by Texas Homesteader ~
I have a super-smart friend from whom I always learn oh-so-much. Recently we were at a luncheon together & she mentioned that she uses soapberries for shampoo – no conditioner required.
She puts dried soapberries in water and lets them sit for about 6 weeks before she removes the berries. Then she adds a bit of baking soda and uses it to clean her hair.
Well color me intrigued! I found a Soapberry Tree on our property several years ago. So I decided to give it a try.
Making A Quart Of Soapberry Soap
I took about 4 dried soapberries and put them in a quart jar filled with filtered water. For future batches I think I’ll be using Harvested Rainwater. And I plan to infuse fresh mint and/or rosemary with my rainwater too.
Every now & then when I walked by that jar I’d swirl the soapberries in the water. My friend told me to let them sit that way, swirling them occasionally for about 6 weeks.
Making Soapberry Shampoo
When the liquid was infused and tan colored, I mixed up my shampoo in a repurposed plastic bottle with a squirt-top lid. You know, because… glass in the shower makes me nervous!
For each cup of infusion I added a teaspoon of baking soda. I mixed up enough to fit in my repurposed bottle. A quick shake and then I placed the bottle in the shower to give ‘er a try.
Using My Soapberry Shampoo
Now this ‘shampoo’ doesn’t foam up like the commercial stuff does. So when it was time to use it I first wet my hair down. I used a small squirt on each side of my head and a small squirt along the back as I massaged it into my scalp. Then I let it sit in my hair while I showered, then rinsed it all out at the end.
How Did It Work For My Hair?
My hair is super fine, board straight and dry. So I typically wash my hair every 2-3 days to keep it from drying out more. This soapberry shampoo didn’t require me to wash more frequently. Yea!
The first thing I noticed was that my hair seemed to be a bit heavier, which worked well for me. You see, when my hair is shampooed with the commercial stuff it tends to make it too light and fly-away. I liked the difference in the feel, almost thicker.
But hair often feels heavier when it’s time to shampoo because of accumulated oils in it too. So I was worried that the heavier feel meant it looked dirty or greasy. But that wasn’t the case, I didn’t notice my hair looking greasy at all. This is the 2nd day after shampooing.
I also noticed a much softer feel to my hair than with the commercial shampoo. Something I really enjoy.
So for the foreseeable future I’ll be using my soapberry shampoo from now on. I can’t wait until late in the year when I can harvest more soapberries. Heck, I even planted a soapberry tree closer to the house so in the future harvesting soapberries will be even easier!
Gail Offered These Soapberry Tips:
Once you get used to the very low foam, you’ll love soapberry shampoo. Natural saponin doesn’t behave like lab created soaps, the marketers have convinced people that huge amounts of bubble means clean. It means drying out your scalp and stripping your hair of natural oil, so they add oils, and sell conditioners. It also means wasting water, since you have to use so much to rinse the gunk out of your hair. And we won’t go into the damage it does to the environment…
Soapberries clean everything well.
SHAMPOO: 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a pint makes a great shampoo (NOTE: I use 1 teaspoon per cup of prepared soapberry infusion instead ~TxH~)
LAUNDRY: 1/4 cup of soapberry liquid with 1 tablespoon each of borax and washing soda takes care of laundry
CLEANER: 1 pint of soapberry plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar takes care of windows, dishes, floors, and countertops.
All you need to clean everything in your world is cheap and safe. White vinegar, borax, baking soda, washing soda, hydrogen peroxide and soapberries!
~TxH~
Links In This Post
See All Posts About Native NE Texas Plants & Animals
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Want To See Our Natural Cleaning Posts?
- Why Complicate Cleaning?
- Grandma-Approved Cleaning Techniques
- Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
- Laundry-Scent Booster
- Cleaning Blood On Clothing
- Many Magical Uses For Baking Soda
- Make A Natural Air Freshener For Pennies
- How To Clean A Narrow-Neck Jar
- MYO Citrus-Scented Cleaner
- All-Natural Lavender-Scented Hand Scrub
- MYO All-Natural Carpet Cleaner
- Saving Your Fingernails While Cleaning
- Repurposing Mesh Bags For Scrubbing
- How To Use ALL Of Your Spray Cleaner
Hi, thank you for the helpful information! We have a soapberry tree here in AZ. Just curious if you have ever dried yours to boil later?
If I’m making shampoo at harvest I’ll go ahead & use them fresh, Liz. But I’m typically starting with dried soapberries because they’re harvested and dried for use throughout the year. Making this shampoo works either way though, although I think it takes a bit longer to get your infusion the strength you want with the dried berries than it would with fresh ones. ~TxH~
I have a question,can the soapberry tree grow in Missouri?
Ya know, Teresa – I really have no idea. Your best source of region-specific information would be your extension agent. ~TxH~