By Katie Vance
Of the home remedies for dandruff we have come across, this homemade dandruff shampoo takes the cake. It works great, is moisturizing, and simple to make!
Home Remedies for Dandruff
We like to try home remedies for dandruff because they save us so much money, and they work!
A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law bought me some great natural dandruff shampoo. I loved everything about it: the scent, lather, and most importantly, how it made my hair feel!
Naturally, when the shampoo ran out, I went to our local natural store to buy more. I was absolutely FLOORED at the price tag: $28.00 for a single bottle!
We absolutely cannot afford to pay that much for shampoo. So I left the bottle at the store and went home to try my hand at making a natural, moisturizing homemade dandruff shampoo.
Home Remedies for Dandruff: Homemade Dandruff Shampoo
When I started making this recipe, I took a good look at the ingredients in the store-bought brand. I wanted to get my recipe as close to it as possible.
Liquid castile soap – The base of my shampoo is a natural, liquid castile soap. I love liquid castile soap because it has a wonderful lather and rinses clean. It’s also made with oils that are very good for skin and hair.
Shea butter – Next on my list was shea butter. It coats and protects hair and is rich in beneficial acids such as linoleic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid. It’s been used for centuries to soften frizzy hair.
Coconut oil – I also used coconut oil because it contains a high percentage of lauric acid, which is wonderful to help reduce breakage and split ends. It also is wonderful to help manage dandruff and promote hair growth.
Sweet almond oil – Sweet almond oil helps moisturize and soften hair while promoting growth. It also makes the hair bright, silky, and shiny.
Essential oils – I also chose to include essential oils for an added boost. Rosemary essential oil is wonderful for hair and helps reduce dandruff and control oil production. Eucalyptus essential oil is also great to help control oil production and works as an astringent to reduce the size of pores on the scalp.
Homemade Dandruff Shampoo
Of the home remedies for dandruff we have come across, this homemade dandruff shampoo takes the cake. It works great, is moisturizing, and simple to make!
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Active Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Servings
- 11 ounces
- Estimated Cost
- $5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces liquid castile soap
- 1 ounce distilled water
- 1 ounce sweet almond oil
- 1 ounce shea butter (melted)
- 4 ounces coconut oil (melted)
- 20 drops rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Instructions
-
Measure out castile soap and water in a seal-able container. (You can use a bottle with a squirt-top - I used a recycled glass seltzer container.)
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Add sweet almond oil and shake to combine.
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Melt coconut oil and shea butter in the microwave or in a double boiler.
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Add coconut oil/shea butter mixture to your shampoo container while still melted.
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Cap and shake well to combine. (You may have to do this a few times to get everything combined.)
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Add essential oils and shake again to mix.
To Use
-
Shake bottle well before each use, as oils may separate.
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Pour or squirt a handful of shampoo directly onto hair and scalp.
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Lather, taking care to avoid the eyes.
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Allow shampoo to sit on hair and scalp for 1-2 minutes.
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Rinse out thoroughly.
Notes
This home remedies for dandruff shampoo recipe is much thinner than store-bought shampoos and has slightly less lather. It just means that a little bit will go a long way! Use caution around the eyes as this recipe can be irritating to them.
Rosemary should not be used by pregnant mothers, epileptics, people with blood pressure issues, or children under 10. Do not use eucalyptus on children under 10.
If you fall under one of the categories in the warning, omit the rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils and add lavender instead. It doesn't work quite as well, but it will help soothe the scalp.
Made this recipe?
Mention @diynatural or tag it #diynatural!
Still having problems with dandruff? These easy, natural hair rinses are also great home remedies for dandruff.
Want to try another DIY shampoo? Try one of these other shampoo and conditioner recipes:
- Homemade Shampoo Made with Beneficial Jojoba Oil
- A Simple Natural Effective Homemade Dry Shampoo
- How To Make Homemade Natural Shampoo
- Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair: A Natural Conditioner
- Homemade Conditioner For Hair
Not Into Home Remedies for Dandruff?
Love the idea of home remedies for dandruff and natural shampoos, but don’t want to make your own? We have finally found a line of natural shampoos we can stand behind – with nourishing ingredients that will balance your hair and scalp. See our favorites here.
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any chance y’all can use mililiters instead of grams for the metric measurements?
Can the homemade shampoo be used on relaxed hair? Can you please give a recipe for hair conditioner for relaxed hair as well?
Thank you
I notice you melt the coconut oil and shea butter together. I have some of the coconut oil which stays liquid – I use it in my natural insect repellent. Can I use that vs the solid version? We keep our home on the cool side and the solid version would always harden here in N. Michigan.
Thank you!
Yes, Shelley, that should work fine.
Blessings.
Thank you!
Hi, I made a batch today. The shampoo has a luxurious texture, but it left my hair extremely greasy. I have very dry hair, but the shampoo really left it as if I had put oil on my hair. Should I add more Castile soap and water to mix down the amount of oil?
Hi Maria,
Yes, try adding more water and castile to your existing mixture. And you may also try using less of the shampoo. Not sure how much you used, but sometimes a tablespoon of these homemade shampoos is sufficient.
Thanks Betsy. I really appreciate your comment. Will try again and let you know.
Not so much a comment as a Question.
You talk a lot about Nettles are they what we call in Australia as Stinging Nettles?
I have tried many of the recipes here and love them. this one on Rinse sounds good as I am losing my hair may help.
Thanking You
Ken Hopgood
Albany. West Australia.
Yes, nettles (here in the US) are the same as stinging nettles. 🙂
I love the texture & smell of this. (I only used lavender since this was made for my 10yr old who has had cradle cap since birth.) unfortunately every time she uses it she wakes with a greasy head. I’ve tried adding extra water & helping her wash such that she doesn’t use too much but it’s still too greasy. We end up having to wash her hair again with a regular shampoo so it defeats the purpose. If live any other suggestions. FYI she has very fine curly hair that is pretty dry.
I noticed the Mountain Rose Herbs castile liquid soap has no olive oil in it, but has sunflower oil instead. But I assume sunflower oil would be wonderful for the hair too. Thanks for the recipe will try it.
Yes Kaye,
There are many oils that are good for the hair and scalp! The Mountain Rose Herbs brand is only one type available, but most other castile formulas DO contain olive oil.
Can this be used on colored hair with highlights?
Do you have anything that works for psoriasis?
I would love a diy dandruff shampoo for oily scalp!
Melinda – this one would work well, especially because Rosemary helps balance the skin’s natural oils. Maybe try adding a bit more castile soap to the recipe would also help oily hair.
Thanks so much!
why waste all that time & effort concocting your own, when all dandruff sufferers need to do is rinse with vinegar water!!!
after shampooing, rinse, of course, then pour a solution of vinegar to water, 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water…….pour thru and DO NOT RINSE OUT…..the smell goes away quickly……and voila!! you’ve restored the pH balance of the scalp………try it…..really works!!
I’ll try this, Ben! Thanks!
Would this work with psoriasis?
Tea Tree Oil is amazing to help control dandruff it also helps with psoriasis so maybe if someone can’t use the rosemary blend they can use the tea tree instead =)
Absolutely Wendy!
Will the shampoo stay ok or can it spoil? Are there natural preservatives in it?
Thankyou for all your wonderful recipes.
No natural preservatives, but it will stay for 1-2 months due to the preservatives that are in most natural liquid castile soaps. My bottle is almost 2 months old now with no signs of deterioration
My immediate reaction was this will make my hair very oily but I trust your recipes. I’m curious about people’s experiences.
It does make hair feel slightly more oily, but not overly slick. Shaking the bottle before each use and rinsing well will help cut down on the oily feeling once hair is dry.
The natural shampoos I have tried for dandruff contained tea tree oil. Are these ingredients as effective as tea tree oil? Or, I guess, what’s the difference in how effective they are? Making my own would be wonderful instead of buying the very nice but expensive name brands. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Kristin- I actually find that Rosemary essential oil helps my hair with dandruff much more than Tea Tree. It helps balance hair’s natural oil production which helps with dandruff accumulating. Also, avoiding products with sodium laurel and laureth sulfates will help cut down on dandruff.
A strong infusion of Rosemary and Nettle leaf is an excellent herbal rinse for hair and can help get rid of dandruff and speed hair growth when used after each washing.
Here is an easy recipe:
1/2 cup dried rosemary leaves
1/2 cup dried nettle leaves
5 cups distilled water
Bring the herbs and water to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain and let cool.
Use as a final rinse over the hair. Slowly pour the rinse over your hair and catch the drippings in the mug/pot and keep pouring them through your hair until they are all used. Massage the infusion into your scalp and hair and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly, or you can simply leave it on until the next wash. This stimulating rinse will help condition both hair and scalp.
This looks like a great recipe, I’ll have to try it! Thanks, Kerstin