Homemade Shampoo

Old-fashioned castile soap can also be dissolved in warm water to be used as shampoo.

After shampooing, rinse your hair with lemon juice to make it shine.

If regular shampooing is impossible for some reason, try mixing 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 cup cornmeal in a shaker bottle. Sprinkle lightly onto hair, then brush thoroughly to get rid of dirt and oil. A combination of baby powder and cornstarch can also be used the same way.

If you like your store-bought shampoo but would like to add to it a little, the essential oils that old-timers relied on for hair care really do work.

• To nourish and moisturize, pour some shampoo or conditioner into your palm and add a few drops of cedar wood, chamomile, clary sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, or ylang-ylang.
• To add thickness and body, use cedar wood or clary sage.
• To reduce oiliness, try bergamot, cedar wood, lavender, lemon, pine, rosemary, or ylang-ylang.
• To add luster, try sweet basil, Roman chamomile, or lavender.
• To detangle hair, use chamomile, grapefruit, marigold, passionflower, or sweet clover, and to relieve dandruff, try cedar wood, clary sage, lemon, pine, rosemary, or tea tree.