DIY Natural Hair Spray

This guest post is by Jodie Wakefield who lives in Perth with her husband, two children and dog and is passionate about creating a low-environmental-impact life.  

I stumbled into my passion for all things eco-friendly from an initial interest in improving the health of my children.  Having suffered with exhaustion, poor gut health and innumerable food intolerances myself, I was determined to steer my son in a different direction when he began displaying similar symptoms.  (Insert hours spent on webinars, reading books and blogs; too many naturopath appointments to count and a pantry newly stocked with organic, crazy-sounding ingredients.)  Despite absolute commitment, no improvements to health were enjoyed until I began eliminating environmental toxins from the home – the final piece of the puzzle.  From this, the whole family began to reap the rewards of better health, restorative sleep and reduced allergy symptoms.

And I have not looked back!  My house is now cleaned with tox-free products, the family enjoys a diet crammed with wholefoods, beauty routines have been simplified, and many, many hours saved with this lifestyle change.  

With new-found energy I am currently directing my attention toward environmental issues and tackling the ‘war on plastic’ with vigour.  You can follow me via facebook (https://www.facebook.com/greenbeyou) and my blog (https://greenbeyou.wordpress.com/) where I share information (successes and failures) and welcome collaboration for all things sustainable.

Looking for a DIY hairspray that is tox-free, easy to make, works like a charm, brushes out, saves money and time when compared to store-bought items and gives you an excuse to keep vodka handy?  Yes please!

Here is my DIY hairspray recipe which I have fine-tuned over several years of use:

INGREDIENTS & METHOD:

• In a saucepan, bring to the boil 2 to 3 roughly chopped lemons in just enough water to cover them.  Optional: add sprigs of rosemary* for the essential oil benefits. 
• Once boiling, reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 15mins. The water quantity will reduce significantly. 
• Leave to cool in the pan.
• Add 1tbs of vodka. (This helps reduce frizz and delays the natural urge for your hairspray to grow bacteria: see below for storage). 
• Strain the liquid into spray bottles and store in the fridge.

STORAGE: Because the hairspray is made with real lemon juice, it is best kept in the fridge for freshness and will then last months.  You may wish to fill two small bottles and keep one in the freezer until you’ve used up the first bottle.

APPLICATION TIPS: The hairspray has a strong hold (more lemons = stronger hold) and will dampen hair on application.  Best results are achieved by blow-drying / straightening/ curling the hair after applying the hairspray and then a very light spritz once styled.

FINAL STEP: Be gorgeous!

*NOTE by JOLI: stinging nettle can also be added for it's health benefits on hair. Rosemary encourages hair growth and helps restore colour (plus it smells nice).  Nettle also helps with falling hair and dandruff.