Natural Shampoo

NATURAL SHAMPOO FOR YOUR HEALTHY HAIR

By Retno Kuswantoro

In recent past year people has used many natural sources for cleansing their hair. For example, in India and Indonesia, a variety of herbs and their extracts are used as natural shampoos. 

Natural shampoos

Natural shampoos

Shampoo is a hair care product, as a part of skin cleanser product, used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair. Shampoo cleans by stripping sebum from the hair. Sebum is oil secreted by hair follicles that is readily absorbed by the strands of hair, and forms a protective layer. Sebum protects the protein structure of hair from damage, but this protection comes at a cost. It tends to collect dirt, styling products and scalp flakes.

Good formulation of shampoo has these qualifications:

Easy rinsing, no damage to hair, minimal irritation to skin and eye, leaves the hair soft, shiny and manageable, and having pleasant fragrance. 

Now people more aware about their healthy and avoid chemicals in almost all their personal skin care product, includes shampoo. Chemicals can cause some troubles, even cancers. So many people follow ‘back to nature’ lifestyle. This is a business chance for some companies. They claim their products ingredients contains “all-natural,” “organic,” “botanical,” or “plant-derived”.  There is no products that 100% natural, because they also contain chemicals too in fewer amount, even they act not as an active ingredient such as BHT and sodium EDTA. An important thing you should understand that ‘natural’ is not exactly the same as ‘organic’ one.

Interested in using natural shampoo? They can use daily, not affect the pH balance of hair, and safe to use on artificially colored hair. Here are some natural ingredients in your natural shampoo:

  • Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and  Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) provide natural proteins for the nourishment and health of your hair
  • Shikakai (Acacia concinna) softens the hair and keeps the scalp healthy
  • Soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi) cleanses hair of excess oily secretions, grime and dust
  • Shoe flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) conditions the hair and promotes hair growth
  • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) stimulates hair growth
  • Lemon (Citrus lemon) cleanses the scalp and restores the natural pH balance of your hair.

Or you can try these natural shampoo receipts from Indonesia and India:

  1. Burned into ash husk and straw of rice (merang). Mixed it with water to form lather. Scrubbed into the hair the ash and lather, and rinsed out, leaving the hair clean, but very dry. Afterwards, applied coconut oil to the hair in order to moisturize it.
  2. Boiling Soapnut with dried gooseberry (amla) using the strained extract. Wet hair, massage a small amount on hair, leave for 1-2 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

It is important to shampoo your hair regularly, because it takes apart of what should people with acne medication caring for their skin.  If you have oily hair, you may want to wash it every day.

July 5, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Natural Skin Care, Your Hair

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