Homemade Soap Nuts Shampoo Recipe

I’ve written before about how I use soap nuts for laundry, and I’ve gotten several questions since that post about how I also use them for shampoo.

Finding a natural shampoo that works for your hair type can be difficult. Coconut milk based shampoo works great for some people, and some people do great with the no-poo method (not me!). If neither of those has worked for you, this is another that you can try.

According to Mountain Rose Herbs:

Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They have traditionally been used as an expectorant, and in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis. Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing.

Soap nuts can be used to make a really easy natural shampoo or body wash that is soothing to eczema or psoriasis. Soap nuts shampoo is also incredibly inexpensive to make and completely natural. Tip: If you make a full batch, store in ice cube trays and freeze for individual use sizes or store in a peri bottle in the fridge and just take out when you shower.

If you aren’t up for making it and want a more involved (but still natural) solution, you can buy pre-made Soap Nuts Shampoo.

Soap Nuts Shampoo Ingredients

5 soap nuts (I got mine here)
3 cups of water
5 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

Soap Nuts Shampoo Instructions

If you have one, place soap nuts in a small muslin bag.
Place in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of the water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let cook.
Squeeze out the bag until it suds. Rinse with cool water and squeeze in to the pan again.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge until use.
To use: Massage a small amount in to hair and let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse well. Can also be used as a soothing wash for skin, especially in those with eczema and psoriasis.

Have you ever used soap nuts? How did you use them? Tell me below!

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

213 responses to “Soap Nuts Shampoo”

naga

July 5, 2016

using soap nuts as shampoo for 3 weeks, my hair has become oily greasy. HELP!

Reply
mary

April 8, 2016

in a nut shell DONT USE PLAIN SOAPNUTS ON YOUR HAIR. the ph level of the nuts is too high and will turn your hair to straw. you must dilute and use it with additional ingredients.

Reply
lin

April 6, 2016

HI There!
I was wondering if this could also be used as body wash? ( killing two birds, with one stone )
& If so would it be safe if i where to use this on my “delicate” parts?

(id probably use EO like rosemary, sage, tea tree, as i believe these are good for body odor)

-Thank you!

Reply
edith

February 8, 2016

Ive been using a soap nut shampoo with acv and a few drop of peppermint essential oil, but its been leaving my hair looking greasy. I have very thick, very long hair. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?

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Josette Green

January 26, 2016

I’m so happy that you have found soap nuts. I discovered them about six months ago on my own and am very impressed. My cotton sheets and bedding have never been softer. Jeans are as soft as silk. I had found them on amazon an figured what the hey for 5 bucks I’ll try it. It’s not like I wasted five bucks before so I tried it. I have not bought regular laundry soap since. I’ve been telling everyone I know about them. Anyone who has allergies to regular soaps try these. I also use the soap nuts to clean my floors. I take 4 halves in a jar of hot water and shake them to activate the soap and add to the hot water that I use to clean my floors. If it’s a tougher stain I just use it straight from the jar. Add more hot water and shake and you have another batch waiting for you. They take tough smells out. I have some puppies that are getting older and I wash their bedding in them and it smells awesome. I cannot say anything bad about soap nuts. you can even put a couple of drops of essential oils on the bag before you throw it in the wash. If you want a scent. Lavender is great. I only wish the trees were easy to grow and did’nt take 10 years to produce fruit or I would have them direct… lol…

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Tulasi

January 23, 2016

Hi
I used soap nuts all my childhood days. We used buy bag of dry soap nuts and you store it. When you want have a head bath crush few nuts (leave out the pips) and add hot water to it. After 10 min hand squeeze the socked soap nuts and throw the pulp in the bin. Soap nut liquid soap or shampoo is ready. We can use the pulp as a once off bath sponge.

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Stephanie

January 5, 2016

Personally, I think it is easier just to use soapnut liquid as a shampoo. If it is in a shampoo bottle then it is easy enough to apply, with your head leaning back. By all means try thickening it up with gum as well, if you wish.
Best wishes,
Stephanie

Reply
Sree

January 5, 2016

Hi,
I wanna try a shampoo like version of this soapnut liquid. Adding xanthan / guar gum could ultimately thicken up my shampoo and makes it user friendly.

But I suffer from dandruff and wanna know if these gums could cause any build up on my scalp.

Or can I bind this soapnut concentrate with flax seed gel?

Thanks
Sree

Reply
Ema

October 8, 2015

Hi,
always when i search some natural stuff in internet, i come to your blog 🙂
I used rye flour to wash my hairs a few times. It worked good, it just need long time and a lot of water to rinse all flour away. I was now thinking about nuts shampoo. Do you know if i could mix it with a yolk? To get better consistence. Or also with rye flour?
And one question to acid rinse. After some kind of no poo shampoo i should rinse my hair with water, then with like 1l acid liquid and then again with water? Do i understand it right?
And does essential oil give some nice scent when hairs are dry?

Thanks for your blog and i wish you always enough power and enthusiasm for a nice work you do in your family and for us 🙂

Reply
Stephanie

October 2, 2015

Try leaving the soap nut liquid on your hair for a few minutes before rinsing – it should get your hair squeaky clean. Some people mix shikaki powder and/or amla powder with the soap nut for a more conditioning effect. There are no exact rules – just experiment until you find what works best for you.
Best wishes,
Stephanie

Reply
Donielle

October 2, 2015

I have used soap nuts as a shampoo 2x now and I’m not sure my hair is suppose to feel waxy or look stringy. usually the 2nd day my hair is alright but still. Am I not doing something right? I use 2oz of it…

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Sierra

September 16, 2015

will this remove silicones from hair products?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  September 18, 2015
  
  Unlikley.
  
  Reply
Tammie

September 5, 2015

I just made the shampoo with the soap nuts and it doesn’t seem to be soapy? when I put it on my hair did I do something wrong

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  September 5, 2015
  
  It does not make a ton of suds, normally. You don’t need suds to clean your hair, though.
  
  Reply
Stephanie

August 13, 2015

There are countless highly processed ingredients in preparations and in the environment. There is acknowledged concern that all these things are causing health problems, birth defects etc. No-one knows exactly which things are causing which problems because none of these highly synthesised “nature identical” things are tested in the long term. Nothing is proved against them because they are only tested for a short term. You simply cannot really copy a natural product in the laboratory. Just taking what you think is the best part, without all the thousands of other components in nature’s own recipe which balance and make the real product, is naive and potentially dangerous. Hair and skin cleansing and care has been going on for thousands of years without the use of detergents and science laboratory ingredients, and the old methods and recipes are safe. I have nothing further to say on this subject – there is plenty of information on the internet for anyone who wishes to investigate and learn from experts such as the Environmental Working Group.

Reply
1. Barb Tocci
  
  August 13, 2015
  
  DL Panthenol? 70 yrs of study is long enough for me. Yes my dear Stephanie, I believe we are quite done beating this poor long dead horse. 🙂 Pax friend
  
  Reply
2. Jessica
  
  September 24, 2015
  
  “Hair and skin cleansing and care has been going on for thousands of years without the use of detergents and science laboratory ingredients, and the old methods and recipes are safe.”
  
  How do you know? Have they been tested? How can you prove your claim? Arsenic is natural. Should we consume it or use it on our bodies? Wheat is natural, yet people with celiac disease are allergic to it. Just because something naturally occurs in the environment does not mean it’s “safe”. So how can we make blanket statements that “xyz” is safe because it’s been used for thousands of years?
  
  The internet is awash with claims from self-appointed health and wellness specialists. Before you jump on the bandwagon, please do some research. No, that doesn’t mean reading so-and-so’s blog. It means finding authoritative sources. Go to your local library. The librarians are research specialists. Find the sources and apply some critical thinking. I’m not pro “chemical” but I am pro information.
  
  Reply
  1. Stephanie
    
    September 25, 2015
    
    Reply to Jessica – soap nuts have been tested by being used for so long by so many people. This is more reliable than safety tests by the big cosmetics companies who test only over a short period of time, and have an allowable margin of people who suffer reactions – as long as no one suffers catastrophic health issues from the product it can be described as “clinically proven to be safe”. I suggest that you avoid the “bandwagon” set up by the big cosmetics companies who want people to buy their products and therefore try to give a bad reputation to real, natural products. Personally, I have invariably found that when I suggest to mothers of children with eczema to try avoiding laundry detergents and using soapnuts instead, to use natural, (cold-process made) soap, and follow a few other similar tips, they always tell me that there is a dramatic improvement and they say, for instance, “I wish I had known about this years ago”. I do ask them to let me know if they have any problems with these natural products, and no one has ever yet told me of any adverse reactions. I do not sell soap nuts and make no money from recommending them – why do you wish to frighten people off using them?
    
    Reply
Stephanie

August 9, 2015

What most people call a chemical, I describe as “highly processed”. There is a world of difference between a highly processed, so called “nature identical” ingredient and the actual natural product. The very strong highly processed “copies” of nature’s products are a cause of concern. I would have thought that a page called “Wellness Mana – simple answer for healthier families” should not have people trying to confuse the general public by pretending that highly processed, synthesised, nature-idential incredients are the same as the natural item. IT IS THE VERY COMPLEXITY OF NATURAL INGREDIENTS THAT MAKES THEM SAFE. scientists are absolutely unable to coply the complexity of a banana or lavender essential oil, or anything else. Isolating one part which is considered beneficial, and making a very strong concentration of that one part, is dagerous, is not natural, and has no place in any cosmetic product which the manufacturer clains is natural. If you do dnot understand this this I suggest you do some research, the website of Environmental Working Group (EWG) is very isstructive. They campaigned for years and have finally been successful, in getting Johnson’s to remove some of the poisonious “nasties” from their Baby Soap. Best wishes, from Stephanie.

Reply
1. Stephanie
  
  August 9, 2015
  
  I see I have made some typing mistakes above. I did the reply in hurry – people who use highly synthesised ingredients and claim their products are natural make me very angry.
  
  Reply
2. Barb Tocci
  
  August 10, 2015
  
  I’ve been researching the ingredients for my products since 1999. I continue to explore , question all ingredients that I use. I am very purposeful in my formulations. D L Panthenol is not highly processed. It is synthesized, ( combine a number of things into a coherent whole ) Since Panthenol is a direct derivative of vitamin B5 is it great as an active ingredient in skin and hair care. It can nourish skin cells and increase cell rejuvenation. Consumers , I find are savvy enough to make informed decisions, I respect that. I count on that. We’ll agree to disagree and call it good. Pax friend.
  
  Reply
  1. Barb Tocci
    
    August 10, 2015
    
    Stephanie I appreciate your passion for things as nature intended. I share that passion. Ever since I had my first health crisis as a mother in the 1980’s, (whopping cough with 4 children in tow) and was introduced to tinctures. Saved my bacon. I HAD to learn everything about herbs, tincturing, essential oils, making salves, …etc. Well one thing I DID learn is that I’ll never know everything….. try as I might, AND others will know more than me. But the journey has been delightful, inspiring and satisfying. If you know of some proven reason not to use D L Panthenol, am open.
    J F Y I : Companies have been using panthenol in the provitamin form of either D-Panthenol or DL-Panthenol to formulate high performing beauty products since the late 1940’s . It has a history!! I would call that a solid “testing cycle” or “study period”.
    Pantothenic acid is a critical part of an important enzyme called co-enzyme A, and is NATURALLY found all over your body.
    D-Panthenol can be readily metabolized and it BIO-converts into pantothenic acid when applied topically. That’s why it’s called a pro·vi·ta·min ,a substance that is converted into a vitamin within an organism. Pax
    
    Reply
Gail

August 8, 2015

After reading ingredient labels on several hundred shampoos for years trying to find one that is all natural and actually works (or not outrageously expensive), if this recipe works, I’m willing to try it. One “semi-natural” ingredient doesn’t bother me. Most shampoos have at least 5-10 questionable ingredients. If anyone has ever found a decently priced shampoo that is truly all natural please let me know!

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  August 11, 2015
  
  Have you tried this one? https://wellnessmama.com/go/mm/
  
  Reply
Stephanie

August 7, 2015

..and this has nothing to do with soap nuts.

Reply
1. Barb Tocci
  
  August 8, 2015
  
  I shared what I did in this thread to possibly help those who are trying to formulate their own shampoo. It was very time consuming to bring my shampoo to a point of satisfaction. I wanted to” help the cause”.
  I think you drew the conversation in another direction.
  Soap nuts has been a revolutionary ingredient my shampoo, that what drew me in to the thread, and caused me to watch it as the feed continues. The benefits are very far reaching. But soap nuts alone , I have found, does not a good shampoo make. I think Stephanie you maybe mis understand the use of DL Panthenol. It is very similar to a pre-biotic. It’s benefits range from reducing inflammation, to wound healing, to moisturizing hair and scalp.
  The word”Chemical” freaks people out. ” If you analyze a banana, you find 39 chemicals, including 2-heptyl acetate, isoamyl acetate. 2-methylbutyl acetate and 2-heptyl acetate. Try putting this list of ingredients on a package label and see how much you sell.” (brainblogger.com)
  Pax
  
  Reply
Stephanie

August 7, 2015

It is a highly processed chemical, and none of these things is tested over a long term. All these things in the environment are causing a worrying build up of chemicals in olur bodies and in the environment. Apart from being converted into a vitamin, what else does it do? – no-one knows.

Reply
Stephanie

July 31, 2015

Well if you really can’t get on with soap nuts, and a stronger solution doesn’t work, then you could try something like chick pea flour instead – just mix chick pea flour with some water, work it into hair, leave for five minutes and then rinse off – this should be a definite grease buster – you might need to experiment with rinses to avoid tangles. Personally though, I have found that soap nut liquid, used twice, works for oily hair. Good luck.

Reply
1. Barb Tocci
  
  August 4, 2015
  
  The soap nuts are not the problem, OR the castile soap as one person suggested. (J&J Shampoo has carcinogens in it, so that not a great alternative.) I manufacture and retail a shampoo that has soap nuts, organic Coconut milk, castile soap…. etc. Because I’m a bit of a made scientist, for 6 months I tried to find something that work for EVERYONE. Can’t be done. BUT there are basic components PLUS different oils, botanical s,and NATURAL additives that you can tweak to tailor the shampoo. These can help you create the perfect shampoo FOR YOU, ALL NATURAL 90% organic if you like. Organic Apricot Kernal , Avocado oil, Fractionated Coconut oil, DL Panthenol , organic raw honey, infused rosemary water, soap nuts, (which by the way made L-O-V-E the results!!!!) making a small batch, 1 can organic coconut milk , 1 & 1/3 cup distilled water 2 oz rosemary water, 4-6 oz soap nuts tea, 1 &1/2 to 2 cups of castile , D L Panthenol scant teaspoon, 3-4 tbls raw honey. Then play with the oils. 5-10 drops at time. This is the formula I worked of for months , tweaking, tweaking and tweaking some more. My customers need help with extremely dry hair, psoriasis, fall out, oily hair…etc I love tweaking to help some one get a healthy head of hair. A lot of customers want customized forumlas, so ALL that tweaking was worth it! Here’s one response: “I received my peppermint shampoo and used it for the first time today! Having psoriasis for years now, this is absolutely the most relief that I have received in years! This is an amazing product and I just wanted to say thank you!” ONE OF THE KEY INGREDIENTS WAS ESSENTIAL OIL OF PEPPERMINT!! I usually wash my hair 2xs a week, not because it looks dirty, it hardly ever LOOKS dirty, but it is summer time and even in New Hampshire we sweat. My MIL says it makes her hair more manageable. Who doesn’t want to make points with their MIL eh?
  
  Reply
  1. Stephanie
    
    August 5, 2015
    
    DL-Panthenol ?????????????? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought this thread was about natural products, not products with highly processed chemicals (which have been classified as “safe” by industry). “Safe” means that an acceptably low number (acceptable to the industry, not to many customers) have suffered reactions to an ingredient. There are always concerns with these chemicals that they are never tested over a long period so nobody knows what the long term effects are.
    Best wishes,
    Stephanie
    
    Reply
    1. Barb Tocci
      
      August 6, 2015
      
      D,L-Panthenol, aka Pro-Vitamin B5, is a stable mixture of D-Panthenol and L-Panthenol. The human body readily absorbs DL-Panthenol through the skin and it rapidly converts D-Panthenol to Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), a natural constituent of healthy hair and a substance present in all living cells.
      
      Reply
      1. Barb Tocci
        
        August 6, 2015
        
        Panthenol is a so called pro-vitamin (which means that it may be converted into a vitamin by the body, just as beta-carotene may get converted into vitamin A, or cholesterol into vitamin D)
        Panthenol may get converted into pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
Jenae

July 30, 2015

I have tried the soap nut shampoo over three weeks even used peppermint catnip and lavender tea as my hot water . My hair is naturally very oily and over the last 10 years I average washing my hair 1-2 twice a week and that was even before starting no poo. Using soap nuts makes my hair look super oily/ greesy- especially at the scalp. I thought it would really work since I haven’t had problems with the baking soda and the shampoo bar. But I didn’t 🙁

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