How to Make a Shampoo Replacement for Colored Hair

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Life is never the same after you change your hair color. I mean when you change it on purpose. Not when the hair color changes to gray or complete white on its own. 

Coloring hair is a rage these days. People color their entire hair to mask the pesky signs of aging. But they also color in parts and streaks as a style statement. 

If you have ever tried professional hair coloring. Or you know someone who has. Then, you must have noticed their set of products meant for coloring aftermath. 

So that includes, but can be more than the following arsenal of products: 

• Color Protecting Shampoo
• Color Freeze Shampoo
• Shampoo for colored hair
• Color Save Shampoo
• Hair Repair Shampoo for post color treated hair

Then, comes the Conditioner for colored hair. Mask for colored hair. I can go blah blah and blah.

I spent some time googling on hair care products for colored hair. Google’s algorithm returned 100s of results. Every established brand had a superlative adjective in comparison to its competitor. 

So, being crunchy. I got into the task of finding shampoo alternatives for colored hair. 

This article is an attempt to document my research and time spent on that effort.

 

Why bother about shampoo alternatives for colored hair?

 

Since there exists a huge amount of products for the post color treated hair. Then, why worry about replacing them? 

Well, there are many reasons. I have them as below: 

     1.     The shampoo for colored hair is expensive.

The shampoo for colored hair costs much more than the regular shampoo. So, by making one yourself, you save some of your money.

     2.     The commercial shampoo has a long list of not so desirable ingredients.

There are surfactants, parabens, silicone derivatives, and even sulfate compounds in some. Not to forget artificial perfumes and colors. When you come up with your shampoo alternatives for colored hair. You replace these not so desirable stuff with natural ones.

     3.     For the fun of DIY adventures

A self-made shampoo replacement to the commercial one gives a sense of achievement. If you are a DIY junkie. Then, you know what I mean.

     4.     The natural alternatives to shampoo for colored hair work well.

In fact, it is a simple and efficient replacement of expensive products from big brands. The efficacy of DIY shampoo is on par with commercial counterparts. The hair becomes healthy and the color brightens up with the use of natural shampoo.

     5.     Homemade hair cleanser is harmless to nature.

It decomposes and thus does not affect the water and soil reserves. This property is unlike the one exhibited by the commercial hair shampoos.

 

Natural Ways to Wash Hair Post-Color Treatment

1.     Aloe vera coconut milk castile soap

This one is my favorite. It gives out some lather. So, it is a little like commercial shampoo. 

But in terms of ingredients. It has nothing that the store bought shampoo has. Hence, no detergent as a base for the cleanser. Instead, it has liquid castile soap to do the cleaning job. 

Along comes fresh aloe vera and coconut milk. 

I love the simple components of this gentle shampoo. All 3 of them are gentle cleansers. Thus, do not pull up the permanent color from the hair strands. 

Plus, the aloe vera and coconut milk team up as nourishing agents. 

You get a clean and supple feeling after washing your hair with this combination. 

The steps to bring up this one is easy: 

1. Take 40 g of fresh aloe vera gel. I have its plant in my garden. So, scrape out fresh gel each time I come up with a DIY aloe gel recipe. But, you can substitute a store bought one too.
2. Collect 40 g of fresh coconut milk. You can whip up fresh coconut flesh in a blender along with some water. Else, you can source the packed one.
3. Mix both the above ingredients in a blender along with 20 g of Castile liquid soap.

 

This will make your 100 g (approx.) of homemade aloe vera coconut milk color saving shampoo. 

This is a wonderful cleanser and adds to the shine of your hair strands. I am sure you will fall in love with its tropical aroma. It is worth a try. 

Use it as you use a normal shampoo. Take a little quantity to lather up wet hair and scalp. Work on the entire mane to clean up. Wash off the shampoo with clean water.

You will have to give this shampoo a good stir before you use it. As the lack of emulsifying agents separates the oils and liquid soap.

2.     Curd egg mashed banana

Since my childhood days, I am familiar with egg and curd for DIY hair care. Both the ingredients are a good source of protein. Hence, work wonders for your hair. In particular, due to its antifungal properties. Curd calms the scalp infections as well. 

I have seen a visible difference in my hair strands due to the continuous use of curd. Though, due to the combination of the egg. The goodness of curd reaches an all-time high. 

Both curd and egg are effective cleansers as well. The egg has leavening properties, that helps to wash off dirt and grime. 

Ditto with curd. Its compounds bind with the impurities on hair and scalp. Then, they wash off with a concluding water rinse. 

You do not need a lathering ingredient for this shampoo. Egg and curd are efficient for that purpose. At times, I add a mashed banana to these 2, so to give the shampoo some volume. 

The banana gives conditioning benefits. It also eases the application of this natural hair shampoo recipe. 

How to make curd egg banana shampoo: 

1. Take 100 g of thick curd.
2. Add 1-2 eggs and a ripe banana into the curd.
3. Whip up the ingredients together with a stick blender. 

Within 5 minutes of blending. You will get a nice thick yellow colored shampoo. 

Use this shampoo on dry hair and scalp the way you use a normal shampoo. Scrub off the buildup from color treatment with the thick lumps of this shampoo. Then, let the shampoo rest on your hair for a minute or two. After that wash it off with plain cold water. 

Do not bother for the smell from the eggs/ curd/ banana. You will not stink once you go out in the Sun. But if you fear the odor that could emanate from your hair. Then, you can use a leave-in conditioner rinse with some aromatic essential oils. For more egg-based hair care recipes, you can read this article.

 

3.     Hibiscus flower powder leaves cucumber juice

If you have colored your hair in a red hue. Then, this shampoo will match your new look. 

With the goodness of hibiscus. This shampoo works as a natural hair wash powder for colored hair. 

In an ideal scenario, you should mix the flower and leaves of Hibiscus with cucumber juice. But not all of us have the privilege to find this flower in abundance. 

Though I have this hair tonic plant in my backyard. But its flowers never bloom in enough numbers to suffice my DIY hair care ventures. 

So, I substitute dried powder of its flowers. Though the leaves suffice. I make a nice thick shampoo with these 2 components and cucumber juice. 

Cucumber juice is a good conditioner, hence makes a stable base for this shampoo. 

Steps to make hibiscus shampoo: 

1. Take about 15 g of dried hibiscus flower leaves powder
2. Take about 15 g of dried hibiscus leaves powder
3. Mix both the above ingredients with cucumber juice to form a thick paste. 

You can adjust the ingredients to get the optimum consistency for the shampoo. I use this shampoo as a hair pack. 

I let it rest on my hair for about 15 minutes. Then, I wash it off with plain water. 

The post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

Dos and Don’ts related to shampoo alternatives for colored hair

It is super easy to use each of the shampoos mentioned in this article. They are simple in their preparation. Also, their application does not require many efforts. 

But to get the maximum benefits from these. You can have a look at the following steps: 

1.     Use of unflavored ingredients

It is better to use the plain versions of curd and castile soap for making these recipes. This lets you have simplicity in the entire approach to the process. 

Also, it lets you remain sure of what ingredients suit you well. Though if you ever develop a fancy to update the shampoos with additives. Then, you can include them as a topical addition. 

I include specific essential oils as the extra additions. 

2.     Addition of essential oils

Essential oils such as Rosemary, Lavender and Tea Tree are good for hair. So, I find ways to include them in my hair care routine. 

You can add them to these individual shampoos. There is also an option to include them in a conditioner post-shampoo. 

All these shampoos do not dry the hair. So, there is not much need to follow up with a conditioner. But you can always use one in case you feel the need. 

In particular for the egg-based shampoo. A conditioner works well to seal in the cuticle and mask the odor too. 

Nettle leaf decoction or one with dried rosemary works well. Though, you should refrain from using an apple cider vinegar rinse on colored hair. It oxidizes the hair. Thus making the hair color lighter. Hence, not suitable for colored hair.

3.     Usage and shelf-life

Since these shampoos lack preservatives. They do not stay good for long. That is why make these in small batches and use them in one go. Though they stay good for 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator. 

I use them once a week to keep my hair clean and healthy. As these shampoos do not add to the buildup. Thus, with continuous usage, you end up requiring them less. 

Resources

 

1.     Aloe Vera

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This one does not have parabens and harmful chemicals. If you cannot find a natural aloe vera resource. Then, this one is next to the best.

 

2.     Coconut Milk

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Times when I am lazy to extract milk from fresh coconut. I use this one. It is homogeneous and thick enough to give the desired results. 

 

3.     Castile Soap

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This one is my favorite. I prefer this plain one to the others. Adding flavors to castile soap is easy with my choice of essential oils.

 

4.     Hibiscus Flower Powder

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There is no other brand that can match the quality of this one. Except for making one from flowers yourself. Trust me when I say this. 

Before switching to this one. I have used a lot of fake ones and now I buy this one in bulk. 

 

5.     Electric Blender

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Since I am engrossed in making my own cosmetics from scratch. So, I keep the blenders for food and hobbies separate. This one is a value for your money. Thus, a must buy.

 

In Conclusion

 

While most of the popular shampoos for color-treated hair boast of no sulfates in them. The truth is that they still contain surfactants that have a detergent base. 

The usual baking soda no-poo recipe may also not cut the deal. Since the soda can open up the hair shafts to fade some part of the color. 

Hence, the next best alternatives for colored hair include stuff from the pantry. 

Castile soap or eggs can replace store-bought surfactants to do the cleaning job. 

Moreover, many of the commercial color protecting shampoos have lactic acid. This acid is abundant in the curd. Thus, the inclusion of curd in a homemade shampoo gives the same benefits as commercial counterparts. 

Each of the recipes in this article is a wonderful shampoo replacement. If you are a novice to DIY beauty treatments. Then, you might feel the overwhelm. But after a few applications. You will fall in love with the process of making beauty treatments from scratch. 

While you whip up your own cosmetics. The beauty and brilliant sheen of your hair will sweep you away. 

So, use these shampoo alternatives for colored hair and stop worrying about the health of your colored hair.

 

 

Image Source: Pixabay