I had made my decision to give up commercial shampoo (Part 1). The question is what would I use instead?
After trawling through various blogs and forums on the subject it seemed the most popular alternative among the 'no-pooers' was a combination of bicarbonate of soda and apple cider vinegar (ACV). This however seemed to get many mixed reviews. Not only were there many warning against this concoction but also those who did like it never seemed to post instructions for how exactly to go about washing your hair with it. In hindsight, it's a miracle I ever considered using it on my own locks! Luckily, I did.
I love how my hair feels now. No, it doesn't smell of water flowers and unicorn dust. It just smells of natural, clean hair. It's manageable, healthy and chemical free! Unfortunately I didn't take before, during and after pictures, but here is the most recent 'hair down' photo. I PROMISE my husband's (
I'll not bore you with the details of my trial and error days of perfecting my new 'shampoo' recipe (there was far more error than I care to recall anyway!). Instead I'll get straight to the recipe I now use and will continue to use for the forseeable future.
My 'Shampoo':
Mix 1 heaped tbsp bicarbonate of soda with 500ml water. That's it!!
I keep mine in an old commercial shampoo bottle, but any old bottle will do. Shake well before each use.
My 'Conditioner'
Dilute raw, unpasturised, unfiltered, organic ACV (available from most supermarkets) with water to a 50:50 mixture. That's it!!
I use a spray bottle to apply this.
The Method
Apply the 'shampoo' mixture to dry hair directly at the roots. I use much more than I would a standard shampoo due to the watery consistency. Massage scalp gently for a minute or so and rinse well with lukewarm water.
Squeeze out excess water from the hair and spray liberally with the ' conditioner' mixture. Leave for a couple of minutes and rinse again with water.
Dry and style hair as normal.
Warnings and Advice
Although this recipe is perfect for my hair, it seems it may not work for everybody. I would always recommend to approach any new personal care product with caution and test on an inconspicuous small area first.
If you are considering giving this a go I would highly recommend you hold off until Part 3 - Hints and Tips to 'no-poo', before continuing. (How I wish somebody had said this to me before my adventure with alternative hair care shenanigans!!!)