Recently I ran out of my shampoo bar and didn’t buy a new one because for a while already I’ve been wanting to try out something even more natural, as I am constantly trying to reduce the number of “products” in my home. I knew that baking soda can be used as a shampoo but I had already tried it a few times and it didn’t suit me too well so I kept on searching for other alternatives until I heard from someone that clay can be used as a shampoo. And it did sound logical to me because clay does draw out oils and impurities from the hair and scalp and at the same time gives back minerals for healthy hair growth. After all, there are so many clay-based shampoos out there as well. So I gave it a try, but using just pure clay powder didn’t really leave me with as squeaky clean hair as I would’ve wanted and the research continued. Until I learned that some people also use lemon juice as hair wash and that’s when I came up with the idea to combine the clay powder and lemon juice together to make my shampoo. And it worked! The mixture left my hair as clean as I had expected and also no conditioner is needed after shampooing as the hair is really easily manageable after washing.
Note that if you try to convert to using clay and lemon juice shampoo after years of using conventional shampoos then the first times probably won’t be too satisfying as the hair and scalp need to adjust to the lack of chemicals but don’t give up and be patient cos when your hair is cleansed of the chemical residue then you will start seeing the benefits that the clay and lemon juice have in store for your hair. Lemon juice also works as a mild bleach so after using it for a while you can expect to have some highlights : )
So which clay to use? Right now I’m using French green clay powder but I think that Rhassoul and Bentonite clay would also work well. You can also dig and dry your own clay if you can find it. I know people who dig clay from the bottom of a lake for example and use that as a shampoo and also I know that people have dug red clay from the seaside in Ibiza while vacationing and brought it along so be creative and don’t restrict yourself to only buying naturally occurring ingredients : )
So what I do to make the shampoo is take about 3 tablespoons of the clay powder (I have quite fine shoulder length hair so if you have thicker or longer hair then feel free to use more powder):
Squeeze juice from half a lemon onto the powder:
Give it a stir and you should have a thick and even a bit foamy mixture:
If needed then add more lemon juice or clay powder : ) Then add it to wet hair like you normally would while shampooing and you can even leave it on for few minutes before rinsing.
