More Nutty Experiments!

I mentioned in my last recipe post that I would share a review of my homemade coconut milk, as well as another coconut milk-related experiment. 

First, the coconut milk review...  It was good!  It wasn't as thick as store-bought coconut milk.  Dakota thought it seemed a little more like coconut water.  But it had a good coco-nutty flavor, and I really enjoyed it mixed with some fresh orange juice from our juicer.  I think it has potential!

Next, the new experiment!  This was not anything that was even on my radar to try.  But when I read CrunchyBetty's post about the simple and successful shampoo she was able to make with just two ingredients, I was intrigued.  She mixed equal parts of her homemade coconut milk with her store-bought castille soap and had a mostly natural shampoo.  And what made it better than other "natural" homemade shampoos out there was its lather.  Lots of lovely, sudsy lather, or so she claimed.

Since I had the two ingredients on hand and figured I didn't really have anything to lose, I gave it a try.  And do you know what?  It worked!  Two ingredients, very simple, and it worked!  And this is coming from someone with long, thick, naturally curly hair that can be rather picky about what products are applied to it. 

The pros: it got my hair clean, my curls didn't object to it, and I wasn't covering myself in questionable chemicals.  It was very inexpensive to make.  And I was also able to use it as an effective body wash, and my skin wasn't all itchy later in the day!

The cons: it has to be kept in the fridge until you're ready to use it, which made for a rather cold shampooing experience.  It is also pretty runny, which I find a little more challenging to work with, but not impossible. And I did need to use conditioner afterward, as it left a slightly waxy feeling on my hair when I rinsed it.  But after the conditioner, my hair felt fine and not the least bit waxy.

By itself, the castille soap will clean, but it will not lather.  And I don't know about you, but I have a hard time feeling like I'm getting something clean if there's not a good lather.  The coconut milk is the key to getting a good lather going.  It's really quite amazing how well these two things work together.

Well, thanks for reading about my experiments!  By the way, have you tried the Chocolate Covered Coconut Peppermint Patties yet??  They taste like an amazing and addicting combination of a Mounds bar and a York Peppermint Patty.  I'm hooked!  : )