Kick the Shampoo and Conditioner to the Curb!

Since October of 2011 I have not used store bought shampoo or conditioner. For me, this was a big deal! I have thick, very thick hair. It is also very coarse. Every time I tried organic or natural products my hair would dry out like straw and my scalp would get very tender/sore. But I struggle using store bought products.

What's a girl to do?! Well, hit the web and search for an answer of course! So I read story after story after story about no poo. I read articles about hair and natural hair oil and everything in between. There had to be an answer for my situation.

That would be when I decided the no poo method was for me... I hoped. Well, nine months later, I would say it was the right decision. AND cheap!!!

You need three ingredients for cleaning your hair. You ready for this list? Water, apple cider vinegar and baking soda!! That's it!! My hair is soft, it shines in the sun, and I only wash it every 3-4 days. Very happy me! My hair actually looks better than when I was using store bought... believe it or not.

Old Shampoo bottle turned vinegar w/ cinnamon stick, squeeze bottle, baking soda in a jar, and apple cider vinegar needing to be replaced! Walaa!

So how does this work? Simply mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water and mix till dissolved. Splitting your hair into sections, apply mixture to your roots. Rub in and then rinse. Then mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water and mix. Repeat the process to apply it to your roots and rub in again. I usually let this part sit a little longer then the baking soda before I rinse out.

I usually wash my hair before bed and I always let my hair air dry. Depending on humidity, I can wake to wonderful curls or funky waves. If my hair decides to curl nicely then I'm set for the day. However, if it gets funky then I take a curling iron and straighten my hair. Other wise, it's no fuss for a few days.

I do want to say, it takes longer to wash it this way, but being you don't have to wash it every day or every other day, it kind of evens out. I presently have very hard water, but when I was washing my hair with filtered water, at our last place, I could go 6 days before washing. I've read of people who wash their hair every 14 days. That's crazy! Your hair doesn't feel dirty, it doesn't feel greasy, and it looks healthy.

How's this work? Well, using store/salon products strips the natural oils from your hair. So your hair produces more and more oils to compensate for what it feels is missing...hence the oily hair after a day or two. Well, the baking soda and vinegar simply clean and cleanse with out stripping the oil. Therefore giving your hair the choice to decide how much oil is right for your hair. Let me say that if you do decide to try this method, you will go through a detox faze where your hair will try to figure out how much oil is too much and how much is not enough. During this faze, for me it lasted about two weeks, my hair was first really dry and then really oily. But, once that passed it was great! Just grab a hair band and die it up during that time!

To make things easier, I mix up a batch of vinegar water in an old shampoo bottle. I add a little vanilla to add fragrance and a cinnamon stick (DO NOT use cinnamon powder as many are allergic or will get burns from it!). Let the stick sit in the bottle for a couple of batches. I also keep a jar of baking soda in the bathroom. When I wash my hair, I just add a little baking soda to a squeeze bottle I have in the shower and shake it up with water. I also have a squeeze bottle for the vinegar mix.

To make it cheaper... I usually use Braggs apple cider, but for my hair I use cheap stuff.

This is something you have to try for a couple of months faithfully before you can really decide if you love it or hate it. Hope you give it a try!

This blog is linked to:
Homestead Barn Hop 70
Homesteader Blog Carnival 16