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MUD Water Element Shampoo Recipe

I have been working on this recipe for several years, with a desire to combine mud-type hair treatments with a more cleansing but still natural shampoo. I have finally reached the stage where I am ready to share this fantastic recipe with the world! (The rest of the element recipes that compliment this shampoo will be offered in a downloadable booklet on home made shampoo. Check back with us here for updates on the availability).

This shampoo is for normal to dry hair and scalp. Sea vegetables like seaweed and spirulina hydrate the hair and scalp, repairing brittle strands and reducing breakage.  

Michael and I have both been using this shampoo (along with the other 4 elements) for several months now, and we have both become so attached to these recipes! We have more body and shine in our hair, and the hair feels hydrated and stays clean longer. It even seems to have nourished a lot of new hairs that are growing in, both for Michael and me. I would love to hear from you after 3 months of using this shampoo, if you decide to make it.

This is not an easy recipe, and will require three steps of preparation before you are actually ready to put together the final shampoo product. But the end result is really worth it. So give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Mud / Water Element Shampoo Recipe

For Normal to Dry Hair & Scalp

Note:  This recipe requires the use of a hand held stick blender.  

Begin by preparing.  First make an essential oil blend of:

 Argan  botanical oil 2 T

Flax seed oil 1/2 tsp

Grape seed oil  1/2 tsp

Ylang Ylang EO  4 drops

Bergamot EO 4 drops

Vetiver EO  3 drops

Rose EO  3 drops

Cardamom EO  4 drops

Clary sage EO  3 drops

Neroli EO  2 drops

Next make the prickly pear extract: 

Combine 2 tsp prickly pear powder with 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes.  Cool and strain.  Store the remainder in the freezer for next time.

Repeat with white willow bark and khombu or wakami seaweed, to make 1 cup of each extract.  Store excess in the freezer. 

Now make the shampoo.  In a small cup or bowl, combine:

Xanthin gum 1/2 tsp

Guar gum 1/2 tsp

Glycerin 1 tsp 

Mix well with a small spoon or chopstick.

Combine with these ingredients in stick blender cup:

Distilled water  6 oz

Aloe vera leaf juice  4 oz

Raw apple cider vinegar 2 tsp

Decyl glucoside  5 TBSP

Use stick blender.  Turn it on before adding Xanthin gum mixture.

When it is all combined and thickened add:

Prickly Pear extract (make a tea of the fruit)  2 T.BSP (This could be substituted with green tea.)

Sea salt 1 light pinch

Citric acid  1 pinch

Ascorbic acid  1 tad (1/8 tsp)

Lactic acid  1 tad

Hyaluronic acid  1 tsp

White willow extract (make a tea with white willow bark)   1/2 tsp

Mix until well combined.  

Add:

Pascalite clay  6 TBSP

Seaweed extract (make a tea of khombu  or wakame seaweed) 1/2 tsp

Spirulina powder  1/4 tsp

Amla powder 2 tsp

Leucidal (natural preservative) 4 drops

Linatural (natural preservative) 4 drops

Essential Oil Blend (that you made at the beginning) 22 drops

Stir gently until all is emulsified.  Pour into a plastic bottle for use.
Test your shampoo with a ph test strip. Shampoo should test between 5.5 and 7 on the litmus scale. If the results are too low, add a tiny bit more salt or baking soda. If it tests too high, add a little more citric acid or acetic acid.