Hair Conditioner

beetrootjuicer

Yes, I agree. I've used rainwater in the past when eczema was bad but it's such a faff trotting about with buckets and heating kettles and of course, a lot of people don't have access to a water butt.

morganlefay

While this perhaps ought to be on 'Health and Beauty' I thought OSers might have better ideas as they are more likely to make HM stuff - please move it if I've done a Bad Thing !
Does anyone have a recipe for Hm hair stuff, either shampoo or conditioner. My hair is going grey and losing its shine and I used to have the most amazing glossy thick hair which is now a bit lifeless. I've tried a lot of the commercial things, but they seem to rely on silicone a lot and don't really do the job. But I remember an aunt who used to wash her hair in egg yolk and something else and it was wonderful, so does anyone on here brew their own hair preparations, and if so please can you help me ? (I am prepared to go out at full moon and gather nettles or whatever it takes !)

BitterAndTwisted

Beer or vinegar in the last rinse used to be the old-fashioned way to give hair a nice shine. As Asda and some of other supermarkets have their own-brand/basics hair-conditioners at about 20 to 30 pence a bottle I'm not sure trying to make your own at home would be better or cheaper.

[Deleted User]

I used to use an infusion of rosemary as a finally rinse when I was young. This was recommended particularly for brunettes. I would agree with the above post try to find one of the basic conditoners which suits you. My husband used to really like the Boots basic (not sure if they still do it) which he preferrred to more expensive brands.

BitterAndTwisted

Sometimes hair can become lifeless due to a build-up of hair products. Try using baby shampoo and a vinegar rinse. Henna gives a wonderful, glossy shine if you hair is nice and dark

Bronnie

I was going to suggest mayonnaise as an occasional deep conditioning treatment, but I don't think that's very MS!

On the Health & Beauty board I seem to recall one of the supermarket's own brand conditioners , may have been Tesco coconut, being highly regarded, would need to check back. What about using a little coconut oil as a deep conditioning treatment, wrap clingfilm round your head and a towel and let it absorb.

It sound like your grey hair needs moisture and nourishment to make it glossy and soft again.

As far as commercial products are concerned, I am finding best results if I regularly swap around products.

[Deleted User]

I have found thatv by using less shampoo than advised sometimes helps .I have short hair and normally use a dollop of shampoo about 1" across.work it thoroughly into your head with hot water to get a real good lather going then rinse off with warm water until its 'squeeks' when you rub your hand over it .Then apply a small amount of conditioner and I leave mine on whilst I have my shower then rinse it off.I know the shampoo bottles recommend two dollops of shampoo but I think this is too much and just strips the hair of its natural oils I leave my hair to dry naturally after giving a good rub with the towel.and then combing back. Since having chemo my hair luckily returned with a curl in it so it needs very little attention at all. Strangely it also came back quite dark with a lot of white in it(think badger) which was odd as I had always been fair haired all my life.Still it beat having a shiny head as I lost the lot withing 6 weeks of starting chemo. Luckily it grew back fairly quickly after the treatment stopped

zippychick

Hi Morgan

I would be interested to know too actually (although i have a lifetime supply of expensive conditioner as my Mum never uses it and gives me hers )

Hair conditioner

Have a read and i will merge this later Beer and vinegar come to mind for me!

Downsizing__for_sanity

An infusion of sage leaves used to be used in the "olden days" I believe, to banish greys from dark hair. Not sure of the details sorry as I'm blonde and always use camomile teas, but I'm sure google could come up with something.

For deep conditioning, you could use a tiny bit of olive oil or coconut if you have it, as a cheap hot oil treatment, I keep the free shower caps you get in hotels for this! For every day conditioning, I would use one of the Boots or any major supermarkets' cheap conditioner - the coconut ones are my fave. If you towel dry your hain first and comb it through, it goes much further.

H2H!

Downsizing x

CupOfChai

Did you have dark hair before the grey set in? Blonde and grey hair always appears less shiny than dark as it doesn't reflect light so well, also hair and skin naturally become drier as you age. I'd say the main thing is to concentrate on knowing your hair is in tiptop condition rather than worrying too much about the 'shininess'. I know that's not so easy when it had been so lovely!

This means the obvious - regular trims to keep on top of any split ends, minimise use of permanent colour and heat, any way you can possibly add moisture. A semi-permanent colour can help add gloss, only if you wanted to colour your hair of course. A once or twice a week hair mask can be good, you can do this by applying a good amount of your usual conditioner to dry hair, wrapping in clingfilm and leaving on for about half an hour before thoroughly rinsing out and, if you feel it's needed, shampooing as normal.

Not all that OS, but you can buy serums and 'shine spray' too. Does what it says on the tin, but only use a tiny amount and aren't needed if your hair already looks quite shiny, as it will be too much and just look greasy.

Try a final rinse with cold water, if you can stand it! And it gets the circulation going! I've never known anyone actually try beer or vinegar, are you sure you don't end up smelling like a tramp or chip shop?

Just noticed... Oooh crikey I wouldn't use egg! Awful that is!

Not totally related, but in case anyone didn't already know, if your hair turns green with chlorine, rub a good dollop of tomato ketchup/puree into it and leave for about ten minutes before shampooing out. The orange-red pigment in the tomato supposedly neutralises the green.