DIY Herbal Hair Rinses

Herbal hair rinses are a wonderful and natural way to help you keep your hair healthy. Some of the ways herbal hair rinses can help include: they can soften your hair, prevent oily buildup, soothe scalp issues, bring a natural boost of color, and more. Learn more about the benefits of homemade herbal hair rinses as well as a list of herbs to use and some common recipes.

I am a HUGE lover of herbs. I use them medicinally (examples: here’s my post on how to use herbs for headaches), I use them in the kitchen (like in this Italian seasoning recipe), and I even use them for cosmetic purposes (like my Queen of Hungary Facial Toner recipe). 

Another way that I love to use herbs in my home is by making homemade natural herbal hair rinses. I use a combination of herbs grown in my garden and herbs that I buy from good-quality herb stores (like Mountain Rose Herbs).

DIY Herbal hair rinses can help with:

• Give a boost of hair growth
• Soften your hair
• Remove oily residue from the hair
• Add natural shine
• Add a few natural highlights or natural color tints
• Help prevent dandruff and/or itchy scalp issues

One of my favorite parts about making homemade herbal hair rinses is having fun combining the ingredients. I LOVE trying different combinations of herbs, depending on what I have available at the time.

Common Herbal Hair Rinse Ingredients

There are plenty of options for herbal hair rinse ingredients, some of which can come from your garden, and some that can come from your kitchen.

Herbs:

Common herbs in hair rinses include: raspberry leaf, calendula, chamomile, sage, rosemary, comfrey (both root and leaves), burdock root, and nettle. Here’s a basic list of ways to use herbs in your hair rinse:

• For blond hair and/or highlights: Chamomile, Calendula, Yarrow
• For dark colored hair: Rosemary, Sage, Raspberry leaf
• For red/auburn hair: Calendula, Hibiscus flowers, Red clover
• For healthy, balanced hair: Nettle, Rosemary, Sage
• For dry or oily hair issues: Burdock root, Calendula, Chamomile, Nettle, Comfrey root
• For dandruff/itchy scalp: Burdock root, Calendula, Chamomile, Comfrey leaves, Rosemary, Sage, Nettle

Teas:

The caffeine and nutrients in tea can be good for hair growth and overall hair and scalp health. The teas most often used for hair rinses include black tea, green tea, and rooibus tea.

• Black tea is especially good at restoring shine and color (often a dark highlight) to your hair.
• Green tea, already popular in homemade toners for skin health, can also strengthen hair and stimulate hair growth.
• Rooibus tea can encourage hair growth and is great for giving a natural color boost for light brown hair and red/auburn hair.

Common Kitchen Ingredients:

• Lemon juice can be added to your hair rinse if you want to lighten your hair color.
• Baking soda can be added to your hair rinse to help remove buildup from your hair.
• Apple Cider Vinegar is a common ingredient to add to herbal hair rinses; it can help balance the pH of the scalp and hair, soften your hair, and add shine.
• Black walnut hulls are commonly added to dark hair rinses.

Bonus:

You can also add essential oils to your homemade hair rinses, however, please make sure you only add a few drops and shake well before using. Read more about my opinions on essential oils here. I currently like to use Plant Therapy essential oils.

I personally prefer to use essential oils for my hair in a carrier oil that I massage into my scalp AFTER my shower. Cedarwood and Rosemary essential oils are known to be good for hair health. Please do your own research on them first!

Types of Homemade Herbal Hair Rinses 

There are two common ways to make a homemade hair rinse: an herbal rinse and a vinegar rinse.

Herbal hair rinse:

This is the hair rinse you should make if you want to use a hair rinse right away. Simply brew a strong tea with 2 ounces of your chosen herbs/supplies and let it steep. After this strong tea is room temperature, strain it, and add more water to the hair rinse to make 1 quart of liquid. After normal shampooing and rinsing of your hair, slowly pour the mixture through your hair and massage your scalp. 

Vinegar hair rinse:

Since apple cider vinegar is good for your hair and your scalp, this rinse gives you a great extra boost of love. This rinse takes some time to make, but it will keep for at least a year, so you can make a huge batch at one time if you want.

Add 3-4 tbsp. of your desired herbs in a glass jar. Pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar over the herbs. Close the lid tightly and place the jar in a dark, cool place for 3-5 weeks. Shake the jar daily. When ready to use, strain your mixture with a fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth, discarding the herbs in your compost and keeping the liquid in a glass jar for use.

At this point, keep your vinegar hair rinse in the fridge, where it will keep for at least a year. When needed, pour ½ cup of the herbal vinegar with 2 cups of warm water in a small bowl. After shampooing and rinsing your hair, slowly pour this diluted vinegar hair rinse through your hair and massage your scalp. Rinse with warm water, and then if you can handle it, finished with a blast of cold water (to stimulate your scalp and lock in a glossy sheen in your hair).

Homemade Herbal Hair Rinses Recipes

Here are some examples of homemade herbal hair rinses you can make, but feel free to make your own combinations and share them with me in the comments below!

By the way, the herbal hair rinse recipes for giving your hair a boost of color will NOT give you dramatic color tints like hair dyes. This is simply a natural way to give your hair a healthy tint, and it takes multiple uses to see a difference.

Herbal Hair Rinse for Dark hair:

• 1 part black walnut hulls, chopped or in powder form
• 1 part sage
• 1 part rosemary
• 1 part red raspberry leaf
• 1 part black tea

Herbal Hair Rinse for Blond Hair:

• 2 parts chamomile
• 1 part calendula
• 1 part yarrow
• 1 part lemon juice

Herbal Hair Rinse for Red Hair:

• 2 parts hibiscus flowers
• 1 part red clover
• 1 part calendula
• 1 part rooibus tea

Herbal Hair Rinse for Dry Hair:

• 1 part green tea
• 2 parts nettle
• 1 part calendula
• 1 part burdock root
• 1 part comfrey leaves

Herbal Hair Rinse for Oily Hair:

• 1 part rosemary
• 2 parts nettle
• 1 part burdock root
• 1 part comfrey root
• 1 tsp. baking soda