Posts by Rebecca D. Dillon

About Rebecca D. Dillon

Rebecca D. Dillon is a soapmaker, DIY-er and blogger whose life is controlled daily by a dachshund. You can learn more about Rebecca by checking out her bio. Or discover more great skin care & beauty recipes by subscribing to Soap Deli News blog via email.

Free Online Herbalist Course: Making Herbal Preparations (with 33 Herbal Recipes)

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

July 22, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Are you looking for basic herbalism skills you can practice in your day to day life? Then don’t miss out on this free online herbalist course from the Herbal Academy! Available for a limited time only, this free online herbalist course will teach you how herbs are used and prepared for everyday use. By the end of the course, you can begin making your own herbal recipes at home! Keep reading to learn more about this exciting herbalism course. And don’t forget to enroll by July 31st!

How to Get Started in Herbalism

You may have noticed the covers of major magazines when out on your shopping trips lately. Publishers like National Geographic, Time, Newsweek and almost every home, food & fashion publication are talking about herbs! And with good reason. Herbs and herbalism are more than just trendy hot topic buzz words. Herbs can actually play a very important role in our everyday wellness!

Herbal education offers a number of solutions for living a more natural, healthy lifestyle. With a little help from The Herbal Academy, you’ll learn exciting new information and skills that can follow you throughout your entire lifetime. Discover ways that herbs are used and prepared for everyday use. And start making your own herbal recipes at home. All through their free online herbalist course! This course is the perfect entry point into the wild and wonderful world of herbs, covering basic herbal preparations that will help you build your own repertoire of exciting, nourishing formulas.

Free Online Herbalist Course

Ready to give this free online herbalist course a try? The Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course from The Herbal Academy is only available for free registration through July 31, 2019. Course registration will close after this date – and it won’t reopen until next year. You can choose to enroll in either the free online herbalist course by itself. Or take the opportunity to upgrade your course and receive an incredibly practical laminated recipe and herbal preparation tutorial guides with your registration!

Throughout this course you’ll discover herbalists’ four basic categories of herbal preparations along with 12 everyday safe herbs to use at home, and 33 DIY herbal recipes from teas and tinctures to salves and oils! This free online herbalist course will guide you through 7 convenient and compact lessons that are chock-full of hands-on activities, videos, and helpful herbal charts to guide you on your way to making herbal preparations at home. If you’re a beginning herbalist, then this mini herbal course is for you!

What’s Inside Making Herbal Preparations

Designed to bring the world of herbs right into your kitchen, the Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course, provides you with the information you need to get hands-on with herbs while filling your herbal toolkit and knowledgebase at the same time!

Throughout this course you’ll learn the basics of herbal preparations. What they are, why they work the way that they do, when to use them, and of course, how to make them. This course also covers four categories of herbal preparations. This includes valuable information on water- and sweet-based preparations to alcohol- and oil-based preparations as well as detailed, step-by-step video tutorials for each of these common preparations for everyday use.

Upgrade Your Free Online Herbalist Course

To get even more from this free online herbalist course, The Herbal Academy is also offering an upgrade that comes with a 140 page herbal journey planner. So it’s even easier to bring your studies right into the kitchen with these mess-friendly, durable, and incredibly practical laminated recipe and tutorial guides. They’ve compiled the essential hands-on information from all of the lessons in this program into beautifully convenient guides so you can work offline and in your kitchen, practicing your herbalist skills! Simply upgrade your order with the charts when you sign up!

What’s Inside the Free Online Herbalist Course: Making Herbal Preparations

This free online herbalist course provides 3 months of access to 7 instructional lessons on making herbal preparations. You’ll find recipes and tutorial guides, checklist and assignments, reference charts, resource recommendations, video demonstrations and a printable PDF lesson files. You’ll also receive a completion badge in your student dashboard upon course completion. (Sign up here.)

Here’s a breakdown of the instructional herbalism course lessons included in the course.

Lesson #1

Lesson 1 explores how herbs can help us on an everyday basis with some of our most common complaints. It begins with a brief overview of each herbal preparation category that will be covered in more detail later in the course as well as the various solvents that are used in these preparations.

Lesson #2

Lesson 2 takes us deeper into the world of herbs. It covers some foundational principles regarding herbal safety including the various safety categories of herbs, introduces 12 nutritious herbs that are safe for most people, and discusses how these herbs can be used in a variety of ways for everyday situations!

Lesson #3

Lesson 3 kicks off our first herbal preparation category—water-based herbal preparations. This lesson explores water as a solvent and discusses two of the most common types of water- based herbal preparations: infusions and decoctions. It takes a look at the various ways these preparations can be made, walking you through making them from start to finish as well as touching on shelf life considerations and suggested dosages.

Lesson #4

Lesson 4 looks into our next herbal preparation category—sweet-based herbal preparations. This lesson explores various sweet solvents, such as honey and glycerine, and discuss two common sweet-based preparations: infused honey and glycerites. It offers detailed tutorials on making each of these preparations, and takes a look at the shelf life and suggested dosages for each.

Lesson #5

Lesson 5 investigates another herbal preparation category—alcohol-based herbal preparations. This lesson explores alcohol as a solvent and introduces two common alcohol-based preparations – tinctures and liniments. It explores the extraction process for these preparations, provides detailed steps for making each of these preparations, and discusses shelf life considerations and suggested dosages.

Lesson #6

Lesson 6 introduces the last herbal preparation category of our course—oil-based herbal preparations. It begins by looking into how oil extracts herbal constituents from plants, and then explores two common oil-based preparations: infused oils and salves. Tutorials walk you through how to make each preparation from scratch, and the lesson discusses preparation shelf life and suggested dosages.

Lesson #7

Lesson 7 takes all you’ve learned in this mini course and allows you to apply it with 33 recipes, many featuring the 12 nutritional herbs detailed in this course, that you can use for common conditions. These recipes will not only give you practice in making the herbal preparations you’ve learned about in this course, they will also help you to stock your herbal toolkit and give you some experience using herbs in everyday situations.

By the end of the Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course, you will feel more confident in exploring herbal recipes on your own. You will also build a great beginner’s understanding of 12 herbs that you can incorporate into everyday use! Join us for class, and we’re certain you’ll be making herbal preparations at home in no time!

Don’t delay! Register for this online course while it’s offered for FREE! The Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course is only available for registration for 10 days through July 31st and will not be available again until 2020. Enroll here now.

For more information and ideas on living a healthy lifestyle, be sure to check out my boards on Pinterest board. You can also find me on your favorite social media platforms including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: education, health and wellness, healthy living, herbal education, herbal infusion, herbal oil infusion, herbal recipes, herbal remedies, herbal remedy, online course

How to Make Bath Bombs (& A Natural Bath Bomb Recipe with Shea Butter)

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

July 21, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

Have you ever wondered how to make bath bombs? Considering how easy it is to get hooked on using bath bombs, it’s not a surprise that you’d want to learn how to make your own DIY bath bombs. Keep reading to learn how to make bath bombs with an easy, natural bath bomb recipe with shea butter.

It’s not hard to get hooked on bath bombs. Especially if you love taking baths. However, if you’ve tried a lot of bath bombs, then you’ve likely noticed that there’s a big difference between cheap commercial bath bombs and ones that are handmade. As someone with extremely sensitive skin, I can’t indulge in bath bombs made with cheap fillers and synthetic ingredients. They not only cause skin irritation and rashes, but sometimes I’ll itch for days afterwards.

The same is true for soap fragrances. While the soap recipe might be perfect for my skin, the wrong fragrance can totally leave me itching for weeks. So much in fact, that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night scratching. Sometimes pinning down the ingredient that caused an allergic skin reaction can be a challenge. Therefore, I try to stick to natural colorants, scents and ingredients when I make my own homemade soap and skin care products. This is even more important when making bath bombs. Because unlike soap, which causes a reaction even after its been rinsed off, I’m soaking in a tub with that bath bomb for quite some time

Let’s Learn How to Make Bath Bombs

My natural bath bomb recipe is perfect for anyone who suffers from skin sensitivities and allergies. Not only is it made with natural colorants for bath bombs – in this case pink kaolin clay and orange peel powder – it also contains hydrating shea butter and an uplifting essential oil blend. Are you ready to to learn how to make bath bombs? Keep reading to learn no just how to make my natural bath bomb recipe, but also about the skin care benefits of the bath bomb ingredients I used.

What Gives Bath Bombs Their Fizz?

There are two key ingredients that give bath bombs their fizz. They are citric acid and baking soda. When combine, the chemical reaction between these two ingredients creates carbon dioxide. This in turn makes the bath bombs fizz. Some bath bombs, such as the bath bombs made popular by Lush, also contain synthetic foaming agents such sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) or sodium coco-sulfate (SCI.) The addition of these ingredients gives bath bombs amazing bubbles in addition to the fizz.

Tips on How to Make Awesome Bath Bombs

When learning how to make bath bombs, I recommend starting with a simple basic bath bomb recipe. This will give you a feel as to how bath bombs are made and familiarize you with the process. The basic idea behind making bath bombs isn’t difficult. However, there are tips and tricks you need to know when making bath bombs. Otherwise, you may end up with bath bombs that fizz prematurely. Or, in the process of making round bath bombs with a two-piece mold, you may find that your two halves don’t stick together.

Beginners mistakes, however, are easy to make. In fact, I’ve made them myself in the past. Luckily, with a little research first on how to make bath bombs, you can minimize or even prevent making these mistakes entirely.

Formulating Your Own Bath Bomb Recipes

Once you get the hang of how to make bath bombs, you can begin formulating your own bath bomb recipes. There are some basic rules that can help you either create your own bath bomb recipes from scratch or customize and existing recipe.

Tip #1

I recommend using ingredient weights when formulating your bath bomb recipes, rather than unit measurements. Not only is this a more accurate way to create a bath bomb recipe, it also makes it easier to determine the amount of fragrances or other ingredients needed for your recipe as recommended usage rates are provided as a percentage. This will also make it easier to scale your bath bomb recipe up or down at a later date. As such, you will need a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients when you make your bath bombs.

Tip #2

When using baking soda and citric acid as the base for your bath bombs, the recommended ratio is to use two parts baking soda to one part citric acid. If you’d like to use a foaming agent, such as SLSA or even sodium cocoyl isethionate, it should account for anywhere between 15%-25% of your recipe.

You can make bath bombs without citric acid. However, a combination of baking soda and citric acid produces the best fizz. Using lemon juice as a substitute can set off your fizz prematurely. And it can be a challenge in high humidity. While using cream of tartar, reduces the fizz reaction even further. Therefore, if you want to make the best bath bomb recipe, I recommend using citric acid.

Tip #3

Additional dry ingredients are typically added to a bath bomb recipe to prevent premature fizzing. Dry ingredients such as arrowroot powder, cream of tartar, cornstarch and clay can be use based on your preference. I like to choose my own dry ingredients for bath bombs based on the desired result and skin care benefits of those ingredients. These dry ingredients can be added to your bath bomb formulation with or without a foaming agent such as SLSA. When adding dry ingredients, it’s important that they don’t comprise of more than one half of the amount of citric acid in your recipe. Otherwise the fizzing performance of your bath bombs may be affected.

Tip #4

It’s not recommended that you add Epsom salt or Dead Sea Salt to your bath bomb formulations. This is because the magnesium in these ingredients draws moisture from the air into your bath bombs. This in turn can cause premature fizzing. However, I’ve made a number of bath bomb recipes using salt with success. (These bath bomb recipes include my Epsom salt bath bomb recipe for chronic pain as well as my rose essential oil bath bomb recipe. I also have a hidden color bath bomb recipe with magnesium flakes.) By adding a hard butter to your recipe, I’ve found that it does prevent premature fizzing. Just be sure to wrap your creations tightly once they’ve dried.

Tip #5

Rather than using a liquid for making bath bombs, such as witch hazel, I instead use a combination of carrier oils and/or body butters. As I live in a humid area, I’ve found that these ingredients work better at preventing your bath bombs from exploding early due to high humidity. If you prefer to use a liquid rather than oils or butters in your bath bombs, then stick with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol. It evaporates more quickly than witch hazel, thereby making it more suitable for humid climates.

Tip #6

There are a number of options when it comes to choosing colorants for your bath bombs. You’ll learn more about different colorants and how they react in bath bombs – and ultimately bath water – as you experiment more and learn how to make your own recipes. Natural colorants, such as colored clays or botanical powders are one option. While lake dyes and micas are another. If you love a show in your bathtub, like the ones you get from hidden rainbow colored bath bombs, then lake dyes or dyes formulated specifically for bath bombs are the way to go. They will give the biggest color show and won’t leave a colored ring around your tub once the bathwater drains out. Lake dyes typically account for 28-34% of the total weight of a bath bomb recipe.

Tip #7

You should not use food coloring in your bath bomb recipes. Not only can food coloring stain both your skin and the tub, it’s simply bad practice especially if you’re formulating recipes to sell or give as gifts. In addition, it’s also important to note that not all colorants are approved for use in bath bombs. Some green colorants, for example, including green chromium oxide, are not approved by the FDA for use in bath bombs. Therefore you should do your research on colorants before deciding which ones to use. While some colorants can be used in wash off products such as soaps or body wash, it’s not always true for things like lotions or bath bombs where there is a longer exposure time.

On the other hand, for little to no color show, you can use natural colorants or mica powders. Natural colorants, such as the spinach powder and French green clay I used in my natural mango butter bath bombs, are an easy way to create a green color. Alternately, mica powder can be used in significantly smaller quantities than both natural colorants for bath bombs or lake dyes. They’ll give your bath bombs bright colors before they go into the tub, but very muted tones once diluted in bathwater.

Tip #8

If you choose to use skin safe cosmetic micas, then you will need to also use polysorbate 80. Polysorbate 80 works as an emulsifier when used in bath bomb bombs. Soluble in water and alcohol, it binds with the colorants and oils used to make your bath bombs and helps disperse them evenly throughout your bathwater. This keeps any oils or fragrances you used in your recipe from floating on top of your bathwater. It also prevents the colorants used from sticking to both your skin and the tub and it helps glitter disperse more evenly. As such, if you don’t mind using non-natural ingredients to make your bath bombs, polysorbate 80 makes a wonderful addition to your bath bomb recipes whether you use mica or not. The suggested usage rater for mica is 1-2% of your recipe.

Skin Care Benefits of My Natural Bath Bomb Ingredients

Now that you know how to make bath bombs, let’s move on to my natural bath bomb recipe and why I chose to use the ingredients I did.

Having sensitive skin can make it challenge to find the perfect skin care products. From anti-aging skin care to anti-acne treatments, there’s a whole world of potential skin reactions waiting to happen. Therefore, I chose each of the ingredients used in my bath bomb recipe for their specific skin care benefits. These ingredients include orange peel powder, shea butter, pink kaolin clay and an easy, aromatherapeutic essential oil blend.

Orange Peel Powder

Vitamin C is the new anti-aging skin care treatment. However, daily doses of vitamin C serums or creams, while practical for our faces, isn’t quite so practical for our bodies. By adding orange peel powder to your natural bath bombs, you can give your entire body a boost of Vitamin C’s antioxidant benefits. Not only does Vitamin C help stimulate collagen production, it can also help repair damage from free radicals, brighten skin and fade dark spots caused by hyperpigmentation.

In addition, orange peel powder can also help unclog pores, tone skin, diminish the appearance of scars and reduce inflammation. It’s also an effective treatment for body acne. So if you struggle with back acne – or even acne anywhere on your body – adding orange peel powder to your bath can prevent acne breakouts and promote healing.

Pink Kaolin Clay

Pink kaolin clay is a naturally occurring cosmetic clay. Its color comes from combination of both white and red kaolin clays. Suitable for sensitive skin, this natural rose colored clay helps balance out skin and absorb excess oils, while also gently cleansing skin. It also lends my natural bath bomb recipe a pink color. Combined with the orange powder, these two natural bath bomb colorants give the resulting bath bombs a peach-like color.

Refined Shea Butter

Shea butter is hydrating body butter that’s naturally rich in vitamins A and E. Rich in essential fatty acids as well as other vitamins and minerals, shea butter offers a number of skin supporting properties. Commonly used as a natural moisturizer, shea butter is also used as a component in skin care formulations that target acne. I used refined shea butter, which has been deodorized, for my natural bath bomb recipe in order to allow the fragrance of my essential oil blend to shine through.

Essential Oils

Essential oils offer a number of aromatherapeutic and skin care benefits. For my natural bath bomb recipe, I created an essential oil blend containing grapefruit essential oil, sweet orange essential oil and cardamom essential oil for their uplifting and re-energizing properties.

Grapefruit essential oil, specifically, is often used in aromatherapy to combat acne, reduce stress, stimulate circulation, increase energy, enhance mood and improve digestion.

Tips for Making No Fail Bath Bombs

Now that you’ve learned about the ingredients that went into my natural bath bomb recipe, here are some easy tips for success when you’re ready to get started.

Tip #1

As you are working with fine powders such as SLSA or even citric acid, it’s recommended that you wear a face mask respirator or dust mask. This keeps small particles from being inhaled when mixing your bath bomb ingredients together. In addition, nitrile gloves are also recommend. Not only will this prevent colorants from staining your hands, it will also keep the citric acid from burning any open cuts or scratches.

Tip #2

Some ingredients, such as orange peel powder as well as certain essential oils, can cause photosensitivity. Therefore you should take extra care to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing if you plan to spend time in the sun. (You can learn which essential oils are phototoxic along with safe usage instructions for phototoxic essential oils here.)

Tip #3

When using a two part bath bomb mold, it’s important not to pack each side before pressing the two sides of the mold together. Otherwise, the two sides won’t stick together resulting in two half spheres rather than a single solid one. Instead, you should pile each side of the mold loosely with your bath bomb mixture. Lightly compact each side, then pile more of the bath bomb mixture into each side of the mold. Finally, firmly press both sides of your bath bomb mold together. (It’s important not to twist the two sides of mold together when using a round bath bomb mold.) Then gently tap around the edges of the mold with a spoon to release your bath bomb.

For one piece bath bomb molds, use the same process. However, instead of pressing the mold against another half, firmly pack the remaining bath bomb mixture into the mold with your hands. Tap the mold with a spoon to help release the bath bomb if necessary. I suggest you set the molds onto a cutting board, then tap until the bath bomb slides out when the mold is lifted off.

Tip #4

Your bath bomb mixture, once mixed, should be the consistency of wet sand. When picking up a clump of the mixture with your hands, it should hold together when squeezed then dropped back into the container. This is important. If your bath bombs are too dry they may crumble and not hold together. On the other hand, if they are too wet, you may get a premature fizz in addition to having difficulty releasing the bath bombs from the mold.

Natural Bath Bomb Recipe with Shea Butter

Ingredients:

8 oz. baking soda
4.5 oz. citric acid
2 oz. refined shea butter
.5 oz. orange peel powder
.25 oz. pink kaolin clay
.25 oz. arrowroot powder
2.5 mL grapefruit essential oil
1 mL sweet orange essential oil
.5 mL cardamom essential oil
carrier oil of choice, as needed

Instructions:

My natural bath bomb recipe is made using the peach bath bomb mold from this set. However, you’re welcome to use any bath bomb mold of your choosing when making my shea butter bath bombs. Likewise, you can always substitute the essential oil blend I used for my natural bath bomb recipe with a peach fragrance oil at the manufacturer’s suggested usage rate.

Begin by weighing out refined shea butter using a digital scale. Place the shea butter into a heat safe container. Heat at 30% power in the microwave until melted. Alternately, you may also use the double boiler method. Once the shea butter has melted, remove from heat.

Next, measure out the essential oils using a fresh graduated plastic transfer pipette for each essential oil. Then add to the melted shea butter. Mix to combine. Then set aside.

Next, weigh out the baking soda, citric acid, arrowroot powder, orange peel powder and pink kaolin clay into a in a separate container. Mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Now add the melted shea butter with the essential oils to the dry ingredients mixing as you go. Mix until the entire concoction is the consistency of wet sand. If it’s too dry, stir in a small amount of a carrier oil of your choice, a little at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency.

To make my natural bath bomb recipe, pile the mixture into the peach shaped bath bomb mold. Lightly compact the bath bomb mixture into the mold, then repeat the step. Follow by firmly pressing the bath bomb mixture into the mold. Then unmold. Repeat for each shea butter bath bomb until you’ve used up all of your natural bath bomb mixture.

Once your shea butter bath bombs have hardened, wrap or package as desired for personal use or gifting.

More Bath Bomb Recipes to Try

Once you’d tried my shea butter bath bomb recipe, be sure to give one of these other homemade bath bomb recipes a try.

Natural Bath Bomb Recipes

Spinach & French Green Clay Bath Bombs with Natural Colorants
Epsom Salt Bath Bombs for Natural Pain Relief
Lavender & Chamomile Bath Bombs with Natural Botanicals
Homemade Holiday Peppermint Bath Bombs with Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil Bath Bombs with Shea Butter
Lemongrass & Sage Bath Bomb Minis
Natural Cola Bath Bombs with Essential Oils
Rose Petal Vanilla Bath Bombs with Natural Colorants

Creative Bath Bomb Recipes

Fizzing Shamrock Bath Truffles
Cranberry Fig Fizzing Bath Truffles for the Holidays
Moisturizing Bath Fizzy Powder Recipe
Halloween Pumpkin Bath Bomb Recipe
DIY Easter Egg Bath Bombs with Glitter
DIY Mermaid Bath Bombs with Moisturizing Cocoa Butter Shells
Hidden Rainbow Bath Bomb Embed Bars
Hidden Color Pineapple Bath Bombs for Summer Self Care
Rose Essential Oil Bath Bomb Recipe
Homemade Milk & Honey Bath Bombs
Moisturizing Strawberry Milkshake Bath Bomb Recipe

Once you’ve gotten comfortable creating your own natural bath bombs, invite your friends to join in the fun! Learn how to throw a bath bomb party for a girls night in to create self care treats. Or get together to craft homemade holiday gifts for friends and family.

I’m so excited that you’ve chosen to start your natural skin care journey! I hope you’ll stick with me as I continue to share new recipes for natural bath bombs, homemade soaps and fabulous skin care products! You can keep up with my new recipes and healthy lifestyle posts by following me across your favorite social media platforms. Follow me now via Pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: anti-acne, anti-aging, bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, crafts, diy, essential oils, natural skin care, shea butter, vitamin c

Why I Switched to Syndet Solid Shampoo Bars (Plus How to Make Your Own!)

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

July 18, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 1 Comment

Learn the benefits of switching to a solid syndet shampoo bars for both hair health and the environment. Syndet solid shampoo bars work just like a regular shampoo – but better! And, unlike cold process or melt and pour soap shampoo bars, there’s no transition period. Only happy, healthy looking hair from the start! Plus they’re gentle on even color treated hair. Keep reading to learn about the benefits of syndet shampoo bars, where to buy them and how to make them.

Making the Switch

As someone who makes my own bath and beauty products, I’ve tried a LOT of different skin and hair care products. Shampoos, however, were always tricky. Castile soap and even cold process shampoo bars left a lot to be desired. The PH of these products just doesn’t work for hair. Which is why it’s suggested you use an apple cider vinegar rinse afterwards. However, from experience and research, this method can actually damage your hair over time. So I’ll admit, I was super hesitant to try the trendy new shampoo bars made popular by Lush.

The new solid shampoo bars are a different approach to hair care. And they aren’t made with soap at all. Known as syndet shampoo bars, these solid shampoo bars are everything you always wanted from your bottle shampoo. And more! The short and long of it is, shampoo bars are pretty amazing!

What Are Syndet Solid Shampoo Bars?

The term “syndet” comes from the combination of the words “synthetic” and “detergent.” It sounds scary, but with the right combination of ingredients, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. By combining variations of different synthetic detergents, a syndet bar is formed. Syndet bars have, in fact, been around a long time. Dove beauty bars, which were first developed in 1955, are actually the first syndet bar.

The one thing syndet bars are not, however, is soap. Likewise, syndet solid shampoo bars also aren’t quite the same as a syndet “soap” bar such as Dove. Like syndet bars, syndet solid shampoo bars are crafted from a combination of mild detergent based cleansers formulated to wash and care for hair. These shampoo bars are typically formulated with a gentle surfactant such as Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI.) Additional ingredients are then added to nourish and condition hair.

What to Avoid When Shopping for Syndet Hair Care Products

It is important to note, however, that some syndet solid shampoo bars also contain Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Amphosol CG) – which can cause skin irritation – as well as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS.) For example, the solid shampoo bars sold by Lush contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS.) SLS is a harsh detergent based surfactant that can irritate skin which can lead to itchy scalp and dandruff. It also has potentially toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Because of potentially negative effects both on my hair and scalp – as well as the environment – I make sure to avoid shampoo bars containing SLS.

Likewise, I also avoid shampoo bars that contain Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Amphosol CG) as I do have sensitive skin that’s easily irritated by surfactants as well as artificial fragrances. While a milder surfactant, Cocamidopropyl Betaine is made by combining raw coconut oil with 3-dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA.) 3-dimethylaminopropylamine is a known skin allergen and sensitizer that can cause both skin and eye irritation as well as an allergic reaction. Cocamidopropyl Betaine is also believed to be toxic to aquatic life. (Learn more here.)

While ultimately the type of shampoo bar you choose for your hair care routine is up to you, I highly encourage you to take the time to read the list of ingredients before making a decision. After all, you don’t want to swap out your liquid shampoo for a solid shampoo bar that leads to the same concerns in regards to the condition and care of your hair and scalp.

The Many Benefits of Syndet Solid Shampoo Bars

Now that you know what solids shampoo bars are – and what they aren’t – following are all of the many reasons I’m head over heels for syndet shampoo bars.

They lather. Unlike some shampoo bars, such as soap based melt and pour shampoo bars, syndet shampoo bars have a lovely foamy lather that gets hair clean. They also tend to have a better lather than liquid shampoos.
These solid shampoo bars won’t strip hair of oils and they’re gentle enough for even color treated hair. (I use mine before and after henna treatments for my thinning hair.)
There’s no plastic waste with solid shampoo bars because there are no bottles. Therefore these little beauties are zero waste & eco friendly. Plus it’s an easy way to reduce plastic waste in your home.
I can use way less of my syndet bars on my hair than I do for traditional bottled shampoo. Just a few swipes and there’s enough lather to wash my long hair. As a result these bars outlive even a large bottle of shampoo.
Because they’re made using gentle surfactants, they don’t cause scalp irritation. Unlike my liquid shampoos, I found these bars reduced build up and works like a clarifying liquid shampoo. My itchy scalp stopped itching entirely when I made the switch.
Shampoo bars have a lower PH than soap based shampoo bars. Therefore there’s no awkward transition period while your hair adjusts.
Finally, they just work! They do they job they were made to perform better than bottled shampoo brands.

Where to Buy Solid Shampoo Bars

If you’re ready to make the switch, there are a number of handmade bath and beauty artisans that sell homemade syndet solid shampoo bars. Following are some of my favorites – most of which are best sellers on Etsy.

Tea Tree Shampoo Bar from NMJ Handmade Creations (Buy it.)
Vegan Friendly Shampoo Bars from Dirt Honey Soap (Buy it.)
Passionfruit Solid Shampoo & Conditioner from Soul and Soap (Buy it.)
2-in-1 SLS Free Shampoo Bar & Conditioner from Green Living Soap Company (Buy it.)
Orange Peel Shampoo Bar from Mountain Madness Soap, pictured (Buy it.)
Honeysuckle & Calendula Solid Conditioning Shampoo Bar from East Tn Soap Works (Buy it.)
Sea Kelp & Agave Shampoo Bar from Just Soapin’ Around (Buy it.)

How to Make Syndet Shampoo Bars

Already in love with this new way to shampoo your hair? Then take the next step in your hair care journey and learn how to make your own syndet solid shampoo bars! These recipes are a great place to start if you’re not quite ready to formulate your own unique shampoo bars.

Mango Mango Shampoo Bar Recipe from Humblebee & Me
Snowflake Shampoo Bar Recipe from Humblebee & Me
SCI Solid Shampoo Bar Recipe Two Ways from DIY Bath & Body Shop
PH Balanced Syndet Shampoo Bar Recipe from Soap & More
Syndet Shampoo Bar Recipe & Video from Muddy Soap Company
Basic Shampoo Bar Recipe by Susan Barclay-Nichols (aka Swift Crafty Monkey)

Want to personalize your hair care formulations? The School of Natural Skin Care offers a free introductory class on how to become a natural hair care formulator. You can sign up to learn more here. Alternately, It’s All In My Hands offers an introductory guide to formulating syndet solid shampoo bars.

For more hair care recipes, including shine sprays and dry shampoo, visit Soap Deli News blog here. You can also explore more DIY ideas via my Pinterest boards. Also be sure to follow me across your favorite social media platforms including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle

Easy Bath Bomb Recipe with Natural Ingredients for Beautiful Glowing Skin

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July 15, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 3 Comments

This easy bath bomb recipe is crafted with a combination of skin conditioning butters and essential oils. Naturally colored with spinach powder and French green clay, this natural bath bomb recipe not only fights the visible signs of aging, it can also help prevent or clear up back acne. While the other skin care ingredients prevent your skin from being stripped of beneficial oils – a known cause of overproduction of sebum that can lead to oily skin and acne.

Easy Bath Bombs Your Skin Will Love

If you’ve never made bath bombs before, you may have found that first time a little challenging. There are a number of factors that go into making bath bombs, and unfortunately, they can easily be affected by humidity. While you can’t control the weather, there are tips and tricks for making that perfect no fail bath bomb. These tips, in combination with an easy bath bomb recipe, can help guarantee success from the start.

Many store bought bath bombs are filled with cheap, synthetic ingredients. Not only can these ingredients irritate sensitive skin, they really don’t offer any skin care benefits. Therefore, I created an easy bath bomb recipe that contains natural ingredients that skin loves.

If you’re familiar with my previous bath bomb recipes, then you know how much I love using natural butters like cocoa, shea and mango butters in my bath bomb recipes. Including a body butter in your bath bomb formulation makes the finished product more moisturizing. Additionally, you’ll also find that adding butters to your homemade bath bombs helps your bath bombs harden faster. And it can even help them resist the unwanted effects of high humidity. Therefore, I chose to include mango butter in this homemade bath bomb recipe.

Additionally, rather than use mica powder or lake dyes to color this easy bath bomb recipe, I chose to work with natural, plant-based colorants instead. For this particular bath bomb recipe, I used both French green clay and nutrient rich natural spinach powder. When combined, these two natural ingredients give this easy bath bomb recipe a forest green tint. This is, of course, in addition to the natural skin care benefits these ingredients offer.

Skin Care Benefits of Natural Bath Bomb Ingredients

So, just what are the benefits of using these natural ingredients in your homemade bath bombs? And why are ingredients like mango butter, spinach powder and French green clay good for our skin?

Skin Care Benefits of Spinach Powder

Spinach plays an important role in skin care, whether you’re consuming it and incorporating it into your natural skin care routine. Spinach is naturally rich in iron, folate, chlorophyll, Vitamin E, magnesium, Vitamin A, fiber, plant protein, and Vitamin C. As Vitamins C, E, and A have antioxidant abilities, they are are especially beneficial for your skin. These antioxidants destroy free radicals that cause premature aging. Antioxidants can also help fight the visible signs of aging and even out your complexion. Thereby making your skin look and feel more radiant.

Spinach powder is also amazing at reducing acne to promote clear skin. Whether you use spinach powder as a mask, or in my easy bath bomb recipe, you’ll find that it removes both dirt & oil and reduces inflammation for rejuvenated skin. This makes spinach powder especially useful at treating back acne which tends to be more prevalent in the summer, regardless of your skin type, when incorporated into a bath bomb. However, you can also use spinach powder as an added ingredient in both melt and pour soap and cold process soap recipes.

Skin Care Benefits of French Green Clay

As with other clays, French green clay offers a variety of skin care benefits when incorporated into natural skin care products, such as my easy bath bomb recipe. Green, due to its high content of iron oxide and decomposed plant matter, French green clay (also known as Illite clay) is also rich in dolomite, manganese, silica, copper, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc and calcium. Not only does this clay detox skin to remove impurities, it also cleanses and gently exfoliates skin.

French green clay, like spinach powder, is also suitable for oily, clogged and acne prone skin. As it’s a highly absorbent clay, it is able to hold almost equal its weight in liquid. However, there’s no need to be concerned if you don’t have oily or acne prone skin. French green clay is gentle enough that it’s suited for all skin types. Therefore it makes a wonderful addition to facial masks, soaps and deodorants to gently detox and clarify skin.

Skin Care Benefits of Mango Butter

Like spinach powder, mango butter is also vitamins like A and E, essential fatty acids and natural antioxidants. A highly moisturizing plant-based butter, mango butter is light and non-greasy. And, because mango butter is non-comedogenic, it won’t clog pores or aggravate acne prone skin. This makes mango butter suitable for pretty much every skin type – even if you have acne prone skin.

Tips & Tricks for Making My Easy Bath Bomb Recipe

Now that you’re familiar with the ingredients I added to my natural bath bomb recipe for their inherent skin care properties, here are a few tips and tricks to help you create the perfect bath bombs.

Bath Bomb Tip #1

When formulating your own bath bomb recipes, it’s important to add dry ingredients in addition to the baking soda and citric acid that give bath bombs their fizz. This not only helps to bind your bath bombs together, it can also prevent a premature fizz. Dry ingredients that are commonly used for this purpose include arrowroot powder, cream of tartar, cornstarch and clay. Just be sure that the additional dry ingredients don’t equal more than one half the weight of the citric acid called for in your bath bomb recipe.

Bath Bomb Tip #2

Before mixing the dry ingredients for your bath bomb formulations, you should sift them first through a sieve. This will help avoid lumps and bumps in your bath bombs.

Bath Bomb Tip #3

Naturally scenting your bath bombs with citrus essential oils can hinder your bath bombs’ ability to fully dry. You can counteract this, however, by adding hard butters to your bath bomb recipe.

Bath Bomb Tip #4

Use water soluble colorants to color your bath bombs such as lake dyes or dyes specifically formulated for use in bath bombs. Otherwise, if you use micas to color your bath bombs, you’ll also need to use Polysorbate 80 to prevent your colorants from staining the tub or skin. It will also prevent a ring around the tub or floating mica. The recommended usage rate for Polysorbate 80 is 1-2% of the total batch weight and should be added to the liquids prior to mixing the dry and wet ingredients together.

It’s also important to keep in mind that not all green colorants, including green chromium oxide, aren’t approved by the FDA for use in bath bombs. So be sure to do your research on colorants before deciding which ones to use. Additionally, if you are selling your homemade bath bombs, it’s important that you use batch certified colorants.

Bath Bomb Tip #5

When using a two part bath bomb mold it’s important not to pack each side before pressing the two sides of the mold together. Otherwise, the two sides won’t stick together. Instead, you should pile each side of the mold loosely with your bath bomb mixture. Lightly compact each side, then pile more of the bath bomb mixture into each side of the mold. Finally, firmly press both sides of your bath bomb mold together. (It’s important not to twist the two sides of mold together when using a round bath bomb mold.) Then gently tap around the edges of the mold with a spoon to release your bath bomb.

For one piece bath bomb molds, use the same process. However, instead of pressing the mold against another half, firmly pack the remaining bath bomb mixture into the mold with your hands. Tap the mold with a spoon to help release the bath bomb if necessary. I like to set these molds onto a cutting board, then tap until the bath bomb slides out when the mold is lifted off.

Bath Bomb Tip #6

Your bath bomb mixture, once mixed should be the consistency of wet sand. When picking up a clump of the mixture with your hands, it should hold together when squeezed then dropped back into the container. This is important. If your bath bombs are too dry they may crumble and not hold together. On the other hand, if they are too wet, you may get a premature fizz in addition to having difficulty releasing the bath bombs from the mold.

Bath Bomb Tip #7

If you’re new to making bath bombs, then I highly recommend Amanda Gail Aaron’s book, Fun in the Tub: Creating Bath Bombs, Solid Bubble Bath, Bubble Frosting and Bubble Scoops. Amanda, the author behind the blog Lovin’ Soap, shares an array of helpful tips and tricks for making bath bombs in this DIY bath bomb book. In addition, she not only provides a combination of easy to advanced bath bomb recipes, she also focuses on formulation and teaches you how to modify recipes to work in your environment.

Making My Easy Bath Bomb Recipe

Are you ready to try my easy bath bomb recipe with mango butter and essential oils? Let’s get started!

As I formulated my easy bath bomb recipe with only natural ingredients, I chose to scent my bath bombs with a combination of essential oils. This essential oil blend is an uplifting combination of lemongrass (or lemon), palmarosa and bergamot essentials oils. However, you have the option of substituting my essential oil blend with one of your choice. Alternately, if you don’t mind using synthetic fragrances, you can also use a skin safe fragrance oil at the recommended percentage rate. (This is determined by the manufacturer and can vary by scent.)

I used the leaf mold and the small round mold from this bath bomb mold collection for my easy bath bomb recipe. (I cannot tell you how much I LOVE these molds!) However, you’re welcome to use any molds of your choosing.

Easy Bath Bomb Recipe with Mango Butter

Ingredients:

8 oz. baking soda
4.5 oz citric acid
.5 oz. spinach powder
.25 oz. arrowroot powder
.25 oz. French green clay
2 oz. mango butter
liquid carrier oil of choice, as needed
2 mL lemongrass (or lemon) essential oil
1 mL palmarosa essential oil
1 mL bergamot essential oil

Instructions:

Begin by weighing out mango butter. (You will need a digital scale for this step.) Place the mango butter into a heat safe container. Heat at 30% power in the microwave, or using the double boiler method, until melted. Remove from heat.

Next, measure out the essential oils using a fresh graduated plastic transfer pipette for each essential oil. Then add to the melted mango butter. Mix to combine. Then set aside.

Next, weigh out the baking soda, citric acid, arrowroot powder, spinach powder and French green clay into a in a separate container. Mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Now add the melted mango butter with the essential oils to the dry ingredients mixing as you go. Mix until the entire concoction is the consistency of wet sand. If it’s too dry, stir in a small amount of a carrier oil of your choice, a little at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency. (See tip #6.)

To make this easy bath bomb recipe, pile the mixture into your bath bomb mold of choice. Lightly compact the bath bomb mixture into the mold, then repeat the step. Follow by firmly pressing the bath bomb mixture into the mold. Then unmold. (See tip #5 for more detailed instructions.)

Once your homemade bath bombs have hardened, wrap as desired for personal use or gifting.

If you’d like to sell your natural bath bombs, then you will need to follow all labeling requirements for your product. If you aren’t familiar with how to label your homemade bath bombs for sale, then I recommend the book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale.

More Easy Bath Bomb Recipes

Now that you’ve tried my easy bath bomb recipe with mango butter, here are some other homemade bath bomb recipes you can make.

Once you’re comfortable making bath bombs, you can also make rainbow bar embeds for rainbow hidden color bath bombs. You can find the recipe for rainbow hidden color bath bomb embeds here.

For more natural bath bomb recipes, check out my boards on Pinterest board. You can also find me on your favorite social media platforms including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness Tagged With: anti-acne, anti-aging, aromatherapy, bath and body, bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, crafts, diy, essential oil blend, essential oils, french green clay, gift idea, mango butter, natural skin care, self care, stress relief

Natural Remedy for Thinning Hair on Females for Healthy Looking Hair

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

July 11, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 10 Comments

Do you need a simple, affordable solution for thinning hair? This natural remedy for thinning hair on females costs as little as $20 a year! You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple home remedy for thinning hair makes. Naturally build volume and thicken hair while also increasing strength, texture and shine – even if you can’t regrow the hair you’ve lost! It even helps with itchy scalp and dandruff. Keep reading to learn how you can take charge of your hair’s health on a budget with this simple beauty hack that also works as a natural remedy for thinning hair!

There are a number of symptoms that come not just with perimenopause in women, but aging in general. At 44 I’m no stranger to quite a few of those symptoms. While there are quite a few natural supplements we can take to tackle hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping and mood swings, there are fewer options for things like age related hair loss or thinning. Fortunately I found a natural, plant based hair care product that is not only affordable, but really works! I didn’t realize just how well it worked, however, until I stopped using it.

Determined to let my hair grow out and see how much I gray I actually had, I stopped using this product for several months. I quickly discovered gray in places I’d never had gray before. I also realized just how thin my fine hair had gotten since going into perimenopause. Luckily, I knew what to do to remedy the situation. I simply had to go back to the one product I was using every quarter. That product is henna.

Last week, I finally tackled my hair care woes using henna. Not only did it cover the grays that are slowly creeping in, it improved my both my hair’s volume and texture. My hair now looks better than it did in my twenties. In fact, you can’t tell at all that my hair is thinning. The difference in my hair after applying henna hair color is nothing short of amazing. Not only does my hair feel lush, thicker and fuller, it’s also shiny, full of volume with added strength and elasticity. It also looks and feels hydrated. So I can use fewer daily hair care products. Most days I can even skip the conditioner!

The Best Natural Remedy for Thinning Hair

If you’re over the struggle of fighting with your drab, thinning hair or even lack luster hair, henna is the perfect natural remedy! When used as a natural remedy for thinning hair, henna not only improves the texture, volume and health of your hair, it also reduces hair fall out. If that wasn’t enough, your scalp will also notice the change. Say goodbye to itchy scalp and even prevent dandruff all together! But wait. Doesn’t henna dye hair red?

The Benefits of Using Henna for Hair

When people think of henna for hair, they are generally familiar with henna as a red hair dye. However, you can dye your hair with henna in a number of ways. By using a “clear” version of henna, you can dye your hair with no color deposit. Alternately, you custom formulate henna to keep your existing hair color or to go a different shade all together. The trick is simply using other botanical products – such as indigo – to formulate a custom color hair dye. Additionally, the by mixing henna with things like tea or coffee, you can also brings out different tones of hair color. (You can learn how to make custom henna hair dye colors further down.)

Henna offers a number of hair care benefits that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Not only does henna dye hair, it also improves hair health for considerably less than even store bought hair dye. Following are my favorite benefits to using henna as a natural remedy for thinning hair as well as a hair dye.

Henna is completely plant based so you can use it even if you’re vegan.
You don’t need to use any special shampoos or additional products for healthy looking hair.
It’s super affordable. A single application can cost as little as $5 – or half that if you have short hair!
Henna won’t dry out or damage your hair like chemical based hair dyes.
You can use henna without color to enjoy healthy looking hair without changing your look.
In most cases, you’ll find you no longer need to use conditioner.
Henna naturally bonds with hair for thicker, fuller hair and a boost of volume.
Using henna strengthens hair and gives it additional elasticity.
Henna gives hair shine so it looks and feels healthy.
In many cases henna helps with issues such as itchy scalp or dandruff. It also promotes hair growth.
I’ve found that using henna reduces daily hair fall out.
Henna naturally fades out so there are no obvious roots as hair grows.
You’ll find that the benefits of henna typically last for a three month period.
Regardless of your hair type, henna works for everyone and can even cover gray hair.
Henna hair dye is a completely natural botanical product so there’s no need to worry about potentially toxic ingredients.
You can buy henna premade in custom hair colors without having to mix your own botanical blends.

Tips & Tricks for Using Henna As A Remedy for Thinning Hair

Keep reading to learn where you can purchase henna to use as a natural remedy for thinning hair for women. Plus I share the exact same products that I used to color my hair and improve hair health. But first, there are a few precautions and tips for using henna hair color.

If you have color treated hair, you cannot use henna until it grows out and is cut off. Otherwise you may experience a chemical reaction that can damage hair and/or give you an unexpected color.
Always do a strand test first if trying to color over chemically color treated hair or is you spend a lot time in the pool. Chlorine can cause hair to turn green when using henna to color hair.
Henna needs to process for 1-4 hours. Therefore I recommend testing a strand of hair first, so you know how to leave henna on to achieve the color you want.
You can cover gray with henna. If you hair is more than 10-15% gray, you’ll need two applications of henna. Each application should be left on for 2-4 hours. For best results, you should wait 72 hours between applications, with red henna offering the best coverage. For white or very light-colored gray hair, try Rusalki Strawberry Blonde Herbal Henna to give hair a sun-streaked look. (I also recommend Light Mountain Natural Color the Gray henna for gray hair.)
For super dry or damaged hair, you can add a carrier oil or butter to your henna paste. Or try this ready made henna gloss bar for lush, hydrated hair.
Metal can negatively react with henna. Therefore you should not use any metal containers or utensils when mixing henna prior to application.
You can store dry henna powder for up to a year. Alternately, you can also freeze any mixed henna you have leftover for up to three months for touch ups as needed. Or do dye your again a second time around.

Formulations for Creating Varying Henna Hair Colors

If you’d like to enjoy the benefits of henna hair color without a color deposit, you can use a similar botanical called Organic Zizyphus Spina Christi (Sedr.) This product won’t leave any color on your hair – even if it’s white. Sedr conditions hair in a manner similar to that of henna. It provides body, aids in detangling, conditions your scalp and and adds shine.

Alternately you can also use Cassia Obovata or Senna. Senna won’t deposit color on dark hair tones. However it will add golden tones to light colored blonde, strawberry blonde or gray hair. Sometimes referred to as “neutral” henna, senna improves the health of hair by making it glossy, stronger, thicker and dandruff-free. Unlike henna, however, senna must be applied every one to two months.

Alternately, to incorporate additional botanical ingredients in with henna to change the final color, you can follow these henna hair dye recipes:

Golden Tones – 100% Cassia
Marigold Blond Tones – 75% Cassia and 25% True Henna
Strawberry Blond Tones – 50/50 Cassia and True Henna
Copper Tones – 75% True Henna and 25% Cassia
Reddish Brown Tones – 60-75% True Henna and 25-40% Indigo
Brown Tones – 50% True Henna and 50% Indigo (add Cassia to lighten)
Dark Chocolate Brown Tones – 60-75% Indigo and 25-40% True Henna

For tips on mixing your own botanical henna hair colors, I recommend the book Natural Hair Coloring by hair care expert Christine Shahin. Within this book you’ll learn how to use non-toxic pigments from henna, indigo, amla, and cassia to color your hair naturally.

Where to Buy Henna for Hair Care

Ready mixed henna hair color is a great option for getting the color your want without the guesswork. My preference is to buy henna in the color I want my hair to be, rather than make my own. Not only does it mean fewer products to buy, the back of the box shows me exactly how my hair color will turn out. For this look – Yes, that’s me! – I used the medium brown Light Mountain Natural Hair Care & Conditioner. (My hair doesn’t look like it’s thinning now!)

I first discovered this henna hair color brand at my local co-op. I love it not only for the quality, but also for the price. Later I realized I was able to save more money by not only purchasing the same brand online, but in 3-pack. That’s 9 months of hair color. And a pretty good deal if you’re trying to save money without sacrificing your look.

When my hair was shorter, I was able to get two applications from one box of henna hair color. So if you have short hair, you can use half the amount in each package and save even more. You can purchase Light Mountain Natural Hair Care & Conditioner online here.

I’ve also purchased henna hair color from Night Blooming on Etsy (she’s the bee’s knees!) as well as from Mountain Rose Herbs. Both of whom I also highly recommend. You can purchase henna hair dye in varying shades from both of these companies as well in both blends and singular hair care colors.

What to Expect When Using Henna As a Natural Remedy for Thinning Hair

I’ve already covered the natural beauty benefits of using henna for hair care, both as a natural remedy for thinning hair and improve hair’s strength, volume and luster. However, it’s important to note that the results from dying your hair with henna develop over several days, rather than immediately.

Unlike chemical laden hair dyes, henna undergoes minor changes for two to three days after application. During this time, you’ll find the color continues to deepen and intensify slightly. Your hair may also initially feel dry after washing out henna hair color. During this time, your hair will also smell what is akin to spinach. Once this time period has passed, your hair will feel and look totally transformed. And the natural scent of the botanicals goes away.

How to Use Henna for Hair Health & Beauty

Ready to take the plunge into henna hair care? Using henna to color your hair or to improve its condition is easy! You can even do it yourself at home. Here’s how.

Shampoo hair with a clarifying shampoo. Do not follow with conditioner. Towel dry.
Place the henna powder in a glass, ceramic or plastic bowl. Set aside.
Boil 12 to 16 ounces of distilled water, tea or coffee. Pour the liquid onto the dry henna powder and stir. You want the henna paste to be the consistency of yogurt. (If henna is clumpy you can add several heaping Tablespoons of yogurt to the henna for a creamier consistency.)
Allow the henna to cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
Once henna has cooled, apply henna to clean, towel dried hair. (You’ll want to wear gloves for this step.) Start at the crown of your head and apply the henna to your roots first. Then massage the henna outward.
Cover your hair with a plastic cap or grocery bag once hair is fully coated. Leave the henna on your hair for anyone from 45 minutes to four hours. (I usually allow the henna to process for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. However, a strand test is the best way to know how long your hair will need.)
Rinse the henna from your hair using warm water. Once rinsed thoroughly, apply conditioner (not shampoo!) to your hair. Then rinse again.
After 24 hours have passed, you can shampoo your hair. I recommend using mild shampoo such as a syndet shampoo bar.

Have you ever used henna as a natural remedy for thinning hair? I’d love to hear about your experiences. So be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!

More Natural Hair Care Remedies

In the meantime, be sure to pin this post to save for future reference. You can also try one of my other natural hair care remedies and hair care recipes.

For more natural hair care and beauty recipes, be sure to check out my boards on Pinterest board. You can also find me on your favorite social media platforms including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, hair care, hair color, hair conditioner, hair dye, henna, henna hair color, herbal remedies, herbal remedy, home remedies, home remedy, natural beauty, natural remedy, thinning hair, vegan