I highlighted my hair this weekend, just an easy pick-me-up while I get the rest of me back into shape. Something that I noticed is that I have a TON of new growth, I mean scads of new hair about 3-4 inches long. Yes, most of it is white, but that's okay! I'd rather have thick white hair than thin white hair any day of the week.
I attribute this new growth to quitting shampoo and switching to baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Assuming the growth rate of 1/2 inch a month, all this new hair began growing around October, which is when I stopped using shampoo. It might be a coincidence. Maybe. But the only major change I made at that point in time is beginning a more natural approach to hair care. When you consider some of the chemicals that are used in producing shampoo, it's not surprising that I had split ends and frizzy, lusterless hair. Check out the link below for some (ahem) hair-raising information on the most commonly used chemicals in shampoo today.
http://www.discoverhealthandwealth.com/toxic-ingredients.html
You might think the whole concept is goofy, but consider this...shampoo is a very new product, having been used for less than 90-100 years. And what did they use before shampoo? Natural, homemade concoctions such as vinegar, baking soda, salt, lemon juice, essential oils and simple homemade soaps. Folks got along just fine for thousands upon thousands of years without a bottle of Pantene.
Personally, what I've noticed since I went No-Poo is that my hair is no longer tangled when I get out of the shower. It's shinier and has a lot more body than before. And my favorite thing is that my hair doesn't stink of some weird fake fragrance...no fake apple smell. No fake lavender or lilac. It's just fresh and clean. The one or two times I've had to break down and use shampoo (in a pinch) the odor was just overwhelming. Once you get used to simple, fresh scents, shampoos just plain stink.
Why am I telling you this? I don't know. The subject came up over the weekend and I didn't have a chance to explain to my Aunt Teri why I do what I do. So Aunt Teri, if you're reading this, now you know. There is a method to my madness....and I have shiny hair to prove it.
4 comments:
Exposure to sun and free radicals may cause hair and skin damage. It is best to use a product that is 100% organic for it can penetrate to the follicle to balance, correct and restore your hair and skin's youth and vitality.
I'd like to recommend "Appreciation" Pre-Shampoo Treatment, it contains pure jojoba oil that comes from a bean grown in Mexico.
Hi Andrea! I just switched to the homemade laundry detergent that Kathy Harrison was talking about, and want to switch to homemade shampoo next. I just can't go that natural with the baking soda and vinegar, although it seems really simple and sounds like it works great for you. I found a recipe that uses castille soap, glycerine, olive oil, and water. Maybe the kids won't notice the change if I just refill their fun bottles! What do your kids use?
Hi Heather! I too used to use the homemade laundry detergent, but somehow fell away from it. Time to start anew.
As far as the kids, I use either baking soda or oatmeal-goatmilk soap that I buy from a friend a few farms over. I've never heard of a recipe for shampoo quite like the one you mentioned, but it seems like it would work just as well. I'm not sure what the olive oil would do, but the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic.
I also use basic household items for deep conditioning and nothing I've used from a bottle works as well. Last weekend, I made a ripe banana/egg yolk/lemon juice schmear and left it on for an hour under a towel and WOW was my hair soft! It took a lot of rinsing to get the banana out, but it sure smelled nice!
The oatmeal-goatmilk shampoo sounds wonderful, as well as the conditioner!
I finally collected all the ingredients for the homemade shampoo. Here's the recipe I'm going to try:
1/4 c. grated castille soap
1/4 c. water
1 t. olive oil
1 T. glycerine
You heat and mix the ingredients similar to the laundry soap recipe. The olive oil is so little, I guess it's just there for a hair shine thing? I'll let you know how it works out.
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