Shampoo free

I'm sharing some garden pictures tonight--lots of lilies! It is wonderful to have lilies again after all these years. It finally feels like my garden again, as I have always had lots of lilies. I keep checking them, but there are no signs of the crappy fungus that forced me to be lily free. I'm hoping it stays that way!

____________

L & I have been shampoo free for over a year now, and we’re still loving it. I can’t see ever going back to shampoo! I’ve had so many people ask me how to do it, and I keep forgetting to send instructions. I’ll put them here, and then I won’t have to worry about it. When I first researched this, I found there were several ways to go about it, but almost all of these methods rely on the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. This method works very well for us, but you may find that you need to tweak amounts or wash frequency based on your hair and your own personal taste.

You will need an empty bottle or container of some sort to mix your baking soda and water together. The same container can be used for the vinegar/water rinse. I use an empty, clean Pounce container, because it’s just the right size (about 10 oz), and I always have plenty of those around.

STEP 1
Pour 2 Tablespoons of baking soda into the empty container.* Add approximately 8 oz. of hot water (I just fill in the shower with that water), close and shake until the baking soda is dissolved in the water. The container I use is clear, so it’s easy to see when it’s completely dissolved. Pour on your head, trying to distribute equally. Scrub scalp.

* I only measured this out the first time I did it. You can either mark a line or just remember to what point the bottle should be filled.

STEP 2
Pour 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into the empty container.* Add approximately 8 oz. of hot water (I just fill in the shower with that water), close and shake until the vinegar is dissolved in the water. Pour on your head, trying to distribute equally. Scrub scalp.

* I only measured this out the first time I did it. You can either mark a line or just remember to what point the bottle should be filled.

STEP 3
Rinse scalp well.

STEP 4
Condition as you normally would.

The first two to three weeks your hair will have an adjustment period. Once your follicles catch on that you’re not stripping the natural oils on a regular basis, they will stop producing the excess. I did not find it excessively bothersome. After the adjustment period, we only need to wash our hair with the baking soda/vinegar once a week. You can “wash” your hair with just water or water and conditioner as often as you would like, but it shouldn’t be necessary to “shampoo” it.

I get the biggest box of Arm & Hammer that I can find and a gallon jug of the apple cider vinegar (I haven’t noticed any difference between brands and often just get the store brand). Not only is this method MUCH cheaper than the high-quality, moisturizing, frizz-free shampoos I was using before, but I have also saved a ton on product. I no longer need to spend ridiculous amounts of money trying one high-priced frizz serum after another. I can air dry my long curly hair (which is what I did before, too), do absolutely nothing with it, and still look presentable and frizz free. I could never have done that when I was using shampoo!

Though my hair/scalp is extremely dry, L’s is definitely right smack in the normal range. It works very well for her long, straight hair as well. Even with her having more of a tendency to have oily hair than me, she only needs to “shampoo” once a week.