Why I make my own shampoos, and why you should too

I have previously written about the toxic chemicals in shampoos, and how Ethylene Glycol, the same chemical that is used to de-ice airport runaways is also found in the hair care products you and your family use. In case you are not familiar with this chemical, it's used to formulate printers, inks, stamp pads, and inks for ballpoint pens. This chemical has three stages of health effects; Central nervous system (CNS) depression, Cardiopulmonary effects (heart and lungs) and Renal damage (kidney).

Now I want you to consider this ONE toxic ingredient and its health risks, and look at the back of your shampoos and see how many ingredients there are. The average shampoo has at least ten ingredients, most of them you and I can't even pronounce, let alone know what it is or its health risks. The average person walks around with 20,30 or 40 kilos or even more toxins in their body, and this is only from the use of personal care products. If you use store bought shampoos or other personal care products, here are the most toxic ingredients to stay away from, and why:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

Can be contaminated with ethylene oxide (known human carcinogen) and 1,4-dioxide (possible human carcinogen) which may cause cancer. The California Environmental Protection Agency has classified Ethylene oxide to have the potential to interfere with human development.

Parabens

A group of compounds that are used as preservatives and antimicrobial in lotions, creams, deodorants and other personal care products. This dangerous chemical is absorbed through the skin and is present in biopsy samples of breast tumours.

Synthetic Musks

Found in shower gels, lotions, perfumes, sprays and hair products to name but a few. The health concerns include reproductive toxicity, organ system toxicity and endocrine disruption – chemicals that can affect the hormones. Endocrine disruption has the potential to cause cancerous tumors, birth defects and other development disorders. When buying a product, look for the following on the label: galaxolide, fragrance, musk xylene, musk ketone and tonalide.

My favourite shampoos before I started making my own where TRESemme and Aussie, but after closely investigating their ingredients, I have come to discover they included some of the chemicals mentioned above as well as many more harmful ones. So that's why I decided that my health is my responsibility and not the responsibility of big corporations who are slowly killing people with their toxic ingredients. Below I will share with you one VERY simple recipe for home-made shampoo that you can make in FIVE minutes including preparation time! And the best thing? It works just like store-bought ones, but doesn't kill you or your family in the process!

What you need:

1. Empty bottle that is easy to use
2. Coconut milk
3. Liquid castile soup - I use Dr. Bronner's Pure Liquid Castile Soap baby unscented from Amazon
4. Essential oil of your choice

Preparation:

Pour 200 ml of the coconut milk into the bottle/container.

Then add about 6 tablespoons of the liquid castile soap.

Add at least 10 drops of your preferred essential oil. I normally use fruity ones for shampoos.

Close your bottle/container and shake well until all ingredients are mixed. What I normally do is pour a little on my hand and see how foamy it is when I wash my hands with the mixture. If it doesn't have much foam, you can add a little more liquid castile soap. If you don't have different colour bottles, it's best to label your product to avoid confusion.

And voila! You made your own shampoo with 3 un-harmful ingredients in 5 minutes! The measurements for this shampoo are for about 7-10 washes. If you use it regularly, you will see how healthy your hair will begin to look and feel. If you have soft hair, I recommend you add honey.

Let me know if you try this!