Ideal for treating weak, greasy, and dandruff-prone hair, Aloe Vera can be used as an essential ingredient to make a do-it-yourself shampoo in the home. Here’s how to do it. Aloe Vera is a plant with countless beneficial properties belonging to the Aloeaceae family. It is no coincidence that it is among the best-known species and is widely used in natural cosmetics. A particularly dense juice is extracted from its leaves with the consistency of a gel, which contains numerous active ingredients with purifying and nourishing properties.
In the context of natural cosmetics, aloe, therefore, becomes a beauty ally, not only for the skin of the face and body (moisturizes, nourishes, and soothes) but also for the hair. In the case of oily hair, for example, green aloe can deeply cleanse the hair follicle, eliminating sebum and without damaging the hair. In the presence of dandruff, aloe eliminates the itchy scalp thanks to its fatty acid content and, consequently, reduces the production of dandruff.
Thanks to its vitamin B1 and folic acid concentration, aloe is also a more than appropriate solution to improve the health of brittle hair or slow down hair loss. Further good news is that making a natural aloe shampoo is simple, and you can do it too within the four walls of your home. You need a few ingredients: vegetable oil, liquid castile soap, glycerin, jojoba oil, and of course, Aloe Vera leaves or Aloe Vera gel. Also, don’t forget to get a large container to mix the ingredients, a cutting board, and a serrated knife.
Do-It-Yourself Aloe Shampoo
To start, cut a thick enough leaf from the aloe plant without obviously damaging the plant; otherwise, you can always buy aloe gel for sale in specialized stores or online, but you want to give the satisfaction of getting everything from your plant. If you opted for the former, hold the leaf in your hand with the cut side facing down to allow the liquid to drain out. Use a serrated knife to remove the skin from the leaf, then place it on the cutting board and cut away, with the knife parallel to the edge of the leaf, the top layer of the skin on the leaf, starting from the thick end.
The gel obtained by scraping the leaf with the knife is transparent and contains all the active ingredients beneficial for the well-being of your hair. At this point, you can pour a quarter of a cup of aloe gel, a quarter of a cup of liquid castile soap, a quarter of a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a teaspoon of glycerin into a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients well and, if you prefer, add two drops of jojoba oil. Your aloe vera shampoo is ready to use. Apply a small amount to your hair, massage your head gently until it produces foam, and then rinse with cold water. Store the aloe vera shampoo in an airtight container at room temperature, and remember always to shake it before use.
DIY Aloe Vera Shampoo
Few ingredients are enough to self-produce a nourishing and utterly natural aloe vera shampoo.
Who said that you have to spend a fortune on expensive beauty products to show off perfect hair? Just a few ingredients and an easy recipe are enough to produce a shampoo and pack at home that will leave your hair shiny and silky, at zero cost and impact. Most of the ingredients in a packaged shampoo are chemical substances, the production of which leaves an indelible trace on the territory and on the skin of those who use them habitually, and the plastic bottle contributes to the excessive production of non-biodegradable residues.
To self-produce aloe vera shampoo, first of all, I recommend that you get an aloe vera plant, which, thanks to its beneficial properties for the skin and the body, will make you comfortable on many occasions. For example, the pulp applied to minor wounds or burns calms the pain, promoting healing and reducing inflammation. It also has fungicidal, hemostatic, and anti-itch action. Growing it is simple. Just expose it in the sun and shade and water it now and then. If you can’t find it in the shops, ask a friend if she has one. It is a plant that reproduces by making new seedlings from the base that can be detached and transplanted.
For a dose of shampoo, you need an Aloe Vera leaf to remove from the plant with a sharp and clean knife and a liquid to dissolve the gel. For this purpose, you can use an infusion of chamomile and a few drops of lemon, ideal for lightening and giving some light strokes to blond hair; or information of nettle, fantastic for fighting dandruff and soothing irritated skin; or even an infusion of rosemary, to tone the scalp and prevent hair loss. Now prepare the shampoo: First, prepare the infusion and let it cool to room temperature.
Cut the Aloe Vera leaf in half lengthwise and peel it to separate the gel inside from the outer peel with a sharp knife. To do this, place half of the leaf on your work surface with the peel down. Then pass the blade between the peel and the pulp, scraping the special gel well. Then put the pulp thus obtained in the glass of the blender together with half a glass of the infusion that you had prepared and blend everything until you get a homogeneous mixture of the consistency of liquid gelatin.
As for the application, I recommend that you let it act as a compression order not to lose the precious properties of Aloe Vera: apply the shampoo starting from the roots and distributing it evenly throughout the hair. Put on a plastic cap (or a bit of cling film) and let it act for about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. After exposure, massage well with a little warm water until a light foam is formed, and then rinse. For an extra shine, perform the last rinse with water at room temperature, in which you have diluted a cup of vinegar, preferably apple.