Hair Herbs: Natural Recipes for Shine, Color, and Scalp Health

Commercial shampoos tout herbal ingredients, but you can make your own effective, customized hair treatments with common herbs. The author shares time-tested recipes for shampoos, rinses, and a setting lotion—all free of harsh chemicals.

Top Hair Herbs

• Rosemary: Conditions, adds shine, fragrance, slightly darkens.
• Sage: Darkens, conditions.
• Chamomile: Brightens fair hair, softens all types.
• Mullein flowers: Intensifies blonde highlights.
• Parsley: Thickens, enriches color.
• Burdock root: Controls dandruff.
• Stinging nettle: Conditions, fights dandruff.
• Lavender: Delightful scent.

Caution: If you're allergic to an herb, avoid it in hair products too.

Recipes

Bouncing Bet Shampoo (from scratch)

• 3 tbsp dried bouncing bet root
• 1½ tbsp dried chamomile flowers
• 1 tsp pure borax
• 2 cups boiling water

Combine in heatproof jar, steep until cool, cap and shake daily for 1–2 days, strain. Substitute sage for chamomile if you have dark hair.

Quick Herbal Shampoo (boost your mild shampoo)

• 1 heaping tsp dried sage, rosemary, or nettle or 1 tbsp dried chamomile
• ¼ cup boiling water
• ¼ cup mild shampoo (baby shampoo works)

Steep herbs 30 min, strain, mix into shampoo.

Blonde Highlighting Rinse

• 2 cups water
• ½ cup dried chamomile flowers
• 2 tbsp dried mullein flowers
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• Juice of ½ lemon

Simmer chamomile and mullein 30 min, steep hours/overnight, strain, add orange water and lemon. Use regularly, dry in sun for best effect.

Dark Hair Rinse

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 regular tea bags
• ¼ cup dried sage
• 2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried nettle

Steep tea 15 min, remove bags, reheat to boiling, pour over herbs, steep 30–60 min, strain.

Simple Herbal Rinse (any hair herb)

Steep 1–2 tbsp dried herb in 2 cups boiling water 20 min, strain, cool to lukewarm, pour through hair repeatedly.

Flaxseed Setting Lotion (for body)

Crush ½ cup flaxseeds. Boil 1 cup water, reduce heat, stir in seeds 1 tsp at a time until thickened. Strain, thin to desired consistency. No rinse needed—acts as a setting lotion.

Key tip: Always strain thoroughly—picking dried herbs from dry hair is no fun.

Photo credits (PlantFiles): Yarrow (Gabrielle), Rosemary (Saya), Sage (Marilynbeth), Chamomile (Weezingreens), Mullein (Htop), Parsley (Rebecca101), Burdock (Baa), Lavender (Calif_Sue).