About 5 months ago, I read a blog post about shampooing with baking soda and conditioning with vinegar. My hair had become limp, and it wouldn't do what I tried to get it to do any more, so I decided to try it out and see if there was a change in my hair. My husband, who has shoulder-length hair, joined me in my defiant hair-cleansing stance. Well, after about a week of not using commercial shampoos or conditioners, I did indeed notice that it had plumped back up. It also felt clean. The waxy kind of feel it used to have was gone. It has much more body and "fluff." And there is the added plus of not having to shell out all that money for hair products. Does anyone else here do hair care with baking soda and vinegar? Does it work well for you?
I haven't tried that yet, but it looks interesting. I'm also getting alarmed with using commercial shampoos because I'm getting a lot of falling hair. I'm just a bit curious, though. What happens when you condition your hair with vinegar? Does it smell bad or anything? I'm just afraid that even after washing it off, my hair might still smell odd from the vinegar.
The vinegar smell goes away pretty quickly. But I like that smell, so it hasn't been a concern for me. I have read that using essential oils to add fragrance works well for those who want to smell like something. I make soaps as a hobby/extra income thing, and I do know about essential oils. I see no reason why they wouldn't work, and work well. My hair got sparse -- actually began falling out -- after I had stomach surgery a few years back, and I do know this: There are several oils which work well to help with the hair loss. They haven't restored any for me, but it has stopped falling out, and what I do have is fluffier. Here are some of the essential oils that would work in the shampoo: geranium, jojoba, rosemary, carrot. But only a few drops. like less than 4 or 5. In conditioner, I would say these work well: a few drops of palma rosa or evening primrose. or about 2.5 tablespoons of jojoba oil. If you try these, you will want to ensure that you do NOT use too much, as it can cause burn-like things to happen.
Hmm pretty interesting. I am amazed that you can go for all-natural products. I guess that I am too used to buying commercial ones that I cannot replace them with baking soda and vinegar. Maybe it would be nice to use apple cider vinegar though.
I have never tried baking soda, but I do use apple cider vinegar as a rinse. It gets your hair really clean. I don't use commercial shampoos, although they are sold here, but I don't like chemicals and i like all things natural. Instead, I use what is called black soap. This is about as natural as you can get and it gets the job done quite well.
That's great but why baking soda and vinegar? Wouldn't the combination make your hair brittle and dry instead? Maybe I'll try some homemade herbal or fruit shampoo instead. I'm worried about the sticky feeling later on. It might not be that easy to rinse and get rid of the smell of the shampoo/conditioner alternative you're suggesting.
The baking soda -- sodium bicarbonate -- eliminates buildup is a great cleansing agent. Your mother -- or grandmother -- might have used it to clean surfaces in the kitchen, dentures, or hairbrushes. At my house, we used it instead of toothpaste when I was growing up. When used on your hair, it clarifies and removes sebum. For many, including myself, it helps prevent sebaceous cysts by that removal. Baking soda has a high alkali pH so it opens the cuticles of the hair, and used by itself, it absorbs a lot of water which might weaken or break the hair shafts, which I suspect may be what your concern is. For that reason, you should follow the shampoo with something to normalize the pH you just put in your hair. Apple cider vinegar contains acid that will close the cuticles.
I am not sure how to use baking soda to wash my hair. Do you mix a paste before you apply it? I tend to get dandruff easily if my scalp gets too dry, so I am not sure this is the best option for me. I usually use all natural shampoos like Naked Bee or Avalon Organics. I think they are pretty good and they don't have any of the known problem ingredients.
I use 1 tablespoon for each 1 cup of water. It's a little pasty, I guess, but more liquid, and it needs to be shaken before each use. Baking soda is actually good for dry scalp and dandruff as it clarifies the scalp, meaning it removes by absorption oil and grease and all the "stuff" that you encounter during the day which is attracted to oil and grease.
I have never thought about using baking soda as a substitute for shampoo. But I am worried that the hair will become extremely dry by doing so. Can you tell me how dry or soft the hair becomes after using baking soda. Thanks for sharing this post. I really will try it out.
Also I forgot to add this point in my previous post. I make sure that I completely oil my hair before taking bath and leave it that way for at least an hour. Do you think I can oil my hair before washing my hair with baking soda? Do you think that the oil will be almost removed by washing with baking soda as it happens after shampooing. I like to have hair that looks like it has not been oiled or else the strands become really sticky.
I use apple cider vinegar as a conditioning rinse. It serves to both normalize the pH -- which can be as high as 9 with the baking soda -- that you just put in your hair. It also is acidic and will close the cuticles that the baking soda opens. I don't have dry hair, so I can't really address that question. (I was going to make a sad face after that sentence, but I'm not really sad about the dry hair part, just the fact that I can't answer you.)
I get the baking soda part to cleanse, but vinegar to condition? What do you use to get the vinegar smell out of your hair? Oh, wait I see that you already answered that question. I think a better alternative for a conditioner would be this recipe 1 avocado 1/2 banana 1/2 can coconut milk 1/4 cup honey 1 egg or 1/4 cup mayonnaise Blend until completely smooth. Massage in hair. Place shower cap on for 2 to 5 minutes (depending on how deeply you want it to condition). Then rinse. Smells pretty good to.
I have never heard of that alternative before, but I don't think I would want to try it because I'm so used to the lather that the shampoos produce in my hair. I would find it weird not being able to feel any lather while shampooing.
While it definitely sounds interesting -- I don't think that I would try it. I have a huge aversion to the smell of vinegar. It literally makes me sick. I don't think I could bear to try and clean my hair with it and have it around my face.
