Treat Yourself with This Easy DIY Shampoo

Want to try making your own DIY shampoo? Like many of the self-care items you can make yourself, you’ll be surprised how easy it is! And you’ll love that you can make custom formulas for a buck or two per bottle as a special treat for yourself when you want to add something new to your at-home beauty regimen.

Oh, and did we mention that this is a green DIY shampoo recipe? That’s right — good for your locks, environmentally friendly, and incredibly inexpensive, all in a bottle that will take you just a few minutes to mix up.

Now that we’ve got you excited, let’s get started.

Use this base recipe to make all kinds of custom DIY shampoos

The basic recipe that you’ll need is super simple:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable-based liquid castile soap
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil (more on this below)

Got it? Good — but before you start mixing, let’s talk about that oil. If you have oily hair, you can leave it out of the recipe entirely. Or, you can choose a different oil entirely to create a super-luxurious shampoo.

Some examples:

• Argan oil has lots of essential fatty acids, which help tame hair and make it more manageable.
• Olive oil helps strengthen hair.
• Jojoba oil has essential fatty acids, and it’s a great moisturizer — it can help soften hair and restore shine.
• Marula oil is a light oil that won’t weigh hair down, and it’s a powerful moisturizer for brittle, dry, or frizzy hair.

All of that means that you can omit the oil entirely if you’re worried about greasiness, go with the veggie oil in your pantry, or add an oil of your choosing to get certain benefits.

Once you’ve decided which oils to use, all you need to do is mix the ingredients and pour them into a bottle. Be gentle as you’re mixing — if you mix too vigorously, you’ll make lots of suds.

What else can you add to DIY shampoo?

There are lots of shampoo recipes out there — and even recipes for a DIY shampoo bar. Most of those recipes (with the exception of bars, which differ slightly) use the same basic ingredients.

But, there are a few mix-ins that you can swap in whenever you want to create your own spa-worthy formulas. For example, you can add some aloe, which helps control excess oil and itchy scalps while strengthening hair with amino acids and vitamins A, B12, C, and E.

You can also go nuts with essential oils if you want. Add a couple of drops for fragrance or replace the oil in this recipe with a mix of essential oils that offer targeted benefits. Here are a few to consider:

• Lavender oil is an antimicrobial that is good for your scalp — and it’s known to reduce stress and help skin cells regenerate.
• Peppermint oil has a scent that will wake you up, and it can also make your scalp feel cool and tingly, which is an awesome sensation when you need a refresh.
• Lemongrass oil is a powerful dandruff fighter.
• Clary sage oil strengthens hair and helps increase hair growth.

The bottom line is, read up on your favorite essential oils and skincare ingredients — there’s a good chance you can add them to your DIY shampoo to create your own custom formula.

Save money on everything you’ll need to make your own DIY shampoo!

Need a cute bottle or some cool ingredients you can add to your recipe? Be sure to check your Coupon Book Finder for savings and deals on everything you need for self care. And be sure to let us know in the comments about your custom shampoo recipes so that we can try them out, too!