Natural DIY Hair Spray with Rosemary and Mint
I recently spent a night at a hotel with an outdoor saltwater soaking pool. I didn’t see much of the hotel itself because I could not convince my body that there was even one good reason to leave the buoyant 102°F saltwater paradise. I braided my hair ahead of time with the—in hindsight ridiculous—idea that maybe I could keep it dry, but by the time I finally conceded I needed to go to bed, it was thoroughly wet. So I toweled it dry-ish, ran a brush through it, and fell into bed for a deep, restful sleep. I woke up in the morning to voluminous hair that had fabulous waves. As I stood in front of the mirror blinking in confusion, it dawned on me that I had inadvertently given my hair a sea salt treatment… which reminded me that I could do this at home for significantly less money with DIY sea salt hair spray!
Because sea salt hair spray mimics seawater—working its way inside hair cuticles, absorbing moisture, reducing frizz, and enhancing natural waves—a DIY salt spray is an easy way to embrace the kind of beachy volume and texture you get after a dip in the ocean or a walk on a windswept Oregon beach with salt spray blowing through your hair.
DIY Dry Shampoo Recipes for Dark & Light Hair
There has been a lot of buzz lately around DIY and natural hair care. In the previous weeks, we’ve shared no-poo recipes, DIY hair rinses, and fermented rice water treatments. A perfect pairing to all those homemade hair care products is having a dry shampoo to get you in between “washes.”
Dry “shampoos” are created to work without water, and there has been a long history of people using powdered herbs, grains, and natural cosmetic clays to remove excess oil and dirt build-up. These ingredients naturally absorb oils and can then be brushed out without causing damage to the hair or scalp. Dry shampoos can also be a good option for folks who want to shampoo once or twice a week, using powders between washings to keep hair fresh, full, and manageable. They also come in handy when packing for camping trips and outdoor festivals!
We’ve created two different powders, one dry shampoo for dark hair (made with cocoa or carob powder) and another for lighter hair colors, but you can adjustment ingredients to suit your needs. Both shampoo blends are built around a base of organic tapioca powder, a super lightweight starch that becomes pretty much invisible once applied.
DIY Detangler & Anti-Frizz Spray Recipe with Marshmallow Root
Whether your unique mane coils into bouncy ringlets, twists into wild waves, or cascades down as straight as a pin, you’ve undoubtably experienced bad hair days. On too many occasions to count in my life, I’ve stumbled out of bed in the morning and glanced into the mirror to find a sight only explainable by a bird crafting a nest out of my frazzled locks overnight. After reaching for every fancy spritz and spray buried in my cabinets, I’d more often than not be left with relatively tamed frizz, greasy roots, and a wafting heavy perfume fragrance that was less than desirable. Inevitably, I would succumb to the classic slicked-back ponytail or throwing my mop of hair under a big hat on days such as these.
7 Best Herbs for Natural Hair Care
Since time immemorial, people have looked to herbs to support healthy, beautiful hair. In the modern world, however, mainstream haircare products are typically made from chemicals: including sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, formaldehyde, phthalates like DEHP, and other toxic ingredients. When we use these products, we increase our exposure to potentially harmful chemicals every time we wash and/or style our hair. It behooves us to take a look at natural herbal haircare practices. As well as being chemical-free, the best haircare herbs are time-tested; they have been used by humans for thousands of years. Herbal blends, infusions, extracts, and other botanical formulations bring the power of nature to nourish and stimulate the scalp, strengthen and moisturize follicles, soften hair, restore shine and bounce, help with manageability, and more.
For many of us, the prevalence of chemicals in our hair and skin care products has become personal. Diagnosed multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) have increased by over 300% since 2008. Symptoms can include skin rashes, burning or watery eyes, increased or irregular heartbeat, migraine headaches, dizziness, asthma symptoms, breathing issues, swollen lymph nodes, muscle or joint pain, and more. Worse, some of the chemicals regularly used in over-the-counter haircare products are known endocrine disruptors and are linked to cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic issues, and problems in pregnancy. Regular use of these products exposes us bit by bit to chemicals that accumulate.
Herbalist Tips to Beat the Summer Heat
Many of us are ready for fall, but the truth remains that we are still in summer and it is hawt! With the heat and sun come sunburn, heat rash, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. There are things we can do to prevent these from happening and natural remedies for when they do.
Why Do We Get Sunburn?
Sunburn is an acute inflammatory response by the skin in reaction to excessive exposure to sunlight. The harmful changes that occur in the skin cells’ cytoplasm (a gel-like substance that is between the cell membrane and nucleus) and the nucleus itself are cumulative over a lifespan and can lead to an increased incidence of skin cancer. Sunburn is common in this era of popular outside summer activities and clothing styles that leave more skin exposed to the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays. We’ve all had that burning sensation after being in the sun too long. While limiting sun exposure is the most reliable method of preventing sunburn, we do want to be able to bask in the sun, don’t we?
Herbal Hair Care & Natural Hair Color
When I say “herbal hair,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Confusion? An image of someone who rarely takes care of their locks? Or maybe even a slight understanding of the magick of apple cider vinegar as a rinse? To me, herbal hair is the alchemy between humans and the earth. The delicate dance between caretaker, gardener, and healer. Beauty rituals that comfort our souls and release our grip and dependence on man-made products. At the root of it all, herbal hair care can nourish our scalps and color our locks, simply by using flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds. This can be in the form of a hydrosol mist, a leave-in spray, or an infusion of jojoba oil and rosemary for scalp nutrients.
Natural Shampoo Recipe With Herbs
Many people want to get away from conventional hair and skin care products for two important reasons; they are full of unpronounceable synthetic ingredients that make it nearly impossible to know what we’re rubbing all over our bodies, and those over-the-counter products are packaged in materials that often can’t be reused or recycled. A lot of us first came to herbalism looking for natural, DIY alternatives. But in regard to skin and hair care formulations, it’s often not so simple.
Hot Oil Treatment for Hair
When it comes to hair care, a routine of deep conditioning can make a huge difference in the health and appearance of your hair and scalp. Choosing the right oils is one of the key parts of this process, so I have broken down some of my favorite oils for hair care and shared a luscious hot oil treatment that I formulated for weekly use.
I called upon coconut, argan, neem, and castor oils for this blend. These are staples in my household, and I love the versatility of using them for hair care, skin care, and even pest control (as is the case with neem oil).
