Baby Boy found this link for me several months ago. We've talked about being more natural and how I was looking into finding an alternative for shampoo, especially since I have naturally curly hair and regular shampoos and conditioners really weighed my hair down. I also didn't want to pay $15-30 or more for a bottle of specialized shampoo.
I thought it was an interesting idea and I'm usually up for some sort of weird or strange experiment, usually within reason. Baby Boy joked that he'd be interested to see what happened, even more so because he didn't think it would do too much for him (since he shaves his head and has very little hair).
The basic premise is to wash your hair with one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with one cup of water, rinse out, then condition with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with one cup of water and rinse again. I wash with warm water and rinse with cooler water.
Luckily I read through the instructions and comments so I knew what to expect. I planned on beginning this during Christmas break since I didn't have to go to work and I knew that I probably wouldn't be going many places because of the snow and I was glad I did. Some of the comments discussed how your hair will probably go through a detox (getting off of the shampoo and conditioner) and seem greasy. For the first couple of days my hair was fine but for the few days after that it was icky. I kept it braided during that time and after the first week I was amazed at how my hair looked and felt.
I was fearful that I would smell like the apple cider vinegar, but Ididn't (and still don't). My hair looks thicker and fuller and I can go several days without washing my hair, I will wet it when I shower but I don't have to fully wash it every time. And heck, who can beat the price of a box of baking soda and a bottle of vinegar...
Happy Thursday!!
Melissa, this is too funny, but my mother rinsed my hair with a mixture of vinegar and water my whole childhood. She said that vinegar was the frugal rinse for black hair (like hers and mine) and lemon juice and water for blonds. It did keep the frizzies down. If you get tired of this, Garnier Nutrisse has some wonderful products specially formulated for curly hair and they sell them at the dollar store for about $3 each. My hair retains its shape for 2 -3 days without rewetting.
Posted by: Trish G. | January 22, 2009 at 02:39 PM
This is something I remember my older sisters doing when I was a kid in the 60s and they were teens. My mom always told us to rinse our hair in vinegar, but I hated the smell. It does take all the deposits out, and if you have hard water, it makes a big difference. Maybe the apple cider vinegar is better for the smell?
Posted by: karla nathan | January 27, 2009 at 09:31 AM