How to “No-Poo” Shampoo Alternative: Don’t use Shampoo Again!
I have to let you all in on a little secret: I haven’t used shampoo since umm before Labor Day. And no, my hair is not disgusting. Well, not from lack of shampooing anyway. 
Why the crunchy granola craziness? I want to eliminate all unnecessary chemicals in our life, and save money at the same time. I decided I would look for an all natural alternative to conventional shampoo; something that I could make myself and save a little money as well. I found just that, and haven’t looked back since.
When we were in Colorado on vacation, I threw out the shampoo after we bought a “Squeaky Green” shampoo bar from Lush. I knew that I wanted to start out slowly as I heard there was a “detox period” that your hair goes through when you are weaning it off normal shampoo. After using the shampoo bar for a week, I was hooked. It made my hair feel so soft, luscious, and weightless! I felt like I had done something really great for my hair. I was happy I decided to ditch the shampoo.
About a week after we got home, my hair felt very weighted down, oily, and gross. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was definitely not what I had experienced using the shampoo bar at first. Luckily, I decided to keep on trying it and after a few days of that my hair was back to normal. I then decided that I would try to use baking soda as a shampoo and vinegar as a rinse. I was very hesitant the first time I used it. It didn’t lather up like I was used to, and I was so scared that my hair wasn’t coming clean. I kept with it, used my vinegar rinse, and that was it. I let my hair dry and waited for the results.
My hair felt amazing! It felt like it was back to its natural state, so light and fluffy and wonderful. I am so glad I switched.
Here’s my normal routine:
- I dissolve about 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of warm water. I make sure that I take my fingertips and rub my scalp to loosen up oils and such.
- Then I take the baking soda mixture and pour some on the left side of my head. As I work that in with my fingertips, I pour some on the right side, and then down the back. I make sure I massage it in well to remove all the sebum and oils that I don’t want left. If I feel like I need more baking soda, I add it to my soaking wet hair.
- I use about 1 T of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to 1 cup of water. I then pour this all over my head to neutralize the basic baking soda and condition my hair. Don’t worry, you won’t smell it after it dries!
This is it. That’s all I do to clean my hair. It feels the best it’s ever felt, and I feel great not using nasty chemicals on my body. I am also saving a ton of money and the environment by not purchasing shampoo! I feel good all the way around.
I think you should give it a try. Think of all the money you will save! You may need to ease into it like I did with an all natural shampoo bar. You can also go gung-ho and just start using baking soda! It’s up to you. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help!
Do you think you could ever go shampoo free?
Although I haven’t taken a step away from shampoo I am using an all natural one from http://www.emu-oil-well.com (in fact I use loads of their products) It’s so much lighter than other shampoos and doesn’t really lather. I’ve found that my hair is almost dead straight when I use it (I’ve got odd curly/wavy hair) which would be good if I wanted straight hair. Often I don’t so I have to use moose which undoes all the natural work.
xx
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Mrs Money Reply:
September 10th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Wow! That is really cool! Thanks for sharing that with me. What a neat product.
I am glad that you are supporting a company like that.
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Whoo!! I haven’t used shampoo since July 30, 2007 – over two years! I just found this article doing a search on blogher for a certain blogger who was due to have her baby any day (Jen somebody). Pretty neat that you are also a no-poo-er! :-)
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There are many interesting I like this. Need to go now and add in RSS
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Thank you. It was very usfull and important information
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Huh! I will have to give it a try!
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Blog liked, a good theme and correctly selected content
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I don’t know if I can ever become shampoo free… When it comes to my hair I’m very scared to try really anything! I’m glad that you were able to become shampoo free even after those first couple bad days when your hair was trying to get used to the all natural shampoo bar. I will think about giving it a try.
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I tried this tonight. My hair feels pretty clean. I am falling asleep on a wet head so I’ll see what it looks like in the morning and let you know!
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Mrs Money Reply:
October 15th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Great! I hope it worked out for you!
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I never knew you could use baking soda for shampoo and vinegar for conditioner. Does this work on all hair types? I have thick frizzy curly hair and wonder if it’ll work just as good on my hair.
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Mrs Money Reply:
November 8th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I have heard of it working for all hair types. If it doesn’t, you may want to check out curly hair no poo, where they use just conditioner only. If you search “conditioner only” that should bring up some info.
Good luck!
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I just shampooed my hair yesterday after 11 months of no poo. I did a combination of conditioner only, baking soda/vinegar rinse, and conditioner mixed with sugar as a mild abrasive to get the dead skin cells off. I had a few weeks of greasy hair, then it was normal. But the last two months, I’ve had a thick greasy feel to my hair that I couldn’t remove. My husband told me it was starting to stink. So I used Aubrey Organics shampoo. My hair is now dry. But it doesn’t stink. I wanted the no poo thing to work for me.
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Hi LaurenS, I just wanted to tell you that I have experienced this, too. What works for me is to up the amount of baking soda! I have long hair (nearly down to my waistband) and I use 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons with 12 ounces of water. Sometimes that isn’t enough, so I dump more baking soda, maybe 3 tablespoons. It almost feels like my hair is getting sudsy. If you want to try again, use more baking soda. I think that will help!
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Hello there,
let me first apologize for my bad english, it’s not my native language and I’m bit out of practice.
I use a vinegar rinse at least twice a week – Since I’ve got a little greasy hair I don’t use normal Vineger but one a litte pimped with herbs for my needs.
It’s not hard to make. Use about 500 ml apple vinegar (any kind of vinegar with 5% acidity or under it ist just as fine for the purpose.)
Put it in a big bottle and mix it with – lavender, rosemary, yarrow and crushed elderberry about (2 heaped tablespoons of each should do.)
Now you have to wait about 2 weeks and let it mature – shake the bottle from time to time.
After two weeks filter the brew and put the herbal vinegar in a nice clean bottle.
Now you can use it as an rinse. (1 Tablespoos to 1 cup)
I hope I got the discription right.
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Since May of last year I have been going through shampoo’s and conditioners like crazy. I used one last May which made me itch like mad and havn’t been able to find one that doesn’t now, with the exception of head and shoulders which I’m assuming the only reason I don’t itch with it, is the meds in it block the receptors to my brain somehow there for making me think all is well. My hair has turned somewhat oily with this issue to, used to be very dry, could go for days without washing it, now I require it at least every other day or its horrible. So as I sit her wanting to try something new, desprite to stop itching and not have to have a med to do this…..I think no poo might work, willing to try just about anything. SO here’s the question after writing a book, should be baking soda wash be a paste or more along the lines of just cloudy liquid? And as for the vinigar rinse….how long should it stay on my hair. I devolped dandruff too after my adventure, never had it for 25 years….got it now, any suggestions for it if the baking soda and vinigar rinse won’t fix it. Thanks All and sorry for the book.
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Mrs Money Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Christie- It should be along the lines of a cloudy liquid. Make sure you scrub your scalp with your fingertips too. That will help. I would do the vinegar rinse and leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse. I’ve heard that tea tree oil is great for dandruff! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
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Christie Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
OK, so now that I have been using the “no poo” method of life…I don’t itch and havn’t since last Monday….yippy aww the small things in life!! I’m now wondering about a natural detanglier because my hair tangles so easy!
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 7:38 am
GREAT! That is awesome. You can use a little bit of coconut oil if you want. That should help with the tangles!
oh, thanks for all the tips, this is next on my list to use, I’m using homemade laundry detergent, next is dishwasher detergent, i use vinegar rinse, i was wondering if there was a better shampoo
also on my list is homemade toothpaste, if u save money on all this stuff, (and cleaning stuff) u can buy the really good food 
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Mrs Money Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Sarah- That’s awesome! Please let me know if you have any questions!
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Is there an alternative to facial mostiruzers??? I have acne prone skin though!!!!
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Mrs Money Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Isa- I am so happy to hear it is working so well for you!
http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/oil-cleansing-method
Try this to wash your face! Add in a few drops of tea tree oil though, and use more castor oil than olive oil.
xoxo,
Mrs. Money
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I have a question before I start the No-Poo method. I have unfiltered spring water piped into my house (the previous owners set it up this way, don’t ask me why). Consequently, there are LOADS of minerals in the water, so much so that I have to use a charcoal filter showerhead, but minerals are still deposited in my hair. I have been using a swimmers’ mineral-stripping shampoo and a weekly Calcium Ascorbate treatment to keep the problem under control. Will this method work for me?
Thanks,
Anna
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Anna- I would give it a shot. Maybe use more baking soda than normal. Try the vinegar rinse afterward- maybe that will help with the mineral problem. Please let me know how it works out for you!
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I want to give this a solid try. Is it possible to create the bakingsoda mixture and save it in an old shampoo bottle, or does it need to be made before every shower? Also, is there a recommended trial period?
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Lani- You can totally mix it before hand and leave it in a bottle in the shower. It is really cold sometimes though, so I think that’s why most people mix theirs in the morning.
Try it for a week or so. Some people experience a “detox period” while doing no poo. 
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Lani Reply:
February 21st, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Still sticking with the plan here. So far so good.
Ok the baking soda thing is unbelievably amazing! I don’t miss shampoo AT ALL! I’ve also found out that my hair results in better condition if I use the vinegar (mixed with cool water – brr!)as a final rinse. Also, using cool water helps to close the cuticles as well as gives me an idea of where the rinse is actually going.
I read in other places to rinse the vinegar totally out. I did this the 2nd time and had stiff dry results (yuck!) So I’m definitely sticking to vinegar as the final rinse.
Hey Mrs Money, you wouldn’t happen to have a secret frugalite recipe for combating hair static, would you?
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 22nd, 2010 at 6:41 am
Lani- YAY! That is great! I am so glad you let me know.
If you get some coconut oil, you can rub a tiny bit into your hands and then put it on the ends of your hair. Be sure to use very little at first because you can always add more. It works sooo great for me! It makes my hair shiny and pretty and smooths it down. I know what you mean about static!
This sounds like a good idea! I’ve tried bar soap (I only use cold-process), but it would be impossible to brush and static-y, and the “detox” was absolutely disgusting! I often use the conditioner-only method, only shampooing once or twice a week. Never tried the baking soda though (and my roots could use a lightening!)
One of my fave concoctions is aloe, witch hazel, and a bit of tea tree oil makes a great skin cleanser/toner/soother/etc. More aloe for a thicker consistency and more witch hazel for a thinner one.
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 13th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Carol- Oh yes, definitely try the baking soda! It works fabulously. Thanks so much for that tip for the skin cleanser! I will have to try that out. It sounds fabulous!
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Thanks for the inspiration! I started the baking soda/vinegar system a few days ago, so I’ll see how that goes. :-)
I must admit, the first time I saw “no-poo”, I thought it was sort of voluntary constipation movement…I was very glad to be wrong. XD
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Katie- I hope it works well for you!
I know- a lot of people are mislead by the name. 
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Katie Reply:
May 5th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Soooo…it’s been a month, with somewhat mixed results. (I’ve heard it can take six weeks to transition, so I’m not giving up.
)
I like the way my hair feels–it’s much softer, and it’s amazing how much easier it is to detangle!
Unfortunately, it looks really greasy. I can’t wear it down, which isn’t really a bother, but I’d still like to sometimes…any tips on reducing greasy-looking-ness?
(I switched to water-only when I ran out of baking soda. It’s a little hard to find in college towns. :-P)
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I haven’t washed my hair with anything but water in a year and a half. No one can tell that I don’t wash my hair unless I tell them. And even then they’re shocked at how soft my hair is. It saves me tons of money and it’s WAY better for the environment. no more bottles, no more packaging, no more shipping, no more chemicals, no more factories…imagine. I’m trying to get other people hooked on only washing their hair with water. It works for myself and my boyfriend!
*note: you can start this at ANY time. Just stop using your shampoo and conditioner. No weaning required. You will go through a few weeks of kind of greasy hair, but you can sprinkle a bit of baby powder onto your hair, rub it in a little and your hair will look less greasy. When you shower, use the same technique as you would if you had stuff in your hair. Just pretend that you have shampoo/conditioner already in your hair. My hair doesn’t smell…not good or bad…it just is. Which is how it should be. As for soap, I buy local handmade soap at farmers’ markets in my city during the summer. I buy enough to last me through the winter. I don’t eat a lot of meat, and as a result I find that when I sweat, I don’t smell. So because I don’t smell, I rarely use/need to use deodorant/anti-perspirant. When I finally need to get some more, I head to lush. Not the best solution, but at least it’s Canadian and made with mostly natural products. I can avoid like 3 or 4 aisles of the grocery store. It’s pretty awesome. I also don’t drink soda, so that knocks off another aisle. It’s not as hard as you think either.
PS: sorry the HUGE response…
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Hi !!
Ok so I’m on day 3 of no ‘poo – and I’m a little down today with the greasies. It’s not really super bad, and it doesn’t look bad, but I can feel it, and that’s bringing me down. I usually wash/condition my hair daily, and I have thick mostly straight hair with some weird waves in places, just past my collar bone. LOL! I’m desperate to use less chemicals, and help the environment, and I think this is just awesome. However, I’m looking for tips/tricks to get through detox…I feel gross, I don’t smell or anything, but I am slightly horrified about how it’ll look/feel/smell next week! I have been using the baking soda wash and rinsing with a vinegar rinse that I mixed with a “tea” I made with fresh rosemary and lavendar. Smells great when dry…but I’m a little greasy. =/
Alternatively, I have given up almost all spray cleaners, and am going to make my first ever batch of laundry and dish detergents this weekend! Tips/tricks there would be great too!
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I want to try this SO bad, but I’m still in high school. I’m afraid of the period of oily, greasy hair because my hair looks pretty gross after about two days without shampoo. It gets stringy and flat out dirty looking.
I also have mild dandruff, wouldn’t all of the vinegar and baking soda dry out my scalp more?
I’m too afraid. Haha.
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Liz Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Hey Lauren –
Im on day 8 now. And I LOVE IT. I’m no expert, but from my experience, I would say start on a weekend and play with the amounts. I have only had 1 or 2 days that were bad, but no one noticed it but me. I say go for it, it’s liberating! Crazy but true. Heres what I use that works for me. Brush before you get in the shower to get the tangles out, Get your hair totally wet with hot water and rub your scalp in a circular method, then mix (i prep the night before) 1 tablespoon baking soda in a small squirt bottle add warm water squeeze directly on roots and then rub in with finger tips concentrating on the top & sides. after a minute or so, rinse really good keep rubbing your scalp, ( I made a “tea” with rosemary and lavender and steeped for a few hours) use about a cup of the “tea” with about a table spoon Apple Cider Vinegar. I use this cold and rinse with cold water, but that took some getting used to. Good luck!!! I’m cuting out chemicals left & right & I just love it!!
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Couple of questions for you no-poo-ers out there. I have thick, straight hair, about chin length, and have been trying to be poo-free since about January with limited success. Here are my questions:
1) What do you do when you go to your stylist? Does she shampoo you? I color my hair (not willing to give that up), and the color process needs to be shampooed out, so I don’t see any alternative to that.
2) I’m always curious about the statement that your hair will feel different — like real hair. What does that mean? After the initial period of adjustment, my hair feels dry, heavy, stiff and tangled. It is hard to get a brush through it. Even when I brush and get all the tangles out. I go to brush again a few minutes later (or run my fingers through it) and it feels dry, heavy and tangled. My stylist also said it feels dry. She shampooed after coloring today and it feels SO much softer and nicer.
3) I also see quite a bit of flaking lately. I’m not sure if it’s actual flaking, dandruff or just residue from the baking soda. Or if it’s because I switched to trying to use actual conditioner, instead of the ACV rinse.
I’ve tried more baking soda, less baking soda, using BWC Conditioner, instead of apple cider vinegar rinse. I’m a little lost on this journey and it’s hard to find answers of how to solve the issues. I’m trying to figure out if I want to keep trying this process or look for an alternative.
I was just looking at the Deva products, wondering if they are appropriate for straight hair, too. I feel like it would be easier to follow a regimen than to keep trying to figure this process out for my hair. However, I don’t like the idea of spending money on another product line. :/
Other than the flakiness that was developing, I felt like my hair still looked ok (just not as shiny), but it felt terrible. :/
Any guidance will be GREATLY appreciated!
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Liz Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Hi Deb –
What amounts are you using? I also have thick straight hair just past my shoulders. I use about a tablespoon baking soda and half cup water only on my roots (watery,not a past). Rinse,Then abt a tablespoon vinegar & half cup of water or herbal rinse if you choose. When you get out comb through and try a pea sized dollop of veggie glycerin w equal part water and rub through the ends & let dry…Ive started that recently and am happy with the results. As for your hair feeling different, mine just doesnt feel as sueaky as when I used shampoo….but it does feel clean soft and smells like the herbal rinse I use. I think playing with your amounts will be key. Good luck!!! I hope I helped…
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Deb Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Hi Liz,
Thanks for your reply! I started out using the 1T baking soda to 1/2 cup water. Then I didn’t feel like my scalp was getting clean, so I would add baking soda, so I could scrub it better. The rinse was about the same. When I did that, I would use more ACV, so it could neutralize the extra baking soda.
I think I’ll go back to just the original amount and see what happens… see if I can get back on track.
Is the herbal rinse the one mentioned in the comments above? Also, I’ll look online, but where do I get vegetable glycerin?
Do you have any comment about what you do when you go to a stylist?
thanks SO much for the great information! Gotta LOVE the internet!
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Liz Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:59 am
Hey Deb –
You are most welcome!! Glad I can help!
I would say Brush before you get in the shower, and then concentrate on your scalp and give it a good massage with your finger tips before you put the bs in, and after as well…I’ll get my hair soaked and massage my scalp before adding the bs. I hope it works!! one thing I had to do in the beginning was tell myself, “it’s clean, no bubbles doesn’t equal not clean” LOL! Also, if you feel your roots are a little greasy in the beginning as you adjust, I dipped my finger tips into some cornstarch- just a little! – and rubbed into my scalp, and that helped! As for the stylist, I would say just ask for no shampoo before your cut, and only after your hair color. If you are only using shampoo after your color, it should be fine. =) or ask for an organic product instead, or even bring your own. LOL! You are the customer, so…they should abide by your wishes. I have not, though, had a color or cut since going no ‘poo. I had already made the choice to grow out my natural color (but my dyed color was close anyway, so it’s not too major) As for the veggie gylcerin you should be able to find it at a natural foods type store, OR you can locate one in your pharmacy that says “food grade” or USP (i think) meaning, it’s safe for consumption. I think mine cost about $2.50 in my area. I was a serial shampooer before trying this, shampooing daily. Now, I only use the baking soda every 2-3 days. It’s very liberating!!! On my “off” days I use just an herbal rinse, or a little ACV if I’m feeling dry. I hope it works out for you! Good luck!
I switched to baking soda and ACV about a month ago and my hair is great. I was worried after reading about people going through a few weeks of greasy, heavy hair. I noticed that too, but only enough that I noticed it a bit if I ran my fingers through my hair. Certainly it wasn’t noticeable to others. In fact, if I hadn’t been warned about it I wonder if I would have even noticed.
I find I certainly don’t need to wash more than every second day, even every third day, compared to every day before I switched. I use the vinegar rinse about every second wash. My hair is way softer. I don’t know if it is shinier or not (my hair is pewter grey so naturally not very shiny), but it is certainly healthier looking.
And it cleared up my dandruff as well.
Today is my first visit to a hairdresser since I quit. I have brought a little b. soda in a container and will ask her to use it… if I don’t chicken out :-)
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Mrs Money Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 8:10 am
Fi- That’s great! I am so glad it’s worked out well for you. How was the hairdresser appointment?
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Susan Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Hi Mrs. Money:
I am looking for a deodorant shampoo, and an antiperspirant if possible.
My scalp sweats very heavily on warm/hot days and I have heard that Botox is the only way to stop hyperhydrosis of the scalp. Painful and $$$.
My hair is past shoulder length and has salon blonde highlights that I do not want to strip. Also $$$.
I’ve read here all about baking soda and ASV but I haven’t read a comment that aims directly at stopping the stale odor of dried perspiration in hair for at least a day or two.
Can I add something to my current shampoo (I know – boo, hiss but it leaves my hair shiny and soft) or are there other additives I can try in addition to those mentioned here with or without using shampoo?
The only deodorant shampoos I find online are for dogs and cats and for hunters who want to remove the human scent so they don’t scare off the animals
I look forward to your input!
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Carol Reply:
August 15th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
I have a similar problem. My head sweats like crazy and then it smells funny. I also don’t like to wash my hair that often, once every three or four days. I read somewhere that adding vodka (an ounce) to your shampoo bottle will make hair crazy shiny. I don’t really know about shiny, but it does seem to have a deodorizing effect.
Have you considered a dry shampoo?
Good luck!
I brought some B soda with me and asked her to wash my hair with it. She thought it odd, but didn’t make a fuss. She did call me “Mrs Nature” later, however :-)
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i’ve just started nixxing shampoo, but at the moment, it’s resulted in the same old greasy-on-top, dry-on-bottom combo i normally get when i forgo washing. i’m about to try the baking soda trick, though! wish me luck! i wonder how long i can go before i give up…
on another note, i find it funny that everyone refers to shampoo and other hair products as “chemicals” as if that’s a bad thing. baking soda is a chemical. so is water. humans are made up of chemicals. “chemical” is used like a bad word, but it’s just not. XD
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I’m allergic to many artificial scents and ingredients and I’ve been suffering from severe acne around my hairline and on my back for about 3yrs now. After I looked up some info on the ingredients in shampoo and conditioner I was more than disgusted enough to look for alternatives and was really excited when I came across this page. I do have a few questions I hope someone can help me with before I dive in. First off my hair is down to my mid back, is kind of a loose curly and dark brown in color (if that is a factor in anything lol)
~If my hair is more on the greasy side should I use more baking soda and/or less ACV? (and the opposite for dry/frizzy hair?)
~Should I use the AVC every time I shower (every day) I had read on another page that it can be too acidic for the hair and should only be used 1-2 times a week?
~Do I apply the baking soda and AVC from root to tip?
~Should I also be using the full 1cup amount of each solution when I shower or should the 1C of baking soda and 1C of ACV last me for more than one shower? (again my hair goes to mid back and is thick) so I guess I’m asking how saturated with each solution should my hair be?
Sorry for the long post but if you have advice you could give me I’d appreciate it!
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