Tag Archives: natural hair cleanser

DIY African Black Soap Shampoo (Liquid)

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Hello Maicurlies! 

I am BACK! (again lol) Let’s skip the wishy-washy and get straight into it. 

Today I’ve got a new DIY recipe to share: Black African Soap Shampoo.

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So as the name suggestions, it is a hair shampoo, it is all natural and yes, it is simple! 

As with any commercial shampoo (which I personally don’t use) I use this to help cleanse my scalp from product buildup (my roots) and then I slowly work my way down the length of my hair. Previously I had been using Shikakai as a cleanser and I have nothing “bad” to say about it  but I wanted a change and stumbled upon Raw African Black Soap. 

What Is Black African Soap? 

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Black African Soap is traditionally made in West Africa from harvested plants such as sun dried dried plantain, cocoa pods, barks of Shea tree and palm leaves. Palm oil, palm kernel oil and water is also added to form the soap, which is left to “cure” before it is ready for use. 

Black African Soap can be used for both your hair and skin ( I will have a separate recipes for the skin – I use it to cleanse my face). Some of the many properties of this soap:

  • Anti-fungal 
  • Antibacterial
  • Cleansing
  • Reducing Oil productions (for overly oil skin since it does contain moisturizing properties to help balance the natural sebum produced by the skin).
  • Moisturizing
  • Helps sooth irritated skin
  • Reduces acne, blemishes and fine scars/lines

Recipe:

  • 1 oz Raw Black African Soap.
  • 8 oz warm Water (I use bottled water because my facet has hard water).
  • 1 tsp Almond Oil
  • 1 tsp Grapeseed Oil
  • 1 tsp Glycerin Oil
  • 5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
  • 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Ingredient Alternatives:

You can use any oil/oils you have at home, you must not stick by what I personally use. You can skip the use of Essential Oils (or replace them with your favorites) I like using Peppermint Essential Oil because it has a tingling effect on the scalp that helps to stimulate blood flow which helps to stimulate growth, it also has cleansing properties, anti-fungal & anti bacterial properties and smells AMAZING! Lavender Essential Oil has a relaxing and soothing effect. I add glycerin to my recipe because it is a humectant and while Black Soap has moisturizing properties on its own I don’t find it moisturizing enough so the addition of glycerin seems to boost that (but it is optional). 

If you use Black African Soap, please leave me a comment below with your own recipe! I love learning and love sharing your recipes with my readers! And if you happen to try mine, please do leave me some feedback on what you think! 

Thanks

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Maicurls

Aritha Review Video Up on YouTube

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Good Evening Maicurlies,

Hesh Aritha

                                                        Hesh Aritha

I recorded another video! (I am trying to keep video making consistent but I over analyze EVERYTHING!) Anyways, this is part 2 of my experiments and reviews of natural Auverdic shampooos. I  have already written about Aritha which you can read here. The video explains where you can purchase it, my experiments and personal “verdict” of the  Auverdic shampoo.

You can watch the video below:

Please remember that this is my personal experience with the product and the review is based on the results I got after trying the product in different ways. I was not asked or compensated to mention or use the product. I bought the Aritha with my own money and have provided my own honest opinion about it. 

I really would love to know if you have used Aritha before or any other Ayurvedic powder as a shampoo. 

Thanks!

Maicurls

Maicurls

Shikakai Review Video Up on YouTube

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Good Afternoon Maicurlies,

Shikakai

                                                            Hesh Shikakai

I just wanted to make a quick post that I recorded a video about my experiments and review of Shikakai Powder as an all natural Auverdic shampoo. I already wrote about Shikakai, where you can purchase it, my experiments and personal “verdict” of the  Auverdic shampoo here. 

You can watch the video below:

Please remember that this is my personal experience with the product and the review is based on the results I got after trying the product in different ways. I was not asked or compensated to mention or use the product. I bought the Shikakai with my own money and have provided my own honest opinion about it. 

I really would love to know if you have used Shikakai before or any other Ayurvedic powder as a shampoo. 

Thanks!

Maicurls

Maicurls

Aritha– Ayurvedic all Natural Shampoo (Option 2)

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Hi Maicurlies,

As promised, today I will cover part 2 of my all natural Auyvedic shampoo experiments. In my previous review (part 1) I wrote about Shikakai powder and today I will be covering Aritha powder.

Similar to Shikakai, Aritha predominetly comes from Asia – mainly in India and is derived from a fruit. It is most commonly known as soapnut or Sapindus Trifoliatus.

In Asia Aritha is popular alternative to commercial shampoo due to the fact that it does not contain unnatural elements and harsh chemicals.

Aritha - Hesh

                                     Aritha – Hesh

The brand of Aritha I used is Hesh  and apart from being a natural shampoo, Aritha has a number of different uses. For one it can be used for the skin:

  • Cleanses the pores
  • Helps the skin breath better
  • Improves the texture of skin (with frequent use)

I have used it for my skin and it did a really good job of cleaning, clearing up my pores as well as helping fight my oily T-zone. I would suggest this for those who have oily skin as apposed to dry skin because it can cause more dryness.

According to the box, it is also said to be an effective agent to wash silk, wool clothes, silver and gold ornaments and utensils. I did not try this personally

Now for the shampoo part. The box says it:

  • Completely cleans the hair
  • Works an efficient natural shampoo
  • Best for extremely oily (dirty) hair
  • Gives the hair natural gloss and bounce
  • Cleans dirt accumulated on the scalp

To use Aritha you do not need any additional ingredients apart from water however, I know some people might add a little oil to the mix. Note: Aritha will have a moderate lather (it lathers more than Shikakai). BTW it has a fruit/spice smell to it…I do not particularly mind it but those with a sensitive sense of smell will pick up on its scent!  

Box application instructions:

1. Take required quantity of powder, add a little water and mix to make a thick past. 2. Gently massage (scalp) using your fingertips. 3. Wait for 2 – 5 minute and 4. wash thoroughly with water.

Aritha Powder

                                             Aritha Powder

My experiments: I tried two different methods

1. Box method – 5 tablespoons of Aritha and 8 tablespoons of water. It made a really thick paste and I applied it to my damp scalp as instructed. I carefully and slowly massaged my scalp for a few minutes while in the shower, left it on for 5 minutes and then rinsed it off with lukewarm water. While I was rinsing it off I would glide my hands down the length of my hair so that there would be some contact but I did not concentrate on the length of my hair.

Pros- My scalp felt really really clean. I had no buildup what so ever and even though it  had limited contact with the length of my hair it still felt really clean. 

Con – My hair felt drrrryyyyy afterwards! It took a couple of rinses till I felt like I got all the mix off my scalp and hair. The mix did what it was suppose to (cleaned my hair and scalp) but maybe a little too effectively in terms of stripping my hair of its natural oils. I needed an intesne moisturizing DC afterwards.

2. Second Method – Due to my previous experience (really dry hair) I prepped by doing a hot oil treatment for 30 minutes before applying the Aritha. I used less powder and a lot more water (3 tablespoons Aritha and 3/4 cup of water). I put the mixture in an old (clean) squeeze container and liberally squirted the mixture over my scalp. (Do not get it in your eyes it will burn and feel uncomfortable!) Since it was a lot more liquid-based, the mixture ran down my hair as well. I gently massaged just my scalp and let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing it out with lukewarm water.

Pros – Again my scalp felt and looked really clean as did the length of my hair.  

Cons – My hair still felt dry afterwards even though I “prepoo’d” for 30 minutes. Also because it was very watery the mix did run down my hair a couple of times while I was massaging my scalp. 

Verdict

Would I buy this again? Yes BUT only to use for my face not to use it on my hair. I prefer Shikakai as a natural shampoo because it did not leave my hair as dry but did a good job of cleaning my hair. I can not say this is a “bad” product because it did what it supposed to do (cleans the scalp) and also dried the length of my hair from the limited contact it had. I think perhaps those with more product build up or an oily scalp might find this a little less harsh? I just know that I would use it again for my face but not my scalp. 

P.S. I was not asked/paid or compensated to mention the company or brand. The product was bought with my own money and the review was based on my own personal experience. This review was based on my own personal experiences and should you choose to use Aritha I would suggest you do your research and then do a patch test before applying the product on your scalp to see if you are allergic to it or not. 

Have you tried Aritha as a shampoo? If so, what did you think? If not, do you use any other Auyvedic powder as a natural shampoo? Let me know! 

Maicurls

Maicurls