Make Homemade Soap Nut Shampoo the Easy Way
When I first decided to start using soap nuts for shampoo, I was told to boil the nuts in water for about 5 minutes before using it on my hair. I tried it once and loved the results! So for about half a year, I faithfully boiled my “soap nut shampoo” before jumping into the shower and washing my hair.
But over time, my fervor waned. It took about 5 minutes to prepare the tea rinse. Leaving it out at room temperature for more than few days would cause the natural shampoo to lose it’s potency, making it a high maintenance product (at best!).
So eventually, I moved on to try other things.
But that all changed when a reader wrote in and told me that she grinds her soap nuts to powder, adds a bit of hot water just before showering and makes her homemade soap nut shampoo in no time at all!
Of course I had to try. And I’ve been hooked ever since! Here’s the easy way to make homemade soap nut shampoo!
Step 1: Source Organic Soap Nuts
Because of their cleansing properties, soap nuts have been used by people groups around the world for centuries. Primarily grown in Asia, organic soap nuts aren’t difficult to source online. You may even be able to find them locally, at your health food store!
Here’s the thing you need to be aware of when purchasing soap nuts: the beneficial cleansing properties of soap nuts are only found in the nut’s hull (aka husk).
Similar to an english or black walnut growing on the tree, soap nuts are encased in a tough, fibrous husk that must be removed to get at the nut. But in this case, the actual nut itself has no value to offer!
And this is where the buyer needs to beware! Some companies sell whole nuts by the pound, instead of just the usable husks or hulls. So when you buy, make sure you’re purchasing just the husks/hulls.
Here is an online source that processes their nuts in the USA and sells only hulls. And don’t worry about purchasing more than you can use! Soap nuts will keep for years when stored in a dry, cool place.
Step 2: Grind Your Soap Nuts Into Powder
To prepare your soap nuts for making homemade soap nut shampoo, all you have to do is grind them up into a rough powder. I like to use a small electric coffee grinder for this task.
The nuts are actually quite brittle and it won’t take more than 15 seconds to break them into tiny pieces!
Be careful when removing the coffee grinder’s lid. Milled soap nuts will release a puff of fine powder that tastes terrible and will make you hack and cough if breathed in!
I would highly encourage you to keep a coffee grinder just for breaking up soap nuts. Because if you ever forget and do grind up coffee beans or anything else in the machine, the soapy astringent flavor that comes through will not only ruin your food or drink, it’ll leave you with a very bad taste in your mouth!
Soap nut powder can be stored in a glass jar with a tight lid. Keep it dry and it’ll last for years!
Step 3: How to Make Homemade Soap Nut Shampoo
Once you have your soap nut powder, it’s not difficult to make homemade soap nut shampoo! And the best part about it is you can mix it up in about 30 seconds, just before you jump into the shower! Here’s how it works.
- Measure soap nut powder into a jar or cup.
- Add warm water (as per measurements below).
- Stir everything for 15 seconds.
- Place a small tea strainer like this one over the mouth of a second jar or cup.
- Pour the soap nut tea into the second cup, catching the solids in the tea strainer.
- Stir in a few drops of rosemary or lavender essential oil (optional).
- Head for the shower with your homemade soap nut shampoo (ok, ok, it’s more like a tea!).
The amount of soap nut powder you use in your recipe is going to vary, depending on your hair length and type! Here’s a general rule of thumb to begin with.
- Chin-Length Hair: 2 teaspoons powder to 1/3 C warm water
- Mid-Length Hair: 1 tablespoon powder to 1/2 C warm water
- Waist-Length Hair: 2 tablespoons powder to 1 C warm water
Step 4: Tips on Washing Your Hair with Homemade Soap Nut Shampoo
Because this homemade soap nut shampoo isn’t the typical, gooey substance that most are accustomed to, learning to use it can be a bit of a trick!
But don’t worry. After a few rounds, you’ll catch on quickly!
The primary difference between commercial shampoo and soap nut shampoo is that you don’t massage soap nuts shampoo into your hair or scalp. Doing so will result in a tangled, gnarly mess! Instead, you just pour the warm tea over your head and the cleansing properties will do the rest!
Always, always, always keep your eyes closed and your head tipped back when using homemade soap nut shampoo. Soap nut shampoo is very watery and if you get it in your eyes, it will fiercely burn for several hours, even after vigorous flushing.
I once got a drop of peppermint essential oil in my eye. The burning was awful! And just recently, I got soap nut tea in my eye. It’s hard to say which was worse: peppermint oil or soap nut shampoo/tea?
Let’s just say they both awful and that I don’t think I’ll make either mistake again in the near future!
Step 5: How to Wash Your Hair with Homemade Soap Nut Shampoo
Here’s how you wash your hair with homemade soap nut shampoo.
- Moisten your hair in the shower and then keep your eyes closed throughout the following steps.
- Shield your face, keep your chin up and then tip your head to the side and gently pour some of the soap nut liquid onto it.
- Do the same on the other side of your head, once again shielding your eyes from the soap nut liquid.
- After doing both sides, tip your head back and slowly pour some of the liquid onto the top of your head, starting at the front.
- If you have long hair, gather up the tips and drop them into the cup of soap nut tea.
- Last but not least, pour the last of your homemade soap nut shampoo down the back of your head.
- Let everything sit for 30 seconds.
- In this time, your hair will start to feel as if it’s clumping into thick strands or dreadlocks. That’s normal!
- Rinse well and your hair will once again feel soft, flowing and smooth.
- Towel off as normal and let your hair air dry.
- Just like that, you’re finished!
The Benefits of Using Soap Nuts for Natural Hair Care
Soap nuts are a wonderful, all-natural alternative to “healthy” hair shampoos. Whether you want to detox your hair or actually replace your current shampoo with a more natural option, soap nuts have lots to offer.
And even better? The average woman can afford to purchase the supplies and make homemade soap nut shampoo without breaking the bank!
Once your hair dries, it will be silky smooth. You’ll want to run your fingers through it over and over again. Because it’s hard to believe a nut’s hull could create such a soft, luxurious finish!
As a health conscious, frugal homemaker who doesn’t like having having hair that looks unwashed, I’ll say yes to that every time!
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I have just started to use soap nut powder to cleanse my hair , I have also found that it leaves my hair heavy and greasy. I have used a mix of Rheetha and Shikakai.
I rinse my hair, apply the mix then rinse thoroughly with water. Would you please let me know where I am going wrong?
Thank you
I’ve really only used the powder in water. Sorry I can’t be more helpful! Perhaps try making a tea with in and see if that helps?
you must strain the mixture through a tea strainer and apply like tea to sides top and back of head
I have seen a few articles on these. Very interesting.
Super interesting!
I have just washed my hair with the powdered soap nuts. I have been using soap nuts as a hand and body wash for ages now and add essential oils, and a few other things and xanthium gum to thicken. I make a double batch and freeze. This mixture was originally for shampoo but just never worked for me. So I made your powder today, added warm rosemary tea with a tiny drop of honey and Cider V, and my goddess essential oil mix …. for hair health and just gorgeous smells and my hair feels amazing. I am sold!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas nad recipes.
So glad it worked well for you! 🙂
many people leave the shampoo on their scalps for 5 to 15 minutes. why do you do only 30 seconds?
I find that leaving the liquid in my hair for too long can strip it and cause my body to produce more oil. So for me, I often just leave it in for 30 seconds.
I am excited to try this. How often can you use soap nuts to wash your hair? Also, can you follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse?
Washing really depends on your hair. You may have to condition it to soap nuts. When using soapnuts, I usually only shower 1-2x per week, but it really depends on your body. You can follow it up with a ACV rinse, if you like. Good luck!
How long can the boiled n strained water be stored? At room temperature or refrigerated? Thanks
I found when left at room temperature, the cleansing properties decreased after a few days and seemed to mostly disappear after about 7-8 days. Refrigerated, I could usually keep mine up to 2 weeks. Hope that helps!
Curious if this powder could be used for laundry. I find putting a handful of nuts in a little gauze bag kind of annoying. Actually replacing the used nuts is the annoying part.
I’ve never tried using the powder in my laundry, because I always thought it would likely leave grainy bits of soap nuts throughout the laundry. The bits don’t disintegrate and expand when they come into contact with moisture, so I would be cautious about trying it. But if you do, let me know and I would love to hear how it went!
Hello, will this work in hard water with curly hair? do you know what kind of conditioner i could use?
Hi Cynthia! I don’t know if it would work with curly hair! Mine is slightly wavy and it works well.
Hi,
Do you know what pH level this homemade soap but shampoo would be?
Hi Cynthia! Unfortunately, I have no idea what its pH is. A large part of it would be dependent on the pH of your water and even on the particular batch of soap nuts. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
Hi the soap nuts I buy have the inner nut. When I’m grinding them should I grind the whole thing or should I try and remove the inner nut first
Thanks
Hi Lynne!
Definitely remove the inner nut before trying to make your powder! Just the outer hull is all you want to process.
Do you end up with any kind of buildup over time? I have curly hair and follow the curly girl method. Wondering if this would work with that. I also use henna/indigo in my hair to cover up grays. Any idea how it works with that?
I wish I had curly hair! 🙂 But instead it’s just coarse, long and wavy. In general, I think soap nuts leave it feeling lighter and give it less volume. I haven’t noticed any type of build up with soap nuts, though I did with shampoo bars. Using a diluted ACV rinse on occasion can help. I dont know about the henna. I’d love to hear how it reacts if you try!
You should try the curly girl method using natural products. I looked it up and Light Rye flour was recommended for washing and flax seed gel was recommended for bringing out the curl, with various instructions for how to make it work. If you have wave and it’s coarse, you probably have curls you don’t know about.
I tried this liquid for the 1st time today. I thought I was going have a mess on my hands and my hair was instantly going to matt up. I was pleasantly surprised. As soon as I towel dried my hair, and I took a comb beginning at the ends and slowly made my way up my hair was not a tangled mess. The comb went through easily and my hair feels great.
Especially when we use henna and indigo to cover our gray hair . It is good to use sope nuts . The color will retain for long time .
Could the soap nuts be infused in a small amount of witch hazel and then added to pure Castile soap for a gentle shampoo followed by a diluted apple cider vinegar hair rinse?
I’m laughing to myself because this is a loaded question! 🙂 The answer is I have no idea! When infused in water, soap nuts tend to lose their potency in a few day’s time. You would have to experiment and see if the witch hazel and Castile soap had enough preserving properties to keep the soap nut’s juices from fading out. It never hurts to try! 🙂
1. I wanted to ask, is soapnut brew supposed to be thick / viscous like commercial shampoos and liquids are?
Would it thicken if i simmer it for a while uncovered?
2. Many articles say that adding vinegar makes it shelf-safe, is that not the case? I do not want to refrigerate it. I was hoping that the vinegar preserves it.
Soapnuts don’t thicken, no matter how long they’re boiled. It’s like a tea. And yes, you could add vinegar. But just use caution with vinegar. It can strip your hair over time and actually make your body produce more oils.
I completely get it. I used to wash my hair with soap nut liquid and while I loved it, many of the reasons you said lead me to create a shampoo bar using soap nut liquid. I guess I decided to compromise and get the benefits of soap nuts but in an easier way to use that would only take my time once in awhile. Now I branched out and make our dish soap, body soap and a gardening soap out the liquid.
how do you do this? and what conditioner do you use? i have curly hair.
You can just steep the soapnuts in a tea cup overnight in hot water to make soapnut tea. That’s what i do now, and I’ve stopped doing it over stove
Hi Huit.t,
I’m very interested in how much water you would use and how many soap nuts you steep overnight to use as shampoo? Also, how well does it clean as your mixture has not been boiled for 20-30 min? I would love to know!
Greetings from the Netherlands!
Hello , thank you for sharing this information. I have tried the boil in pan method as I only found yours after. The soap nuts have left my hair heavy and greasy feeling. What would you recommend please?
Kind regards
Love and light to you x
Is the soap bar mentioned at the end still readable somewhere? I got an error message when I clicked on it.
I’ve just discovered soap nuts for laundry, and want to try them on my hair, but all the boiling, waiting, and using before it spoils is a bit daunting.
Hi Viv! I’m re-creating that blog post right now, so it’s not currently available. But it will be soon! Jump on my email list if you want to be notified when it goes live once again!
Hi, I love soapnuts but use them in powdered form which solves all of the issues you mention. To apply I use a bottle from $1 store for ketchup or mustard. First add tablespoon of powder then hot water about two fingers thick, then close cap and shake, it will turn into foam and some will stay as liquid which is ok. I’ve used it while traveling (fill about 1/4 of ziploc bag with powder and then roll it and a plastic spoon into the previously mentioned bottle). I’ve upgraded to using equal parts of soapnut shikakai amla powders, table spoon of the mix each time I wash. Wouldn’t trade it for the world!
What a wonderful idea! I never before thought about powdering the soap nuts! Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to give it a try!