Another first.

What do you get when you mix honey, water and a drop of peppermint essential oil, or vinegar, water and a drop of peppermint? Turns out you get two products that do a pretty decent job of washing and moisturizing hair. I finally decided to try DIY natural shampoo. There are lots of recipes out there, but I wanted to try something simple with products that I could already find in my home. The raw honey wash was pretty simple, just two ingredients, water and honey,(I decided to add the essential oil.) Then I also found many recipes that used Vinegar, and I remember several friends have tried vinegar washes too. I ended up choosing to try both. A big part of the reason for two is because all of the vinegar recipes mentioned the softness and the shine, but I also really wanted to try the honey.

The wash test. I don't have much to say for the honey wash except that it tastes pretty good as it runs down your face. It also smells nice with the peppermint in it. My hair did not really feel any different from pre-wash to post-wash. To be fair I did not give it much of a chance since I used another wash right after. I think I will most likely try the honey wash again, alone and see how my hair looks and feels once it is dry.

The vinegar wash is a whole different story. Immediately my hair felt softer. Since my hair is curly if I do not use some type of conditioner I have a frizzy tangled mess. With the vinegar I could tell immediately that I would not have to worry about the tangles. I even braved the cool water rinse to boost the shine.

The result, I do in fact have very soft, very shiny hair. So soft that I keep running my fingers through it, which usually spells puffy wild hair, not today the curls are still intact. My hair has never felt so clean and light.  Usually it feels heavy after using commercial chemical shampoos. There are a few negatives. My hair does look a little greasy, even though it is not even a little bit greasy. Second even though everyone says you won't smell like vinegar. I still smell it. It is not horrible or overwhelming, but it is there. It might be because I used white vinegar, it might be because I have an overly sensitive sense of smell. I don't think the smell will stop me from using the hair wash though, I am too pleased with the softness and shine.  

The recipes: 

Honey Wash
1/2 cup Water
3 Tbsp Honey
1 drop of your preferred essential oil

Heat the water to melt the honey.

Vinegar Rinse
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1-2 drops of your preferred essential oil.

Rinse with water as cool as you can stand to increase the shine. 

Many blessings to you on this fine evening--Kate