I have had so many people email me about how to do this that I thought maybe I had better just post it here. You can read about our experience with it here. The “recipe” is as follows.
I fill a jar with baking soda and water–making a paste (I store the jar plus a squirt bottle full of vinegar in the shower). I use that to scrub my hair then rinse with water. Afterwards I pour vinegar over my head (upside down so it doesn’t get in my eyes) and rinse again.
I have super thick long hair and it takes about 2 Tbs regular shampoo for me to cover my hair. I have found that the same goes for the baking soda paste: 2 Tbs baking soda/water then a cup or so of vinegar.
I buy a huge bottle of white vinegar at Sam’s club and it lasts me 6 weeks or so. The thing is that you can wash it less often as well which is also better for your hair. With regular shampoo I have to wash every other day or so or it gets greasy–this way I can go as long as 5 days without a hint of grease, not to mention no longer needing styling products for my very frizzy wavy hair. I can now let my hair air dry –I comb it as soon as I get out of the shower and either braid it or pull it back in a low pig tail until it dries.
I know some people who have done this and have had time when their hair got dry or flaky. Someone mentioned using a bit of brown sugar in the mix to keep the flakiness away. I have also, in the past, used an egg mixed with some olive oil every 2 weeks or so which deep conditions your hair (leave it on for 3-5 minutes.) You can also use a fruit smoothie on your hair to condition and clarify (same ingredients you would put in a smoothie–fruit, yogurt, honey–awesome for your hair and also makes a great facial mask. One thing that I do is use mineral oil to keep my skin from drying out (I have it in an old Skin-so-soft bottle) –after I rub this into my skin I run my fingers through my hair which seems to keep my hair from being so static-y and lets it dry less frizzy.
You can find lots of recipes for homemade body care products on the Dollar Stretcher.
Update as of June 3, 2009: We are still using this and have made some changes for the better which you can read about here.
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Interesting ideas. Thanks for sharing them
Thanks also for visiting over at my blog. Nice to “meet” another person from PA.
Jennifer
I”m glad you shared how you do it because I was wondering.
I’m curious – does your hair smell like vinegar when you’re done?
~Q
Cool! I’ve been looking for a poo-free recipe. Love your site!
What about using Baking soda and vinegar as a body wash -We use this to clean our washing machine- I didn’t know if it would be too strong to use on our skin?…… Thanks.
Instead of using white vinegar try apple cider vinegar. Not only does it smell better, it also works just the same as regular white vinegar. People vary the shampoo recipe from paste to a liquid substance-does it matter? which one works better?
love the post though.
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Thanks for the info! You might want to reconsider the mineral oil, though. Mineral oil is a petroleum product, and not really so good for the human body. Jojoba oil or coconut oil or something else plant-based might be a healthier option.
I will have to try this…it would be so cheap! I use baking soda and vinegar for a lot of stuff.
I make a facial scrub from about 1 tb baking soda mixed with about 3 drops of honey. Mix it together to form a thick paste. It is a great defoliant and the honey makes my skin so soft.
Okay, I keep going back to this baking soda as a shampoo thing, but all I end up with is a lot of liquid, never a paste! Like, I must be doing something wrong! Anyway, since it doesn’t work well as a shampoo, I like it as a rinse. However, I don’t see how this would work for the curly, thick haired gals, as this left me dry like straw! And that was even after I applied a conditioner! I have straight and fine hair that’s short/medium length. If I cut my hair short, I would use it often as it did make my hair shiny! My hair was also less greasy. Now, I did use it, with good results so far, as a deodorant. I applied lotion first and then used a large powder brush to apply the baking soda. The next day, with no additional applying, I didn’t smell. And yes, I can sweat like a pig!
Does it work for baby fine hair. I have enough hair – it is the texture that is a pain. I HAVE NO, I REPEAT, NO BODY TO MY HAIR. Will Baking Soda help?
Jennifer
I’ve been using baking soda with water mixed in (a couple of Tbsp of baking soda with about a cup of water, which is not a paste but works well) and a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar (about 2 Tbsp of vinegar with about a cup of water), as a rinse. But, I have curly hair (which is typically dryer, even if you don’t realize it), so I only use the baking soda mixture once a week. It took a couple of weeks for my hair to adjust to no shampoo (at first it was greasy, but not anymore), so don’t give up. The vinegar rinse I use every day or every other day (some days I just use water), and I try to dilute it enough so it doesn’t leave too much in my hair to smell (it doesn’t smell at all once it’s dried, but if you start to exercise (sweat), the smell comes back if you don’t dilute it enough or rinse it enough in the shower.
I think the baking soda does help give some body to the hair, and texture. I now use pure aloe vera gel (the clear kind) as hair gel, and about once a week I work a small (very, very small) amount of coconut oil through my hair to keep frizz down (too much makes you greasy).
I have been useing baking soda instead of shampoo for a while now. At first I thought I needed the conditioner still b/c I do have thick curly hair, but I decided to go cold turkey completely “poo” free and have had great results. My hair is soft and shiny and no tangles. My children’s hair is easier to comb through too. I love it and would not use “poo” again.
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