Washing your hair is probably something you take for granted. Whether you do it every day, a few times a week, or less often, you’ve probably never wondered if you didn’t have to use shampoo and conditioner. However, you may find that not using shampoo can have its own benefits.
Most Caucasian people in our country wash their hair several times a week at least, and often every day. Perhaps this is a holdover from adolescence when our hair had much more oil and needed to be washed each day, but for most adults, washing every day or every other day is probably unnecessary. However, that said, after years of doing so, our hair has probably become accustomed to producing oil to compensate for the frequent washing. It will need some time to readjust.
Hair, however, still benefits from cleaning due to contaminants in our environment or due to lifestyle factors like sweating, smoking, etc. Shampoo, however, is full of unnecessary and pH altering chemicals, not to mention harsh detergents. Additionally, lots of shampoo also costs a fair amount of money, which can add up if you’re washing your hair each day.
Baking soda is a great way to clean your hair, even though it sounds a little odd. Baking soda itself is a great deodorizer and will help rid your hair of smoke odors, etc, and it will loosen the dirt which has accumulated. Simply take a handful of baking soda in a small cup and moisten it with water to make a paste. Rub it into the roots of your hair, scrub lightly and rinse. Your hair will most likely feel a little dry after this treatment, which is because the baking soda has temporarily raised the pH of your hair. To remedy this and to make the cuticle of the hair shaft lie flat, use a vinegar rinse.
Before we go any farther, your hair will NOT smell like vinegar when you use the rinse. I assure you. But if you’re concerned, you can infuse some herbs like rosemary (for oily hair), chamomile (for sensitive hair), etc into the vinegar. Generally, apple cider vinegar is a good choice for most hair types, and red wine vinegar works well particularly for dark hair. Get a pitcher and pour a few tablespoons of vinegar into the empty pitcher. Put it under the shower and dilute the vinegar a bit, then pour it gently over your hair, working it through with your fingers.
Let the vinegar sit for a bit, then rinse it out with warm water. Your hair should feel great at this point! Style as usual and try to reduce your use of any hair cleaner by lengthening the times between hair washing by twelve hours or so each week. Your hair will adapt, it will feel better than ever, and you’ll save time and money!
