Shampoo-free again

So I gave my “final analysis” of going shampoo-free (that is, washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar) last June, but sometime after that post, I went right back to using conventional shampoo. It just wasn’t working for me any more, and I was getting sick of smelling slightly acidic all the time.

But something prompted me to give it another try. I’ve been feeling more and more leery of conventional cosmetic products lately, so it could have been that. Or it could have been the shrinking supply of shampoo and the knowledge that I’m going to have to drop $13 or so pretty soon on another bottle. Probably the latter–I’m very motivated by cheapness!

So I dished up my baking soda and ACV in yogurt tubs and brought them to the bathroom, but this time I did something different. I added a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to the vinegar rinse. That was exactly what it needed. It cut the stink and replaced it with lovely floral fragrance. I love the smell of lavender, and knowing that I’m using a natural scent is so reassuring.

And how is my hair? It feels lovely and clean, shiny and soft, and it smells like English countryside. I’m back on the wagon, people!

One question I have though is how people package/transport their baking soda and vinegar in/to the shower. My yogurt tubs are a bit cumbersome (though the kids will probably play with them during their baths). Any cute dispenser ideas out there? Any suggestions welcome!

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Shampoo-Free Final Analysis?

I’ve been shampoo-free for almost a month now (see my previous posts here and here) and I think I can officially give this one a thumbs up! Here’s the run-down:

Pros:

super, super cheap; much more environmentally friendly; non-toxic for me and Tiny Baby; I always have baking soda and vinegar on-hand and am unlikely to run out; hair looks shiny and is easy to manage; I seem to be able to go longer and longer between baking soda “washes”, using a vinegar rinse in between; did I mention it’s incredibly cheap?

Cons:

the vinegar does smell a little bit, though the smell evaporates completely once my hair dries; connected to that, my hair does not get that nice perfumey shampoo smell; also, it’s a weird thing to tell people . . .  Can’t think of too many other cons.

So, the final analysis is that it works pretty good!  I’m going to continue with my regime, which is to use the full baking soda and vinegar treatment about every 4-5 days or so, with a vinegar rinse in between.

As I mentioned previously, my hair might be a little different right now because I’m pregnant, so I’ll probably do a post-partum shampoo report if things change.  But for now, consider this the final word on the subject!

Shampoo-Free Update #2

Last week I posted about going Shampoo-Free, or “poo-free” as the bloggers call it.  On Thursday June 4th, I started washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

The routine is: 1 tsp of baking soda, diluted in about a cup and a half of water from the shower. Pour over head and then massage in as you would do with shampoo.  The neat thing is, it feels kindof “soapy”, giving the impression that it’s doing something.  It might be psychological, but I like to feel it working.  Don’t leave it in too long, and then rinse well.

Next, dilute the acv in another cup and a half of water from the shower and pour all over head.  Massage in.  I like this feeling too.  The baking soda leaves the hair feeling somewhat stiff, but once the vinegar rinse is in, it feels soft and supple.  Massage through hair, and then rinse well.  The website recommends rinsing with cold water, but I just use the shower like normal.

I’ve kept it up for the week and this is what I can report:

– My hair is soft, clean, and supernaturally shiny.  I’m getting much better performance than my old shampoo/conditioner routine.

– It’s very easy to do.  I just bring 2 containers into the shower with me, 1 with some baking soda and one with some apple cider vinegar.  I add some water from the shower, mix, and dump over my head, massage in, rinse, and then follow with the acv rinse.  Easy peasy.

– I don’t smell like a pickle.  The first day I did a little, but that was because I used about a 1/2 cup of acv instead of the 2 tbsp called for.  Now, if my hair gets wet (like when my toddler splooshes my hair in the bath, every day) I can get a faint whiff of vinegar, and maybe I wouldn’t encourage tall dark handsome strangers to come and sniff my hair, but normally it just smells like hair.  Which I like.

– You wanna talk cheap?  This is basically cheap as free, and totally benign environmentally.

So, I’m sold!  I’ll do another update later on, but for now, I highly recommend baking soda and vinegar as a hair wash/rinse.  Let me know if you try it too!