I’m trying to go totally green and ecofriendly on my hair too (my face is already on the greenfriendly side ) and since these kind of shampoos aren’t that easy to find (unless you count internet of course), they cost a bit more than average and after all they require quite some time to get used to, then quite some time to find the perfect brand and formula for you, I thought I could try to wash my hair with chickpea flour.

I know it sounds crazy, but it works: chickpeas have “soapy” elements in them!
Just mixing some spoons of chickpea flour with lukewarm water, massage it on your scalp, and rinse very, VERY, well, would do!

I’ve adapted my recipe from to this video, the girl in it gives a very good advice: it takes at least 5 try/two weeks to let your hair loose the buildup the chemical products made. The base recipe to me is: 3 tablespoon of chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon regular sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar. Here follow the variations I’ve tried, before settling on this “base” recipe:

First shampoo. Base recipe + 2 tablespoons baking soda
Of course it foamed up during the mixing, due to the combination of vinegar and baking soda.
I was expecting it to be useless clean-wise, because my hair really needed a shampoo and it was the first time I was trying this method out. But I guess the baking soda did the trick. Thought once the hair dried, it was quite frizzy, I shampooed in the afternoon and it took ’till evening to have my hair back to its regular soft and shiny self (my hair is pretty straight and frizz free… it holds no curls at all).
In some online reviews someone was complaining about chickpea smell. My hair still smelled of the old conditioner I used the last time I washed it…

Second shampoo. Base recipe
I’ve washed my hair two days after the first try. I didn’t need a shampoo that much, but I was still afraid of the “The first times this won’t work” and since I didn’t want to put baking soda in my homemade shampoo, I thought it was time to try again
My hair came out clean anyway, maybe a little less than the first time, mostly in an area that, at this point I can tell, I couldn’t reach that well, but it was clean anyway, and this time it wasn’t frizzy neither (I also let it dry naturally instead of using a blowdrier).
It still smelled of conditioner…

Third shampoo. Base recipe, no vinegar, half a tablespoon of baking soda.
This time I waited something like four days from the last shampoo, but my hair held up pretty well (I wasn’t going around with yucky hair, ok?!). Most of all the amount of days I could go without shampooing amazed me because, lately, using chemical shampoos if I washed my hair on monday morning, by tuesday evening I needed a shampoo soooo badly!!!
Baking soda is definately the thing that makes my hair frizzy, but that effect goes out quickly, it came out pretty clean… And still smelled faintly of conditioner…

Fourth shampoo. Base recipe, a teaspoon of banana yogurt (the rest I ate as snack).
This time too my hair lasted clean longer. That’s a thing I really like.
I’m trying not to use baking soda too often: since it’s basic it’s not so good for your hair (which ph is acidic), even if you acid-rinse it.
Anyway, usual recipe, I massaged it on the scalp really well (this is what makes the difference!). Blowdried. And still a very faint smell of conditioner… just in some areas… this thing is becoming creepier and creepier!

FIfth shampoo. Base recipe.
I don’t know if this is due to the moment (aka: hormones) but between the last two shampoos (this one included) my hair got dirtier faster. But it can also be the lack of baking soda… anyway now I can wash my hair around one time and a half a week (it’s statistics, ok? I do not wash my hair a half time, how could that be even possible??? XD)
My hair came out clean, I’m no longer surprised, I’m expecting this now… But finally good news: the old smell of conditioner is completely gone!!!

Sixth shampoo. Base recipe.
This was after a week pause, during which I’ve washed my hair with a green ecofriendly shampoo (because I was short of time), I just went with the basic recipe.
It’s clean, no smell at all. Yay!

Conclusions
To be honest I was already sold on this after the first attempt! In spite of all the online reviews who made me think I was going to have horrid hair for a week or two, this home made shampoo did well from the beginning. Maybe at first it was because of the baking soda, which is a good thing if you want to detox your hair fast, but I don’t want to use it so often (and also… if I’m going to use green shampoos I won’t have no buildup, therefore no need to detox my hair!).
This is not exactly something easy and quick, nor something good for travel, but I strongly believe you should give this a try, and please be patient if at first the results are not as desired: your hair, on the long run, will gain so much from this!.
For myself I can say that my scalp is finally ok: it doesn’t itch anymore and I don’t have any more little pimples (TMI, I’m sorry, but I’m trying to give an honest review!!!), my hair is soft to the tips, very shiny (but this already happened thanks to the henna I use) and most of all I was pleasantly impressed by two, quite unusual to me, things: there is more volume to it and I do not need conditioner, at all!!!

Oh, and every time I washed my hair with chickpea flour I also rinsed it with an acidic rinse: 1lt of water and 5gr of citric acid.
It balances the ph of your hair, so the scales close up, the hair is sleeker and shinier and therefore it’s easier to comb and brush.
This kind of rinse did give my hair a shinier look, but the conditioning effect wasn’t half as good when I used chemical shampoos and no conditioner at all.

Now, though, it’s so easy to brush even if I let it loose for a day and I sleep on it. It’s also very easy to brush when it’s still wet/damp… to me this is incredible!!!

The thing that really shocked me was to witness how long the smell of the conditioner lingered on my hair, it really gives away how much of a buildup hair can have… my gosh!!!

Related posts: