organic

what i used:

dr. bronner’s liquid soap, 8 oz from official website for about $8 (any fragrance you like)

pura d’or organic argan oil (optional yet suggested!!)- snagged on grupon for $24…. you could use extra virgin olive oil, too, if you have that!

squeezy bottle from walmart – under $1

water from the sink (bottled/distilled water might be preferred, especially if you have hard water)

(detailed instructions below)

1. fill 4/5 of the squeezy bottle with warm water from the sink (or more if you’re already no-‘poo)

2. fill the remaining 1/5 of the bottle with liquid soap (for those who are ‘poo less, use less! i definitely use less…about 1:8 soap to water mix)

3. (optional yet HIGHLY suggested) add 10-12 pumps of argan oil for added moisture for your skin and extra moisture/shine for your scalp/hair (OR about a teaspoon of olive oil!)

4. gently shake

5. use directly on scalp for shampoo (a small amount goes a looooong way); put on loofa/washcloth for body wash.

*6. if you need/want to, follow up with putting some organic coconut oil or argan oil on your hair, focusing on the ends. it helps frizz and dryness 🙂

(hair’s still damp, but you can see it’s almost down to my belly button now! woohoo!!)

IF YOU HAVE HARD WATER: the minerals in the hard water WILL react to the castile soap and leave a soap scum on your hair/skin. you HAVE to mix castile soap with distilled water. some people have found that their water is really hard and they have to rinse with distilled as well. i have hard water and mixing with distilled/rinsing with shower water worked for me. if your hair looks dull, feels heavy/waxy/gross after using this mix, chances are you have hard water.

how to fix the hard water problem if you’ve already got the nasty hair: double rinse with ACV (1 tablespoon acv mixed with 1 cup distilled water). rinse once, let it sit a few minutes, wash/gently massage out & repeat. that should take care of the soap scum issue 🙂

UPDATE: i had my boyfriend use the citrus mix (i made sure to not emasculate him too much with my rose one haha) and he said it cleaned his hair better than store-bought shampoo. he did use conditioner afterward because his hair was SO squeaky clean that it was dry feeling. he used about a 1:6 ratio of soap to water. for me, the soap/water mixture alone was really drying, even with 1:6 ratio of soap to water. i’ve switched to 1:8 and it feels so much better! and if you choose to add oil like i did, it will add moisture for your scalp and skin.

ENJOY!!

2021 edit: i no longer subscribe to or support the “all-natural” label. more here.

(content from my old blog! i’m now a water-only washer, and haven’t used ANY hair products in a year and a half, so ask me any questions you may have! i have a no-poo troubleshooting post here, too!)

my inner hippie and i have decided to cut out typical shampoo and conditioner. sound gross? well, yea, kinda. this doesn’t mean i’m not washing my hair…it means i’m gonna have to start making my shampoo and conditioner at home. no chemicals? SCORE! way less money spent? DOUBLE SCORE!

so what am i going to be using instead of shampoo and conditioner? why, baking soda and apple cider vinegar, my dears!

the recipes for my homemade haircare:

shampoo:

1 cup water
1 tablespoon baking soda

conditioner:

1 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (with the mother. yes, i said mother.)

what to do:

mix up your “shampoo” and place in container of your choice. it should feel “slippery.” you’ll know what i mean when you feel it!
mix up your “conditioner” and place in container of your choice. it’ll smell while you’re using it, but it will NOT smell once you rinse it out!
use the baking soda mix as you would normal shampoo. i found it’s best to squirt a little on one part of your scalp, rub gently but firmly, and move to the next spot. only use this on your scalp! then, once you’ve rubbed your whole scalp, rinse really, really well!
use the acv rinse from the scalp to the ends of your hair. it’ll rebalance the pH and make your hair feel softer! rinse really, really well!

i have two plastic squirt bottles (not spray ones) that i’m using to hold the mixes.

and of course you can change the mixture, according to your hair. scalp is too dry? you can lessen the baking soda. etc. *remember* to let your hair have a few weeks to adjust to your new homemade haircare before you change the mixture ratios. the dryness and/or oiliness you might experience might be the simple fact that you’re hair isn’t being stripped of its natural oils then coated with waxes anymore! 🙂

couple tips:

– clarify before you switch (clarify ONCE. then wait 3, 4, 5 or more days before your next wash!)
– deep condition often. “often” is based on your hair. if it’s dry, condition it. if it’s not, don’t. 🙂

20130430_144845 (about halfway through my transition. see?! NOT pretty. but worth it!!)

UPDATE:

i love the condition my hair is in. it’s shiny, holds curls better (without product, of course!) and really soft!

(sorry the pictures are dark. it’s after 3am and matt’s asleep so i don’t have too many lights on.)

these pictures were taken 19 hours after i took my flexi-rods out of my hair AND after 6 hours of being tossed around in study-mode….there’s still so much body and bounce! love it! and no, not washing my hair every day isn’t making my hair gross…it’s doing the exact opposite 😀 overall, it’s so low maintenance and combined with the no-heat overnight way i curl my hair, my hair care routine is SO incredibly easy now.

so how long does the mixture last?

the mixture i posted above lasts me about 3 uses. considering a big box of baking soda was a litte over a dollar and the unfiltered ACV was a few dollars…let’s do the math:

– $5 for baking soda and ACV
– $1 for a gallon of distilled water
– 1 tablespoon each of the bs and acv with 2 cups of water— i’m washing my hair for PENNIES a week!!

now that’s what i call wallet cheap and beauty chic! SCORE!

UPDATE 2:

i’ve officially been ‘poo free for about 1 1/2 years! this post is really old and from my old blog, but still has great info!

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ROUTINE? see this post.

NEED SOME NO-‘POO HELP? see this post.

and there’s always the no-‘poo resource page! 🙂

Tag: organic

organic alternative to shampoo & body wash