Call me crazy, but did you know you can make your own shampoo and it really isn’t rocket science.
Don’t get me wrong essential oils are great for using in your aromatherapy diffuser and with carrier oils, topically. Let’s face it these oils are in a lot of shampoos that are sold in stores. It’s one of the best ways to use these powerful essential oils.
There are a lot of different ways to make shampoo using essential oils. Down below I’m going to show you some of the best ways to mix your essential oils for homemade shampoo.
First, I am going to quickly explain some essential oils and how they benefit your hair:
- Tea Tree. Helps with hair growth. Helps unclog hair follicles and nourish the roots.
- Rosemary. Thickens your hair. Has been used for balding. Promotes hair growth.
- Lemon. Helps with oily scalp, treating dandruff, scalp acne, and increases hair growth.
- Peppermint. Has been clinically proven to increase hair growth. Also, increase dermal thickness.
- Lavender. Stimulates hair growth, and treats dry scalp.
- Clary Sage. Contributes to hair growth, prevents premature balding, and helps managed curly or frizzy hair.
- Lemongrass. Prevents hair loss by constricting the scalp which will strengthen your hair follicles.
- Juniper. Good for treating oily hair and helps strengthen brittle hair.
- Cedarwood. Improves blood circulation which helps with vigorous hair growth and treats dandruff build up.
- Chamomile. Relieves dry itchy scalp. Also, helps eliminate dandruff, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
- Thyme. Stimulates hair growth and rejuvenates hair follicles.
- Cypress. Stimulates hair growth by increasing blood circulation.
- Sweet Orange. Makes hair shiny and glossy. Helps remove excess oil for your hair and leaves your hair feeling silky and soft.
- Ylang Ylang. Good for dry and itchy scalp because it stimulates sebum production. Also good for moisturizing the scalp and hair.
- Grapefruit. Promotes hair growth. Helps remove chemicals from hairsprays and cremes. Also helps with dandruff and gives your hair more shine.
- Eucalyptus. Strengthen hair strands. Improves hair elasticity, controls oily scalp and stimulates hair follicles.
- Vetiver. Helps prevent balding and gray hair from stress. Help treat lice.
I would highly recommend you click here if you want to read an article on healthy hair growth with essential oils.
Essential Oils Shampoo Recipes
The three recipes down below are shampoos that I have made in the past. Feel free to try them out for yourself.
Homemade Shampoo (Castile, Honey & Coconut)
- 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk (organic)
- 1/4 cup honey (organic)
- 2 tbsp coconut carrier oil (fractionated)
- 1 tbsp Vitamin E oil
- 40 – 60 drops of essential oil
You have a couple options on what to use as a bottle. You can use a squeeze bottle or a plastic pump bottle. Either one is fine whatever way you want to go. If you do decide to go with glass make sure you don’t drop it in the shower, though.
I would use a medium or large mixing bowl to mix all the ingredients and then use a funnel to pour the shampoo into the container.
Essential Oils To Use
This is where you have options. You can use a number of different essential oils. Here are some ideas that you might want to try out:
- 30 drops Lavender + 30 drops Lemon
- 20 drops Peppermint + 20 drops Lavender + 20 Rosemary
- 30 drops Cederwood + 30 drops Rosemary
- 20 drops Clary Sage + 20 drops Orange + Lavender
This recipe should last for quite a while. It should be fine for over a year and you don’t need to refrigerate it.
Homemade Shampoo (Castile soap & filtered water)
- 1/2 cup Castile soap
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 18 drops of Eucalyptus
- 4 drops of Rosemary
For this recipe, you’re going to make sure you have a filter that you can easily install on your faucet. Here is a good option from Waterdrop.
For this recipe, you can use any of the essential oils that you want. Feel free to experiment with them. Just because I have listed eucalyptus and rosemary doesn’t mean you have to use them. Here are some ideas of combinations you can use:
- 16 drops Orange + 8 drops Grapefruit
- 14 drops Lavender + 10 drops Vetiver
- 12 drops Peppermint + 12 drops Ylang Ylang
You can use a flip top bottle for this instead of a pump bottle if you want. However, if you do use a flip bottle it does seem to come out quickly so make sure you don’t dump it all over the shower. Do make sure you shake the bottle for 3-5 seconds before using it.
Homemade Shampoo (Aloe Vera & Olive Oil)
- 12 oz Aloe Vera Gel
- 6 Tbsp olive oil (100% pure)
- 12 Tbsp baking soda
- 40 drops Rosemary
- 20 drops Lemongrass
I like to use the bottle that the aloe vera comes in. It’s a flip top bottle and this kind of shampoo is sort of dense. Again you can do any mixture of essential oils that you want. Just make sure with this recipe that you use 60 drops total. Here are some sample mixtures you can use:
- 40 drops Rosemary + 20 drops Peppermint
- 40 drops Chamomile + 20 drops Vetiver
- 40 drops Lavender + 20 drops Juniper
Do make sure that the essential oils that you are using are pure. Otherwise, you are going to lose out on the therapeutic healing properties.
Lastly, if you’re going to make your own homemade essential oil shampoo you need to use BPA free plastic. You could use glass, but make sure you don’t drop it.
For me, I like to use old bottles of shampoos that have a pump top. It’s a great way to repurpose your plastic bottles.
Also, with plastic bottles make sure you use similar scents. Rather than something drastically different. For instance, if you made one with cedarwood and vetiver which is a woodsy smell. You wouldn’t ever be able to use citrus or floral ones in the same container without getting the smell out completely.
If you’re interested in repurposing your 4 oz essential oil bottles I would recommend this article on cleaning your bottles.
Happy showering and I hope you enjoyed these recipes!
Do you have any questions? Please leave a comment down below.
17 thoughts on “How To Make Essential Oil Shampoo – 3 Awesome Recipes”
Wow, thanks I have been getting sick and tired of using store bought shampoos because of all the chemicals in them. I have bad back and shoulder acne. Do you think this will help with that?
Hey Eric,
Yes, it certainly can help your back acne. The chemicals that are in store shampoos and conditioners can be very harmful to our skin. Back and shoulder acne is one of the main reasons I don’t buy shampoo in the store anymore.
Thanks I want to try these out. I love lavender and didn’t even know it was good for your hair, too. Can you use the shampoo daily or should it be every other day?
Hey Cherry,
Yeah lavender really does have a lot of healing properties. It’s one of the most useful essential oils that you can purchase.
Sure you can use shampoos daily. However, if you notice any rashes you might be allergic to one of the essential oils, though.
Nice recipes and thanks for sharing! I had a couple of questions.
I’m allergic to sulfates which is the commercially used detergents in a lot of soaps and shampoos. Is castile soap different or the same as this?
Also, I am allergic to lavender and mint but I always read how much health benefits they have. Do you know any other essential oils that are similar that can replace these?
Thanks for sharing,
Marlinda
Hey Marlinda,
No Castile soap is completely different than regular soap. It’s all plant-based. Mostly, Castile soap is made of coconut, oil, hemp, almond, walnut, avocado, etc.
Castile soap is popular because it’s environmentally friendly. It’s biodegradable. I’ve been using it for several years and I am not a fan of a lot of soaps sold in stores. They contain a lot of chemicals which are harmful to the skin.
Might try rosemary and eucalyptus since you’re allergic to peppermint and lavender. Do a small skin test to make sure your body doesn’t have any negative reactions to them. Do make sure you use a carrier oil whenever you apply any essential oil topically, though.
You really know your stuff when it comes to essential oils. It is so much nicer to make your own chemical-free shampoo as the shop bought stuff is usually full of disgusting chemicals and SLS (the nasty foaming agent chemical that they put in lots of toiletry products), which just strips your skin of all its natural oils. This is especially bad on your scalp as it gives you dandruff.
You have given us some lovely recipe’s here. The one with coconut oil looks divine – made me a bit hungry :-). I make a shampoo at work for myself with lots of rosemary essential oil and it really stimulates hair growth; takes time to see results, but it works!
Hey Stefanie,
You are correct that the shampoo is full of harmful chemicals. Personally, I won’t ever buy store bought shampoo again! People don’t even realize that sometimes their shampoos come with the following chemicals:
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Parabens
Sodium Chloride
Polyethylene Glycols (PEG)
Diethanolamine (DEA)
Triethanolamine (TEA)
Formaldehyde
Alcohol
Synthetic Fragrances
Synthetic Colors
Dimethicone
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Triclosan
Retinyl Palmitate
Putting shampoo in a bottle with a pump is a great idea. I usually see that for hand soap, but that way you don’t have to fumble with the top in the shower. Great idea! Do essential oils really stimulate hair growth? I haven’t seen any improvement in my own efforts with tea tree oil, but I have an autoimmune condition blocking the hair growth.
Hey Melinda,
I know what your talking about. Using a pump is so much easier in the shower. Not sure why companies still use squeeze bottles for shower use though. It seems a little backwards to me, though.
Yes, a number of essential oils really do stimulate hair growth. It’s not the “cure all” for hair loss. I’m not a doctor, but you might want to ask your doctor about essential oils for hair loss. They have been proven to increase hair growth in many different studies.
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for sharing this with the world! I have been using the storebought stuff all of my life and have been wanting to take better care of my body. Better foods, exercise, and reducing exposure to unnecessary chemicals. Recently shopping I stopped to look at some of the chemical industry puts into our products… Even the “Good ones” are crazy terrible.
I want to thank you for the article and my sister for sending me in the right direction.
Hey Jesse,
Seriously, you should try the recipes for shampoo. You might be surprised at how good they are.
Oh my gosh, I am glad I found this post! I have had severe hair loss due to a prescription I was taking. It is growing back now, but of course at a snail’s pace. I have been buying expensive shampoos and conditioners to help with the process. If I can make this myself and add the essential oils that are good for hair regrowth, than this is perfect! Which recipe do you think would work the best for me?
Hey Matts Mom,
Personally, I would recommend Homemade Shampoo (Castile, Honey & Coconut) and use the essential oils peppermint and rosemary. That is a killer combination for hair growth. I actually don’t use it because it works to good. I cut my hair every 2 weeks, but if I do it almost needs it every week.
I actually started to experience hair loss beginning at a very early age. I always bought this very expensive chemical shampoos and conditioners to fix my problem, but it only went worse. 4 years ago, very desperate at that point, I bought my first all natural shampoo from a company that makes handmade shampoo bars with essential oils and no chemicals added. After a few weeks I started noticing massive changes, I still lose some hair now and then, but it has gotten a lot better. Needless to say, I never touched any chemical shampoo or conditioner since then. I never made my own shampoo, but after reading your article, I might actually do it. Doesn’t seem to be very complicated, thank you very much for sharing these recipes!
Hey Phil,
Sorry to hear about your hair loss. Sadly, it’s a problem that a lot of people have to deal with throughout their life. I know what you’re saying about massive changes. It really does help your hair grow a lot quicker.
Certainly, the recipes that are mentioned in this article aren’t very hard to do. It only takes about 5 minutes to make a bottle. Might try it out now that you know which essential oils work best for hair growth.
I know that hair products can be pretty expensive. So, it might end up saving you a lot of money.
Lately I’ve become very environment and health-conscious: adopting a plant-based diet, minimizing the cooked foods and avoiding chemicals as much as I can. Now, if I can wash my plate without the washing gel (chemical), then what do I do with shampoos? That was my question. And in the search for more eco-shampoos, I stumbled upon your website. I’ve heard about essential oils, of course, but never thought you can make shampoo with it. My concern is this: will it help with my oily type of hair?