Friday, February 19, 2010

Shiny Manageable Hair. Cheap.


I was hesitant at first to get into washing my hair with baking powder and vinegar. Doesn't that combination blow up? What about my dyed red hair? What about the smell? Surely such cheap kitchen products can't give me amazing hair - why of COURSE that's what shampoo companies have conditioned (pun intended) you to think. I give you what is horribly labeled as the "no poo" option, meaning, No Shampoo.

Here I have made a paste from bicarb (baking soda) and a splash of water until it becomes the consistancy of shampoo. I'm still considering pre-making this and putting it in an old shampoo bottle actually, but I am uncertain if it will dry out, so don't quote me on it. Now, I'm out of apple cider vinegar (and honestly, you can use normal vinegar, I just prefer the apple cider to my dyed red hair). Mix a few tablespoons of that with water as well. Preferably cups of water. Now head to the shower.

Shampoo with the bicarb as normal. Scrub into the hair. You'll feel strange doing this at first. You'll feel even stranger with the vinegar rinse but trust me, it does work. Even my fiance is doing this and loving it with his natural red hair (some men have all the luck). Rinse the bicarb out as well as you can before doing the vinegar rinse for obvious reasons. This will feel almost like conditioner, as it detangles your hair, but not quite. Trust me, your hair won't smell. Once I was in a rush and poured the vinegar straight onto my head. Still, no smell.

Some people complain of feeling the grease form on their crown before any other place and others have said to remedy that by using a boar bristle brush to distribute the oils. I have not had this problem. I also already have a boar bristle brush, so the advice may or may not be accurate.

Either way, this is yet another way your kitchen can save you tons of money over the years. A giant bottle of vinegar and a box of bicarb are exceptionally cheaper than shampoo, even moreso than the expensive salon stuff I was using just a few days prior to this experiment. And you know what? I'm never buying that 'stays in your hair' chemical crap again! $$$ for me!

4 comments:

  1. I've been contemplating trying this for a while now... might just have to go ahead and take the plunge!

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  2. OMG. Why o why did I not know about this sooner? Seriously.

    I used it today. I humorously call the vinegar the conditioner. lol. Anyway, the vinegar smell really doesn't last that long at all.. and my hair does feel soooo nice....

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  3. Because I still have to help my kids wash their hair (or make up the mix, I guess), I hammered holes in the top of a metal mason jar lid, fill the jar with water, put four tablespoons of BS into the jar, and shake it up. I marked the jar with a Sharpie to show the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 marks. Now the kids know to pour 1/4 of the jar on their heads and leave the rest for the next person. As long as the BS is dissolved, I know they are putting enough in their hair and it is premade and mixed for them when they need it.

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  4. Brilliant idea, Evelyn! Thank you!

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