As our family goes more and more away from mainstream and gets farther and farther on our journey to healthy, natural living I keep looking for inexpensive replacements to the toxins in our home. One place I was shocked to learn of chemicals was in my shampoo and conditioner, and we buy good quality supposedly natural products. So the shampoo and conditioner are out and their replacements are so cheap and so simple I just had to share! Disclaimer: I have only washed my hair once with this recipe, but from the images and good reviews online I have confidence that it will work. Shampoo: 1 part aluminum free baking soda + 3 parts water Mix well in a convenient bottle and use this to shampoo your hair. Focusing mostly on your scalp and leaving it set for several minutes before rinsing. Conditioner: 1 part organic white vinegar + 4 parts water, you may also add essential oils for fragrance ( I used lavender), one woman puts vanilla and a cinnamon stick in hers. Mix in a convenient bottle and use for conditioner, massaging into scalp and hair and then rinsing after a minute or so. The result is clean, fresh smelling hair without harmful chemicals. Also one woman suggested that for the first couple of weeks your hair may seem more oily than usual since your hair is used to having it's oils stripped by your shampoo. This she says goes away after a short adjustment period
I used baking soda for awhile but found just using hand soap was simpler. I was more motivated about reducing costs and clutter though. Hand soap and diluted vinegar make a great pair.
Amie, you are welcome! I have been shocked at the places where "undesirables" as my 8 year old calls them are found. Honestly I'm amazed there are any healthy people in this world at all with the number of toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis and most of them are from things that are supposed to be "helping" us!
Aluminum fre baking soda?? There is aluminum in the regular kind?? Just made pancakes this morning wiht aluminum, it seems... Sigh...Trying to go natural too...will try this recipe, thank you!
As I understand it, the process of making baking soda involves aluminum in some way, so while the aluminum isn't added to the baking soda, there can be traces in the soda. The aluminum free kind is "mined" naturally without relying on the chemical reaction using aluminum. According to some sites the amount of aluminum is "trivial" so you may feel comfortable using it. I avoid the aluminum because there are other products that contain aluminum, and I figure if I take control of the things I can then the things I can't control won't be affecting us quite as severely if you know what I mean.
I know exactly what you mean. same with buying things antibiotic and hormone free. I cannot afford everything free of toxins etc, so I just buy whatever I can.
Ok, so I am still in the "adjustment" period for this recipe. Yesterday my hair was looking a little oily so I washed it again (I usually only wash 2x a week) with this recipe. My hair looks great after it dries having been washed in the baking soda and vinegar mixes. It feels SUPER soft and while I don't have the "pretty" shampoo fragrances in my hair after washing, it does smell clean, and faintly like Essential Oils since I put a few drops of tea tree and Lavender in my vinegar rinse. I will let you know how long it takes before I can resume my 2x a week washing with the new "shampoo"
Awesome!! Thanks! Our family uses so much shampoo and conditioner. I imagine this is much cheaper. I'll be trying this!!
Thanks for sharing this! A friend of mine used a combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar and had some burning on her back from it, so I was kind of put off by it. I will have to give this a try!
Well, I've been using this now for nearly two weeks, and after the first couple of washes I've only needed to wash my hair twice a week! My hair looks great and it isn't oily at all!
I may try this with my dd. She is anemic and tends to lose hair when her levels drop. So anything to keep it healthy is a plus.
I make my shampoo with glycerin soap and water. Basically, I melt 2/3 bar in two gallons of water and I am able to make four gallons of "shampoo". I add baking soda once in a while but it dries my hair out if used on a regular basis. You can also use the glycerine straight from the bar but since glycerin absorbs water, it cleans and leaves moisture in my hair if I melt it in water first.
I wanted to add that I use hairspray everyday and the glycerin and/or baking soda remove the products beautifully and leave my hair clean and shiny.
Patty that sounds like an interesting recipe. I really am liking the baking soda, it's great that my hair isn't drying out in the AZ heat and that my scalp is healthy too! Of course the fact that it's cheap helps a lot too!!!
I live in SoCal and we are hot and dry. Whether or not this has anything to do with baking soda drying out my hair, I have no clue. But I am glad it doesn't dry your hair. I know that baking soda is what draws and holds onto the dirt and oil to clean the hair. Again, while it cleans well, it takes to much oil from my hair when used on a regular basis. Perhaps my hair is more porous? :?
Something to note is that Handsome prefers the glycerin straight from the bar. He gets super dirty at work and the bar cleans his hair nicely. For me, I am able to stretch out the bar with water and still get my hair clean. I think it has to do with different hair types. It is worth playing around with until the right mix is found because it IS indeed super cheap. I can get three bars of vegetable glycerin for $2.19 and make four gallons with 2/3 of a bar. WHOO HOO!!!! That is savings. ...and when I do use baking soda, it is still but a pinch and very cheap.
My only problem with the glycerine soap is that it still contains the Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and Propylene Glycol (antifreeze derivative) that I am trying to eliminate from our home.
The reason I started making homemade shampoo is because I was tired of my hair drying out from the store bought brands. I also like that the cost is so low and it works beautifully. I would be more worried about the exhaust coming from my cars before I worried about the glycerin soap. From my understanding, it is very minute so it is a non-issue to me. But, to each their own. Know what I mean?
