You may have read about my endeavor to go shampooless back in February. Feel free to stop by that post if you're new to the idea of giving up shampoo. Besides a couple of rough spots and adjustments, I'm pretty pleased with how this has gone. Generally, my hair is less frizzy and more manageable than it used to be. Best of all, I don't have to wash it every day! Since middle school, it's gotten greasy by the next morning, and I couldn't stand how it felt to not wash it every day. Believe it or not, that greasiness is actually caused by regular shampoo use.
Replacing shampoo with baking soda and apple cider vinegar has helped immensely. For me, the first couple shampoo-free months were actually the easiest. I just used a dab of baking soda dissolved in water when I lived in Madison, and my hair felt clean and great.
Unfortunately, traveling to the Chicago suburbs for job interviews became problematic. I found that the water here requires a far higher baking soda to water ratio to keep my hair clean. Emergency hotel shampoo bottles had to save the (greasy) day pre-interview! Now that I live here, I have to use a thick paste of baking soda to keep my hair clean. I still use the same apple cider vinegar rinse I used before. For whatever reason, I definitely have a harder time keeping my hair clean here than I did in Madison.
That said, I clean my hair with baking soda every other day. On the occasions when I do use shampoo, as long as I do so seldomly, I can go three or four days before it starts to feel oily- which is a vast improvement over the daily washings I used to rely on. I've heard some people say that they can cut it back to weekly or even stop the baking soda process completely. Can anybody weigh in on how well that works?
Eight months in, here are my tips:
- Research what others are doing, but don't be discouraged if their ratios and routines don't work for you. Everyone's hair and everyone's water are different!
- It's ok to use shampoo now and then, especially when traveling. Some people use baking soda just once a week or month to give their hair a break from shampoo, and still see great results.
What are your tips for me?
This is great. I've cut down to just using organic shampoo without conditioner, but you've inspired me to try no shampoo too. Will give it a go
ReplyDeleteI think the Chicago area has crazy hard water. I've heard that the chemistry of the hard water messes the effectiveness of the baking soda - requiring more, as you've found. It might be worth looking into a water softener for your apartment shower head. They aren't cheap ,especially on a grad student budget, but you might be able to find one for a hundred bucks or so.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I just started going shampoo-free a few days ago.