Natural hair care – reetha nuts shampoo

Right from the toothpaste that we use to brush our teeth to the mosquito repellent that we use at night, every single household product that we have in our homes is full of chemicals. They are packed attractively, smell great, are easy to use and guarantee good results. But are they really as good as they claim to be? Most of these household products are full of chemicals and are not good for health. So what about natural hair care?

I’m sure the women reading this must be aware of the humble reetha nuts that our mothers used to boil for us on Saturday nights. Sunday mornings began with the ritual of an oil bath, when our mothers would apply warm oil on our hair and then wash our hair with the reetha nut water. And after a heavenly Sunday special lunch, we would snooze our whole afternoon away- waking up recharged, refreshed and energized.

Yes, this humble chemical free oil nut shampoo can be made at home in about 5 minutes for the perfect natural hair care!

Method to mix your shampoo:

Just add six cups of water to 15 – 20 nuts and allow it to boil for about 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to steep overnight.

The next morning just mash the whole mixture gently with your hands and squeeze out or strain the juice.

Your chemical free oil shampoo is ready to use!

Note: You can store the liquid for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Add the rind of half a lime when you boil the mixture at night. It acts as a good conditioner for your hair.

Some facts and benefits of the reetha nuts:

Soap nuts are actually fruits of the soap nut tree and when soaked in water create a sudsy soapy liquid.

There are two varieties of soap nuts available in India:

The Himalayan variety: (Sapindus mukorossi) these nuts are bigger and stickier and have more saponin content (10-14%) and are most suited to be used as a shampoo or detergent.
The South Indian variety: (Sapindus trifoliatus) these nuts are smaller and not as sticky as the Himalayan variety and have a saponin content of 2-4%. So they are used for medicinal purposes also. Ofcourse they can be used as a shampoo or detergent too- we will just need to use more nuts.

Benefits:

Reetha nuts cause no allergies. Women having sensitive skin, babies and people suffering from eczema can use this natural soap.
Reetha nuts are free of chemicals and are therefore excellent for washing children’s nappies and clothes.
Jewellery and combs can be washed in the reetha water using the pulp as a scrub.
It can be used to clean sinks, kitchen counters and floors too.
Clothes retain their natural colours when reetha water is used as a detergent.