances.
Making the transition to natural shampoo
If you are used to conventional shampoo, you may not like this homemade shampoo in the beginning. It takes some getting used to for you and your hair.
When you first start using a natural shampoo, you may notice your hair seems greasy, flat, fluffy, or just not quite right.
Regular shampoos and over-washing of your hair will alter the natural oil balance and pH levels in your scalp. Your scalp produces oils; this is a good thing.
The oils help your hair to remain smooth, as well as keep your hair from drying out and breaking off.
When you wash your hair, you remove these oils, and your scalp produces more oils. So, the more you wash, the more oils your scalp will produce.
The less you wash your hair, and as your hair gets used to the new homemade shampoo, your oil levels will balance out. Promise!
I used to wash my hair daily, and by the end of the day, it was already looking greasy. Now, I only wash my hair twice a week, and it never gets greasy. It’s amazing!
While you are “training” your hair, dry shampoo can be your best friend! You can make your own dry shampoo powder or DIY dry shampoo spray to help you during this transition.
Tips for Thickening This Shampoo
- Add in arrowroot powder or cornstarch to naturally thicken your shampoo. Start with 1/2 of a teaspoon and add more until the desired thickness is reached. Note: cornstarch is the main ingredient in my DIY cornstarch dry shampoo.
- Oat flour can be used to thicken homemade shampoo. Make your own oat flour by blending up oatmeal in a blender until it has the consistency of flour. Add a small amount to your shampoo and shake well to incorporate.
- Add one tablespoon of baking soda to the shampoo and mix well.
- Vegetable glycerin can help to thicken shampoo and add lather. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more until the desired texture is met.
Please note: If you make any changes to the recipe, you will absolutely need to add a preservative to it.
Recipe FAQs
The ingredients found in this shampoo recipe are safe to use on all hair types. If you notice your hair is tangly, try making the recipe with coconut milk instead of water. Again, you’ll need to add a preservative. Some hair types do better with a homemade rosemary shampoo with coconut milk.
After washing your hair, try rinsing with a DIY apple cider vinegar hair rinse to increase its shine. The mixture can be made with two parts water and one part ACV. This is a great way to cleanse the hair and balance pH levels, too!
This shampoo will last for up to one month. You can add a preservative such as linatural cosmetic preservative or Geogard 221 to extend the shelf life.
Since we’re using Dr. Bronner’s castile soap, it’s fine to use within a few weeks, about a month, without needing an added preservative, even though it’s diluted with water. Just be sure to store it in a clean bottle and use it up within that timeframe.
Related DIYs
- Homemade Conditioner Treatment
- Homemade Hair Toner
- DIY Conditioner Bars
- DIY Heat Protective Spray
- Diy Leave-In Conditioner
If you tried this Homemade Shampoo Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
How to Make All Natural Shampoo
Equipment
- bottle dispenser or old foaming soap dispenser
Ingredients
- 2 oz water, (¼ cup)
- 2 oz castile soap, (¼ cup)
- 0.17 oz jojoba oil, (½ tsp) for dry hair
- 10-15 drops essential oils, optional
Instructions
- Add the water, castile soap and jojoba oil to a glass container. (Use an old shampoo bottle, foaming soap dispenser, or a mason jar)
- Stir well.
- Add in essential oils. (I used 6 drops of orange, 5 drops lime, 4 drops of bergamot and 2 drops of peppermint)
- Secure the lid and shake well.
If I use coconut milk rather than water does the shampoo need to be kept in the fridge? Also, do the essential oils need a carrier oil if you leave jojoba oil out of this? Any recommendations for using vanilla essential oils? 🙂 thanks!
The coconut oil will dilute them where it will be OK to use without the carrier oil. You can store in the fridge for a longer shelf life.
Thanks for the reply! But the recipe says coconut milk, not coconut oil. Which is supposed to be used?
The coconut milk is optional. I explain this in the post.
I just made and used this last night. It works wonderfully! I have also made the face wash, under eye serum, face serum, face toner, face cream and hand soap. I’ve been using these for a few months and I highly recommend them all! I just turned 59 and everyone is always telling me how good I look!
I have also made the laundry soap and all purpose cleaner. Everything so far has been amazing. Thank you so much Laura for all of your recipes!
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for sharing!
I tried making this shampoo with some cornstarch to thicken and it didn’t lather for me at all. Did I do something wrong?
I have never added cornstrach. I would try adding vegetable glycerin to thicken and lather.
Could you add rosemary water instead of oil? And if so, can you give suggestions on how to do that please? Thank you. I was thinking of boiling the rosemary with the water, letting it cool, than adding that as said the water
Hi! Thank you for All of this! Can I put this in a regular comtainer or does it need to be put into a foaming soap dispenser?
The foaming container is best for this recipe.
I have been using the homemade shampoo for months now. I love it and it’s less expensive than commercial shampoos! However I adjusted the recipe some, I use 1/2 cup coconut milk with 1/4 cup Castile soap. I have the essential oils on my to do list and will add them once purchased.
I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Is this safe for color-treated hair? My question refers to the shampoo, the conditioner, and also the ACV rinse.
Thank you!