Last week, Cecelia Strick9 taught us how to get fab beachy hair with coconut oil and sea salt. This week nutrition expert Ilah Jarvis has a recipe for a natural herbal rinse to make straight or wavy hair shiny and smooth!
Herbs for your hair! Clockwise from top: peppermint, chamomile and rosemary
Nothing gives a cheap hippie like me more satisfaction than discovering that an old trick like a vinegar rinse really does clarify, lightly conditions, and detangles like a dream.
This rinse is a great alternative for days when you want to skip the shampoo. The vinegar smoothes hair and gently removes any residue, while the herbs will soothe your scalp. Any lingering vinegar smell will evaporate once your hair dries.
Ingredients:
One cup of white or apple cider vinegar
Two cups of boiling water
Two tablespoons or four teabags of any combination of the following herbs:
Rosemary
Peppermint
Chamomile
Lavender flowers
Note: Rosemary works best with dark hair, while peppermint and chamomile are both great for blonde hair.
30 drops of lavender (balances oil) or tea tree oil (helps with dandruff)
Directions:
Steep your herbs in the boiling water for 20 minutes and allow the tea to cool completely.
Strain out any loose herbs and mix the tea with vinegar in a quart sized jar with a lid.
Add your selected oils and shake your jar vigorously. I recommend transferring this mixture into a small bottle with a squeeze top or spray pump to keep in the shower.
To use:
Wet hair and apply after shampooing as a detangler/conditioner, or on it’s own. Avoid getting this mixture into your eyes! I do like to rinse it out to lessen the vinegar smell. This rinse may not be safe for colored hair. Do a test strand to be certain.
My hair is wavier, shinier and my shampoo gives me better results after I’ve started using this rinse a couple of times a week.
Ilah Jarvis is a certified nutrition consultant, foodie, and an artist with a serious green thumb. She teaches cooking and nutrition classes all over Northern California and founded Eat Better Feel Better (facebook, blog), a private consulting service which offers nutrition support for clients who suffer from digestive issues. Ilah has a serious crafty streak and loves to make her own beauty products, bake gluten-free treats using ingredients from her garden, crochets and quilts better than your granny.
does it bleache your hair a little?