The best way to wash your hair: safe, frugal and effective!

Dear readers both ladies and gentlemen:

After you have read the previous notes on the poisons in your typical shampoos and conditioners, you may be looking for a healthy alternative. There are plenty of homemade natural and organic products for sale, but since those tend to be pricey, I am glad I can offer you a frugal method which you can use daily without harming your budget! Simply: 

Baking soda and vinegar- healthy hair, healthy bodies!

I switched over to using strictly baking soda and vinegar over a year ago now, and haven't touched shampoo or conditioner since! Although each person is different, I have had satisfactory results with this method. There are a few benefits to using these items in for your hair

1) None of the poisons or harmful ingredients listed in the previous post

2) Cheaper than most shampoos and conditioners, especially cheaper than all-natural ones!

3) Gentle on all types of skin, scalp; will not harm your eyesight if you get some in your eyes. 

4) Both ingredients known to heal dry skin, sunburns.

5) Extremely speedy to use: cleans quickly and effectively and rinses out in no time at all!

6) You've seen it written on dozens of shampoo ads; people are always searching for products to

  deep-clean their scalp and to restore health and shine to their hair: here it is! The two most cleansing ingredients. 

So, let's get started! I originally heard about this method long before I actually tried it. The only reason why I waited so long was because the original post said you needed a small spray bottle in which to mix the baking soda and water...and I didn't have one. So it took me a little while to realize I could come up with my own ways of doing the preparation! Below, I have many pictures to illustrate the variety of ways you can have a quick and easy cleansing shower!

All you will need is a tablespoon of baking soda, and a tablespoon of your choice of vinegar: white distilled or apple cider. Although both kinds are suitable, I have heard that apple cider enhances the color of dark-haired folk. So I now usually use white vinegar.

The photo below explains all that a beginner may use for a washing: 

*A tablespoon measuring spoon

*A 1 cup measuring cup

*A plastic cup (photo shows 3 for varieties' sake)

*Box of baking soda

*Jug of vinegar

(see end of post for instructions)

Or, for a more manly look:
 your preparation might look more like this:

Or perhaps you prefer a dark green measuring cup:

Okay, enough of that :)

Here's what you need to do: 

Ready: 

1. Measure 1 TB of baking soda, dump it into your choice of cup or small plastic container for mixing.  Leave measuring spoon in there. Set in a corner of the shower where it won't too filled with water from the shower.

2. Grasp a jug of lidded vinegar and place it in the shower as well. 

3. Place your empty 1-cup measuring cup in shower too.

Set: 

4. Moisten your hair, then add 1 cup warm water to the baking soda in the container; turn off shower and mix baking soda and water with spoon. 

Action!

5. Slowly pour on your scalp and hair while rubbing and scrubbing or massaging it in with the other hand. (Vary your energy from wash to wash; you only need to do a major scrubbing every two weeks, otherwise: massage it in)

6. Let it soak into your scalp/hair for 5 minutes. (Again, although this is idea, it is not necessary every wash.)

7. Simply rinse it out! Comes out like a dream, in less than 1 minute! 

Ideally, you will want to finish with a vinegar rinse. 

8. While still in the shower, turn off the water. Pick up your cup and measure 1 Tablespoon of your choice of either white or apple cider vinegar into the mixing cup; add 1 cup water. No need to mix. 

9. Slowly pour mixture onto your scalp and comb through your hair with your fingers! You will be pleased at how slick this makes your hair...it's amazing how the tangles disappear! Add more vinegar and water if your hair is super-tangley. 

10. Option 1:  Leave it in. However, apple cider vinegar leaves a slight residue of smell....not the best thing if you're attending a wedding or the like. Also, if you are planning on doing up your hair while it's wet, if you don't rinse out the vinegar it will smell pretty strong when you let your hair down at the end of the day....kind of fermented. ;)

Option 2: Rinse briefly.This is accomplished in a minute or less....compare that to how long it takes to rinse out commercial conditioners!

Option 3: What I generally do is to rinse it out completely. Takes a couple minutes.

Vary from time to time!

I want you to encourage you to try this. If it looks complicated, that's my fault for writing out the instructions to long. In reality, it's simple, Read the instructions above a few times and then write out your own condensed ideas. By the way: I don't use measuring cup for water measuring, since I know by sight by now. Besides, it's rather flexible. For myself, I use 2 Tablespoons of baking soda to 2 Cups of water ever other wash, too. It's all about variation, and finding your best method. 

Lastly, be patient! You may not love your hair until you have consistently used this method for over a few months! But I can say assuredly, I have used it over a year: And I'm sticking with it! 

This is important! This is health for the future. Ladies: Do not ruin your health as future mothers by using poisons on your body....keep your body safe for your future as mothers!!!

Who will join me in using simple baking soda and vinegar? 

I've seen some really beautiful results on other ladies who are using it! (links to come in a future post)

I wish I had some incredible ''before and after'' pictures of myself.... but I DO still have plenty of hair. :)
2013 UPDATE: And it's getting easier and easier to keep my hair clean and lovely! :) Yay! Now 5 of my 7 sisters are using it as well. It REALLY works. Never has my hair felt so clean.... :) 

Ladies....I encourage you to join this ''club'' of people switching to better things for their bodies! And encourage your brothers to do so as well. It's important. And actually, I think it will be easiest for the boys to switch since they don't have a love for sweet-smelling shampoos anyhow! ;) But it's obviously ESPECIALLY important for the ladies to not use reg. chemical-laden shampoos.