Pregnancy-safe and Vegan-friendly Hair Product Recipes
by Jaqulene Harper-Roth
Herbs for dry hair
Comfrey, avocado, elder flowers, orange blossom, burdock root, horsetail
Herbs for oily hair
Nasturtium flowers, strawberry leaves, lemon grass, rosehip, white willow bark, sage
Herbs for normal hair
Clover, horsetail, nettle, lavender, rosemary, marigold
Herbs for ethnic hair
Cherry bark, olive leaves, comfrey root, nettle, thyme, juniper
Herbs for dandruff
Comfrey, nettle, peppermint, white willow bark, birch, colts foot, sage, chestnut
Herbs for manageability
Cherry bark, hops, sage leaves, burdock root, lavender flowers
Herbs for conditioning and highlighting fair hair
Marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, nettle, rhubarb root, safflower, mullein flowers
Herbs for conditioning and accentuating dark hair
Bay leaves, black walnut hulls, burdock root, nettle, quassia bark, cloves, cinnamon
Gentle Mom & Baby-safe shampoo
1 ounce chopped soapwort root
10 ounces Distilled water
2 tablespoons fresh herb choice for hair type (1 tablespoon if dried)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon (each) castor and wheat germ cold pressed oil
6 drops (your choice) essential oil.
In a stainless steel or Pyrex pan, simmer the soapwort pieces in the distilled water for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and add the herb. Let it stand for 10 more minutes. Strain through a fine mesh. Pour into a glass jar, with fitted lid. Add the salt, cold pressed oils, and essential oils, then shake well. Refrigerate between uses. Shake well before each use. Use daily on warm, wet hair. For baby, remove shampoo from the refrigerator, 1 hour before use, so that it is room temperature before application.
Conditioning Treatment:
Dandruff-away conditioner
Half ounce each of the following herbs:
Coltsfoot, white sage, peppermint leaves, white willow bark
1/2 teaspoon, cold pressed castor oil
1/2 teaspoon, cold pressed walnut oil
8 ounces cider vinegar
1 ounce 100-proof vodka (light hair) or brandy (dark hair)
All herbs must be fresh (or wild craft dried, halve the amount for dried herbs), free from pesticides and always organically grown. In a wide mouthed glass (dark colored) jar, pour in the vinegar and alcohol. Chop or crush the herbs and place into the jar. Seal and shake well. Leave in a dark cupboard for 10 days to macerate, shaking daily. Strain through a fine mesh discarding the herbs, and pour liquid back into the bottle. Add the oils and shake again. This recipe does not require refrigeration, it will keep at room temperature for at least 2-3 weeks. For best results, use daily for one week.
Natural hair dye ingredients include a seasonal selection of herbal leaves, fruits, and flowers, mineral rich clays, cold pressed seed and nut oils, and pure essential oils.
Blonde dye ingredients
Calendula, lemon peel, chamomile, linden flowers, black berry leaves, nasturtium flowers, mullein flowers, saffron, kaolin, cold pressed castor and almond oil, distilled water and essential oils of lemon, orange and chamomile.
Shades of blonde dye treatment
Pre-paste rinse:
1/2 ounce, of the following herbs:
Lavender, mullein flowers, safflowers
Make a (one hour), steeped herbal infusion, in eight ounces, of distilled water. Strain. Apply solution warm, to dry hair and leave for 20-30 minutes before rinsing out with warm water.
Shades of blonde dye:
1 ounce, kaolin clay
1 ounce, chamomile flowers
2 medium rhubarb sticks (with root)
1/2 ounce, (yellow) marigold flowers
8 ounces distilled water
Essential oils – 3 drops chamomile, 3 drops calendula
Place the herbs into a saucepan with the water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain. Pour the herbal solution into a small bowl. Once cooled, add the clay and cold pressed oils. Whip well. Lastly, before applying the dye to you hair, add the essential oils.
Apply dye paste to your hair using a paste brush. Part, and completely cover, using all the mixture in one application. Gently cover with a plastic shower cap, then cover again with a warmed towel. Leave for 30-45 minutes (depending on the shade you would like to achieve). Rinse out with warm water and pat dry.
After-dye conditioning rinse:
1 tablespoon, lemon geranium leaves
1 tablespoon, burdock root
1 tablespoon, basil leaves
1 tablespoon, horsetail
Make a combined infusion of the herbs. Let it stand (steep) for 1 hour. Strain well. After dyeing, and rinsing your hair, pour the after-dye conditioning rinse into a large bowl. Using an old cup or bottle, pour the liquid over your hair (repeatedly catching back in to bowl), for about 5 minutes. Cover your wet hair in a warm towel and relax for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then dry and style as usual.
Auburn dye ingredients
Henna pods, hibiscus flowers (red), cinnamon, saffron, safflower, Uranium henna, beet root, burdock root, nutmeg, alkanet root, cold pressed sesame seed and macadamia nut oil, essential oils of lavender, calendula.
Darkest brown, Black (or ethnic) dye ingredients
Indigo leaves, lavender flowers, fuller’s earth, red sage, black malva, nutmeg, clove, avocado and walnut cold pressed oils, essential oils of myrrh, rosemary.
Color restoring gray dye ingredients
Watercress leaves, black tea, tobacco leaves, nasturtium flowers, dandelion root, rosemary leaves, green walnut skins, fuller’s earth, sesame seed and walnut cold pressed oils, essential oils of marjoram and lavender.
Brunette dye ingredients
Green walnut skins, cloves, brown henna, burdock root, cinnamon, quassia bark, red sage, rosemary leaves with the essential oils of lavender, rose, orange flower
Making a personal selection of hair-type, nature dyes, shampoo, and condition treatments is not difficult, neither is it expensive. Choose herbs that offer optimal scalp and root nourishment that will enhance your natural color and condition, and will also address any special needs you may have. You can customize, mix and match and alter the basic recipes to create a truly unique combination best suited for your hair. More importantly; Since you have made a choice to live the vegetarian, holistic lifestyle, for your health (and beauty) throughout your evolution of motherhood, you owe it to yourself and family to choose only chemical free, natural resource skin, and hair care treatments too.
