Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Chemical-Free Shampoo

When I decided to start researching home made cleaning products, I stumbled upon Julie's blog at Towards Sustainability. I wanted to start with something simple, and this post about homemade shampoo gave me all the inspiration I needed. I simply put a heaped teaspoon of bicarb soda into a cup of water and tipped it over my head during my shower (it was at this point that I wished I had used warm water instead of icy cold tap water!). I rubbed it in, rinsed it out, and followed up with a splash of cider vinegar and a final rinse.

At first the process felt very strange...the bicarb mixture is not as viscous as regular shampoo and does not lather, so I wasn't sure whether I managed to wash all or only part of my hair. It certainly didn't feel 'squeaky' clean. When I'd added the vinegar to the mix, I felt like a chip smothered in salt and vinegar flavouring. Odd, but strangely comforting to know that everything is perfectly edible.

When I got out of the shower, I was still a bit concerned as the vinegar smell was still quite strong. Although I am a fan of salt and vinegar chips, smelling like one was not one of my life goals. To my surprise, by the time my hair dried (which fortunately doesn't take long - probably the only benefit of having superfine hair), the vinegar smell was completely gone. Even more surprising was how clean and soft my hair was! I definitely felt that it was a better result than I get with my regular chemical filled shampoo. Even my husband commented on how soft and shiny it was (he also confirmed that there was no lingering vinegar smell)...he couldn't wait to try it himself!

I have now been using the bicarb shampoo and vinegar conditioner for a almost a year. It is still working really well. I love the fact that I have eliminated one source of chemicals so easily, and I think my scalp loves that I am not constantly stripping it of all it's natural oils. My hip pocket is loving it too!

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