I’ve been hearing about how awesome it can be to wean your hair off traditional shampoos and conditioners for a few years now.

But I have been really REALLY reluctant to get started. Mostly because I hear that you will probably experience a “transition” period with your hair where it looks kind of gross.

I’m blogging today from that exact spot. The gross place. 🙂

I started using baking soda and vinegar as my shampoo and conditioner on Friday night (and you thought your weekend plans were wild…).

Here are some of my initial thoughts about making the switch:
1. Don’t assume that there is just one recipe for what you will be putting on your hair. I made that assumption, but earlier this morning I started doing a bit more research, and it seems that everybody has a slightly different recipe. I’m feeling pretty sure that I’m not using enough baking soda for my hair, so I’ve increased the amount and we’ll see how it goes moving forward.

2. My hair is already thick, but it definitely has more volume than it ever did with shampoo and conditioner. When left to air dry, let’s just say that I’d fit right in at a pageant in Texas. 🙂

3. Actually doing something with my hair (putting it up, styling it) is much easier, it seems. I sort of feel like I have that one-day-dirty hair all the time.

4. The downside of having hair that is so easy to style is that it does still feel a little dirty to me. I doesn’t smell dirty, but at this point, I will say that shampoo made my hair feel cleaner. Or maybe I’m just not used to what naturally clean hair feels like? And also, remember that I’ve decided I haven’t been using enough baking soda, so I might start seeing different results later this week.

So I’ll be posting another update in a week or so to let you all know how it is going. In case anyone is feeling brave and wants to join in, here’s the recipe I’m currently using as of this morning:

Baking soda “no poo”:
mix 3 parts water to 1 part baking soda. apply as much as you wish to the scalp of your head and scrub gently but firmly. you can also put a little on the rest of your hair, but mainly focus on the scalp. Let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. I just mixed 5 tbsp of baking soda and 15 tbsp of water in a tumbler with a lid (use what you’ve got, right?) and I expect this mixture to last me maybe 4 sessions.

vinegar “conditioner”:
currently I’ve just got a squeeze bottle with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water. Apply this mostly to the ends of your hair. It’s a good idea to turn your head upside-down as you apply this, just to decrease the changes of getting it in your eyes (it does sting a bit!). I only let it sit for about a minute before rinsing it. I don’t think it needs too much time. Be sparing about how much of the vinegar goes on your scalp, as I think it can make your hair feel oily if you put a lot there.

I’m sure that I’ll play with the conditioner recipe a bit in time, but first I want to get the baking soda part figured out.

So yeah, that’s what I’m doing. Are you grossed out? Intrigued? Ever tried it, yourself? I’d love to hear what you think. And of course, if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!