Hair Care Revisted

I had to stop my castile soap & ACV shampoo method a while back when the smell got to my ultra-sensitive first trimester nose. But now I'm happy to report that today I have gone back to the clean way and it smells wonderful! So I thought I'd revisit my method with a step-by-step.

1. Shampoo hair with a 1:1 ratio of castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's) and water.

2. Rinse thoroughly with water. Your hair will feel tangly and messy, but don't worry.

3. Condition your hair with a mixture of 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 cup of water. Make sure you get the rinse all throughout your hair to get rid of any soap buildup.

4. Rinse thoroughly with water.

5. If you feel it's necessary (and I do), do the ACV rinse again.

6. Rinse thoroughly with water one final time. Use cool water if you can stand it, as this will help prevent split ends. Your hair should now feel softer and you should be able to run your fingers through it pretty easily.

What you do after you get out of the shower all depends on your daily routine, but I usually just comb any tangles out and let it air dry. I feel like brushes tend to spread any oils throughout my hair and make it feel gross. I could just be imagining it, though.

If you're just starting out, it may take a few days for your hair to adjust. However, I don't think it takes as long to get used to as other no 'poo methods, like baking soda. Normal shampoo strips your hair of all its natural oils, so your body produces more oil to replace what's been lost. Due to this, when using commercial shampoos my hair will get greasy and gross within 24 hours. Last time I used my clean shampoo method, I could go 36-48 hours with great-looking and feeling hair, and I actually had more volume as well, without losing any of the softness or shine.

I hope this method works for you! Just remember to stick with it; everyone's different and it will take some time to get used to. If you have any questions, just let me know!

Step 4: Hair Care

It's been a few weeks, but I finally feel confident enough to write this sentence: I have found my new hair care routine. (Yay!)

I used to use shampoo and conditioner each and every day. My hair is long (a few inches past my shoulders) and had a 24-hour life cycle: if it wasn't washed routinely, it got greasy like that (snap).

It took a lot of trial and error, and more than a few days of gross hair, but I finally figured it out. I began by going all-out No 'Poo (such a stupid name for a movement, but I guess it's catchy) and using only baking soda mixed with a little water to clean my hair. I was worried about it being too dried out and tangly so I added some olive oil. Bad idea. I couldn't get it out of my hair for days. Plus, the baking soda burned my scalp (not terribly but in a "hey my head feels really hot" kind of way).

It didn't seem to matter how I used the baking soda - dry, pasty, or completely watery - nothing worked and my hair was disgusting. Plus, I missed the suds of regular shampoo. It's something you don't even think about until it's gone, but how else are you supposed to know you got all of your hair clean if you can't feel the suds everywhere?

I wanted to give up just so I could feel clean, but I was dedicated to keeping toxins out of my hair and my drain. So I tried again.

This time I bought some liquid castile soap (Dr. Bronner's seems to be the only one in town) and mixed 1/4 cup with a 1/4 cup of water. Suds! Beautiful suds!

The shampoo is very thin, but not much is needed. It's actually light enough that I could spritz it on my head with a spray bottle. That half cup will last me at least two weeks, and I'm still shampooing every day (although I think I could probably get away with skipping a day every now and then, which is huge).

Now for the conditioner. The shampoo works well to clean, but it leaves my hair tangly. All I need to use is 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (ACV) with 1 cup of water. Shake, and pour over hair. That's it! At the beginning I did this rinse twice, but now (after about a week) I only need to do it once. The rinse leaves my hair smoother and de-tangled. I can easily run a comb through it after I get out of the shower, and to be completely honest that was not always possible with my regular conditioner.

ACV doesn't have quite the smell that white vinegar does, but it's still definitely there. However, the smell dissipates as the hair dries and is completely gone as soon as my hair is dry.

After starting the castile soap/ACV rinse regimen, my hair was back to normal in about 3, maybe 4 days. It's soft and shiny again (one of the main things I was worried about before I switched). And what's even better is that my hair does not get greasy as quickly. I can easily go 36 hours without washing my hair, sometimes longer. It would be nice to not have to wash it every day, but since I'm using products that are good for me and the earth, I don't really have a problem with it (not to mention it's cheaper; I got a quart of organic ACV for $2.50!).

Now, there are a lot of reasons and information out there about going No or Low 'Poo (I'm sorry, that's just what it's called), and I'm going to let you all do your own research since this post is so long already. But, from my own personal experience, what I'm doing is totally and completely worth it. It's cheaper, healthier, and safer. Triple win!

Wikipedia actually has some really good information.

Nature Moms has some tips about washing with baking soda, and also why you should discard your regular shampoo.

Here, if you scroll down, you'll find info on what's all in your shampoo.

What's so bad about shampoo anyway?

How ACV works.