It’s time for another update on the great hair experiment. I am still taming down the oils in my scalp that have arisen in response to my transition away from shampoo with sulfates. To facilitate this transition a little more smoothly, I have resorted to the baking soda method. If you want to feel oil slide right off your scalp, do this, though not too often–it can result in the opposite problem and you will then have dry scalp. My hair seems to love a nice gentle aloe rinse, especially if the aloe gets combined with rose water. There are other rinses you can use–I have tried lemon juice and distilled water, and that was also ok. It is also fine to use apple cider vinegar–I have done this in the past and my hair is fine with it; but I have learned since then that vinegar is a migraine trigger, so no more vinegar rinses.
How to do it:
You will need two microwave-save cups: one for your wash and one for your rinse. For the wash, gently heat 1 cup (8 oz) distilled water and add 1 tbsp baking soda. It will fizz. Stir until the baking soda dissolves.
In the other cup, combine ingredients for your rinse (one of the following rinses)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice and 2/3 cup distilled water
- 1/4 cup rose water and 1/2 cup aloe (If you don’t have rosewater, you can use aloe alone)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar and 2/3 cup distilled water
You can use this cold or lightly warm.
In the shower, getting these over your head can be the most interesting part–I started making plans about inventing a robotic arm that would do this for me. The best method was a drizzle–not the easiest thing in the world, but it allows the mixture to get across the scalp a bit at a time and leaves some left to apply to areas that did not get covered in the first drizzle.
After applying the baking soda wash, massage your head, and then let the shower water rinse. Then apply the rinse and annoy your household by singing in the shower and pondering how good it feels for a few minutes before dunking your head again.
I started my hair research at this no-poo alternatives page, and there are more ideas here that I have not introduced on my own page. People will do some rather interesting things to their hair in the attempt to get away from shampoo. I haven’t quite gotten brave enough to put egg yolks or yogurt on my hair yet. If you want to know more than what I’m telling about the other people’s hair journeys, there is a place to start.
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