I have never been a “hair” person. I don’t like taking the time to blow dry it, and straightening my hair happens only on special occasions or days that I have 45 minutes to kill. I have also never been the girl to turn to for hair advice and styling tips. However, a little over a month ago I started this “no poo experiment” by washing my hair only with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. One of my friends had told me about it a while ago but I had honestly thought the whole idea was crazy. Washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar? How can that possibly work? Then I came across this article by Treehugger detailing the benefits of the ‘no shampoo experiment’ and feeling adventurous, I decided to try it out.
It has now been a little over a month without any kind of traditional shampoo and conditioner and I can truthfully say that I love it. I am still no longer a “hair” person, but my hair is no longer a dreaded morning activity. It has only been about a month but my hair is noticeably easier to manage, shinier and softer.
You might think I’m crazy, and that’s okay. Two months ago I would have also considered myself crazy. But let me lay out some details for you about this shampoo experiment and you can decide for yourself how crazy it really is:
How it works:
There may be other “recipes” out there but this is the one that I use from Treehugger:
Measure 2 tbsp baking soda into a 500 mL/1 pint glass jar. Wet hair. Fill jar with water and stir to dissolve baking soda. Pour over head and scrub into hair. Rinse. Measure 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar into same jar. Add water, pour over head, and rinse almost immediately.
(These amounts are for long hair. If yours is short to medium length, use 1 tbsp of baking soda and vinegar in 1 cup of water. If your hair doesn’t seem clean enough once it’s dried, use a bit more soda next time.)
Benefits:
My hair feels healthier and I use way less product (gel, anti-fizz cream, etc.) because my hair is much more manageable. I have extremely frizzy hair and after I stopped using traditional shampoos and conditioners, I started to see a difference in the level of frizziness. I realized that part of that resulted from science which can be somewhat explained by The Hairpin here:
“Human skin needs to be slightly acidic to prevent fungus and bacteria from colonizing your life. When you use baking soda (a base) and apple-cider vinegar (an acid), your scalp’s pH remains stable and its oil production stays low.”
Some shampoos that we use actually strip away our natural oils from our hair, causing our scalp to overproduce oils. It’s complicated and I don’t really fully understand it, but basically we want a good balance of natural oils. With the shampoos we use, it is hard to get that natural balance. Using baking soda and vinegar restores that balance of natural oils which helps prevent the attack of the frizz.
Adjustments:
One thing that is hard to adjust to is the fact that there are no soapsuds or bubbles that appear like when you use shampoo or conditioner. At first it feels like you aren’t actually cleaning your hair but after a few times of doing this, you adjust to the lack of suds.
Also, the smell of vinegar is overwhelming at first. You begin to wonder if you will smell like a salad for the rest of the day. But don’t worry, you really don’t. I promise! I have had friends smell my hair before and they have never reported back that it smells like vinegar.
Conclusion:
You might as well give it a try, and see how it feels! Tweet at me @MegglesClark or at Her Campus at @HerCampusAU with your findings and #feelings!