
I truly enjoy discovering products or ingredients that can seriously multitask. I wanted to use this natural laundry option for awhile before writing about it. It turned out to be even better than I thought it would. What I love even more is that it I can use this same natural detergent to make a gentle shampoo which leaves my hair surprisingly shiny and clean. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, it’s soap berries aka soap nuts!
I purchased Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Detergent, yet if you can find organic soap nuts locally in bulk that’s even better as there is no packaging at all or extra shipping. This laundry detergent comes in a recyclable/compostable paper box filled with dried organic and wild-harvested soap nuts along with two tiny canvas wash bags. To use put 4-5 soapnuts into a wash bag, and place the bag into the laundry machine with your dirty clothes. You leave this bag in the laundry machine for the wash and rinse cycle.
Soap nuts contain saponins (which is nature’s soap) that acts as both a laundry detergent and fabric softener in one.
Doing laundry has never been this easy! You can also reuse the same soap nuts until they become paper thin which means that one box of Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Detergent will provide up to 100 loads of fresh clean laundry. Also as it states on the box “This box saves 3.125 plastic detergent bottles from ever making it to a landfill or winding up in the ocean.” Not to mention there are no questionable or toxic chemicals entering our water supply!
I adore that this laundry detergent is so ideal for my super sensitive skin, and it keeps my capsule wardrobe in fresh clean condition!
Soap nuts are also referred to as “aritha” in Ayurvedic hair care. I have used aritha powder before as a natural shampoo, and had some challenges rinsing all of the grainy bits from my hair. Not fun especially with tightly curly hair which can’t be brushed once dry to release all the bits. Although making a natural shampoo with whole soap nuts is pretty awesome in my opinion.
To make this simple and effective soap nut/aritha shampoo, allow 4-5 soap nuts to steep in a 16 ounce jar of boiling water overnight.
In the morning strain the liquid to use as shampoo. You can always blend in cornstarch, arrowroot powder, xanthan gum, or guar gum to thicken up this liquid if you like as well. Play around with the amount to find the best consistency for your hair and preferences. A great place to start is 1/4 tsp. You can always add more. Use soap nut/aritha shampoo as you would your normal shampoo, then condition or style your hair as usual.
Store any remaining soap nut shampoo in the refrigerator, and keep it up to a week to be safe. If you know that you will not use it all, freeze what will not be used for later use. Just as with the laundry detergent, you can also reuse the same soap nuts to make shampoo again. Let the soap nuts dry thoroughly before the next use. Compost paper thin soap nuts instead of tossing them. No more unnecessary shampoo bottles!
Here’s another example of how the zero waste lifestyle can truly save you tons of money while also having a small carbon footprint on the planet. This is a win win in my mind. Our eco-friendly everyday choices can make huge strides for our planet! (Soap nuts are nut allergy safe too!)
New to natural herbal hair care? Read this! You can also find more on zero waste here.
One Love!
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
Mia says
I’ve always wanted to try these!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Mia,
I had been wanting to try soapnuts for laundry for a long time myself. I’m really glad I finally did!
Sandy says
Years ago I used these round 3 inch round tablet like containers that were filled with some type of little rock pellets. The formulation of these pellets got the the clothes clean.( As far as I was concerned.) This is a similar product on Amazon. This is not an affiliate link, just thought you’d want to see it:
But since perception shapes reality, my hubby wasn’t ready to embrace that extent of minimalism and wouldn’t budge. He wanted soap that looks like soap.
Long story short: we’re using biodegradable cleaning products as a compromise. (smile)
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sandy,
Glad you found your perfect solution!
mary ann says
Hi Dawn Michelle
great idea . I have dark brown hair with silver/gray in it . DO you know if this would be okay I know some oils and products stain hair
thanks again for all this information have a great week !
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Mary Ann,
I’ve never experienced hair darkening with aritha like I have amla in the past. I also didn’t find much about aritha possibly changing hair color or tones online either. If you try this please let us know you thoughts!
Kiss & Make-up says
Lately I’ve been getting more and more into DIY beauty (and other things) and keeping all aspects of my life as natural as possible. This is a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kiss & Make-up,
I’m glad you liked this! Let me know what you think if you try it out!
Sele says
I have used henna for a year now. You may wonder why I started using henna. It’s simple, at age 13 I found, and plucked out my 1st gray hair. By age 21 my widows peak had three visible grays, with several grays at the crown of my head. So, I started using a level 3 semi-permanent chemical hair dye to match my natural color. By the winter preceding my 39th birthday my hair dramatically began to shed, break, and fallout by the inches. I immediately got a trim to even up my hair strands, stopped using the store bought chemical dye, and let my hair grow a little. By the next summer I hated seeing grays coming in around my crown, widows peak, and temples. I had more gray than my mom ever did at that time. I always saw henna advertisements but, never had I researched or used it. BOOM, I tried Reshma henna, and it works great. And it matches my natural hair color. I love henna😃
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sele,
Thanks so much for sharing this! I can’t image ever going back to chemical hair dye after discovering henna for myself. There really are too many wonderful healthy hair benefits on top of covering grays if that is your goal. Simple natural and effective without the harsh and toxic chemicals. A serious win win! Best wishes!
Jennifer says
Do you still use the soap nuts and like them?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Jennifer,
I do still use soapnuts. I have been adding borax to each load as a detergent booster though.
Jennifer says
Ok thank you!!