Homemade Shampoo

I have really long, thick hair. I'm talking...my hair reaches the small of my back when I let it down, and I often break even the thickest of hair rubber bands when I attempt to throw my hair up in a ponytail. Because of this, buying shampoo has always been an expensive chore, and I always seem to go through it much faster than most people. It did not take me long to get tired of spending $20 or $30 a month on shampoo, but I was not about to cut off all of my hair! That is when I found this recipe for homemade shampoo! 

Here is what you'll need:

1 gallon of either brewed herbal tea or water
1/2 cup of baking soda
1/4 cup castile soap
3 tbsp xanthan gum  (baking isle at Walmart)
Essential oils (about 30 drops- I use tea tree oil), optional

Place herbal tea bags and water into a microwave safe bowl. Heat water just until it is steaming and there are little tea bubbles on top. Let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the baking soda. Careful, it will fizz up. Let this mixture cool. Then mix in xanthan gum a little bit at a time. After the gum, stir in the castile soap. Let the mixture cool completely, then add any desired essential oils. 

I saved a couple bottles from my old store bought shampoo and use them to store my homemade shampoo. You could also buy pour bottles from a craft store or store  your shampoo in milk jugs. 

You can play around with different scents by using different essential oils and different types of tea. One I have heard of is chamomile tea and lavender oil.