I've always had schizophrenic hair: oily at the scalp, dry at the ends, and prone to dandruff. Recently I developed some sort of eczema on my scalp. I was constantly itching. I could never get my scalp clean because the products I used kept building up. It didn't matter what kind or what "hair type" they were made for.
When I read this post on one of my favorite blogs about the negatives of shampoo, what they do to your hair, and how to switch to something non-chemical I was interested. It sounded a little granola and extreme to me, but what if it really worked? If so, it seemed like a good idea to try switching to something safer, more gentle, and (hopefully) more effective. I sat on it for months because it was just a little intimidating. I wasn't sure how it would go and it made me nervous. I thought I would look like a cavewoman.
Finally I got the nerve and tried the switch. The "non-shampoo" is a mixture of water and baking soda. The "non-conditioner" is apple cider vinegar and water.
It worked so well. They say there is a transition period when your hair has to get adjusted to not being stripped of all its natural oils from shampoo chemicals. The first few weeks it didn't look or feel that great: kind of straw-like. But then it adapted wonderfully. My hair has never felt so CLEAN. No itching. No flaky scalp. No buildup. Just clean, fresh hair. The only disappointment was that I was hoping I wouldn't have to wash my hair as often like Tsh (from Simple Mom) but that hasn't been the case. I still have to wash it at least every other day.
Not only is it easy and much more inexpensive than shampoo but my hair and scalp feel so good that I don't plan on going back to chemical-laden shampoo anytime soon!
You can read more about it on the above website. They give more helpful information and explain it better than I can. Basically I fill a bunch of 16oz bottles with 2 cups of warm water and 2 T of baking soda, shaking it up well so that it mixes and dissolves. If you miss the smell of shampoo you can add a few drops of essential oil like lavender or citrus. I fill another bottle up with one-third apple cider vinegar and two-thirds warm water (no your hair will not smell like vinegar; it rinses out without a smell). I fill up 5 bottles at a time (takes a few minutes) and keep them in the bathroom. The five bottles last me about a month.
I also made two smaller bottles for Anna. I love that I am not using any chemicals on her little body and not stripping it of its natural oil.
If we are travelling I have no problem using regular shampoo for a few days, but I always go back to the baking soda/vinegar stuff as soon as I get home.
It sounded like a crazy idea, but I'm so glad I tried it!