Your hair.
Is it a hot mess or something you truly like about yourself? Do you spend a fortune on hair care products or do you shop the bargain aisle?
I love my hair, but I also used to shop the bargain aisle for hair products because I didn’t have room in my budget for anything else.
Yet, I didn’t like how my hair felt after using them. I also wondered what was even in the shampoo and conditioners I was using.
I began searching for more natural ways to wash and condition my hair and found a method that I like. Now, I’d like to share this method with you too.
You’ll Need:
- 4 teaspoons of baking soda
- Squirt bottle
- Water
- ACV
1. Make Your Shampoo
When making your shampoo, you’ll need a squirt bottle to help apply it. Place 4 teaspoons of baking soda into the water bottle.
You can add a little less if you make it the first time and feel you could get by with using less. Fill the rest of the bottle with water to dilute the baking soda.
It should be a creamy mixture but be sure you shake the bottle well before applying to make sure the baking soda is mixed.
You should shake the bottle before each use for the same reason.
2. Wash Your Hair
Squirt the mixture on the roots of your hair and try to keep the baking soda mixture at your scalp as best as possible.
When our hair begins to look dirty, it begins at the roots. If you treat it with the baking soda mixture, it’ll absorb the oil and make your hair clean again.
If you apply it to the tips of your hair, it could dry your hair out too much. It isn’t a huge deal if it runs down into the rest of your hair, but don’t purposely apply it there.
Once you’ve applied the baking soda mixture to the roots of your hair, rinse with warm water. Be sure to remove all the baking soda mixture before moving forward.
3. Apply Conditioner
The conditioner was the tricky part for me when I was using over-the-counter products because if you applied too little your hair would be brittle and dry.
Yet, if you applied too much, your hair would appear oily and unkept. This is why I love this option for conditioner.
Apple cider vinegar is great for many things. Conditioning your hair is certainly one of them. I began using this as a conditioner prior to using baking soda to wash my hair.
It goes without saying, I’m a believer in ACV as a natural conditioner. There are 2 ways to apply it to your hair, and it’s all about preference.
The first option is to fill a spray bottle quarter of the way with apple cider vinegar. You can add more if you like. Again, it’s a preference.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water and keep it in your shower. Once you finish washing your hair, spritz your hair with the ACV mixture.
Be sure to spray your entire head and leave it in. If you wash your hair in the shower, leave the conditioner in while you finish washing.
If you wash your hair outside of the shower, let it set in your hair for approximately 2-4 minutes. Rinse fully with warm water.
The way I add conditioner to my hair (since I wash my hair in the shower) is by keeping a bottle of ACV in the shower.
I’m a simple person therefore, I don’t see the point in mixing ACV with water since I’m already in the water.
With this in mind, I pour a small amount of ACV into the palm of my hand and quickly apply it to my scalp.
I repeat this process until I’ve added ACV to every section of my hair (scalp to roots.) I leave it on my hair while I finish showering and rinse before I get out of the shower.
You should notice your hair feels instantly soft and no more worrying about using too much conditioner and your hair appearing greasy.
4. Dealing with the Scent
The biggest thing I hear from my husband (who uses the same shower) is, “Our shower smells like a pickle!”
Well, yes, it does. The smell of apple cider vinegar doesn’t bother me, but I’m sure it’s because of how great it makes me feel.
In my own experience, ACV can clear up acne, make your hair soft, and when taken orally can make your insides feel a lot better!
Therefore, if it does all of this for me, I’ll smell like a pickle any day of the week. Yet, I realize many people wouldn’t like this.
If the scent is an issue for you (though it is mild when used in your hair) you can add essential oils to the bottle of ACV and water. It should help mask the scent.
Though my shower smells strong of vinegar right after I use it, my hair rarely carries the slightest hint of it.
Like many things in this process, this will be about preference for you whether you add essential oils to your conditioner or not.
5. A Few Tips
One of the biggest reasons I began using this method to wash my hair was the way my hair felt. I had a build-up on my scalp because of hair care products, and I couldn’t get it to go away.
This method has worked for me, and I hope it will work for you too.
However, I should mention, it isn’t good to wash your hair every day with this method. This wasn’t a problem for me because I didn’t wash my hair every day anyway.
If you do, you won’t want to use baking soda because it will dry your hair out too much.
Also, I should mention, I don’t color my hair nor add perms to it. I’m a redhead with naturally curly hair. Therefore, I’m timid about coloring it because it can get tricky doing a whole lot to your hair when you’re naturally a redhead.
Use this method with extreme caution if you color your hair in any way or add a perm to your hair since I don’t have experience there.
If you can remember these few tips, hopefully, you’ll have great success using natural products to help clean and keep your hair healthy.
Now you are in the know on how to wash your hair naturally and inexpensively. Since I make my own ACV, I only spend pennies a month to wash and condition my hair, and I’m happy with the outcome.
I hope your hair will turn out soft and healthy in appearance using this method. While I also hope your wallet grows a little heavier from the savings.
