Forget commercial hair products filled with chemicals and artificial ingredients—natural homemade hair rinses are the way to go to simplify your hair care routine and achieve beautiful, healthy-looking locks.
Our list of 14 homemade hair rinses includes plenty of options for a whole range of hair types and colors. Best of all, you probably already have all these natural ingredients at home!
This is one of the most popular hair rinses out there—and for good reason. The antimicrobial properties of apple cider vinegar can help soothe an itchy scalp as it helps rebalance the natural pH of your skin.
Mix 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 2 cups of water and pour over your hair after shampooing.
You don’t need to rinse this off unless the mild vinegar smell bothers you. Putting a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the rinse can also help tone down the vinegary scent.
Rosemary is rich in anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, and research has shown that rosemary essential oil may even help decrease hair loss.
To make a rosemary hair rinse, boil 4 cups of water and allow to cool. Add five drops of rosemary essential oil and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Pour into a jar and leave overnight.
After shampooing your hair, pour one cup of the rinse over, massage in, and leave for up to 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water.
Black tea is rich in tannins, which give black tea its characteristic dark color and may also help add some temporary tint to gray hair.
To make this rinse, place between two and five black tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water and allow to steep for 30 minutes. After shampooing, pour the tea rinse over your hair and leave it in for 30 minutes.
The caffeine in black tea may dry out your hair if you leave it on for too long, so you may want to apply a nourishing homemade hair mask to replace some moisture after this rinse.
The citric acid in lemon juice may have a lightening and brightening effect on blonde hair. Lemon juice may also help balance oil production, so this can be a good rinse for greasy hair, too.
Mix 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 2 cups of water. Pour over your hair and don’t rinse out.
Avoid exposure to sunlight when using this hair rinse. Lemon juice can have a phototoxic reaction on the skin when it interacts with ultraviolet light, causing a lesion that may look like a rash or severe burn.
If you’re making rice for dinner, don’t throw away the water you cooked it in. Rice water is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
After boiling your rice as normal, strain the rice, reserve the cooking water, and allow it to cool. After shampooing your hair, pour the rice water over your hair, massage it through and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
You can make a variation of this rice water hair rinse by soaking 1/2 a cup of rice in 2 cups of water for 30-60 minutes. Then, strain the rice and use the water for your hair rinse.
Green tea is packed full of antioxidants and vitamins that are the perfect nourishment for your hair.
To make this hair rinse, place between two and five green tea bags into 2 cups of boiling water. Allow them to steep for 30 minutes.
After shampooing your hair, towel dry until it’s slightly damp and then pour your rinse over from roots to tips. Leave on for 30 minutes.
For a more intensive treatment, cover your hair with a towel. Rinse with tepid water.
Among its many attributes, aloe vera is great at relieving an itchy scalp and can also be used to cleanse oily hair.
If you have an aloe vera plant, snip off a small part of a leaf and collect 2 tablespoons of the gel inside. You can also use store-bought pure aloe vera gel.
Mix your aloe vera with 2 cups of water and pour over your hair after shampooing. Leave in for 30 minutes before rinsing off.
If you have bad dandruff and an itchy scalp, you can also apply the pure gel directly to your scalp. Again, leave for 30 minutes before rinsing off with cool water.
Epsom salt is rich in magnesium and sulfate. It’s often used as a bath soak as a way to increase magnesium levels in the body.
An Epsom salt hair rinse may help volumize hair and have a similar texturizing effect to sea salt hair sprays.
Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt to a cup of warm water. Stir until the salt is fully dissolved. Pour over your hair after it’s been shampooed. There’s no need to rinse.
Beer contains vitamins and yeast, both of which can help nourish your hair and give it some extra body. Plus it’s the perfect excuse to use any leftover beer!
This hair rinse can be used in a couple of different ways. You can pour one cup of flat beer through your hair after shampooing. Leave for five minutes before rinsing off.
You can also use this rinse as a pre-shampoo treatment. Pour the flat beer into a spray bottle and soak your dry hair. Leave for 15 minutes before shampooing out as normal.
Honey is a wonderful ingredient for many different reasons. It’s antibacterial, antifungal, and is packed full of antioxidants.
To make your own DIY honey hair rinse, dilute pure honey with a little warm water and apply over your scalp, massaging it in with your fingers. The longer you leave this in the better. Rinse away with warm water.
Use this hair rinse every other day to help with persistent dandruff, and try to leave on for up to three hours before rinsing, if possible.
As a known stimulant, the caffeine in this coffee hair rinse may help increase blood circulation to your scalp and also temporarily cover some gray hairs.
To make a coffee hair rinse, simply make 2 cups of black coffee and allow them to cool. Pour over your hair and leave for up to 20 minutes. For a more intensive treatment, wrap your hair in a towel. Rinse with warm water.
Baking soda can help cleanse oil and pollutant buildup out of your hair, and this hair rinse is really easy to make.
Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of warm water to form a smooth paste. After you’ve shampooed your hair as normal, pour the rinse over your hair and leave it on for 5 minutes. Rinse, then follow with your regular conditioner.
This hair rinse should only be applied occasionally, as excessive use of high pH products may cause breakage and cuticle damage.
Chamomile and honey create a gentle hair rinse and can help soothe irritated skin.
Place two to five chamomile tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water and add one teaspoon of honey. Allow to cool and remove tea bags. If you have any chamomile essential oil you can add a couple of drops to the mixture.
Once your hair has been shampooed, pour the rinse over your hair and massage it in. Leave for up to 15 minutes and then rinse out with cool water.
Coconut milk is a wonderful moisturizer rich in protein, lauric acid, and a wide range of vitamins that can help prevent hair breakage and replenish its proteins.
To use this rinse, simply pour a cup of unsweetened coconut milk onto your damp hair. Leave for 20 minutes before rinsing and shampooing as normal.
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