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Hair Treatments from the Kitchen

Homemade hair treatments are much cheaper than store bought ones. Often they provide comparable results and sometimes their results are even better. Another benefit of these types of treatments is that they're completely chemical free and eco-friendly. Homemade hair treatments can be created using just a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen cupboard. It's a good idea to have a collection of cleaned and empty shampoo bottles to store your homemade treatments. Plastic storage containers work well too.

Chamomile Shampoo

You'll need four bags of Chamomile tea or a handful of fresh Chamomile flowers, four tablespoons of pure soap flakes, one and half tablespoons of glycerin, one and half cups of water. Boil the water. Steep the teabags for 10 minutes or the fresh flowers for 20 minutes. Remove bags or flowers. Add the soap flakes and stir until they soften. Mix in the glycerin. You may want to use a hand blender to make sure the shampoo has a smooth consistency. Let cool and transfer to a bottle.

Hair Conditioners

Honey Conditioner. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of honey into four cups of warm water and stir well. Rinse wet and freshly washed hair with the honey water. Dry and style hair as usual.

Rice Deep Conditioner. Moisten six tablespoons of long grain white rice with just enough hot water to soften it and create a thick paste. Apply paste liberally to hair. Make more paste if you have longer or thicker hair. Soak a towel in hot water and wring it out wearing gloves. Wrap towel around your head and let the rice deep conditioner set for 15 to 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse your hair. Style as usual.

Banana and Honey Deep Conditioner. Mash one large overripe banana to a smooth paste with a fork. Add one tablespoon of liquid honey and mix well. Apply the mix over your hair. Put on a shower cap or tie a plastic grocery bag around your head. Cover with a towel and let the mix set for an hour. Lightly shampoo and rinse.

Wheat Germ Conditioner. Mix one teaspoon of lemon juice (bottled or fresh), one cup of warm water, one teaspoon of wheat germ oil, one tablespoon of milk, one egg yolk and one tablespoon of glycerin. Be sure to beat the egg in a separate bowl with a fork before adding it to the other ingredients. Massage the mix into the hair. Rinse with lukewarm water. For extra hair shine, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the rinse water.

Hair Gel

Dissolve one teaspoon of unflavored gelatin in one cup of warm water. Allow to cool until the mix sets to the consistency of store bought gel. Keep refrigerated between uses. For a more flexible hold, use ½ teaspoon of gelatin instead.