DO yOU KNOW WHERE yOUR SHAMPOO COMES FROM? - Edible ...

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR
SHAMPOO COMES FROM?
It could be from your own garden!
story and photos by serena bartlett
Syrum, puddy, gel, spritz, mousse, pomade, leave-in—they are all lined up in my medicine
cabinet. But since I began making my own shampoo from ingredients grown in my garden,
I’ve been using them less and less.
How could this be? My bottles and tubes all say, “formulated by experts” and I’m hardly
an expert. But I have learned a few things about bubbles and how they form, which is what
shampoo is all about.
Shampoo (like soap) is made from fat or oil and an alkali, but there are many ways to produce
suds from these substances. The process of saponification occurs when an alkali (elements found
on the -ium columns on the periodic table of elements) reacts with an oil or fat. Rent Fight Club
at the video store and you’ll see the process in terrifying detail, including how lye literally burns
through fat to form soap. In the mass-production processes that create most of the shampoos
on the market, this reaction is cheapened with easy-to-come-by burning agents and pseudo-fats.
These readily create bubbles, but they are bubbles that strip everything off the hair follicle, like
an eraser on a chalkboard. Your hair, like your skin, has natural oils and a unique chemistry that
is upset by the use of such strong chemicals and agents.
After months using the same cheap shampoo, your collection of “fixer” products gets larger as
you try to tame the split ends and dry shafts of your hair. This is why we have hair conditioners.
Many products on the market shelves, including some we consider to be “natural” contain stearyl
alcohol, dimethicone, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, or cyclopentasiloxane. Conditioner is
most often a muck of polymers and bound alcohols that mask the dryness of your hair and hair
follicles, usually resulting in a waxy, weighty feel. Conditioner is also the biggest reason you wake
up in the morning and want to take another shower—you’ve got buildup. Taking hot showers
every day is hard on your skin even without the extra chemical overload of shampoo, body
soap, and conditioner. A good conditioner is made of a little refined shea butter, steamed
into a putty-like form. Good examples are the conditioners made by Radiance, Allafia, and
Desert Essence.
So, getting back to shampoo: Which ingredients are the most harmful? Ammonium
laureth sulfate is the biggest culprit. Suds made with sodium or potassium are far less
invasive; you’ll find they are used in most baby shampoos and in many products from
Nature’s Gate, where the fat used is actually coconut oil in its chemical compound
form (lauramide BEA). Do a little research for yourself on the ingredient list of your
chosen shampoo, and I bet you’ll find some unsettling things. Unfortunately the “natural”
products are often suspect as well. Though mixed with beneficial botanicals or
proteins, they are often made up of strong soaps, so the damage can outweigh the
benefits. Some shampoos list the source of the fat, in many cases coconut or hemp
seed oil. There are several brands that do take care that the soap element of their
shampoos comes from a wholesome source, so if a little attention is paid you can
find pre-made shampoos that are healthy for your hair. In fact the same is true
with conditioner, despite the majority of brands being chemical-based. See my
resource list for recommended shampoos and conditioners on the market.
www.edibleeastbay.com EDIBLE EAST BAY spring 2008 23

If you have the time, a few bucks, and a bundle of common sense, you can follow my
recipe for homemade shampoo and see if it works for you as well as it does for me. Since
i discovered this formula, I stopped using conditioner very often. Sounds a bit crazy, but
the liquid I boil down from a combination of herbs and flowers is what restores my outof-control
frizz to shiny, manageable locks. I came up with the recipe after about a year of
experimentation, and you may need to do some experimentation too, in order to find what
works best for you. •
Serena Bartlett is the author of the GrassRoutes Travel series of eco-travel guides. She writes
about sustainability, food and travel and lives in Oakland. You can contact her directly at:
sbartlett@grassroutestravel.com.
how to make your own shampoo
Start by gathering up some good bottles to hold your shampoo. I use plastic honey
bears or repurposed product containers. You’ll find there are plenty of things that
will work and you’ll soon make a habit of saving the best bottles from purchased
products.
The best base for what I call a “shampoo stew” is comfrey or echinacea leaves. The
rough surface of the leaves melts away and the minerals and nutrients seep into the
solution. Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, is found in many California
gardens. Comfrey, a blueish-flowered perennial is equally popular, but invasive. Both
are considered medicinal plants. I dedicate an entire section of my garden to my shampoo
ingredients, which might include sage, lemon verbena, rosemary, or the summer
trimmings from my overgrown scented geraniums. Each addition has a considerable
impact on the fragrance of the shampoo, even after essential oils are added.
Rinse the herbs and put them in a large stockpot. Add water to cover and slowly
bring the herbs to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Strain this
“shampoo stew” into a large pitcher.
Gather your desired soap ingredients. I use two parts Omega Nutrition soap to
one part each African black soap and castile soap. Fill half of each shampoo container
with shampoo stew and the other half with the soap combination of your choice.
Then add 10–12 drops of tea tree oil for every 8 ounces of shampoo, another 20 or so
drops of your desired fragrance, and 20 or so drops of an essential oil, such as almond,
grapeseed, or neem oil. If you’re mixing a number of bottles of shampoo at once, try
using several different essential oils so you can trial different versions; just remember
to label the bottles accordingly. Extra shampoo stew will keep in the fridge for up to
two months. Shampoo that has been mixed need not be stored in the fridge, though
it is best kept out of direct sunlight.
Once your shampoo is made it can be used on both body and hair. If you have
longer hair, run a wide comb through it after sudsing your scalp, to get out the tangles.
Try skipping conditioner after a few showers, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
This stuff is great to hand out to friends or as house gifts; it is something unique that
everyone, and their hair, will enjoy.
Note: Castile is a general term for any soap made from vegetable oils, such as olive,
coconut, almond, hemp, and jojoba. It has a very high alkalinity level, which makes it
inappropriate to use alone on your hair.
Mexican sage (pictured on previous page)
Comfrey, scented geranium, lemon verbena, fragrant lavender (top to bottom)
24 spring 2008 EDIBLE EAST BAY www.edibleeastbay.com

FINE, OILY, DRY, OR DAMAGED?
As you formulate your shampoo, it’s important to examine the particular qualities of
your own hair. The list below will help you choose the herbs and essential oils to add to
your shampoo. Some of these grow well in East Bay gardens, so think about “growing
your own shampoo”!
• Sage: good for oily hair
• Lemon: good for oily hair, or
to lighten hair
• Rosemary: (pictured here)
deodorant and moisturizer;
do not use if you are pregnant
• Fragrant lavender: soothes
nerves; good for blonde hair
• Cinnamon: good for ultrastraight
hair
• Tea tree: good for itchy scalp,
refreshing
(I put it in all my shampoos)
• Rosewood: expensive but
nice on any type of hair,
totally luxurious
• Cedar: a symbol of strength,
it’s great for fine hair
• Eucalyptus: keeps bugs away
while camping, also good for
fighting dandruff
• Almond: moisturizing, perfect for curly or damaged hair and smells great
go FAIR TRADE for AFRICAN BEAUTY SECRETS
Growing wild across the savannas of central and west Africa, is a certain tree that provides
many things to the indigenous people. The bark of the shea tree is an ingredient in
traditional medicines, and the shell of the nut can repel mosquitoes, but most importantly,
the meat inside the shea nut, when crushed, yields an oil that is highly valued for
cooking and body care.
The crafting of shea butter is done by women, who also make a black soap by combining
shea butter with oils from palm and cocoa, with the addition of a stew of burned
leaves and bark of various trees and plants, such as banana, plantain, palm, cocoa, and
shea. Each region and tribe has its own black soap recipe that has been handed down
through generations.
These products, along with another extraordinary oil from the neem tree, have become
important exports of the region, but typically, the women who gather the raw
ingredients and hand craft the products, receive only a tiny fraction of the final price
we pay for them. Therefore, it is important to look for the Fair Trade label when buying
shea butter products. You will be helping to empower the local communities that
produce them.
—CK
RESOURCES
Basic Ingredients and
Recommended Products
Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St., Berkeley
510.843.6929
www.berkeleybowl.com
Elephant Pharmacy
1607 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
510.549.9200
www.elephantpharmacy.com
Body Time
1942 Shattuck Ave.
510.841.5818
2911 College Ave.
510.845.2101
www.bodytime.com
Kiehl’s
1848 4 th St., Berkeley
510.548.0130
www.kiehls.com
Radiance Herbs
Olympia, WA
360.357.5250
Alaffia
www.alaffia.com
Essential Oils
Lhasa Karnak
2482 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley
510.548.0380
www.herb-inc.com
Plants For Your East Bay Garden
East Bay Nursery
2332 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
510.845.6490
www.eastbaynursery.com
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery
1310 McGee Ave., Berkeley
510.526.4704
www.berkeleyhort.com
Mt. Diablo Nursery and Garden
3295 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
925-283-3830
www.mtdiablenursery.com
www.edibleeastbay.com EDIBLE EAST BAY spring winter 2008 25