First of all, it is very important that we use a shampoo that promotes hair volume without greasing our hair. And if our hair also tends to be straight and dull, it is best to use a shampoo based on caffeine and salt to provide shine, volume and prevent hair loss.

And secondly, it is important not to use post-wash treatments and conditioners with silicones and substances volumizing that give an impression of volume at first but in the long run weigh down the hair and create the need to wash it more frequently to make it look loose and voluminous again. In this case, it is best to use a homemade sea salt spray.

WHY DOES THE ADDITION OF COFFEE AND SALT TO A NEUTRAL SHAMPOO WORK SO WELL?

Greasy hair is the result of overactive sebaceous glands in the scalp that produce too much oil. The more frequently we wash our hair, the more we increase the problem. And of course, how do we stop this cycle if our hair quickly regains an oily appearance?

Dry shampoo sprays, which are so fashionable nowadays, produce the sensation of degreasing our hair and, although they can be useful as an emergency solution, their frequent use is not recommended because they end up worsening our problem of sebaceous gland hyperactivity.

However, this problem can be solved with salt. A salt shampoo produces the opposite effect, i.e. its frequent use ends up regulating the excess production of hair sebum.

We had discussed in a previous post the benefits of adding a tablespoon of coffee to a mild neutral shampoo.

COFFEE SHAMPOO: THE BEST SHAMPOO FOR YOUR HAIR

The idea of adding natural coffee to our shampoo was to prevent hair loss with frequent washing. The addition of coffee, in addition to preventing hair loss, revitalizes and adds shine.

The addition of salt is especially suitable for treating straight hair that lacks volume and tends to become greasy, which undoubtedly worsens with frequent washing.

So, to slow down the WASHING-GREASE cycles and keep our hair voluminous and healthy looking, it is best to use a homemade salt and coffee shampoo like this one we bring you in this article.

As we mentioned earlier, the problem with straight hair that lacks volume and tends to get greasy is that it is actually dehydrated*, which  why issalt, which retains moisture and water in the environment, gives it volume without leaving it greasy like shampoos volumizing with added silicones.

*Try spreading a tablespoon of castor oil on your hair before washing it and you will see how moisturized it stays for days. This is proof that synthetic silicones, foams and conditioners give a sensation, at first, that they moisturize and condition our hair, but it is a sensation not that is long lasting and ends up making them greasy and aggravating further our problem of re-washing and themre-conditioning .

OUR RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE SALT AND COFFEE SHAMPOO

This simple trick turns any shampoo neutral you have at home into a hair treatment shampoo, a shampoo that will be an ally for the beauty of your hair.

This recipe will give you volume (thanks to the addition of salt) and softness and shine (thanks to the caffeine), which will also prevent hair loss.

Just add 2-3 tablespoons to your shampoo and wash your hair normally. After the first treatment, you will notice the positive results. First of all, our hair will have more volume, and as the days go by we will see that it will take longer to get greasy, so you will avoid frequent washing and break the wash-oil cycle.

LET’S GO THROUGH THE PROCESS

We will need a cup of neutral shampoo, the most ecological and softest you can find, a tablespoon of sea salt, and a tablespoon of pure coffee.

Ingredients:

Half a cup of neutral shampoo

One tablespoon of sea salt

One tablespoon of coffee

It is convenient to take a small part of your neutral shampoo (about half a cup or less) to mix the tablespoons of coffee and salt in a bain-marie.

This is a tip we share based on our experience, since using all the shampoo to put it in a bain-marie tends to thicken the shampoo and make it liquid due to the effect the heat has on the shampoo.

In this way, by using only a sample of the shampoo to integrate the salt and the coffee, we get the same result without the total of our shampoo remaining liquid. And if you find a commercial salt shampoo, like for example this one we have found, then even better because you can heat only the tablespoon of coffee, in half a cup of this salt shampoo, and when you take it off the heat add the rest of the shampoo and you will see that it becomes thick again as before the procedure.

INCI: purified sea salt water, cocamidopropyl betaine, decyl glucoside and lauryl glucoside (glucose based surfactant), cetearyl alcohol, castor oil, stearalkonium chloride, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate, xanthan gum, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate (made from plat material), bare skin fragrance (phthalate free).

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

First, we will put our sample (half a cup or less) of neutral shampoo in a water bath and add, as a first step, the salt that tends to thicken the shampoo. And finally, the tablespoon of coffee.

We will mix the coffee and salt well in our shampoo sample, until they are perfectly diluted and integrated, then we will turn off the heat and wait for the mixture to cool before adding it to the total content of our neutral shampoo.

Another way of doing it that can be even better is to simply add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of coffee to our bottle of neutral shampoo and stir well.
After about 12 hours, the salt and coffee will have integrated into the shampoo and we can use it with a total guarantee of effectiveness. In this case, the shampoo maintains its thickness, which is a very good quality for better hair washing.
Optionally, if our hair is dyed or particularly damaged, we can also add a tablespoon of castor oil for extra hydration. No other oil moisturizes the hair as much as this one.

*With these two tablespoons (one of salt and one of coffee) we can perfectly fill 250 ml of neutral shampoo that, from now on, we will have available and that we can put in a bottle of recycled commercial shampoo, for example.

POST-WASH CARE: SEA SALT SPRAYS

As we mentioned before, the best way to slow down the WASH-GREASE cycles is to use a homemade salt and coffee shampoo like the one we have seen in the previous recipe and, after washing, it is also highly recommended to use a DIY salt spray sea for which we also provide a recipe below.

SALT SPRAY FOR HAIR

You’ve probably noticed that the summer, and the beach, left your hair with more volume and more wave. If you want to keep the beach effect in your hair, you can easily prepare a sea salt spray to spray on your hair after washing.

The most basic spray only needs water and salt in a proportion that allows all the salt to dissolve completely in the water. That’s enough to spray the mixture on wet hair and create beautiful, voluminous waves.

But, if you are looking for sophistication, the following recipe is easy and simple:

DIY SEA SALT SPRAY:

Approximately 120 ml of purified wateror distilled

3 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon of coconut oil caprylic (the kind that does not solidify)

*Optionally: 4 drops of essential oil, lavender, lemon, peppermint, ylang- ylang, etc…

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all of the above ingredients in a jar and .pour into a spray bottle of your choice

It is advisable to shake it every time you are going to spray it so that the coconut oil mixes well with the contents.

USE: Spray all over damp or dry hair and distribute evenly, scrunching to form beach waves. Let it dry.

A SECOND SPRAY RECIPE SALT HAIR

This second recipe is made with aloe vera gel and coconut oil for extra conditioning

Ingredients:

200 ml of warm water

2 tablespoons saltEpson

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon of coconut oilcaprylic , argan oil, etc…

1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel

*Optional: A few drops of essential oil to give your spray a pleasant scent. Ylang-ylang essential oil, for example, is an EO with very good hair care properties and, mixed with coconut oil, gives a pleasant summer scent.

If you have a 250 ml glass spray bottle, all the better, because your spray lotion glass will keep better for a longer period of time without the addition of .synthetic preservatives

PROCEDURE:

Take your spray bottle and pour the hot water into it, then add the coconut oil, aloe vera gel, salt Epson and sea salt. Then cap the bottle and shake it for 1-2 minutes until all the salt is dissolved.

USES:

Spray the hairspray on damp hair and style it with your fingers to get loose beach waves. Don’t blow dry, just scrunch and .let it air dry

On dry hair it is also possible to spray it to get more volume. And if your hair is fine and straight, we suggest you wash it at night and it spray with the salt spray and let it dry in a braid or bun. The next morning, you can spray it again while removing the braid and you will see that it will stay wavy all day.

Sprays containing salt can dry out a bitthe hair , so it is best to use them a maximum of 2 to 3 times a week.

Although if you make this formulation, because it contains coconut oil and aloe gel, it tends to be better conditioned. And of course, it is also very important to avoid the use of synthetic foams and silicone caking agents in order to lengthen the washing-oiling cycles.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Cosmetic solutions may be fine when they really work, but if they don’t, perhaps considering the deficits in our diet may be a solution.

Sometimes excessively greasy and dull hair can be greatly improved if we find out which mineral or group of minerals it is deficient in.

For example, have you ever thought that you may be deficient in magnesium, which is a mineral needed in more than 600 enzymatic reactions, biological processes and cellular functions in our body.

In addition, it is an essential mineral for life that our body cannot produce by itself.  This means that we must ingest it through food.  According to studies, our body functions much worse without this mineral. Its functions are diverse and extend to all levels: physical, mental and emotional. From increased sensitivity to stress, moodiness, headaches and migraines to sleep disorders with restlessness and nervousness, difficulty concentrating and physical disorders such as hypertension, osteoporosis, brittle nails, etc ….