I began my life without corporate shampoo or conditioner on Earth Day 2017, April 20, 2017. I am very happy and my life has been made easier and less toxic.
The reason I decided to give up shampoo is because I wanted to stop being so wasteful buy buying bottles of the stuff that end up in the local landfill. So I searched for ways to make my own and refil the containers, then came upon this site and what a find!
I have short hair so my “transition period” was really not noticable. I clean my scalp once a week with a baking soda and water mix that’s approx. 4 tsp baking soda to 400 ml of water. I call this my hairwash. I use a condiment despenser (a mustard squeeze bottle) to apply the hairwash on my scalp as I massage it. Then I leave this mixture on my head for a few minutes while I wash my body. After rinsing out the hairwash, I spray on the natural conditioner from a spray bottle. The natural conditioner is 50% water and 50% apple cider vinegar. I keep the natural conditioner on for about one minute before rinsing out, and that’s it!
I use less water because less water is required to rinse out these natural ingredients from my hair. I use less time because it used to take a lot of time to get the toxic corporate sludge that is commonly referred to as “shampoo” and “conditioner” out of my hair. My skin feels better, all over my body because the corporate toxic shampoo isn’t clogging my pores anymore. My hair feels, smells and looks better as reported by my husband and friends. I don’t feel the need to shower as often as I did before because my pores are not clogged with corporate toxic who knows what. My life is easier now.
I wash my hair with the hairwash (baking soda/water mix) about once a week. When I shower between hairwashes, sometimes I just wet my hair with water, comb and style and sometimes I use my natural conditioner (apple cider vinegar and water in spray bottle). I live in a very hot and humid location and this no poo method has really been great for me. I am recommending this to my family and friends and thinking of going on local radio to talk about it, en Español.
I used to wash my hair with toxic corporate shampoo and conditioner every day, and if I skipped the conditoner I wouldn’t be able to get a comb through it. I remember when I was younger and my hair was longer how frustrating it was just to comb my wet hair, and it took nearly one hour. Well let me tell you, apple cider vinegar and water work like nothing I’ve ever experienced and I will NEVER have this problem again. When you try this method for the first time your wet hair in the shower will feel “squeaky clean” and have a very different feel to it, but don’t worry your comb will go right through your locks beautifully. I actually look forward to getting a comb through my hair after showers! Even on those days that i only wash my hair with water!
On soap: I looked at every single ingredients list on every brand of bar soap that the stores in my town have. I found one brand that had only the few ingredients required to actually make soap, and not a long list of chemicals. It ended up being the most economically priced brand here in Mexico, called Lirio Natural, AND my whole family loves it. I’m now making my own moisturizers too, thanks for this wonderful website!
