I Did It - Shampoo Free!

Back in May, in this post, I mentioned that I was thinking about going shampoo-free, but I wanted to wait until the school year was over so I didn't have to go to work with possibly greasy hair through the adjustment phase. Instead I decided to try an intermediate product. Mostly I wanted to get used to the idea of using something other than shampoo in a bottle to wash my hair. So when I found this shampoo bar at a nearby food co-op, I decided to give it a try. It is made from natural, recognizable ingredients...fitting well with my desire to begin limiting the amount of chemicals I put on myself each day.

I like that it is minimally packaged, and it has a nice simple appeal.The folks who make this shampoo bar state that most people won't need a conditioner, I found out that I'm not most people, my hair would have been beyond dry had I not continued to use a conditioner while using this bar.The bar lasted about a month, being used almost everyday. When it was just about gone I had to decide whether to go get another or if it was time to switch to baking soda and apple cider vinegar as I'd been reading about...Because I was feeling brave, and because I've been off of work and therefore able to withstand a few days of potentially greasy hair, I decided to go for it with the baking soda and vinegar. I re-read the facts and bought the ingredients of my new hair care regimine. I didn't make this switch for fiscal savings, but seeing that the the baking soda and vinegar together totalled less than $2 was kind of nice, I'll definately save money.

Lest I forget to mention it, I put about 6 drops of lavendar oil into the baking soda mix and into the vinegar mix, mostly for the pretty smell, but also for the moisturizing benefit.

So here's how it works...my shampoo substitute is 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a plastic water bottle that has a volume of a little over 16 oz, the ratio is supposed to be 1 tbsp to every 8 oz. of water. Because I make the mix before I get into the shower, I wait until the water coming from my bathroom sink is warm, I didn't do this and I found out that unless it is a warm day, cold water on your head in the shower doesn't feel too great. My hair is fairly long, so having twice the amount gives my scalp and all of my hair a really good rinse.

The conditioner substitute has the same ratio of apple cider vinegar to water, 1 tbsp to every 8 oz of water. I have to admit that I had my doubts, I must have had the husband sniff my hair/head about 20 times at first to make sure that it didn't smell funny/odd/dirty. Also, to be honest, I am still a bit nervous to go see my stylist next month for a haircut. She'll be the best person to tell if this new method is not working for me, she's done my hair for the last two years, and she deals with people's hair daily. I think she may still occasionally read this blog, so she may already know even before I go to see her. (Hi Michelle!)

It has been strange to do this little daily ritual differently. It is a bit of a bump to just accept that my hair is clean from using just these basic ingredients. I also think that my hair looks great. I am used to having to wash it daily, the oils in my hair have made this necessary. Lately though, this has not been the case. If I am working out everyday then I have to wash it everyday, or if I use a ton of product on it to style, then I have to wash it. On other days though I don't find it necessary to do anything more than a quick rinse - or even nothing at all.

I am happy with this experiment. As long as nothing strange happens or changes with my hair, I will keep with this routine.