Experiment #5 Addendum

Sometimes my brain is not all there. Most of the time, lately.

Anyway, I completely forgot to explain HOW I use the shampoo and conditioner once it is mixed.

I wet my hair in the shower and then douse it with the baking soda mixture, starting at the crown and working it mostly through my scalp. Then I massage it in and let it sit for several minutes (in my head this is to let the baking soda complete its chemical reaction with all that oil). Then, I just rinse it out. Nick claims he can feel the extra oil washing away.

I use a varying amount of baking soda mixture depending on how sweaty and greasy my hair feels. If it's been a particularly long time (embarrassed grimace), I have used it twice.

Next, I sprinkle on the "conditioner" starting with the ends of my hair and then working up. I tried just putting it on the ends, but found my hair just felt yucky without it all over. I do the same for Nora. Nick doesn't use conditioner every day. I massage it in and let it sit again for a few minutes before rinsing it out.

And that's it.

As a side note, Nick wasn't too keen on the apple cider vinegar (ACV) mixture. He said (and I quote), "I don't want to smell like a pickle." In actuality, the very faint vinegar smell is gone after a few minutes.  He still doesn't like it as a matter of principle.

Experiment #5: Shampoo and Conditioner

The no-'poo family. Look at those luscious locks!

**March 2014 Update!**
As I have noted in a more recent post, I have discontinued use of this particular recipe. After the birth of my third child, it made my scalp and hair WAY too dry, itchy and uncomfortable. I have done some very preliminary research and have come across a plethora of posts (although I have yet to verify the info, it seems to make a lot of sense and fits well with what happened to me) that discuss the damage that rapidly and repeatedly dramatically changing the pH of your hair follicles can do. So I am on the hunt for a "pH balanced" (a.k.a. one that is a similar pH to my scalp) DIY shampoo, because even the commercial shampoos are drying me out (stupid hormones!). That doesn't mean that this won't work for your hair. I know that it works for many. It has just stopped working for me.  I have "heard" that combining aloe and coconut milk works well, so that's first on the docket. I will update in a few months. In the meantime, if anyone has found something that works well, feel free to drop me a message in the box on the right or leave a comment. Thanks!

It has been 47 days since I have used shampoo or conditioner. And yet, my hair looks and feels better. And, most importantly, I have not scared my friends away! (Just wait till the post on deodorant...)

As you may remember from my list post, making my own shampoo was number 35.

My interest in making shampoo started innocently enough. A couple days after I had decided to create this blog, I was taking a shower and noticed we were getting low on shampoo. I hate when that happens because it inevitably means a $50 trip to Target. It’s ridiculous, but I just can’t make it out of Target without spending at least $50. I’m not sure if it’s the welcoming atmosphere of the store, the barrage of items I see en route to the shampoo aisle that I realize we are out of at home (although we’ve somehow survived for months without them), or my total lack of self-control, but it happens without fail.

So I usually avoid Target like I avoid touching fish (ugh).