You don’t have to have a head full of tight curls to know that tangles SUCK. Growing up with super fine, straight long hair, I’d run screaming from the room any time my mother picked up a hair brush. We tried all kinds of things, from conditioners to satin pillowcases to make hair brushing hurt less, but nothing ever fully solved the problem. Once I was old enough I chopped my hair into a cute little bob, and solved the problem.
LittleMissSunshine unfortunately inherited my super-fine long, tangly hair. I’ve offered to cut it short for her, but she has chosen to keep it long. Every morning is a battle with the hairbrush–how many tangles can we get worked out before she starts crying in pain. This was our daily routine for a couple of years–until we ditched shampoo and went down the all-natural haircare road.
What we discovered was quite surprising–that with a couple of natural products, her hair doesn’t tangle like it used to. Eliminating shampoo keeps her hair shiny and healthy, which eliminated a good bit of the tangles. For those that are left, we have created an all-natural spray detangler that works like magic every time we use it! Even better, it is made with only two ingredients–three if you want it to smell good.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup water
- rosemary and lavender essential oils (optional) Buy them here
Instructions
- In a clean spray bottle mix the lemon juice and water together. If you want to add scent, add 6-8 drops of rosemary essential oil to the mixture.
- Seal and shake well.
- Spray on hair and wait 30 seconds, then run a wide-toothed comb through the hair.
I learned during the no-poo process that lemon juice works to smooth the shaft of the hair and remove tangles, so this forms the base of the detangler. The lemon juice changes the ph of the hair, which instantly smooths and detangles the hair. A friend of mine has really curly hair and uses this on her hair. She LOVES it–says it is the first time in her life she hasn’t had to fight with her hair every morning. Don’t worry about lemon juice lightening your hair–this isn’t enough lemon juice to do any lightening.
You can use any essential oil you want–I picked rosemary and lavender because they are a good compliment to the mild lemon scent. It leaves just a touch of scent in my hair–I get compliments on it all the time!
If you have curly hair that tends to frizz, you can add a one teaspoon of jojoba oil to the mix. This will give your curls just a touch of extra shine and weight to help them lay better. Jojoba oil is very good for the hair and skin, and won’t leave your hair looking oily in this small of an amount.
How long does it stay good for? My biggest concern with all of these natural products is that some of them are made from things that go bad fairly quickly. If I’m having to make a new batch every couple of days, I don’t know if I’d stick with it.
I have never had it go bad so far. There’s nothing in it that should go bad. It sits on my counter in the bathroom. I make a new batch when we run out, about every two or three months. I agree, I’m a fan of saving time and money as well as going natural. I’m not interested in creating more work- for myself-that wouldn’t be simplifying.
I reckon it might keep well because of the antiseptic properties of the essential oils.
I just made up a spray bottle of this with clove, grapefruit and geranium bourbon essential oils. Looking forward to using it! Will let you know how it goes.
So far your egg yolk and lemon juice has been AHHMMMAAZZZING! I never would have tried no-poo again (after my BS and ACV greasy greasy waxy waxy dark hair failure on mylast attempt) without your inspiration and your method. I’m 11 days no-poo so far and nothing particularly gross yet- I can even have my hair down! I think that yolk and lemon juice might be the best for blonde straight hair (I have the same as you).
I’m so glad it works for you too!
Oh I just wanted to add that a boar bristle brush has been excellent at distributing the oil from the oily roots down to the dry ends that came about a few days after starting no poo. I now do 100 brush strokes morning and night and have had no greasy roots and dry ends issues again since.
I literally just started no poo on myself and my kids. I love the way our hair feels when it’s freshly washed but the next day, although still silky and soft once brushed, it’s very tangy.. More than our used to.
I just made a batch of Detangler to use, but I was curious if you could be more specific about your routine, specifically with the kids. So you use the Detangler after washing? On not wash days? What do yule to wash their hair? We all have long thin fine hair like you.
Thanks.
Do you use fresh lemon juice? Or from the bottle?
I’ve used both at different times. The key is the acidity, it smoothes the shaft of the hair.
^the kind from the bottle I saw didn’t actually have much lemon juice in it…..I went for squeezed lemons. I added lavender essential oil. So far it’s working great!