What is in our SHAMPOO?

[The Little Seed]

While we always try to buy completely all-natural products, there are a few items that slip through the cracks. We read the ingredients in our foods, making sure they are made from organic ingredients, and that nothing synthetic or fake is going into our bodies. What about what is going ONTO our bodies? Many large skin and haircare manufacturers will put toxic chemicals in their products, completely disregarding the toxic effects they have on your body. When shopping for skin or haircare products, keep an eye out for these synthetic and harmful ingredients that are often included in our shampoos and other skin care products:

* propylene glycol or glycol– a petrochemical used because it is cheap
* cetearyl alcohol – emulsifier that can be synthetic or natural
* methylparaben or propylparaben – typical synthetic preservatives
* distearate – this is polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol which are petrochemicals
* isopropyl alcohol – used as a cheap solvent to carry synthetic oils

We have natural shampoos and washes available on our website: http://shop.thelittleseed.com/product_list.aspx?cid=44

For those who are feeling ambitious, make your own!

All-Natural Shampoo Recipe
Here is a natural shampoo that you can make. First collect the following items:
4 oz of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.
½ oz of rosemary - stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness
½ oz of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial
½ oz of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth
½ oz of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions
2000 mg of MSM* – organic sulfur for your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrients into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.

One empty 8 oz plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.

Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.

Pour 2 to 2 1/2 oz of strained herbal tea into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Now, pour the 4 oz of castile soap into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste. But now you have a shampoo that has no additives that can harm you.

*MSM is called methylsulfonylmethane, an organic sulphur compound. You can get it in gel, liquid, powder, cream or capsule form. Consult your doctor before using MSM, especially if you are using medications.