If you have made the decision to cut sulfates out of your hair and skin regimen, you still have alternative options for cleansing. There are plenty of sulfate-free shampoo products to choose from, or you can take matters into your own hands and make your own. The latter will give you total control over your exposure to chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS”> and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES”>.

If you’re looking for a sulfate-free cleanser that will still leave your hair and scalp feeling clean, try this easy recipe.

What You’ll Need

  • ¼ cup of distilled water
  •  ¼ cup of castile soap
  • 1 tsp. of jojoba oil 
  • measuring cup
  • whisk/spoon
  • plastic bottle
  • funnel
  • *optional essential oil for fragrance

How to make homemade shampoo

Pour a quarter cup of distilled water into a bowl. Distilled is the best choice for DIY recipes, it is free of any other minerals, contaminants, or gases that other types of water can contain.

Add a quarter cup of castile soap to the distilled water and stir the two ingredients together with a whisk.

You can find castile soap in grocery stores, pharmacies, and online. We used Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap because it’s easy to find in our local groceries, but you can use any brand of castile soap that you can find. Here’s a list of 4 castile soaps we like.

Add one teaspoon of jojoba oil to the mix. Jojoba oil is one of the most common carrier oils and is packed with benefits for your hair and skin, so it is a useful ingredient to keep in your cabinet. 

You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil at this point for fragrance or added benefits. We used tea tree oil because it’s great for stimulating the scalp. 

Use a funnel to pour the contents of the bowl into a plastic bottle. Depending on the size of your bottle you may want to adjust the quantities of this recipe to either make more or less. Just remember to use equal parts of distilled water and castile soap, and a proportional amount of jojoba oil.

Watch the Video

Do you DIY your own cleansers? Share your favorite ingredients below!


For more curly mixology recipes, or to share your own favorite at-home treatments, go to our recipes section.

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