I’ve been making homemade hair care products since I was in grade school.

My very first homemade hair care recipe was a fresh lemon juice spritz applied to my hair before I sat in the sun.

Did my lemon blonding recipe work?  Nope.  Not only did it not lighten my tresses, it actually dried them to a crisp.

Although many people recommend lemon for lightening hair, it doesn’t work.

In some cases such as hair lightening there may not be a homemade hair care recipe.  Homemade recipes are not necessarily the end all and the be all of hair care.  It wish I could say it was, but it isn’t.

Over the years I’ve tried a myriad of homemade hair care recipes in the following categories:

1.  Pre-shampoo treatments
2.  Shampoo Recipes
3.  Post-shampoo treatments & rinses
4.  Deep conditioning treatments
5.  Hair color enhancers
6.  Home hair color removers
7.  Leave-in conditioners
8.  Detanglers
9.  Hair thickeners
10.  Styling products
11.  Dry shampoo products
12.  Hair loss treatments
13.  Scalp treatments
14.  Range of oil treatments for head, scalp, roots, strands and ends

Rules Of Homemade Hair Care Recipe Creation

Over the years of homemade hair care recipe creation I’ve learned some tricks which make it a lot easier to get mazimum benefit from my home hair concoctions.

I’ve listed my own personal rules of hair care concocting below:

1.  When trying out a recipe for the first time I make the smallest amount possible as a test case.  Since some of my recipes were major flops, I’ve learned to go slowly before I deem a new recipe a true success.
2.  If possible I buy organic ingredients to make sure the hair care products are as pure as possible.
3.  Storage jars should always be sterilized and freezer safe.
4.  Some recipes sound strange.  If the ingredients seem odd or impossible to locate, search for a more user friendly recipe.
5.  Just like commercially made products, not all homemade hair care recipes work for all people. 
6.  Select recipes most compatible with your hair type, texture, condition, hair length and current needs.
7.  Once you find recipes which work great for you always limit how much you make in advance.  The fresher the ingredients and the recipe, the better it will work.  Instead of making enough for several days make only enough for one or two.  If you must make a big batch in advance, try freezing the ingredients and then mixing them right before use.
8.  When using eggs only make a batch big enough for one application.  Always take excellent precautions when making eggs since raw eggs can contain salmonella which can be transferred from hands to the mouth.  I try to avoid recipes with raw eggs but when I must use them I always keep my hand meticulously clean.
9.  Oil can become rancid if not store properly.  When buying oils for your hair consider keeping them stored in the coolest location in your house.
10.  When adding essential oils make sure never to apply them directly to the scalp or skin.
11.  If a recipe requires teas it’s best to use loose teas instead of tea in bags.
12.  Use a stove or double boiler in lieu of a microwaves whenever possible.
13.  When heating ingredients always allow them to cool before applying to avoid burning fingers, scalps or skin.
14.  Make sure that any hair dyes will not permanently stain skin.

Baby jars and Mason jars are some of my favorite containers for storing homemade hair products.  Both types of glass jars can be frozen without breaking and the clean baby jars are perfect for individual treatments.

It you really wish to make larger batches, freeze the recipe and consider adding natural preservatives.  Some ingredients such as coconut oil and shea butter will last a long time without going bad.  Regardless, always check your ingredients to make sure they are extremely fresh.

When in doubt throw it out.  Always use your judgment, take your time and be willing to bail out if the recipes turns out badly, smells funny or feels bad on your tresses.

More Information

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4. Organic Hair Care Versus Good Hair Care?
5. Dry Hair Care
6. At-Home Hair Care Solutions To Try For Shiny, Fatter And Brass Free Strands
7. Luxuriously Seductive Skin Care From Hush Hush Essentials
8. Are Hair Products For Curly Hair Different From Those For Other Hair Textures?
9. Handle Highlighted Curls With Care

This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 9:28 pm and is filed under alternative treatments, Beauty Beat, Blonde hair color, Body Beat, Damage, Diet & Exercise & Health Stuff, Grooming, Hair, Hair Color, Hair Growth, Hair Loss, Hair Recipes, Hair Styling Tools, Hairstyles, Hairstyling Tips, herbs, Long Hair, Naturally Curly, Shampoo Treatments, Skin, Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.