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Using an expensive shampoo filled with toxins that isn’t just right for your hair? Give this homemade coconut milk shampoo a try! Easy to make, this DIY shampoo can be customized for just about any type.
I love making homemade beauty products, but it can be hard to find ones you love and will stick with. While most have come easy to me, finding a homemade herbal shampoo that I loved took some time.
I have very long and very curly hair so I needed a DIY shampoo that wasn’t going to leave me a greasy, frizz filled mess. I’m going to be honest and tell you when I first heard the idea to wash hair with coconut milk, I was pretty skeptical.
In the end, I loved it though. What followed was taking the time to learn how to make shampoo from scratch and eventually, this homemade coconut milk shampoo.
How to Switch to Homemade Shampoo
Using a homemade herbal shampoo is a bit different than using the shampoo you pick up at the store. For one, even though this is a homemade shampoo with castile soap, it won’t create a suds when you use it. You can use any castile soap on it, but I personally prefer to use my own homemade liquid castile soap since it cuts the cost so much.
But, using this homemade coconut milk shampoo is a bit different than using a conventional store bought shampoo. For instance, regular shampoos have SLS in them and this coconut milk shampoo does not.
SLS is what creates those suds you’re so used to, but they do not help clean your hair and are really unnecessary in DIY shampoo. So this shampoo will not give you the suds you’re used to.
How to Customize DIY Shampoo for Any Hair Type
When you make this homemade shampoo with castile soap and coconut milk, you’ll also be using essential oils (Six Dollar Family) to help customize it to your hair type. Each oil that you add will lend it’s different properties to the shampoo mixture and will help to heal or improve your hair in some way.
Why Wash Hair with Coconut Milk?
If you are looking for healthy hair, getting into the habit of washing it with coconut milk is a great idea since coconut milk is full of the nutrients your hair needs to be healthy. This can promote growth, fewer split ends, shine and more.
When you make a DIY shampoo with coconut milk, you make it easy to wash hair with coconut milk and to “feed” your hair without making a huge mess.
DIY Shampoo with Essential Oils
For those that are learning how to make shampoo from scratch to address a specific hair issue, this homemade shampoo with castile soap and coconut milk can address those issues.
I often change the essential oil combinations I am using based on what my hair currently is doing. As you’ll see at the end of this post, each EO combo helps to address a specific issue.
If I am having a dull hair kind of month, I make a batch of homemade shine boosting shampoo. If I am dealing with oily hair, I make up an oil reducing batch and so on.
That is the main reason I adore my coconut milk shampoo recipe so much; it’s so easy to customize!
Is There an Adjustment Period for Hair When Switching to Homemade Shampoo?
I have had people ask whether there is an adjustment period for your hair when you start to use a homemade herbal shampoo over a commercial shampoo.
The best answer I can give to that question is this; I did not personally have any issues switching, however everyone has different hair. I have naturally curly and very dry and frizzy hair normally.
What I would suggest is if you’re concerned about an adjustment period to use it the first time over the weekend. That will give your hair a bit of time to calm down if needed.
Also, if you find that your hair is needing some adjustment, doing a baking soda wash with an apple cider vinegar rinse can often help.
You will Need:
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ⅔ cup unscented Castile soap
- 2 tsp. vegetable glycerin
- 1 tsp. Jojoba oil
- 15-20 drops essential oil of your choice
How to Thicken Homemade Shampoo If It’s Too Thin
If after making this homemade coconut milk shampoo, you find that it is too thin, you can thicken it by making a salt water solution.
Add 0.5 oz regular table salt to 1.5 oz warm distilled water and stir until it is dissolved. Then, in very small amounts (1 ml or less), add to your soap and stir or shake.
Continue adding the salt water solution to your soap until you’ve got the consistency that you want. It’s easiest to control the amount of salt water solution you are adding if you use a plastic pipette.
How to rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar
To use, apply a generous amount to your hair beginning at the ends and work your way up to the roots. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes then rinse away completely. For an added shine and extra conditioning boost, rinse with apple cider vinegar after shampooing. There are quite a few different ways to use apple cider vinegar and conditioning and adding shine to hair is one of them.
Coconut Milk Shampoo with Essential Oils
Have a specific hair issue you need to solve? Use these essential oil combos in your DIY shampoo when you make it. As always, be careful with essential oils if you’re pregnant and please do not use this shampoo on children. Some are not safe for use by pregnant women or for children.
To mix these into your homemade shampoo from scratch, you’ll take the 15-20 drops mentioned above and split them between each oil. I’ve listed the counts below but you can always mix it up if you would like.
Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo for Dry Hair
- 6 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 6 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 6 drops Geranium Essential Oil
Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo for Oily Hair
- 5 dropsRosemary Essential Oil
- 5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 5 dropsCypress Essential Oil
- 5 drops Basil Essential Oil
Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo for Dry Scalp
- 5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 5 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil
- 5 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 5 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo To Add Shine
- 10 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 10 drops Chamomile Essential Oil
- (or make our homemade shine boosting shampoo recipe)
Coconut Milk Shampoo
Equipment
- Empty Amber Shampoo Bottle or Pint mason jar with lid and ring
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. coconut milk
- 2/3 c liquid castile soap unscented
- 2 tsp. vegetable glycerin
- 1 tsp Jojoba oil
- 15-20 drops essential oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the essential oils.
- Add essential oils and shake to combine very well.
- Store in fridge until ready to use. Allow to come to room temperature before using. Shake very well to combine before use.
Am going to try this one! I already make a few homemade products … toothpastes, mag cream, etc. Am thinking if coconut oil or coconut ‘milk’ (made from coconut shreds & water blended as opposed to the canned) is used, it *should* be ok to leave it out of the fridge. Guess the best way to find out is to TRY IT! 😀
What kind of vinegar rinse did you do? I do a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of water, and add 10 drops of rosemary and tea tree essential oils. My hair never smells like vinegar afterwards. It doesn’t smell like rosemary or tea tree oil, either, haha! Could you have been using too much?
I just found your blog and love it , thank you for posting this shampoo recipe I’ve been looking for a easy good recipe , I’ve recently started using all natural products in my home due to being diagnosed with COPD, I’ve had to throw all my cleaning products away as I can’t handle the smell of them anymore, so I started making everything from my cleaning products to my beauty products and I feel so much better now, I wished I would have done all this year’s ago. Lol many Blessings to you !
I’m glad you’re enjoying the site. 🙂
If the Castile soap isn’t good for colored hair, are there any good substitutes?
Aimee, you could try using just baking soda and vinegar (white) to wash your hair with. There will be a short adjustment period as your hair gets used to no chemicals, but once your hair adjusts, it will look even better than with an expensive shampoo.
Thank you for the recipe I made this shampoo did not dilute the Castile soap I was wondering if you deluded before using it thank you
If you’re using pure Castile, there’s no reason to dilute it. It is pure soap and gentle enough to use on an infant.
So I made the liquid Castile soap. Then made the shampoo. It’s pretty much the consistency of water. It also has sedement in the bottom of the bottle after an hour. I tried the salt water solution. Didn’t thicken at all. Here are my thoughts/questions:
I used 4 cups water per bar of Castile soap. Should I have thickened that first, before attempting the shampoo?
I didn’t have distilled water for the saltwater solution but I did it anyways. What is the reason for it needing to be distilled water?
I also didn’t catch the part about keeping it in the fridge. It’s been in my shower for 24 hours. How fast will it go bad? I suppose it would smell bad?
Any other tips for thickening it?
Or did I do something wrong in the recipe?
Thanks!!
Candice, I would suggest thickening homemade Castile first if you’re going to use it. Also, you may need to cut back on the water. It depends on how long you melt it, etc. Start with 3 1/2 cups next time and see how that does for you. You could also try increasing the amount of shaved soap you’re using if you wanted to. I’ve never had much of an issue, but I’ve been making it long enough to just eyeball it at this point.
Distilled water is recommended for purity. There’s not really any other reason than that.
Your shampoo should be fine at 24 hours, but I would get it in the fridge asap if you haven’t already.
I’m so glad I read this! I was going to make some to use for myself, but I have high maintenance red hair…so, I will be trying on my kids and hubby. Thank you!
Why the vinegar rinse afterwards? Is that the conditioner? Is the vinegar diluted and does that return scalp to proper ph level?
Yes, the vinegar is a conditioner. You can use straight if you’d like or dilute it. It’s a personal preference. No, there isn’t a vinegar smell. It dissipates once your hair is dry. 🙂
Where are some places to find Castile soap? I’m in Florida and I have very thick curly frizzy hair in this humidity. I’m also Italian and I’ve tried so many things to calm the frizz and so far nothing helps. Any suggestions?
Maria, most grocery stores and pharmacies sell it. If not, there is a link in the post above to buy it on Amazon. HTH!