Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Going Without Shampoo: The Great Experiment Begins

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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!

Helpful for Many Reasons: Batiste Dry Shampoo (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I’m excited to be highlighting a product today that you might not yet realize you need, but keep reading, and you will! It’s called Batiste Dry Shampoo, and it comes in two scents: original and blush (which smells a bit more floral). It’s the #1 dry shampoo in the U.K. and now it is coming to the U.S.! This product is designed to revitalize greasy, dull and lifeless hair between washes. It is quick and very convenient. It basically works like aerosol hairspray, in terms of how you apply it. Give it a good shake, maintain a sensible distance from your hair, and get to work. I found that for me, just applying it to the crown of my head made the most sense.

In my experience, I don’t think it made my hair look as clean as it does when it is freshly washed, but I also know that it made it look clean enough to go out and about with no worries that I might look “dirty.”

There are several reasons why this product is so useful. First, I can tell you that it DEFINITELY came in handy when we were without hot water for 6 days. I didn’t have to suffer through nearly as many cold showers thanks to having this on hand! So first and foremost, it’s an excellent product to keep in an emergency kit!

Second, we have all been told that you should not wash your hair every day. I’m in the habit of washing mine every other day, although I’d love to be able to stretch it to 3 days. If you are in a similar boat, but just can’t stand how “dirty” your hair looks in between washes, this product will help you get through that tough time until the oils in your scalp recalibrate (not a scientific term, by the way…I just made that up) and your hair doesn’t look as bad in between washes. So for me, I’ve been using this to help me make the move to washing my hair once every 3 days, and it has been working great! The end result is healthier hair!

Third, we all know that as parents, or heck, even just busy adults, there are times when a shower is a luxury that you just can’t afford in your super packed schedule. It’s true! I remember in college actually scheduling my showers in my planner during the last few weeks of school, when I was at my most stressed of the semester, or else I knew that I’d never ever get one! So when those days happen, and you know they do, you can turn to this product so that you don’t have to wear a ball cap all day or just feel moritified and like you are wearing a big sign that says, “I didn’t shower today…or the day before…”

Based on my experience with Batiste Dry Shampoo, I highly recommend this product to find a place in every busy parent’s bathroom. It is a lifesaver in so many ways!It is available for $7.99 through Ulta.com or Drugstore.com!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a can of Batiste Dry Shampoo! Hooray! The contest will run until May 28th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GIVEAWAY ON MY SITE, YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT. YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE VIA THE LINK ON MY SIDEBAR IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY.

Mandatory entry: Tell me why you want to try dry shampoo! Have you ever tried it before? Anything relevant to the topic works for me.

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Follow Batiste Dry Shampoo on Twitter

2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.