Life After Shampoo – Step 1
My decision to move away from commercial shampoo products was based, as most things are, on a complex range of factors…
- Toxic chemicals used in the commercial products
- Desire to be able to live a more simple life
- Trying to use products with a more “green” footprint, including production, as well as less disposable packaging
- Trying to get back to the simple goodness of the things God created for us
- Frugal desire to avoid the high cost of the store-bought solutions
As I mentioned in my post on the No Shampoo Method e-Book, I dove right in and started experimenting on myself after reading a number of blog posts and articles.
Being a little squeamish of using eggs, I started with the seemingly universal “shampoo” – baking soda.
I poured some into my hand, mixed in enough water to make a paste, and scrubbed it in.
It seemed to work well enough. But it didn’t help my dry scalp, and it left my hair more dry and unpleasant than usual.
I figured I needed conditioner, but was frankly hesitant about the smell of vinegar, which seemed to be what most people use. Heck, I couldn’t even imagine how it could be a “conditioner”!
After perusing the No Shampoo Method e-Book, I got a better handle on some method variations.
First, I took my trusty Tupperware shaker cup, put some baking soda in the bottom, and added about a cup of warm water. Shaken up, this was a terrific shampoo that used much less baking soda.
Then I rinsed out the cup, added about 1/2 c. of apple cider vinegar, and filled to 2 cups with water. Voila, conditioning rinse!
I also found a great article about many uses for apple cider vinegar in hair care on a blog called Sweet Additions (about which I know nothing else).
This was a winner!
My hair feels silky soft, my scalp seems to be normalizing and balancing out, and best of all – once dry even my husband couldn’t detect a vinegar smell in my hair! (He has a very sensitive nose, and I asked him to sniff my hair without giving him any clue as to why I was asking).
I am hoping that with continuing use I will see even more improvement in my scalp.
Essential Oils are the next step. They can both add a pleasant fragrance, and also provide their own beneficial effects…
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Reminder: Until Jan. 6, you can enter to win a copy of the No Shampoo Method e-Book, just by clicking over and leaving a comment!
This is wonderful! We did not have good luck with the baking soda. We use one egg and apple cider vinegar 1-2 x per week with cool water rinses in between. The healthiness of my hair and my childrens’ hair has improved dramatically!
Blessings!
Joycelyn
While this sounds very interesting, I don’t think it would work very well for me. I spend 2-4 hours in a 90* humid chicken house everyday before I go to work, so my hair is usually soaked with sweat and covered with chicken dust, resulting in a VERY smelly mess. So I’m wondering if this would work for situations where things make your hair smell, such as barn work, horses, chickens or whatever. I’m just curious.
Katy –
I think you’d be surprised. Baking soda, after all, is what people put in their refrigerator to absorb odors!
Many people who use the “No Shampoo Method” also make their “un-shampoo” up ahead of time, and add essential oils (which have useful properties, as well as a pleasant aroma).
I’d recommend getting the eBook and taking a look at the many options they describe, then trying it out for yourself. Good luck!