About a year ago….
Me: ARG! This No Poo Hair thing is driving me nuts! My hair feels like straw and I can’t help thinking I should be shampooing my hair!
Ron: Then shampoo your hair already.
Me: (whining) NOO! You don’t get it. If I shampoo, I’ll just ruin the whole thing and will have to start over.
Ron: Well, why not whip up some kind of potion to wash your hair that won’t undo what you’ve done. Problem solved. (short pause) What’s for dinner?
Me: (frowning, cuz he’s right) Yeah, maybe. Let me do some research….
And that is how I came up with my Aloe Honey No Poo Recipe for “I just gotta wash my hair” shampoo.
Aloe Honey No Poo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 c of homemade aloe gel (learn how, it’s easy! NOTE: You can skip the Vitamin C & E since you will be using it right away) or purchase aloe gel online (16 oz. for less than $6 bucks)
- 2 TBS Honey
Directions
- Combine all in your mini-food processor or blender. Make as smooth as possible. You don’t want any aloe chunks left in your hair.
- Take straight to the shower and shampoo. Leave on for a few minutes (the longer the better) than rinse out completely with water. That’s it.
UPDATE 3/27: For those of you wanting to grow your own aloe vera, you can order aloe vera plants
online from Amazon for about $5 (Who knew? They really do have everything.)
Notes
1. If you make a big batch, it will only keep in the fridge for up to 3 days – so only make what you need.
2. Can be used in between No Poo’s.
3. I have never used store bought aloe gel since I grow my own I tried ready-made aloe gel and found that it gives the same amazing results as fresh. Just make sure you get a quality aloe gel (not one with dyes, fragrance and alcohol).
Benefits
Feels kinda like real shampoo (kinda)
Is really good for adding moisture to your hair
Makes hair shiny
Can help shorten your transition phase if you are dealing with cotton/strawlike hair
Why It’s A Great No Poo Recipe for a No Poo Shampoo
If I’m going to go to the effort to make something I want to know why it’s good for my hair. That way I can adjust the ingredients and understand the reason for the results I get after I wash. Knowledge is power – that’s what momma always said.
Not just for hair care, aloe is great for burns (including sun burns), soothing dry skin and more!
Aloe Vera Benefits For Hair
- Relieves Itchy Scalp
- Reduces Redness & Imflammation
- Adds luster, shine and strength
- Promotes new hair growth
- pH balacing
- Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
- Natural humectant
- Help with dandruff, psoriasis and seborrhea
Promotes Hair Growth
Aloe contains enzymes that are able to slough off dead skin cells and sebum (the oil your scalp naturally produces) on the scalp that could be clogging your hair follicles. By clearing the follicle of this debris your new hair is free to grow! Aloe is also alkaline and helps to bring your scalp into a more balanced pH – which also creates a happy environment for new hair growth.
Relieves Itchy, Dry Scalp, Dandruff and Scalp Psoriasis
Aloe vera gel helps retain moisture and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities, in addition to the exfoliating abilities mentioned above. This makes it a great weapon against the very things that cause itchy, dry scalp, dandruff and psoriasis. Simply put, it helps to exfoliate the dead skin and sebum build-up that bacteria and fungus like to feed on it. Any “beasties” left on your scalp are then usually destroyed by aloe’s anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. In a study reported in Archives of Dermatology more than 80 percent of the patients treated with aloe vera showed improvement in their scalp psoriasis. If you are suffering from itchy, dry, no poo scalp aloe will help!
Aloe Vera Nourishes and Conditions Hair
Aloe gel has a similar chemical composition to keratin (that’s the protein in hair cells) which enables it to penetrate the hair shaft (root to tip) more easily, according to Diane Gage, author of Aloe Vera: Nature’s Soothing Healer
. Aloe’s essential amino acids give your hair luster and strength.
It only stands to reason that the longer you leave the Aloe Honey shampoo on your head, the more time it will have to work it’s natural magic on your scalp and hair.
Honey Benefits For Hair
- Promotes new hair growth
- Natural humctant
- Anti-bacterial (some Native American tribes were known to put honey on wounds to help prevent infection)
- Excellent source of vitamins and minerals
- Relives itching and scaling
- Tastes good (okay, not really a concern for your hair, but instead the person with the hair who likes to lick the spoon)
Promotes Hair Growth
Honey promotes hair growth in much the same way aloe vera gel does. It creates an anti-bacterial environment where the beasties that feast off of your dead scalp cells and sebum cannot thrive. Excess buildup of skin cells and oil can clog the follicle and prevent new growth from reaching the surface.
Honey is Hydrating
A natural humectant, honey provides great hydrating effects for your scalp. This helps relieve dry, itchy, flaky scalp. A 2001 study held at the Dubai Specialized Medical Centre had patients who were experiencing hair loss, scaling and itchy scalp rub honey onto their scalps for 2 – 3 minutes per day. The results were the same for every patient; they all experienced relief from the itching and less hair fall-out.
Can Help Shorten Your No Poo Method Transition Phase
The one-two punch of aloe and honey provide help to create a happy scalp for happy hair (not to mention all the great things aloe does for your hair as well). What is noteworthy is that the exfoliating abilities of the aloe gel became evident during my personal No Poo journey. It wasn’t until after I started using my Aloe Honey No Poo Shampoo that I noticed white, waxy, cylindrical shaped “flakes” in my hair. I can only assume it was the aloe breaking down the years of build-up from long term product use and commercial shampoos. This lasted about a week. Once all the gunk had “broken free” from my hair – my days in the transition phase were numbered. No Poo nirvana was right around the corner.
Do have any tried and true No Poo recipes? If so, please share them at our No Poo (no shampoo) & Low Poo Hair Care Group or include them in the comments below.
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