Baking Soda Shampoo

For the past few weeks, I have been experimenting... again. It has been with my hair. It has not been a vanity thing of trying to get more beautiful hair. Simply put: I was trying to find an all natural shampoo (that was easy on the budget). The more natural, less chemicals, the better. There are too many parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and other chemicals in hair products (which have been found in breast cancer tissue and urine in adults throughout the U.S.). My system doesn't need any more of these types of chemicals.

The last time I experimented with natural shampoo/conditioner products, I tried natural soap shampoo and apple cider vinegar as a conditioner. I made some mistakes and ended up stopping. The soap was too drying for my type of hair and the apple cider vinegar... well, let's say that I used too much. I forgot to dilute it. Me and my memory again. It just wasn't pretty...smelling.

This time around, I tried baking soda shampoo. Yes, the stuff that you bake with or deodorize your refrigerator with. I had read about a lot of people giving up shampoo and using this instead. Basically, you put 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in a jar with one cup of hot water. You shake it until it is mixed and then you pour it over your hair. Then, you massage it into your scalp and rinse.

For a conditioner, I use apple cider vinegar... again. It is supposed to restore your hair's pH levels. This time around, I put 2 tablespoons in a jar with a cup of hot water. I swirled it, poured it over my hair, waited a minute or two before I rinsed it out. Yes, after a while, the smell dissipates. This "conditioner" actually amazes me because it detangles and makes my hair soft. Please make sure (if you give it a try) not to get it into your eyes. Not pleasant. Just keep your eyes tightly closed.

I do still shampoo my hair with the 365 brand shampoo from Whole Foods. It is paraben and sulfate free and $4.99 for a 32 ounce bottle. I use the baking soda/apple cider vinegar in between. Sometimes, I use the baking soda a few days in between. I am still having a hard time psychologically letting go of store bought shampoo. I have been trained that that is what I need. And to not use it... would be total weirdness. But, it is not. It works minus the cancerous chemicals.

I really encourage people to read up on these issues. I rarely did in the past. I thought that it was "hippie" stuff. Getting sick changes things. You start to read up on things that you never questioned. Why would you when you're not sick? Please don't wait until you are sick. You will regret it. I do.