Mono Lake Water

Tufa towers at Mono Lake
Tufa Towers at Mono Lake - click/tap to enlarge

Ok, so it's not food. It's a DIY recipe for salt hair rinse that's about $24.50 cheaper than the $25.00 salon product and this is the only place I can remember where to find the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 40 Oz. of water 
  • 3/4 cup of loose Lapsang Souchong tea
  • 2/3 cup Epsom salt (or more for extra texture)
  • 1 Tbsp Himalayan, Kosher, or Sea Salt 
  • Rubbing alcohol or vodka

Directions

  1. Boil the water and add the tea - you can add the tea and then bring it to a boil, or you can boil it and then add the tea.
  2. Simmer tea for about 5 or 10 minutes
  3. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl
  4. Add the Epsom salt and table salt, and whisk until they're dissolved - you can't see the salts in the tea, so I whisk for about three or four minutes.
  5. Add a splash of rubbing alcohol or vodka, shake it up, and store it under the sink

(Older) Update

I've started using a 40-ounce Dr. Bronner's bottle. I've also started using tea which works as a hair darkener. So, what I do now is boil up the water in a pot on the stove, then add the tea leaves and let simmer on low for 5 or 10 minutes.

That's when I get the ingredients together. I've been using lapsang souchong tea which is extremely fragrant, so I don't worry about the essential oils. (The smell does NOT remain in the hair after use.) Oh, and I've never worried about the conditioner or other oils. I get the Epsom salt and salt measured into a bowl.

When the tea is done steeping, I pour it through a sieve into a large bowl. Next, I return the tea to the pot on the stove and throw in the salts. I whisk the mixture together until the solids are probably dissolved - can't see them because the tea is very dark. Then I pour the mixture into the Dr. Bronner's bottle using a funnel. I add a little dash of alcohol as a preservative, put the cap back on the bottle and that's it.