Friday, December 3, 2010

The Hair Trial

Back in September I wrote about using baking soda and vinegar on my hair as shampoo and conditioner. I figured it's about time I update you all about how it's going.

The first thing I've noticed is that my hair is so much softer and shinier than before. There's never any product buildup either. The biggest bonus though is that my hair color (I dye my hair if you missed the first post) stays true much longer. I use non-permanent color and my roots are growing out and my color still hasn't faded.

As for the oily hair - it's still oily and usually in the winter it's extra oily. The baking soda gets rid of it just like shampoo, but it doesn't stay away any longer than with shampoo.

My hair is a lot healthier though. It doesn't break as much anymore and I don't have any split ends even though I blow dry.

So would I recommend using baking soda and vinegar? Yes! It's so much healthier not just for your hair but also for you. It doesn't have the chemicals and irritants that commercial shampoo and conditioner contain.

9 comments:

  1. I have been resisting. I have such an itchy scalp in general and I really can't deal with my own oils. I use the Yes! to Carrots stuff, and it seems to work well. I need to give this a try, I wish I wasn't such a wimp!

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  2. I feel you're pain! I used to get the itchy, flaky scalp. I've seen a decent improvement in that. I was using the Yes! to Cucumbers stuff and it worked well, but I definitely prefer this because even the Yes! brand has chemicals in it.

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  3. Oh, and just try it over the weekend. If you don't like it you can always just rewash it.

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  4. Rick and I make our own bar soap and I use it for everything, including washing my hair. Strangely enough, my hair is softer and less tangled using this simple bar soap than when I used to use conditioner.

    I also do olive oil on the ends occasionally, since my hair is so fine and prone to breaking.

    Never tried the baking soda/vinegar thing. How's the smell (I can't stand smelling like a salad)?

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  5. The vinegar rinses out clean so you don't smell at all.

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  6. Good you give us the link for the recipe?

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  7. Here it is: http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=365

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  8. I've been baking soda- and vinegar-ing since the summer. It really makes for happier and healthier hair. I think one of the main reasons is the sebum our scalps secrete gets to fulfill its reason for being secreted... when we brush the hair it gets distributed, and that is protective in and of itself. My scalp tends to generate a bit less of it now that I've been at this for some months.

    I love making shampoo bars w/ cold process soap, but I had to quit using those when I was a redhead for a couple years because the high pH had a way of opening up the hair shaft so the dye would wash out much faster.

    My favorite thing is I'm not blowing $ on shampoo or conditioner.

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  9. Rachel, Thank you so much for posting this. Do you know how long I have been trying to figure out a way to ditch store bought shampoo? I can't remember all the things I've tried in the past, but I have absolutely hated the way they made my hair feel--and it would get oily super fast. I was resigned to washing my hair with regular shampoo, then to compensate for the dryness and the breaking, ladeling on more industrial products. I'm now emboldened to try again--and what an easy recipe. Thanks again.

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