This is a conditioner which uses castor oil, olive oil, eggs, herbs, and other riches to help stimulate hair growth, and give lustre to the hair. It is also a good recipe to use if the hair is damaged. The original recipe comes from the book ‘Herbs for Health and Beauty’ by Margaret Roberts, which is a great little herbal recipe book, published by Lowry Publishers, Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1986. I give you here a rewrite of the ingredients she uses.
This conditioning treatment could be used regularly once or twice a week if your hair is thinning or is poorly nourished. Once your hair has regained its health, with the help of good dietary measures as well, then it could be used less often.
Ingredients:
6 tbsps castor oil,
6 tbsps lanolin,
4 tbsps olive oil,
8 tbsp glycerine,
4 whole eggs,
4 egg yolks,
4 teaspoons of cider vinegar,
Two and a 1/2 cups warm water,
2 tbsps shampoo.
Few drops of rosemary, neroli, or lavender essential oil.
Put the castor oil into the top of a double boiler. Add the lanolin and the olive oil to the castor oil. Mix the ingredients together as they warm. Take off the heat and let the mixture cool for five minutes only.
Then using an egg whisk, slowly whip in the glycerine, the water and the shampoo. Lastly, add the cider vinegar, the egg yolks, and a few drops of essential oil. Put into a jar with a screw-top lid and put into the fridge. Margaret warns that the mixture must be labelled ‘Hair Conditioner’ so that it is not mistaken for mayonaisse by any of the family. The next day, beat up the remaining whole eggs, and add to the conditioner.
You apply the conditioner after washing the hair and leave it on for at least an hour with a shower cap on. Use sunlight soap or shampoo to wash out. Use a rosemary infusion, or a comfrey tea, or nettle tea, as a final hair rinse. The silica in comfrey, rosemary and nettles gives a great shine to the hair, and also helps to stimulate the growth of healthy hair.
Keep any remainder in the fridge to use next time. It should last for at least a week if it is kept in the fridge.