Showing posts with label Natural Remedies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural Remedies. Show all posts

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Great Hair Experiment: Unshampooing Update

You know it's been awhile when you can't remember when you last washed your hair.  I had to go through my posts to remember.  Monday.  That was the last day I washed my hair after reading about Simple Mom's hair cleansing method.  It's now Friday!  I'm shocked I've made it this long.  I've honestly been a wash-the-hair-daily girlie most of my life.  If I skipped a day, it was a baseball cap day.  And, this week I've worked out every day, so not only has my hair had the normal amount of oils, it's had intense Cross-Fit sweat exposure.

I'm not trying to gross you all out, I was just curious as to what would happen if only baking soda, water and organic apple cider vinegar were used on my hair to clean it.  Would it really work?  Could it clean my hair as Simple Mom described?

To keep you all apprised on the results we've been taking daily photos.  We didn't photo Tuesday because it was too soon.  Nothing exiting happens with hair in one day.

Wednesday



My little cheeseball!

CHEESE!


Thursday

I still fixed my hair on Thursday, but no washing.




The scalp test



Friday

No fixing the hair today.  Just a brush out.

Scalp test.  I think it's time to wash it.



The Verdict

I think this baking soda, organic apple cider vinegar thing is Excellent!  It's all natural.  There are no harsh chemicals.  It keeps your hair clean for an extended period of time.  It held up to heavy duty sweating, sun and beach exposure.  I think it's better for my hair too.  Less washing will allow the natural oils to condition the hair.  It will save money over time.  And, I feel good about it!

Now I have to decide whether to wash today, or just throw on the baseball cap.  Decisions, decisions!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Could I Kick The Shampoo Habit?

Feeling clean is one of my favorite things.  I don't camp (unless blessed with a traveling home, which isn't really camping), because camping just doesn't feel clean.  If you're tent-camping, you hope there's a community washroom, or even better shower stalls, but it's not a guarantee.  I know people who love to camp to get-away from it all and that includes showering and washing their hair.  They embrace the bandana, wrap their hair up and experience the back to nature life complete with natural odors.  Nothing about that sounds like fun to me.  I rely heavily on functioning plumbing for modern conveniences, like showering.  Some days I'll shower multiple times, but I've relaxed on washing my hair daily.  It's too dry living by the ocean with the sun.  It needs a break from daily washing.

Today Simple Mom presented readers with an alternative to shampooing. She re-posted her method, or lack thereof, of her hair washing routine.  Apparently she doesn't wash her hair, at least not with store-bought shampoo.  She uses just a baking soda/water mixture followed by a vinegar/water mixture. She has an informative post explaining how to clean hair while avoiding commercial shampoos.  Shampoos have so many chemicals that are questionable, I'd love to find an alternative for our kids (and even an uptight clean-freak momma) that still ensures cleanliness.

After reading the post, I began thinking, if baking soda, vinegar and water can clean and unclog a drain then surely they could cleanse hair sufficiently. 

While the boys were away tonight, my girlie and I made our hair cleanser.  We have two plastic squeeze bottles.  We filled one with 2 tablespoons baking soda and 2 cups of water and the other one we filled with 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water.  My girlie loves beauty shop treatments.  I washed her hair first with the baking soda water, rinsed and then did the vinegar water.  Be prepared, with baking soda and water there's no soap and bubbles.  Trust the baking soda is doing what it's supposed to do.  We blew it dry and it looked great and smelled clean.  I was next.  After washing, I always do the "squeak" test to make sure my hair is clean and it definitely squeaked while running it between my fingers.

So far so good.  We'll see how it looks tomorrow and if we notice a difference.  If this works, Simple Mom adds there will definitely be a difference in the money spent purchasing hair products.  That's a benefit every family could use.