Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Hair, Natural Conditioners

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Apple Cider Vinegar as a Hair Conditioner

Magneto (Eastern NC) on 12/23/2023
5 out of 5 stars

I've tried ACV and it seemed ok. Recently I tried approximately 50/50 of water and white vinegar and my hair is soooooo soft! I don't even need conditioner anymore! I've switched to using kids shampoo which is so much gentler. I'm hoping to try borax shampoo solution soon.

Mama's Curly Hair Remedies

Mama To Many (Tn) on 10/09/2020
5 out of 5 stars

Hi!

It turns out that I have curly hair and have been doing all of the wrong things for a long time.

My daugther has wavy hair and read a bunch to figure out how to best take care of her hair. She convinced me to read, "Curly Girl, " as she was convinced I had curly hair under my menopausal frizz.

I didn't finish the book but read enough to make changes that have really helped my hair.

My hair used to be very, very straight. I spent a lot of money in the 80's to achieve curly hair. But pregnancy and age changed my hair a surprising amount.

In the last 10 years my hair has gotten thinner and frizzier. Turns out I have been dehydrating it dreadfully by shampooing it every time I shower, which is once or twice a day. I have tried countless natural shampoos. I have tried borax and baking soda and all kinds of stuff but nothing helped my hair to look better.

I now shampoo my hair twice a week. I still shower every day. When I finish my shower I put conditioner in my hair (not on the scalp), carefully "comb" it with my fingers and leave it in. I gently towel dry it with a t-shirt. I don't comb it. I put another leave in conditioner for curly hair in it and scrunch my hair with my fingers. That's it. The two conditioners keep my hair hydrated (apparently.) No frizz. Its astonishing.

This isn't exactly a "natural" remedy. But it may be the answer to anyone else who is dealing with frizzy hair that is actually frustrated curly hair!

~Mama to Many~

Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse

Kay (Hibbetts, Ohio) on 05/17/2018
5 out of 5 stars

For what it is worth... I rinse my hair with organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother, and sold in glass bottles); a 50/50 mixture with water. But I do not rinse it out. The vinegar odor quickly dissipates and my hair is very shiny when dry. In my experience, organic apple cider vinegar sold in plastic bottles does not produce the same results and does not smell organic.

Here's a Great Recipe For Dry Hair, But I Need Help With Oily Hair

Oily Head (Europe) on 11/28/2017
5 out of 5 stars

This is a cure that I love, but I am also looking for advice if anyone has any regarding my excessively oily hair.

I have really fine, oily hair, which is also prone to dryness and a very dry scalp. I have found a cure for the dryness which is a Honey & Cinnamon mask.

1/2 Cup Honey
2 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Coconut oil
1 tbsp Castor Oil

I usually leave it on for 6-8 hours, once a week, and it has transformed my hair with just 3 applications.

Sadly, I am still prone to excess oil (and I mean excessive). Some men have issues with 5 o'clock shadow, and I get a 5 o'clock oil slick. I only wash my hair every 3 days, and by day 3 I can just about collect this oil and turn it into an alternate biofuel source. I have tried everything. No Poo (baking soda & ACV) method, not washing my hair at all for months, oil masks, special shampoos, only washing with conditioner, not using conditioner at all, you name it. Nothing has worked.

This is not new. I have had this problem since puberty, and hence have had a good 3 decades of trying every 'cure' under the sun.

I have a healthy diet (very rarely, if ever, eat junk food). I use ACV almost every day, coconut oil, and take make sure I get all the vits and minerals I need.

I've never had acne, or excema, or any other issues related to skin really. Just the oil slick that is the mop on my head. I'm either going to have to resort to washing my hair twice a day, or just try and make the wet look happen.

Has anyone else found anything that has worked for them with excessively oily hair?

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse Worked on Dry Hair

Crabby Apple Pi (Minnesota) on 07/24/2017
5 out of 5 stars

I use ACV for everything but never, ever considered pouring it over my dry hair. After reading the posts from people who use ACV in their hair I went to the kitchen sink, more to prove that it wouldn't work for my problem. I shampooed, then poured diluted ACV over my hair and let it sit for about a minute. At this point I'm thinking it won't work because my hair felt dry when I poured the ACV solution into my hair BUT as I was rinsing I could feel my hair soften and turn silky...with nothing but water and vinegar?! I dried my hair as usual and my hair is soft and healthy with not the slightest trace of the dryness that has plagued me for 2 years. Shut up!

All Natural Homemade Hair Spray

Mama To Many (Tn) on 12/23/2016
5 out of 5 stars

My daughter was out of hair spray so she found a recipe online and made her own.

1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

She put this in a little spray bottle and said it worked better than store bought stuff!

You could add a drop of your favorite essential oil if you like.

Not only is this cheaper than anything I could have bought, it has no harmful chemicals in it and is not harmful to the environment.

~Mama to Many~

Lavender Oil Spray for Detangling

Suseeq (Sydney, Australia) on 01/26/2016
5 out of 5 stars

I found by putting a little bit of lavender oil in a spray bottle full of water to spray on hair to detangle hair gets knots out and make hair smell lovely, note best to use soluble oil

Coconut Oil as Natural Hair Conditioner

Lou (Tyler, Tx) on 05/24/2015
5 out of 5 stars

Put lots of coconut oil in your hair on a day or evening when you don't have to be somewhere the next day, as it is difficult to rinse out and may appear greasy. Cover your head with a dollar store shower cap (throw away). You will have very bouncy hair the 2nd time your wash it! I have even left it in all night and put a towel on my pillow (just in case). It's AWESOME!

Natural Hair Conditioner

Julie R (Phoenix, AZ) on 09/14/2014
5 out of 5 stars

Castor Oil and Coconut Oil

I have used this 3 times in the last two weeks as a pre-shampoo conditioner. The mix is 50-50 each oil. I add several drops of rosemary oil but I think that could be optional. The castor/coconut oil mix has no adverse scent, and you're going to wash it out anyway.

1-2 hours before shampoo, start with the ends, getting them well-saturated but not dripping. Work the oil up the shafts and finally onto - and into your scalp, adding more oil if necessary.

Gather hair and cover it with a plastic bag or shower cap, another covering on top for good measure if you like (I use a plastic bag + stocking cap).

You may want to shampoo twice depending on how sudsy your shampoo is. I shampoo twice.

Result? My hair went from extremely dried out, super thin, super frizzy (like pubic hair - yuk! ) to thicker, glossy, and smooth wavy hair. No lie. I am thrilled!

From what I have read, you can use straight castor oil but it is very thick and hard to wash out. The coconut oil thins it and is also good for your hair.

This is what I would recommend as an extremely effective, totally non-toxic hair conditioner - to anyone. Try once a week, then adjust, depending on your results.

I also follow my shampoos with a rinse made of 1 C ACV, 1 C green tea, and 2-3 capsules of nettle leaf. But I was using this prior to the castor/coconut oil and did not have these great results. Can't hurt, though!

Baking Soda, Borax and Mayonnaise for Hair and Scalp

Anon (Anon) on 12/10/2013

First I combined equal parts Borax and Baking Soda, doused head with water, scrubbed in powder, rinsed with water, sprayed on white vinegar. I got a horrible tangled mess of straw-like hair, which is waist length. I poured dilute apple cider vinegar on it, 1 tsp in 2 cups water, nope. I tried egg to moisturize it, it wasn't enough. I tried mayo, which worked well near my scalp, but the ends were hopeless no matter how much mayo I used. I poured apple cider vinegar on it but the mayo didn't rinse out well enough. I even tried peanut butter on the crispy dry ends, no go. I rinsed it all in water, toweled it off, put hand lotion on the ends and brushed it though and dried it. The section near my scalp was much to oily from the mayo, another Borax scrub did not remove it. I used Dove bar soap, and more hand lotion for the dry ends, though the mayo helped considerably with the majority of the dry mess after I stood under the hot shower and squeezed the oils down the rest of the hair. I tried the apple cider vinegar "shampoo" once, it was gorgeous the first day, not so much when I did it the next day.

I also scrub my body with Borax and Baking Soda mixed. Scrubbing with Baking Soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar makes you feel really good. I scrub my face with it too, and put apple cider vinegar on after, the pores on my nose are still black, though it's been maybe a week. My face feels so smooth and clean after though :) And none of that weirdness from chemical soap. Thank you, God :)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Lloyd (Charlotte, Nc) on 09/29/2013
5 out of 5 stars

On the use of Apple Cider Vinegar as a hair rinse and left to dry overnight... Well I've done that when hair was just lifeless and dry. Even when using conditioners. Just now did it again. Let it soak on hair to the point it was nearly dripping... Very wet but not dripping. In the past when I did it, next day hair had a sheen was very managable.

Can't recall if I read it from Dr Jarvis' book on ACV "New England Folk Medicine" which I read about 20 years ago. That book is what got me started on the amazing world of ACV.

Natural Hair Straightener Recipe

Shine (Gabs, Botswana) on 08/05/2013
3 out of 5 stars

Worked Temporarily

Use one can of Coconut Milk, two teaspoons of olive oil, three tablespoons of juice from a lime, and start with one tablespoon of cornstarch (add more as needed).

The mixture did not permanently straighten hair nor but it helps hair straighten better and it seems to help fight against humidity.

Apply to hair and let it sit for a few hours. Rinse with water and a little shampoo and then rinse with conditioner. Let hair air dry and then style as usual.

Coconut Oil

Della (Inland Empire, California USA) on 01/30/2013

I hope this will help me. My hair comes out in combs full. It is thin and has broken out very short on the right side. The left side grows out very long.

Elembe (Uppsala, Sweden) on 11/15/2012

Buttermilk Hair Conditioner (finally, a non-oily natural conditioner! )

Â½ cup organic buttermilk
2-3 Tbsp. Plain organic yogurt (full-fat, not lowfat)
1 egg yolk (no whites)
2-3 drops of a complementary essential oil (e.g. , lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, peppermint or tea tree)
-----

My hair is more fine than coarse, and a lot of homemade hair conditioners contain oil that leave me with greasy hair. I have treid several of these oil-based conditioner recipes over the past year, and my hair remains oily after 3, 4 or 5 washes especially since I shampoo only with homemade soapnut liquid, which is gentle compared to most store-bought (even "natural") shampoos.

This buttermilk conditioner works great for me. My hair is soft, shiny and full after I use it. It can be used daily although it's not necessary for me to use it that often.

The essential oil is optional, primarily included so your head doesn't smell like buttermilk afterward.

If you have coarse or especially dry hair and really want some oil, you could of course add a bit of coconut or olive oil to the mix.

To use: Mix together buttermilk, yogurt and yolk. Warm the mixture by setting the glass/jar of it in a bowl of very hot water for a few minutes, stirring well once or twice. Then add the drops of essential oil. Massage into hair from scalp to roots, covering entire head. Leave on for 15-30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and (optionally) natural shampoo.

Horsetail for Faster Hair Growth

Farrah (Middletown, California Usa) on 09/05/2012

I am no expert, however, we did a wild harvest of horsetail last summer and gave it away to the women at the goddess temple with the disclaimer that it was NOT for internal consumption... if anyone knows it to be safe internally I would like to know...THANKS!!!

Lisa (Lafayette, La) on 09/03/2012
5 out of 5 stars

Francisca from France: I believe I remember you commenting on the condition of your hair once, and have been thinking about you since I found this great remedy for my own hair - I was suffering slight hair thinning, and began using borax instead of commercial shampoos and rinsing with citric acid for the last 6 months or so. I read that borax opens the hair shaft and leads to a feeling of greasiness after the hair is dry, not to mention leaving it in a vulnerable "open" state. Hence, the rinsing with approx. 1-2 teaspoons of citric acid (find it in the canning section of Walmart), mixed with roughly 2 cups of water, to close the hair shaft back up. Then I thought, what if I add some conditioner while my hair is in that vulnerable, open state? So I tried it, and it worked!

My protocol: I mix approx. 2 Tablespoons Borax in a pint of water. Pour over head. Let sit for minute or so. Rinse with plain water. Hair shaft is now in "open" state. Massage good, heavy duty "repairative" conditioner into hair from ear level down, since scalp area is not damaged. Let sit for 2 or so minutes while shaving legs, finishing shower, etc. Meanwhile, mix my citric acid rinse in my little plastic coffee canister, pop lid on and shake to dissolve. Pour half of this over head, from scalp to conditioned ends. I believe this helps "seal" cuticle of hair while conditioner is still in there. Then I rinse well under running water, getting all conditioner out, then use the other half of the citric acid mix to pour over conditioned part of hair AGAIN. Rinse again with plain water. End of procedure. I have been doing this for a few weeks now, and my hair, which is bra strap level, is looking like it did 20 years ago, actually shiny and manageable! (I am now 48). I am thrilled with this, and wanted to share. Thanks!

Castor Oil Promoted Faster Hair Growth

Jennywren (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) on 03/09/2012

Right, well I have been experimenting with castor oil for a month now, and one of the things I've been doing with it is rubbing it into my scalp 2-3 evenings per week. I leave it on overnight (putting a towel on my pillow so it doesn't get it oily) and shampoo it out in the mornings and condition, etc as normal. I mix it with a little sweet almond oil as it's very thick and gloopy, but olive oil or any cold-pressed oil would be fine. You don't need much!

I've been doing this because my hair is very thin, especially at the crown, where my scalp can easily be seen. Apparently it's meant to thicken hair, promote new growth and grow hair faster after a couple of months' use.

So after 4 weeks.. There's been no new regrowth alas but it has made my hair feel a little thicker and stronger. The biggest thing has been the growth, which isn't really what I was after! I got my roots coloured blonde at the hairdresser the same day I started with the castor oil, which ended up being a complete waste of money because after two weeks of using the castor oil treatment I had regrowth of about an inch. Doh! :)

Cat (Tauranga, New Zealand) on 01/25/2012

Does anyone have any tried and true remedies for faster hair growth? I have fine, blonde hair that breaks off easily on the ends (due to some bleaching which I've now stopped) but my rate of hair growth is also very slow and wonder if there's anything that would speed it up and maybe thicken it. I'm 46 years old, consume a lot of organic foods, rarely ever eat processed, weight 55kg, very clear skin, drink alcohol only occasionally, don't smoke etc etc.

At the moment, I'm taking Folic Acid, Evening Primrose capsules, Fish Oil, Spirulina, Kelp and tissue salts. I have previously taken Biotin but found it did nothing except cost me money. I have also started using Castor Oil mixed with Organic Coconut Oil (which I use for pulling) and massaging it into my scalp... I'm yet to notice a difference... Any other answers would be appreciated. THANKS (great website)!!

Cat

Egg Yolk, Olive Oil to Condition Hair

Clarity (Los Angeles, Ca) on 01/06/2012

To Francisca.... My grand-mother would mix and egg yolk with a few drops of Olive oil, apply to dry hair, wrap the head so you maintain your own body heat for a couple of hours, then rinse with cold water. Depending how dry your hair is, reduce or increase the Olive oil. The protein in the egg will rejuvenate the hair. Can be used for natural or dyed hair.

Homemade Hair Tonic

Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 07/19/2011

I have found this recipe for a hair tonic in one of my books but I am not sure whether it is good to use spirit for the hair. The recipe is as follow: 50ml of surgical spirit (or flower water if the hair is very greasy but mine is not), not carrier oil or lotion, 10 drops of Cedarwood essential oil, 10 drops of Junpier EO and 15 drops of Rosemary EO. Anyway has ever used such a tonic? I don't know whether to try it or not.....