No Shampoo? No Worries
In my search to find household products without formaldehyde in them, I ran across several websites that discouraged the use of shampoo. One only wanted people to use water to clean their hair. I have to say that I was not quite comfortable trying this water-only method. Several used baking soda and vinegar in many different ways. Regardless of the methods, I have to say that I honestly had concerns.
Proof that my hair is shiny and healthy with baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
I am not a vain person, but I do like my hair. It is straight and long. It is very easy to fix because I just brush it. I did not want to do anything that would ruin my hair. I did not want to have to get it cut short because it developed bad split ends, got too dry, etc. Also since Andrew was born, my hair has been very oily. I am not sure why, but no shampoo was helping and I was trying all different kinds.
After reading a bunch of different methods and recipes, I picked the one that sounded the easiest and decided to give it a try. I loved the results. My hair does not get oily so fast. In fact I can now go days without washing my hair and it looks great.
I pour a palmful of baking soda in my hand while standing in the shower. I wet the baking soda with the falling water and rub it between both hands to form a thin paste. I rub the paste into my scalp using circular motions using my fingertips. Once my scalp has been massaged with the baking soda, I rinse it with warm water. I do not scrub the rest of my hair.
After it is rinsed, I pour about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar down the length of my hair. I try to only get the vinegar on the hair that falls away from my scalp. I lightly rub it through my ends, let it soak in for a few minutes, and rinse.
Once my hair dries, the vinegar smell is gone. My hair is shiny and easy to comb out. I do not need to use a detangler product like I did even after conditioning my ends with name brand products. Now the brush/comb goes right through my hair. My hair is still shiny and healthy looking. Even my hairdresser remarked about how nice my hair was the last time I got a haircut. She also could not believe how much my hair had grown in five weeks. I guess that the scalp massage is encouraging my hair to grow.
I wash my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar twice a week. I am afraid that my scalp would get too dry if I did it more often. If for some reason I need to wash my hair more than two times that week, then I use shampoo. I don’t like to though because the very same day my scalp and hair is oily again. I am enjoying great results with very inexpensive and natural products.
It reminds me of the Suave products commercials where they challenge the viewers to guess which model uses the expensive hair products. Suave is much more inexpensive in comparison and they make good shampoo, but they cannot compete with the price and results of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. In addition, these ingredients are all-natural; therefore, using this hair cleaning method is better for the environment. This is just an extra bonus to using this method. So if you have oily hair, don’t be afraid to try this at home.
Be careful, the Pantene henchmen might come after you.
Hair looks great.
Thanks for the warning, Glenn. I’ll be watching my back.
On a serious note, advertisers have us convinced that we have to spend thousands of dollars on beauty products, household products, etc. I just want to show that it is not necessary.
Really interesting! I’m definitely going to try this. I have long, straight hair, too, and have always been a little obsessive about it – wash it every day so it doesn’t get greasy, but I hate buying shampoo/conditioner because it is relatively expensive, seems wasteful (the product and packaging), and full of chemicals that I cannot pronounce. I wonder if you could add something to the vinegar (or maybe cook it down) to thicken it so it would be easier to apply to your hair? Anyway, great stuff!
I don’t know, Sarah, what you would add to the vinegar. If you figure anything out, please let me know. I would love to try what you discover. Some people let the vinegar stay in their hair without rinsing it, but I don’t. Your hair will smell like vinegar if you do.
Maybe you can add a drop of an essential oil to make the vinegar smell better. Like lavender or mint?
I have been reading a lot about the baking soda/vinegar rinse and I think I am finally going to convert. Do you do this wash for your children too?
That is a good idea. It will be fun experimenting with which essential oil will work the best. I do not use it on my children because they do not feel comfortable with this yet. I feel that I would definitely have to “train” them to wash their hair again because it is different than just putting a glob of shampoo in your hand and scrubbing. I would start with my oldest because his hair is starting to get oily.
I may be trying this recipe on my daughter, no matter what we always have to use detangler and she still cries. Maybe this will work on her. Thank you.
I’m going to try this! I think I’ll keep a small spray bottle filled with the vinegar in the shower for easier application. Thanks!
By the way, I love that I stumbled onto your site. I am also a Christian home-schooling mom in TX who, only a couple of years ago, moved out to the country to begin a family farm and is (slowly) working on homesteading. It was very nice of you to pave the way!
Thank you! I hope that you have as much luck with your hair as I have had with mine.
I have been using the baking soda mix in with just a drop of shampoo and i love the results I have not tried the apple cider vinegar yet but I think I will considering the conditioner makes my hair to oily. thank you for the tip
Greetings, i hope everyone is in the best of faith/high spirits and health. I used to mix tea tree oil with $1 shampoo to prevent my extreme dry scalp/dandruff and it worked but recently i stopped b/c i moved and the stores near me don’t have the kind of shampoo I found blended well and smelled best. Also Wal Mart stopped carrying the pure, cheap tea tree oil. In regards to reactions and chemistry I wonder if baking soda would be safe with tea tree oil? The mint idea above sounds great, I am a Licensed Massage Therapist and I use aromatherapy and grow lavender and some of my own herbs and make most of my own products. I love your site it is a blessing and it’s best to live naturally however it’s also important to be safe, for that’s also half the reason most of us get into holistic living! Anyone tried tea tree oil with other ingrediants? Thanks so much.
Tea tree oil is safe to put on your skin directly. Occasionally I use it like an astringent if my face breaks out. The down side is that its scent is strong. When I make my homemade goat milk soap I always add tea tree oil to it. It can be safely combined with baking soda. Some people even brush their teeth and tongue with the combination to fight bad breath. The important thing is not to swallow tea tree oil. It is a very versatile and strong essential oil, just do NOT use it internally. Thank you for your kind words and your question.
Have you tried your homemade soap on your hair on the days you would use the shampoo? I don’t make my own soap (yet), but the handmade soap I use work great on my hair too. Much better than shampoo and without residue. I then follow with apple cider vinegar rinse.
Tressa, I have not tried my homemade soap. It is a great idea. Thanks, Lara
I stumbled on this by going through some of your old posts. Lately, my hair has become stringy and gets tangled a lot faster. I had a large knot in my hair that I had to have my sister get out. And another thing is that my hair has become quite dry and doesn’t have the ‘silky’ feeling it used to when I would wash it.
My sister uses egg yolk for shampoo and vinegar, white I think, for rinse. Then she uses the egg white and make it all foamy and uses it as mouse. You can check out her homemade hairspray and mouse recipe here – http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=2670.
I’ve heard about using baking soda as a dry shampoo, like if my hair is oily and needed a quick fix, just pour a bit on it and brush it out. I never tried it, but I’ll be trying this mix of an all natural shampoo/condition. I hope it helps. If so, I’ll be posting about it on my own blog, with a friendly link back to you.
BTW, I’ve enjoyed reading the posts you sent into the homesteading carnival.
We just got rid of our milking goats, and I would have loved to make butter from the milk, but never had the courage to do so. I’ve made butter before, using the jar method and putting it in a blender for a few minutes, then whisking it by hand. That was actually accidental – I was trying to make whipped cream. 
Thanks for the great post again.
blessings!
Thank you so much, Rachel. I know a few people who have accidentally made butter when they were trying to make whipping cream. It happens to the best of us.
I have used the baking soda in my hair – I kept a small glass jar with the made up paste in the bathtub and a small bottle of apple cider – works great! I still have to condition though .. try as I might, I cannot get this thick curly mane under control unless I use some conditioner on it…
Your topic No Shampoo? No Worries | Texas Homesteader was interesting when I found it on Friday searching for handmade goat milk soap, it looks like you have some interesting content about handmade goat milk soap what I was looking for
I’ve washed my hair using your technique for the past week, I’m still debating whether it works for me as I have VERY naturally CURLY hair. I do like the vinegar rinse as it seems to work well as a detangler (better than any conditioner I’ve used in a long time). But I do have to be careful as I have Rosecea and since trying this method of pooing I’ve had an outbreak, not sure if was the poo or something else.
I used to blow dry to make it straight (makes it very unhealthy) just to go outside and to get frizzy all over again, so as much as I hate the curly hair, I’ve told myself to deal with it…just wish I could fix, style or do something pretty with it.
My hair is straight as a board. I love the way that curls look in hair and had perms several times when I was younger. I decided a year or two ago to get comfortable with myself, flaws and all. I’m not saying that my straight hair is a flaw or your curly hair, but that I purposely did not wear makeup or highlight my hair in order to accept myself for who I am. It is funny how women especially are never quite happy with what they look like. The grass is always greener on the other side.
I do agree with you Lara, we never do seem happy with who we are.
I read your article on going natural, love the end comment, Smile more!
Tho I try to go without makeup (only eyeliner and mascara) most of the time when I go to town I usually have to wear my war paint (boyfriend says), but I will try. As for my hair, I don’t color, perm, highlight….anything, I tell everyone who says I need to color my gray, ya either except me the way I am or ya don’t.
Found a homemade remedy for taming the frizzies, egg and mayo, that’s my next project.
To plantinthings: I have naturally thick and wavy hair. Contrary to popular belief, curly hair is much thinner (the hairs) than straight hair. I bought a book not too long ago entitled “Curly Girl” and it is about how to care for your curly hair – stay away from shampoos. I found about it when I met a girl with the most beautifully defined locks I’ve ever seen. She said I could have the same beautiful hair if I’d be prepared to commit to NOT washing it. Huh?? I tried it, and it has been amazing. She told me to go to a website: http://ylcf.org and under the tab ‘Learn’, click on “Got Curl”. Maybe you could check it out and see if it would work for you? (Sorry this post is to a thread 3 months old… )
Wavy Girl,
Thank you so much for the information and I hope that my curly-headed readers find the thread useful. It is always nice to receive personal testimonials from people. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
Lara
I cant wait to try this.. I have very oil hair at the scalp and dry on the ends. My husband and I use 4 parts cornstarch to 1 part baking soda as deodorant. Of course you have to adjust the amt of bakins soda if it irritates. Baking Soda is so cheap and good for so many different things. Love this!