I was born with incredibly curly hair. Most of my life, I couldn’t get it to grow and I ended up with a frizzy ball on the top of my head. It was horrible!!
About five years ago, a hairdresser overheard some guy’s rude comment about my hair and gave me the tips that changed my locks forever. Let me share them with you.
First, avoid any shampoo with Sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). Yes, it is in almost everything! Honestly, this stuff strips your hair of all of the natural oils and leads to breakage.
Secondly, moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize several times per day. I was told that every time I put lotion on my hands, I should be sure to run some lotion through my hair as well. Honestly, though, I don’t do that. I carry a little spritz bottle of homemade leave-in conditioner and use that several times per day.
Finally, use a horsetail hair rinse. Horsetail has a high silica content as is great for strengthening hair (I use it on my nails, too).
My hair is actually much longer than it shows in the photo…it has finally reached my mid-back (just long enough for my little girl to reach up and yank it out)!
Good luck!
RECIPES:
Homemade Shampoo
Ingredients:
Bar of Castile Soap
1 – 1 1/2 C. Beer
Directions: Heat the beer in a microwave safe bowl for at least one minute to remove the alcohol. Grate the bar of Castile soap and blend with enough beer to give it a pudding like consistency. Combine castile soap with ¾ C. beer until well blended. This is not recommended for oily hair.
Alternate recipe
Ingredients:
Bar of Grated Castile Soap
¼ C. Olive Oil
½ C. Water
Directions: Grate the bar of Castile soap and blend with enough warm water to give it a pudding like consistency. Combine castile soap with olive oil and water. Blend well.
Frizz Control for Curly hair (from http://www.longlocks.com)
Ingredients:
1 small aloe vera leaf
Directions:
Snip off end of leaf and apply a dollop of aloe vera gel to palm. Work through hair to ends.
Alternate Recipe:
Vegtable oil: Rub between palms to warm and thin oil, then gently brush hands down hair.
Homemade Leave-In Conditioner
Ingredients:
1/4 C. of your favorite conditioner
3/4 C. Water
Glycerin (optional)
Lavendar essential oil (optional)
Directions: Mix conditioner and water in a spray bottle. Shake well before use. Add only a few drops of glycerin and lavendar to add a little more condition and shine to your hair.
Horsetail Hair Rinse
Ingredients: 2 1/2 t. dried Horsetail
Directions: Steep horsetail in boiling water for 20 minutes. To Use: Pour horsetail rinse through hair and leave in for ten minutes. Rinse.
Horsetail Nail Strengthener
Ingredients: 1 t. horsetail
1/2 C. boiling water
1 t. honey
Directions: Place horsetail stems in ceramic dish. Pour boiling water over them and let sit for 20 – 30 minutes. Add honey and stir well. Pour into a clean bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
To Use: Brush the solution over your nails using a clean cotton swab or small brush and let dry. Use daily.
- you can find usually horsetail at health food stores, the ethic food section of specialty food shops, and new age bookstores that sell herbs. Failing that you can usually find it at garden nurseries. It is a water grass sold near the pond supplies.
