How to Make Hair Products

Henna, a centuries-old favorite, won't damage your hair the way dye or bleach can. To give a bronze or reddish cast to dark hair, try this gentle henna shampoo.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: About 1/2 pint

Pour 1 cup of water into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of powdered henna, 1/4 teaspoon of borax, and 1/4 teaspoon of liquid laundry bluing. Stir the mixture and strain it into a pint container through a funnel lined with a clean coffee filter. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cut a small, hand-size cake of castile soap into quarters with a sharp knife. Cut one quarter of the soap into shavings, and add the shavings to the mixture. Heat the mixture over a low flame until the soap dissolves, and strain it again into the pint container. Cover it tightly.

Mix this high-protein shampoo fresh whenever you need it -- it does the job at least as well as store-boughts.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: Enough for one shampoo

In a small mixing bowl, beat the white of an egg until frothy with an electric mixer or egg beater. Soften 1 packet of gelatin in 1/4 cup of warm water and add the mixture to the egg white; mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of ammonia and mix thoroughly. Add a few drops of your favorite cologne to mask the ammonia. Finally, add 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and mix thoroughly.

Shampoo the mixture thoroughly into your hair; only one application is necessary. Rinse your hair thoroughly and apply a standard conditioning rinse as directed.

For a natural, gentle, effective shampoo, mix this simple cream formula.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: About 1 quart

Measure 2 cups of water into a saucepan and heat it. Add 1 cup of soap flakes to the hot water and stir to dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat and add 11/2 cups of glycerin and 3/4 cup of borax; if desired, add a few drops of your favorite perfume. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Pour it into a quart jar and cover it; let it cool completely before using.

Troubled by dandruff? This dandruff treatment should work wonders.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: About 6 ounces

Measure 1/2 cup of mineral oil into a small saucepan and warm it over a low flame. Empty a 1-ounce tube of anhydrous lanolin into the warm oil and add 2 teaspoons tincture of iodine; stir to blend thoroughly and remove from the heat. Pour the warm mixture into a small jar and cover it tightly.

Massage the lotion into the scalp daily.

This gentle liquid hair bleach is easy to mix and use.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: Enough for one application

Measure 1/4 cup of vegetable oil into a small saucepan, and heat it gently over low heat until it's warm. Remove from the heat. Add 1/4 cup of 3 percent solution hydrogen peroxide and 20 drops of ammonia; stir to blend. Pour the bleach into a bowl.

To use the bleach, swab the mixture into the hair with absorbent cotton. Leave it on the hair for about 20 minutes; rinse thoroughly and shampoo.

To keep unruly hair in place, try this lightly scented conditioning dressing.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Note: Buy beeswax, lanolin, and oil of bergamot at a pharmacy.

Yield: About 3/4 cup

In the top of a double boiler, slowly melt 1/2 ounce of beeswax, about 1 tablespoon. In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of castor oil, 1/4 cup of anhydrous lanolin, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil; stir to blend the oils. Add the melted beeswax to the oils and stir well; then add 2 teaspoons of oil of bergamot and stir again. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and let cool.

To use the dressing, place a small dab on one palm and rub your palms together to spread it; run your hands through your hair to distribute the dressing evenly. Use only a little; more than a dab will make your hair greasy.

Make this cream to help your hair hold a style longer.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Yield: Enough for one application

Measure 1/2 cup of powdered karaya gum into a mixing bowl. Add just enough rubbing alcohol to give the mixture the consistency of thick, heavy syrup; mix well until the mixture is free of lumps. Add 1 or 2 drops of perfume or cologne and mix thoroughly.

To mix enough lotion for future use, double the ingredients and add 2 teaspoons of borax as a preservative. Spoon the mixture into a small jar and cover it tightly.

Use the cream as you would a commercial preparation.

Add some spring to your curls with this gentle lotion.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Note: Buy the ingredients at a pharmacy.

Yield: 1 pint

Measure 2 cups of rose water into a mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of tragacanth gum and 2 tablespoons of glycerin. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Pour the lotion into a pint jar and cover it tightly.

Use the lotion as you would a commercial preparation.