 Tweet (NewsTarget) Homemade shampoos can help speed hair growth. Hair loss is a natural part of aging, but healing herbs can restore healthy hair. Natural herbal shampoos allow herbs to be absorbed directly into the hair and the scalp, and encourage hair to grow. Homemade shampoos have the added advantage of preventing the application of damaging chemical agents that are added to many commercial shampoos, which cause damage to hair. Homemade Healthy Shampoos Homemade shampoos help restore hair growth and are inexpensive to make. Use a mild but cleansing soap base. Castile soap is a good option, as it is mild, but will effectively remove oils from the scalp and hair shaft. Keeping the scalp clean will encourage hair to grow. To stimulate hair growth, avoid any soap that has petroleum products as a base or lists chemicals on the label because these ingredients cause damage to the hair shaft and prevent hair growth. Chemicals to avoid include paraben, methylparaben, propylene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, propylparaben, glycol, Polyoxyethylene, or distearate. Herbs for Hair Growth: Essential Oils Numerous natural herbal remedies have been shown to stimulate the growth of hair. The best way to add these to a homemade shampoo is by adding either essential oils or herbal tinctures. To add essential oils, purchase alcohol free oils. Add one teaspoon to the soap base. Herbal Tinctures for Hair Growth Herbal tinctures can be made at home. The process is similar to making tea, but the tincture uses more tea and less water to create a concentrate. Add three teaspoons of herbs to six ounces of water. Allow the herbs to steep for 15 minutes and then strain out the herbs. Two ounces of the tincture can be added to four ounces of soap base. Nettles Grow Hair Nettles have been shown to stimulate the growth of hair . This native plant can be picked in the spring or summer and used fresh or dried. Out of season, herbal nettles can be purchased in the dried form. Either can be made into a tincture and added to the soap base. Rosemary Grows Hair Rosemary has been used as a hair tonic in folk medicine for centuries. It has a stimulating action on hair follicles. Because hair growth begins in the follicles, adding rosemary to a homemade shampoo will stimulate the growth and regrowth of hair. Rosemary blooms all summer long and can be picked and used fresh in a tincture, or dried for later use. Storing the Shampoo Glass is best for storing the homemade hair growth shampoo because the glass will not interact with the herbs. But for use in the shower, glass can break easily. A suggested solution is to store the shampoo in a glass jar; keep a small amount in a plastic bottle in the shower area and refresh weekly. Note: Refrigerate the herbal shampoo, as natural ingredients are not as stable as a commercial shampoo, and the homemade shampoo does not contain additives used to keep products stable at room temperature. http://www.selfnews.com/028251_hair_loss_... http://hubpages.com/hub/vitamins-for-hair-lo... http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Hair/... http://www.selfnews.com/028050_vitamin_E_... About the author Melanie Grimes is a writer, award-winning screenwriter, medical journal editor, and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University. She also teaches homeopathy at the Seattle School of Homeopathy and the American Homeopathic Medical College. A trained homeopath, she is the editor of the homeopathic journal, Simillimum, and has edited alternative and integrative medical journals for 15 years. She has taught creative writing, founded the first Birkenstock store in the USA and authored medical textbooks. Her ebook on Natural Remedies for the Flu is available at: http://melanie-grimes.blogspot.com/2009/04/b... Follow her blog at http://melanie-grimes.blogspot.com/ www.melaniegrimes.com 