You may have noticed that honey is often recommended in hair and scalp masks but here is why we don’t recommend it in homemade shampoos: Honey is excellent for hair masks because it’s a natural humectant, which means it attracts moisture, helping to keep your hair hydrated. It also has antioxidant and antibacterial properties that can nourish and protect your scalp. However, when it comes to shampoo, there are a few challenges with including honey: 1. Rinseability: Honey’s thick and sticky nature might make your shampoo harder to rinse out. This isn’t a problem with masks, which are meant to be left on the hair for some time and then rinsed out thoroughly. 2. Stability: In homemade shampoos, honey could separate from the rest of the ingredients without proper emulsifiers. Also, without preservatives, honey might promote microbial growth, compromising the shampoo’s safety. 3. pH Balance: Keeping a balanced pH is crucial for a shampoo. Honey has a pH that’s quite acidic, which can be beneficial, but ensuring the overall pH of the shampoo remains hair-friendly requires careful formulation. 4. Cleansing Effectiveness: Honey might also affect how well your shampoo cleans if it alters the action of the surfactants (the cleansing agents).