Frizz Free Defined Curls with A DIY Clay Wash

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Have you been looking for the best organic clay for hair wash recipe? I’ve got you covered!

This is an updated recipe from what is shown in the photo below. The recipe is GOOD but it’s better to use a negatively charged with a positively charged clay.

Creating DIY hair recipes like the Organic Clay for Hair Wash I’m about to share always seemed like a daunting task. This is especially true when there was more than 3 or 4 natural ingredients!

When I began dipping my toes into using all natural herbs, oils and organic clay for my fine hair, I kept it pretty simple. I used oils like coconut oil and hair butters like shea butter or mango butter.

I’d use a clay product for the occasional detox but that was about it.

Well, times are changing.

It’s been well over 20 years since I went natural and the more I learn about the benefits of the various natural elements, the more I want to use them and pair them together for my herbal hair care routine.

DIY Herbal Clay Wash Recipe – Key Ingredients

This clay wash is a mixture of natural minerals including bentonite clay and kaolin clay. You can get these clays on Amazon but be sure to purchase pure or organic clay for hair.

Aritha Herbal Powder – When washing the hair with this herbal powder, your hair is left shinier, silkier and frizz free. Aritha also known as Reetha contains antibacterial properties and anti-fungal properties

Aloe Vera Juice – Nature’s moisturizer, Aloe vera juice helps to pH balance the hair, leaving it smooth and shiny. It can be used on all hair types to transform dry hair.

Rosemary Essential Oil – a super essential oil, rosemary helps to promote hair growth and thick hair.

Lemongrass Essential Oil – acting a bit as an astringent, pores are tightened in the scalp which discourages hair loss. Lemongrass also provides a refreshing kick to the clay wash

How to Make The Clay Wash

Combine all the clays in a plastic, ceramic or wooden bowl in these measurements:

1/2 cup of Bentonite clay

1/2 cup of Kaolin clay

2 tablespoons of Aritha (Reetha)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup aloe vera juice

15 drops of rosemary essential oil

10 drops of lemongrass essential oil

For the best results, you’ll want to combine all the clays together first.

Step 1: Combine powders

Carefully mix the clay ingredients. Use a whisk to blend them together. If you don’t have a whisk, a fork will do.

Step 2: Add liquid ingredients

Slowly pour in the water and aloe vera juice first to mix the clays into a smooth consistency.

Then, add the drops of essential oils and remix.

By combing the ingredients in this manner, you will get a much smoother consistency which is best when it comes time to apply to your hair.

Here’s a spatula that you can use for applying the mask to your hair. It can also be used to further mix the recipe.

Benefits of Using This Clay Wash

When you put all of these ingredients needed to create this clay wash together, the benefits are cumulative:

• Frizz free hair (no more flyaway strands!)
• Shiny, silky hair
• Curl definition
• Clean, detoxed hair and scalp
• Improved moisture levels
• Manageability
• pH balance

Why Use Organic Clay for Hair?

Clays are naturally occurring. For example bentonite clay forms from volcanic ash. Kaolin clay forms when rocks such as granite are weathered. 

Rhassoul clay, also known as Ghassoul clay or Moroccan red clay, is actually mined from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It undergoes a different process to form a clay

Regardless of what clays you use, the safety of using them (even cosmetically) is definitely dependent on their quality, where they are sourced, their purity and if they have undergone testing and certification.

This is why it’s best to use organic clays when possible. You don’t want any nasty toxins or other pollutants in your clays. These which can cause skin irritation and even interfere with the efficacy of the clays.

Lastly, store your clay at room temperature for sustainability.

Substitutes/Alternatives/Variations for The Organic Clays

While this mixture was formulated to use bentonite clay and kaolin clay combined, you can substitute the bentonite clay with rhassoul clay when creating a hair wash.

Both bentonite and rhassoul clays have a negative charge so Bentonite is a flexible alternative for rhassoul.

Rhassoul clay perfectly compliments Bentonite clay, because it is capable of cleansing the hair while leaving natural oils in place. It detoxifies the hair/scalp while also softening it and removing toxins. Also, Rhassoul clay while it doesn’t really have antioxidant properties, it contains trace amounts of minerals with some antioxidant characteristics.

Natural Indian healing clay can be used in place of straight bentonite clay as well. However, while it’s not organic in nature many have used it reportedly with good results.

Kaolin clay can be negatively or positively charge depending on the different conditions that impact the Ph. So confusing I know!

Organic Clay for Hair Wash – DIY Recipe

The Instagram Faux Pas

I previously shared this DIY herbal clay wash recipe along with my results on Instagram and to say that there was massive interest in this recipe is an understatement.

Ladies were tagging their friends and also paying some compliments to my hair which is looking a bit thicker. There was however, one problem.

I was so excited to share this, I didn’t notice that I put the wrong quantity of liquid used to create the mud wash!

Yes, it was a blunder but not to worry though. There really isn’t any wrong amount. It’s about how thick or thin you want your herbal hair wash to be. To clear it up though, the amount of liquid I used to create this DIY clay wash above is what is correct.

FAQs

1. Does hair clay help hair growth?

Using a natural hair clay in your hair and scalp will help to remove product build up and detox the skin (your scalp). This sets the stage for a healthy scalp to grow your hair. It also helps improve the hair’s elasticity.

However, the specific use of clay in your hair is not what makes it grow. it doesn’t have an impact on your hair follicles other than detoxing them. It doesn’t increase blood flow in the scalp per say.

If you want to grow your hair, the best course of action is to:

• Build and be consistent with a healthy hair regimen
• Consume an adequate diet of nutritious foods
• Drink enough water for your body
• Retain the length you growth with length retention practices.

If you’re experiencing hair thinning, you’ll need to get to the root (no pun intended) cause of why this is happening. There could be health reasons. So, it’s best to check with your physician.

2. How do you use clay on natural hair?

There’s a number of ways to use clay on naturally kinky hair. One is mentioned in this article (as a hair wash to cleanse the hair). Other methods include:

• Detoxing the hair and scalp
• Added to a conditioner to help with curl recovery
• To massage the scalp to improve circulation

3. How often should I use clay on my hair?

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. For those of us with natural hair, once or twice a month is sufficient.  You don’t want to strip your hair of its natural oils which clays can do.

If you have very oily hair (highly unlikely if you have natural hair which is more prone to being dry hair), you can use clays in your hair more often up to once a week. The clay will absorb excess oil from the hair.

Tired of the Chemicals

If you’re like me and just tired of all the chemical infused hair products on the market, give this clays a try.

Yes, there are all natural hair products available but they don’t have long shelf lives and they typically cost quite a bit. That makes creating your own DIY hair products much more attractive.

Starting with creating your own cleansers (which coincidentally also condition the hair), you are going to
L-O-V-E this DIY herbal clay wash I shared above.

Conclusion/Final Thoughts: How to Use Organic Clay for Hair

To use the clay wash recipe shared about, apply a small amount of hair clay at a time. If you’ve never used clay in your hair before, you’ll want to test it on an inconspicuous area of your skin (example: nape of the neck) to make sure you aren’t allergic to it. It’s also a good idea to test if you have sensitive skin.

Then, apply to damp hair, not wet hair. Damp hair is just wet enough to allow you to distribute the clay through your hair. You don’t need to leave it on for a long time either 5 minutes or while you are in the shower completing your other shower rituals. Then, you can rinse it all out.

Using and creating natural products for your hair will definitely give you happy hair and healthier hair!

As a reminder, just because clays are natural doesn’t mean they are pure. Yes, they are better than products containing harsh chemicals but they can still cause skin irritation.

Always try to buy organic clay for hair recipes that you are DIY-ing. Even when purchasing manufactured hair masks, look for products that are made with organic clays when possible.

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