Natural Recipes and Discoveries

I've been asked to share recipes and discoveries for natural products that I use. I'll try to start here and see what comes to mind. First of all, as I have been recently asked so it is fresh on my mind, is hair color.

I stopped using any hair color other than my own creations about a year ago. For years, I highlighted and colored in a salon. Then when money was tight as a stay at home mom, I started buying the boxed colors, from there to a beauty supply store to mix my own, and then as I started my journey to natural products, to the boxed natural colors at a local market or from Amazon. Frustrated and tired of coloring last year, mainly now to cover those pesky grays, I stopped. I even used natural products to begin stripping the added colors from my hair until I could see what it actually looked like. Horrors!! Then I began to research natural ways to color and cover. There are so many sites out there that offer suggestions and how-tos! My two favorites are http://wellnessmama.com/5112/natural-hair-color-recipes/ and http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-herbal-hair-dye/ 

So from there, I began to try all sorts of combinations and here is where I have settled for about the last 6 months:

1 bottle aloe vera gel
1 Tb henna
2-3 drops olive oil
1-2 Tb each Dried calendula and chamomile
1 Tb black tea, either loose leaf or empty 1 small tea bag (this step is optional, as it makes the blend darker but olive oil and chamomile lighten)
Water

I empty half of the bottle of aloe into another bottle (I usually save the empties and split the bottle). The I put the henna powder, olive oil, herbs and tea into the half full bottle. I add water to fill 3/4 full, cap and shake. Then I place the bottle in my cabinet and leave for a week to "steep" the colors together, or longer until I am ready to use it. I strain out the additives and keep the colored aloe gel in a squirt bottle, using as needed about every 4 weeks, to stain my hair. Leave in approximately 30 minutes. I take a detox bath or clean my bathroom while it is on my hair. The amount needed depends on the length of your hair and the amount of gray. Once stained, it makes the gray appear as golden highlights. I also keep some of the same in a bottle to apply topically here and there for a boost if needed. To keep the color from being stripped, use homemade, natural shampoos, or even better, no-poo recipes. Baking soda or vinegar tend to strip faster so minimize the use of these healthy no-poo recipes. My recipes for those to come later.