Back in July I attempted to go 'poo free. After 2 1/2 weeks I couldn't handle it anymore (for many reasons) and stopped the experiment.
After I shared that blog post, a friend of mine pointed out that I didn't give the baking soda shampoo a fair chance because I used regular conditioner instead of apple cider vinegar.
He said:
"you may need to use the vinegar to help remove the baking soda from your hair. The reaction that occurs between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) is a decomposition reaction which results in carbon dioxide and water as well as a diluted solution of a salt known as sodium acetate. If you are willing to try this again I highly recommend the use of vinegar to help clear the baking soda from your hair"
My response:
"The last time I used vinegar on a regular basis it made my hair fall out. So I'm not willing to try it again. But I do agree with you, I'm sure using the vinegar would make a big difference."
Apparently my friend used some sort of Jedi Mind Trick on me because he eventually convinced me to try it again, with the understating that if my hair fell out again he would be getting hate mail.
So my plan was to use the same baking soda recipe, then follow it with a apple cider vinegar rinse.
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
You Will Need:
1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
1 Cup water
Directions:
Mix the two ingredients together then pour a little on just the ends of your hair, let it rest for a few seconds, then rinse it out.
I was hopeful that since I was just pouring the apple cider vinegar on the ends of my hair and not scrubbing it into my scalp that my hair would stay in place this time.
The Verdict: First of all MY HAIR DIDN'T FALL OUT!!!!! That is always a good sign. The last time I tried this I had many complaints so I will address them again and give my new opinion for each one:
1) It didn't get all my products out of my hair. This time I didn't use any products and I didn't need them, my hair didn't frizz at all. The problem is I don't know if that's because of the vinegar rinse or because I did this 2 months later and the humidity wasn't as problematic.
2) My roots felt pretty clean, and they never did get extra oily but the rest of my hair felt dirty. It felt like I had grabbed a hand full of sand, rubbed it all over my hair and went on with my day My hair still did have a bit of a dirty feeling to it, but it was very minimal this time. When my hair was wet it was a bit harder to manage and blow drying it was a bit frustrating sometimes since the round brush would get stuck in my hair, but once my hair dried it was fairly soft and easy to do.
3) Because it was basically water, it was not easy trying to massage it into my scalp, especially around the base of my neck. I would try to flip my head over so gravity would help but then the baking soda water would run up my nose or into my eyes. It took time, but eventually I got the hang of it and was able to massage the baking soda into my scalp with no problem, and even though it was basically water, I could tell where I had massed the mixture into my scalp and where I had missed. The vinegar was really easy to use. I just poured some right onto the ends of my hair, massaged it in then rinsed it out and my hair NEVER smelled like vinegar after.
4) Even with using regular conditioner my hair started to dry out and break very easily, especially when blow drying it. My hair did dry out, but not nearly as bad as last time. It could also be that my hair was 'normal' and I'm just to use to overly moisturized hair.
5) I got some awesome static cling. My hair never got static cling, again this could be due to the change in the weather, but it was nice to not have hair stuck to my face all day.
Overall Verdict: The apple cider vinegar definitely made a difference. Personally I don't plan on using it anymore, but that's because of the length and thickness of my hair, I want the extra softness and moisture that comes from regular shampoo and conditioner. If I had a shorter hair cut that was easier to manage I would definitely switch and go 'poo free.
So thank you Obi Wan Kenobi for using your mind tricks and getting me to try this one again. You no longer have to worry about an angry skunk showing up in your mailbox