Lavender Latte Hair Rinse
If you are familiar with the ‘no-poo’ hair care method, you are likely also familiar with acidic hair rinses — apple cider vinegar rinses being the most popular. The idea is that the rinse will balance the pH of the hair and/or scalp, while also functioning as a conditioner, making hair softer. By most accounts, acidic rinses are essential for those switching to a baking soda hair wash; however, I have found them just as useful since switching to a shampoo bar.
This coffee hair rinse is meant to be a nicer-smelling substitute for the standard ACV rinse. It also provides a few extra benefits: coffee provides acidity, while also acting as a mild dye, enriching hair color (so this rinse may not be the best choice for blondes); lavender is said to have antibacterial and antifungal qualities, and may benefit hair growth. The vanilla extract is just for scent, evoking ‘latte’ like sweetness — feel free to skip it if you are watching your budget.
Lavender Latte Hair Rinse
Makes 2-4 rinses, depending on hair length
1 ounce (5 tbsp) ground organic coffee
16 ounces (2 cups) filtered or distilled water
1 tbp lavender buds
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Brew coffee using method of choice (see note below).
- Stir lavender buds into brewed coffee, or use a tea ball.
- Leave the lavender coffee mixture to cool, allowing the lavender to infuse.
- Once cool, strain the mixture (or remove the tea ball). Stir in vanilla extract.
- Decant into a bottle for use. Best stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
- To use: Apply to hair after washing. Work through hair entirely, and then rinse out with water.
Brewing Tips
- If you are as much of a coffee snob as I am, you may consider picking up a bit of less expensive bulk coffee for this project. I used an inexpensive organic dark roast (not my usual jam).
- You can brew the coffee in whatever way you like/have equipment for, though I would err toward the side of a method that uses a filter (pour-over/Chemex or automatic drip coffee maker), because they help filter out the natural coffee oils. That said, I seriously doubt French press coffee would really cause a problem.
- While you could also use cold brew, if you prefer (you would need to steep your lavender longer), this study suggest that hot brewed coffee is slightly more acidic (the quality we are after) and has more antioxidants (sounds good to me). However, I am not actually qualified to contextualize and interpret research in that field, so my 2-cents is really worth about that much.
