Shampoo Plant, a plant is known by the popular name “shampoo ginger” has gone viral. The formal name of shampoo ginger is zingiber zerumbet. Some more popular plants that belong to the same family as the shampoo ginger include regular ginger, turmeric, and even the white ginger lily.
Because this plant has recently gone viral, you might be wanting to grow some yourself. With the right knowledge, care, and attention, you might be able to grow your own shampoo ginger.
This complete guide explains what the plant is, how to plant it, how to grow it, and how to use it as shampoo, as well as other common uses of the miracle plant.
Table of Contents
What Is Zingiber Zerumbet?
Zingiber zerumbet is a tropical plant that belongs to the ginger family. Although it originates from Asia, it can be found in a variety of tropical environments. This plant is more commonly called shampoo ginger or pinecone ginger.
The name “pinecone ginger” comes from its cone-shaped flower heads. These flower heads burst up from separate stocks. Initially, the flower heads are green, but they eventually have a bright red color with overlapping scales.
The name “shampoo ginger” is also used for a reason. The shampoo ginger plant has a clear juice whenever the flower head becomes mature.
This juice has a fragrant smell and can be used to both soften and clean hair. As a result, many indigenous cultures use the shampoo ginger as a form of natural shampoo.
How Do You Plant Shampoo Ginger?
Whenever you are growing shampoo ginger, it’s easiest, to begin with, the ginger rhizomes along with several buds. Separate the rhizomes using a sharp knife.
Only keep a couple of buds on each piece. Let the ends that you recently cut dry for a couple of days.
The day before planting, soaked rhizomes in a bowl filled with warm water. Right before planting, mix equal parts of compost and potting soil inside a 5-gallon bucket.
You want the soil to be completely moistened before pouring it into a large flower pot.
Place the rhizomes inside the flower pot with the buds facing upwards. Cover the rhizomes with about half an inch of soil.
You want to keep the soil moist until the rhizomes sprout, but the soil should not be waterlogged. Put the flower pot in a warm and bright area. Inside is best for optimal warmth.
How Do You Grow Shampoo Ginger?
After you have planted the shampoo ginger, you will need to continue to care for the plants so that it grows properly.
It’s most important to keep shampoo ginger in a warm area. If you keep it in a pot, bring the pot inside whenever the temperature goes below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
You should water shampoo ginger relatively frequently. Re-water it when the top of the soil feels dry. Every three months, you also want to use a controlled-release 8/4/6 fertilizer for ginger.
One thing that’s easy about shampoo ginger is that it is not particularly prone to pest infestations, but it is possible. You should only need to apply pest spray if you see any infestations.
How Do I Grow Shampoo Ginger Outside?
Shampoo ginger is best grown indoors where you can monitor temperatures. However, you can grow it outside if you prefer.
The easiest thing is to grow shampoo ginger in flower pots so that you can bring the pots inside every time the temperature dips below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you plant the shampoo ginger in the ground, you will want to surround the plants with stakes.
Whenever it gets cold at night, cover the plants in plastic, almost like a tent, using these tall stakes. During the winter, you will want to make a tent again.
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In addition to the tent, you will want to add a relatively thick layer of mulch to cover any rhizomes in the ground. This will protect the rhizomes from the temperature, but it will also prevent rhizomes from rotting due to waterlogged soil.
How Do You Use Shampoo Ginger?
Shampoo ginger is considered one of the most versatile plants. You can actually use this plant as a shampoo, to treat wounds, treat a stomachache, quench thirst, and more. Here’s a complete list of all the things you can do with shampoo ginger:
- Shampoo
- Treat wounds
- Treat stomachache
- Treat toothache
- Quench thirst
- Spice for cooking
- Improve digestion
- Relieve external pain
- Relieve joint pain
- Perfume
- Soap
How Do You Use Shampoo Ginger for Shampoo?
As its name suggests, the most common use for shampoo ginger is shampoo. What’s unique about this type of shampoo is that you don’t even have to rinse your hair after using it, but you can if you want to.
In order to use shampoo ginger for hair washing purposes, you have to wait until the flower head is mature. Only then will the material used for shampoo be extracted from the plant.
The best way to turn shampoo ginger into shampoo is to make a more modern recipe. All you will need is 1/4 cup of shampoo ginger juice and 1/4 cup of castile soap.
For the best result, select unscented castile soap since the shampoo ginger will have a nice scent on its own. If you have dry hair, you can also add one teaspoon of almond or olive oil.
Simply mix all of these ingredients in an empty shampoo bottle. Make sure to shake up the bottle well so that all of the ingredients are mixed together.
Most people note that just a tablespoon of this mixture is enough, but you may need to use more if you have particularly long or thick hair.
You might be tempted to make a larger batch of shampoo, but this is to be avoided.
Shampoo ginger juice has not been studied extensively, which means it’s unclear how long it will last in a bottle. By making small batches, you know you will get to wash your hair using a good shampoo.
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