This week, another one of my recipes was featured on CoconutOil.com. This recipe for homemade coconut milk shampoo and body wash is awesome! I love it and am completely hooked. It leaves my hair feeling soft, smooth, and conditioned. Read my full article below. P.S. There is SOOOOOO much awesome coconut oil information on CoconutOil.com that I really, really encourage poking around the site!
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by Jessica Espinoza
CoconutOil.com
For anyone who wants to live a healthier life and reduce their exposure to toxins, the first place to look is at our health and beauty products. Commercial products like shampoos, body washes, and soaps are often loaded with toxic chemicals that, with long-term exposure, can create a variety of health problems.
Finding replacements for these products can sometimes be frustrating. Making your own versions of them at home is the best way to control the ingredients and the quality of the end product. Plus, it is often more cost effective to make your own health and beauty products.
This recipe started out as just a shampoo recipe, but after using it on our hair, we quickly realized that it made a wonderful body wash as well. Long gone are those bottles of shampoo and body wash with 20, 30, or more ingredients. This homemade product works just as well, if not better, and only had 3 base ingredients, plus whatever essential oils you might want to add. You end up with a safe, non-toxic product that the whole family can use.
The three versions that I am sharing are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scent combinations. There is such a variety of essential oils available today, that you really can tailor the flavor combinations to suit your own preferences. Today, we will make tea tree shampoo (for dry, flaky scalps), an herbal blend shampoo and body wash, and a citrus vanilla mint shampoo and body wash.
It might seem strange not to have a conditioner to follow your shampoo, but I have found that my hair feels soft and smooth after using this coconut milk shampoo. I have no problems with tangles and my hair combs out easily. If you feel like you need a little additional conditioning, you can use a few spritzes of an apple cider vinegar (ACV) solution (1 cup of ACV and 1 cup of water). You could also use a very small amount of virgin coconut oil.
Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo and Body Wash
Shampoo / Body Wash Base:
1/2 cup of Tropical Traditions organic virgin coconut oil liquid soap, unscented
1/3 cup homemade coconut milk
2 tsp. sweet almond oil
Mix all three ingredients together and place in a shower-safe bottle. I like the small plastic pump bottles or squirt bottles (look for BPA-free bottles). Before each use, you will need to shake the bottle gently to get the ingredients combined again, as the coconut milk will separate as it sits. When using, you don’t need much. Depending on the length of your hair, as teaspoon might be the most you need. This shampoo lathers richly and a little goes a long way. For a body wash, use a little on a wash cloth or a shower pouf. The shampoo and body wash should keep 2-4 weeks in the shower.
Tea Tree Shampoo
1 batch of the shampoo base
15-20 drops tea tree essential oil
10-12 drops chamomile essential oil
3-5 drops patchouli essential oil (optional)
Herbal Blend Shampoo and Body Wash
1 batch of the shampoo base
10 drops rosemary essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
6 drops chamomile essential oil
4 drops peppermint or spearmint essential oil
Citrus Vanilla Mint Shampoo and Body Wash
1 batch of the shampoo base
15 drops vanilla essential oil
10 drops sweet orange essential oil
6 drops peppermint essential oil
I like to purchase my essential oils from Vitacost.com. I have found their prices are much better than what I can find locally. If you sign up through this link, you can receive a $10 off coupon and I get one too!
Read the full article here: http://coconutoil.com/homemade-coconut-milk-shampoo-and-body-wash/
Want to go completely no ‘poo like I did (and I LOVE it!)? Then read this post on “Kicking the ‘Poo to the Curb: How to Go No ‘Poo“.
This post is part of Fill Those Jars Friday | Fresh Bites Friday |
Delicious Obsessions was founded by Jessica Espinoza in 2010. Jessica is passionate about real food, natural living, and more. She helps people see how to eat nourishing food, without breaking the bank. Her motto is "baby steps" -- making small, lasting changes, one at a time, is the best way to ensure long-term success. This website contains "affiliate links" where appropriate, on which, I may earn a small commission or referral fee on your purchase. This has no effect on your price. The monies earned help maintain and support this website's hosting, maintenance, and the development of free content. The content shared on this site is for informational and educational purposes only. Statements/products discussed have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or illness. Please consult your own health care practitioner before making changes to your current diet or before beginning any herbal or vitamin supplement regimen or exercise program.
Think I am going to have to try this. I have a good store-bought version finally (that’s not toxic), but I am still trying to reduce my plastic consumption. Making at home is the way to go.
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What do you do to preserve this? I’m not sure it’s smart to mix such a large batch all at once. Homemade coconut milk will spoil very rapidly, if left in a warm, moist environment, regardless of what you’re mixing it with (castile soap).
Elle – This recipe will keep 2-4 weeks in the shower. You can most certainly make a smaller batch if you are concerned about spoilage. I have not had any problems as long as I use it within 2-4 weeks.
You can also store this in the fridge so it will last longer!
Can I make this without the sweet almond oil?
Sure! That would not be a problem!
I wonder if you could substitute a Dr. Bronner’s soap for the Tropical Traditions. I do have the TT soap, but this recipe calls for half a bottle which is not very cost effective. Also, could you use canned coconut milk (sorry, don’t cringe)?
Hi Lisa – Yes, Dr. Bronner’s soap would be fine to use. I’ve never used canned coconut milk to make it, just homemade. Keep in mind that canned coconut milk will typically have added gums and stabilizers in it, to give it that thick texture. Even if it’s not listed on the ingredients, it’s still in there. I’m not sure what effect that would have on the mixture, but you could always experiment. Have fun!
I really wanted this to work. Mine came out so thin that it was hard to get worked through my hair and didn’t really lather much at all (I have long hair, not too thick). I don’t feel like it really cleaned at all. I made the base shampoo just like the recipe. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Amy – I don’t think you did anything wrong. It could just be the difference in our hair types. This works great on my hair, but we are all different, so what works for my might not work for you. Mine does come out thin, but I have really short hair, so a little goes a long way. I found that it lathered quite well, so maybe it’s a difference in the soap used? Also, what kind of coconut milk did you use? Maybe that made a difference?
I used the tropical traditions coconut oil soap and I made my own coconut milk with water and unsweetened coconut from Bob’s Red Mill.
Hi, I want to try a shampoo which doesn’t involve any harsh chemicals and through my search I have luckily found your site
Excellent recipe, it seems simple and I can’t wait to try it out. However, I have thick, long, curly coarse hair which I brush when I condition. I’m not sure about the vinegar option and was wondering if you had a recipe for a separate conditioner? Preferably with the same texture as a normal conditioner. Thank you so much 
Hi Francesca – Thanks for stopping by!! I don’t have a recipe for conditioner, sadly. For awhile now, I have been using just baking soda and vinegar. I don’t use any shampoo or conditioner at all. The coconut milk shampoo always conditioned my hair nicely, but it is thinner than regular conditioner. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Hi, I tried the shampoo but it didn’t work out so well. It’s so thin – and I have a lot of hair – and I couldn’t really lather it. Is there something I could add to the shampoo that would make it thicker? I used Dr. Bronners Castile liquid soap and homemade coconut milk. I also used the vinegar conditioner which seemed to go better than I thought it would.
However, my hair does seem to be extra greasy – is this normal? I washed it Sunday and Tuesday whereas I usually leave it 4 – 5 days (sometimes even a week). It’s just such a bother because it takes HOURS to dry. And I normally put coconut oil on my hair after I wash it but it just sat on my hair rather than being absorbed by it as it usually is.
Hi Francesca – The shampoo will be pretty thin. Commercial shampoos have thickeners and stabilizers added to them to give them the thickness we are accustomed to. I don’t want any of that in my homemade products, so that’s why I don’t have a thickener in that recipe. I am not really sure what would work off the top of my head. If your hair is getting oily, it could be caused by a couple things. First, it could be that you didn’t need the extra vinegar conditioner — if you use too much vinegar, it can make your hair oily. It could also be that your hair is detoxing from commercial products. When you stop using commercial shampoos and conditioners, your hair will go through a detox period as it gets rid of all of the product build-up on the hair. Even if you can’t see the build-up, it’s still there. I discuss this a bit in my “No ‘Poo” post here: http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2013/01/kicking-the-poo-to-the-curb-how-to-go-no-poo/
Aloe gel might thicken it a bit, but you have to shake it well to get it mixed in. Aloe is really good for your skin. In some people it discloses minor skin cancer for the immune system to take out. Even a regular M.D. prescribed it for a friend of mine.
Hi Mary – I also know of another person who used aloe on a skin cancer and it disappeared. I’ve never tried aloe in this, but I’m going to give it a try!
My hair also felt very greasy and my hair is not thick, but the hair simply clung to my head! So I changed the recipe a bit and added only half the amount of almond oil (other recipes also use much less oil). But better for my hair and me.
Hi MaryBeth – Thanks for sharing the tip! Everyone’s hair is different, so it’s always interesting to hear what works and what doesn’t!
Found your recipes from a friend on Facebook. Stupid question but what is “one batch of Shampoo base” equal to?
Hi Julie – Thanks for stopping by! The recipe for the shampoo base is in the post above. It is the virgin coconut oil soap (or Castile soap), coconut milk, and sweet almond oil. I’ve never made it with anything else, so I’m not sure what it would be equal to. Does that help at all?
Could I use cocounut milk from a carton?
Hi Jennifer – I have never tried it with coconut milk from a carton, but keep in mind that most coconut milks contain many additives, whiteners, and stabilizers that make them not such a healthy choice. All of the refrigerated coconut milk that I have seen has been full of unnecessary added ingredients. I recommend the Natural Value brand, b/c it is pure coconut milk, nothing else added. Just my thoughts! Good luck!
Hi! I don’t want to weird you out or anything, but I wanted to let you know that I am going to try this recipe using breast milk instead of coconut milk. I don’t know if you’ve had anyone ask for a recipe with that substitution. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Interesting substitution! I would have never thought about that! Do let us know how it works!