Ditch Conditioner, Use Hair Rinse: 6 Hair Rinse Recipes for Gorgeous hair
Why use a hair rinse?
Hair rinses are literally hair treats!
Homemade herbal hair rinses are packed with plant nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants that help restore moisture and shine to your hair, reduce hair fall, relieve your scalp of dryness, itchiness, or excess oil production, as well as promote hair growth.
The biggest advantage of using a hair rinse instead of a shop-bought conditioner is that it is free from synthetic ingredients, which are present in more or less quantities – whether you use a natural, professional or store-bought conditioner.
Whereas herbal hair rinses are 100% natural, they are basically herbal teas for your hair. Plus, hair rinses are very simple to make, and many of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen or garden.
Here are 6 hair rinse recipes for you to create at home – to boost up the shine in your hair and make it look healthy and bouncy.
6 Herbal Hair Rinse Recipes for Gorgeous Hair
Hair Rinses for All Hair Types
1. Nourishing Reeta (Soap Nut) & Shikakai Rinse
Reetha – shikakai rinse is my favorite. It is cleansing, nourishing, pH balancing, as well as conditioning. Basically, it works as a hair tonic, which can help make your hair healthy, restore its natural luster, and add body to your limp hair. Reetha and shikakai contains high levels of saponins – natural cleansing agents – so you can also use this rinse instead of your regular shampoo or as a post-exercise rinse.
You can use other optionals, such as hibiscus flowers or marshmallow root to enhance the softness and shine of your hair.
What you will need:
- 3 pods of shikakai ( or 1 tsp shikakai powder)
- 1Â reetha berry (or 1/2 tsp reetha powder)
- 1-2 hibiscus flowers (optional, helps add shine and condition)
- 1 tablespoon marshmallow root (optional, detangles and softens hair)
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: see towards the end
2. Conditioning Fenugreek & Mint Rinse
This rinse is nourishing as well as refreshing, and will add life to your dull locks. Fenugreek is rich in natural proteins that provides nourishment to your hair, and help keep your hair shiny and silky. It is also an excellent remedy for hair thinning, shedding, dandruff, and scalp problems. Mint is refreshing and energizing and will give your scalp a tingly feeling. While lemon juice removes oil and soap or hard water residue and gets hair really clean.
What you will need:
- 1Â teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1 to 2 teaspoons mint leaves (dried or fresh)
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional, use for dry hair)
- 1 teaspoon lemon/lime peel (optional – use if you live in hard water area)
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: see towards the end
Hair Rinses for Oily Hair
3. Oil balancing Lavender Rinse
Lavender has a balancing effect on the production of sebum which makes it useful for people with oily hair. It is also extremely healing and valuable in treatment of inflammatory scalp conditions. While witch hazel leaves or bark are astringent and help deep clean oily hair.
What you will need:
- 1 tablespoon fresh lavender flower (or 1/2 tablespoon dried flower)
- 1 teaspoons witch hazel leaves/bark (optional)
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: see towards the end
4. Refreshing Lemon and Mint Rinse
The astringent and tonic properties of lemon make a very good rinse for those with oily hair. It also helps with dandruff, soothes scalp irritation, and revitalizes both scalp and hair. Mint increases local blood flow to the scalp, increasing nutrients to the hair roots. As well as it cools and refreshes the scalp and hair.
What you will need:
- 1 teaspoon lemon/lime peel
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves or 1/2 tablespoon dried leaves
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: see towards the end
Note: Regular use of lemon rinse will lighten your hair.
Hair Rinse for Dry Hair
5. Deep Conditioning Hibiscus and Licorice (mulethi) Rinse
Hibiscus, or Gudhal or Jaswandh, is an excellent all-natural hair conditioner. The flowers and leaves contain mucilage – a slippery, gluey substance – that hydrates hair and provides excellent slip to make detangling easier. Hibiscus also help soothe scalp irritation, lessen grey hair, and reduce hair loss.
What you will need:
- 1 to 2 fresh hibiscus flowers or 1 tablespoon dried flower
- 1/2 teaspoon slippery elm powder (optional, helps soften and detangle hair)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: see towards the end
6. Reviving Marshmallow Rinse
Marshmallow root has high mucilage content which adds slip for easy detangling as well as conditioning the hair. High in plant proteins, this white root nourishes the scalp and promotes healthy hair growth and shine. It also soothes the scalp and aid in healthy scalp maintenance.
What you will need:
- 2 tablespoons marshmallow root
- 2 cups water
How to make and use: See below
How to Make Hair Rinse?
1. Soak the herbs – dried flower/leaves – in water for about 7 to 8 hours or overnight – to release their goodness. But if you are in a hurry or if you are using fresh flowers and leaves then you need not soak and proceed straight to making, as directed below.
Why pre-soak? Pre-Soaking herbs, especially the seeds and pods, helps release more of their properties into the water, and consequently make stronger rinse.
2. Combine the herbs with water in a stainless-steel pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and leave it to ‘steep’ until it cools. Strain out the herbs and use.
3. If you live in hard water areas, add 1 to 2 teaspoon of lemon juice to the cool down mixture. This will get rid of the cal or any product residues from your hair as well add shine and luster to it.
4. If you have dry or damaged hair stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey to the rinse. This will enhance the conditioning effect of the rinse.
5. Feel free to experiment with other herbs and essential oils. That is when you will find a recipe that works best for your hair.
Herbs for oily hair: rosemary, black tea, calendula, chamomile, nettle, lemon grass
Herbs for dry hair: slippery elm, oats, horsetail, elderflower, cloves, lavender
You can also use rice water as a hair rinse. Here’s how to use.
How to Use Hair Rinse?
Apply the rinse on freshly washed hair. Pour the rinse over the hair and massage the scalp gently using a circular motion. If you can, catch the drippings in the bowl and keep pouring them through your hair until they are all used.
Leave to soak in your hair for at least five minutes. Rinse with clean water and let dry your hair naturally.
Use instead of shampoo: If you wash your every day or every other day then use one of the hair rinse recipes instead of shampoo. Herbal hair rinse is a gentler way to clean your hair as well as nourish them. And it’s minus the detergents and preservatives.
Making Large Quantities
Once you have identified which rinse works best for your hair type, you can make large batches to save time.
Without preservatives, the mixture will stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week. After that, it can have moulds and bacteria growing – which may not be visible, but they are still there. If you are making a large quality, the best way to store the rinse, without any artificial preservatives, is to freeze it. You can fill about 3 to 4 ice-cube trays, to last for a couple of months.
Use 2 to 4 cubes depending on the length of your hair. You can unfreeze the rinse cubes by leaving them outside for a few minutes. When in a hurry, I add hot water – about a quarter cup – to unfreeze them. I prefer not to use a microwave as it may destroy the goodness of the rinse.
The regular use of these wonderful therapeutic herbal rinses will make your hair silky soft, lustrous, and gorgeous looking.
Happy Hair!!
Do you use herbal hair rinses? Please share your experience in the comment box below...
