Baking soda as shampoo… apple cider vinegar as conditioner… does that really work? Is it as simple as everyone talks about? The answer is… well, maybe.
I’m all about using ingredients you can find in your pantry to make hair/body care products of my own. So, I checked out this “no poo” method to see if the rumours were true. I’ve been looking to make my own DIY shampoo bars, but haven’t gotten around to making them yet (stay tuned). The fact that this method was so simple really intrigued me!
So after my trial and error phase, the simple answer is yes, it does work… but it may not work for everyone. And, it also may not work long term (based on the experiences I have heard from others).
I’m usually always on a mission to reduce my waste and exposure to harmful chemicals, especially in products that I can make myself (diy for life), so the fact that this method was so simple and actually worked was so exciting for me!
So let’s take a second and talk about what’s in regular shampoos. Conventional shampoos contain a ~ton~ of harmful ingredients (both for you and the environment). Some of the most common you’ll find on a bottle are:
- Sodium Sodium Lauryl
- Laureth Sulfate
- DEA/Diethanolamine
- Parabens
- Fragrance
Honestly what even are those? I’m trying to eliminate products from my life with ingredient lists that are way too long and filled with hard-to-pronounce chemical names. Now fragrance is a sneaky one, because it seems harmless at first glance, but in reality it can mean having 4,000 separate chemical ingredients (what the heck, right?).
Now a little side note: if you aren’t quite ready to jump on the diy shampoo train, there are many brands of natural shampoo that don’t contain harmful ingredients. I used this one from Carina Organics. I’ve also tried zero-waste shampoo bars from Lush. When you read the ingredients, they are very clean and clear (woohoo!) 🙂
So back to the baking-soda-vinegar method. I’ve been washing my hair about 2-3 times a week with this mixture, which is the same as I did with my old shampoo. I’ve been using it for around 1-2 months now and it seems to be working great!
Now I do want to mention that because regular shampoos strip our scalps of all the natural oils it produces, when you make the switch to baking soda/ other alternatives, you may notice your hair a bit oilier than usual – but don’t give up yet (please)! This transition stage will likely only last a week or two until your scalp adjusts.
This method is simple, inexpensive and chemical free ❤ I think if you give it an honest go, you just might love it as much as I do. But that being said, you (or your hair) might not- and that’s okay! There are so many different methods out there to try and everyones hair is different.
Kelsey (one of the authors on this blog), tried this method for a few months last year and stopped because her hair was ~crispy~ (as she described) …yikes. A common criticism of this method is that baking soda can be quite abrasive and cause dryness, damaging your hair in the long run. That’s part of the reason the apple cider vinegar rinse is an important step, it rebalances the pH levels on your scalp, eliminating (or attempting to eliminate) the side effect of dryness that baking soda is known for.
But again, my hair is different from yours, and everyone else’s. So if this recipe doesn’t work for your hair, try out one with some added oils (i.e. a diy shampoo bar – those usually have lots of oils in them).
Anyway, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe this is a right-now method rather than a permanent method for me. I wanted to give it a go, to see what all the “no poo” fuss was about, but I think when I get around to making my shampoo bars, I will use those more permanently (cause y’know, more moisturizing oils and stuff).
But that being said, this method is very easy when you’re in that ~in-between~ stage of finding the right diy shampoo recipe for you. Anyways, lets get to the actual ingredients and directions:
Baking Soda Shampoo:
Mix 1 part baking soda with 3 parts water. Some people do this using a squeeze bottle, but I just mix it in a mini mason jar that I keep in the shower and rinse out after each use. Adjust the amount based on your hair length – you’ll get the hang of it pretty quick.
Then apply the mixture to your scalp and work it to the ends of the hair. After this, leave it for 1-2 minutes and rinse it out! Simple, right? It might take a bit to get used to the fact that the baking soda doesn’t foam like regular shampoo, but you’ll adjust to that too.
You can use that recipe as is, or add some essential oils to the mix. I personally add a base of cedar wood and rosemary (which are both really great for your hair) and then mix in either lavender/rose hip/geranium/ peppermint, whatever I’m feeling that day honestly. That’s the great thing about making your own shampoo, you can change up the smells each time (heck ya)!
Vinegar Rinse (Conditioner):
Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 4 parts water, and pour on your hair. Then, rinse it all out with cold water. That’s it! Simple and effective. I like to pre mix a bottle of this and leave it in the shower.
Some people don’t like the smell of apple cider vinegar, so if you’d like to mask the odour you can add some essential oils to the mix (i.e. cedar wood, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, etc… what ever you have/ your favourites are – same as the shampoo)
That’s it! I hope you feel inclined to give it a go, and feel free to reach out with the results you experienced (good or bad) ❤
Change to Sustain 