Ways to Wash your Hair with Baking Soda

Baking soda & vinegar are both amazing and easy to use for your hair to replace a shampoo. There are people who vowed not to use chemically formulated products to keep their body healthy and beautiful, so most of them seek for better ways to replace shampoos with natural mixtures. The combination of baking soda & vinegar are the perfect combination to clean the hair and it has been tested by people even during the early times. You might be asking what is about baking soda & vinegar that makes them so effective. Shampoos are filled with harmful chemicals & to make the routine simpler, it is about time you use this time tested manner of cleaning the hair.

What is about shampoo that makes it bad for the hair? Commercially formulated shampoos have harmful contents. Though, you are not well informed about some of the harmful ingredients that can be found in shampoos, there are researchers who were able to prove that their idea about shampoos is true. Shampoos contain sodium lauryl used as a foaming agent in shampoo and it might be harmful, because it is carcinogenic. DEA is an emulsifying agent that can make carcinogenic compounds when mixed with other chemicals in hygienic products. Parabens are used as preservatives to extend the shelf life, but a lot of these chemicals were linked to breast cancer. If you want to wash your hair with baking soda, you have to read on to learn the methods involved.

Homemade baking soda shampoo

Step 1:  baking soda

It’s is truly hard to go on in life without shampooing your hair and without foaming effect, but making your own shampoo formula using baking soda is really worth your time.  What you need to do is to mix the baking soda with 3 to 4 cups of water. Those who wish to make a big container may start with this, it can also save you time. The water will be the activator of the baking soda and you can divide the mixture in different travel sized bottles that you can carry anywhere you go. For those with shoulder length hair, you can use 2tbsp of baking soda with ½c of water. You can add or lessen this water content depending on the length of your hair.

To use it:

Mix the baking soda & water to your dry or even to your wet hair by pouring some of the content to the roots of the hair and all over the scalp. Rub your scalp for a few minutes and then give yourself a mini or a gentle head massage. It will make you feel good and relaxed, while cleaning your scalp at the same time. Some are not used for washing the ends of the hair with this mixture, for the rest of their hair does not get too oily. You can scatter the mixture all over your hair if your hair is oily. Leave it for a few minutes and then rinse with water.

Step 2: vinegar

After you wash your hair with baking soda, you can do the vinegar rinse.  Some have discovered that white vinegar doesn’t leave a powerful smell when compared to apple cider vinegar, though apple cider vinegar is highly recommended in this mixture. But some prefer the white vinegar for their hair. It’s up to you to pick the vinegar of your choice, but you can always try using the white or the apple cider first before you decide which you prefer to use.

All you need to do is to mix a cup of white or apple cider vinegar to 4 cups of water. To lessen the smell of the vinegar, you can add essential oils to the mixture.  You can add rose & mint oil, vanilla & lavender oil, orange & rosemary oil, sandalwood & lavender oil and other types that you wish to use. You can make a big batch of this to lessen the time that you need to do this every day or every other day. You can also keep some bottles for your travel needs.

To use it:

Slant your head backwards and close your eyes. This mixture must not get through your eyes. Distribute the mixture all throughout your hair. Rinse with cold water after a few minutes.

Rinsing the hair with cold water after using the vinegar mixture is because it helps the hair in becoming soft, smooth & shiny as well. For those with straight and limp hair, you will see the big difference and the frizz will be gone in no time too. This method is beneficial for women with long hair. Though, at first the vinegar will be smelly on your hair, it will be gone in no time. All you need to do is to add a few drops of the essential oil on your hair and then comb it as you blow dry the hair. It will work perfectly for you too.

Additional information when you start to wash your hair with baking soda

1. The hair is quite oily, is this usual?

A lot of people may experience oily hair after days of washing their hair with baking soda. People will go through what they call, the adjustment period and this may last for a few weeks only. The hair will become oilier than usual during this period. Shampoos strip off the natural oils of the scalp and so the skin needs to make more to cover the loss. When you stop using a regular shampoo and other chemically formulated products, the body will adjust to this and will still produce more oil than the body needs. When you use a regular shampoo, you only need to do this 3x weekly and if you are not doing this, then you will experience too oily scalp when you start to wash your hair with baking soda. To ease the oiliness, you just need to extend the time in between washes or you can also try the dry shampoo in between washing with baking soda.

1. How often can to wash your hair with baking soda?  Will there comes a time when I no longer need to wash my hair?

When you try to wash your hair with baking soda, you can tell if it works for you. This method can be used as often 3 times a week. At times when you do not use this method, you can tie your hair. To wash your hair with baking soda is a preparation for not having to wash your hair again, but this might not be possible, because the scalp will continue to produce oil. But some people can balance the use of this method by washing their hair every 3 days.

2. After washing hair with baking soda, the hair becomes drier.

Some people have had problems with dryness of the hair, especially with the ends of the hair. The ends of the hair must not be oily, so when you use the baking soda mixture, be sure you focus on your scalp only.

3. Is baking soda mixture safe for colored hair?

Yes, it is safe for color treated hair. Some have tried it with their henna treated hair and with home dye kit and most of them never had complaints or any issues about this mixture. Some readers were able to experience even greater results that made them conclude that you can wash your hair with baking soda, after color treating your hair to make it livelier and smoother.

Preparation is the key

When you have decided to wash your hair with baking soda you need to fully understand that the after effect is not the same as a regular shampoo. It can make you feel like you are just pouring water on your hair, because there is no lather and there is no foamy effect too. More so, you still need to rub your scalp well for a few minutes and let it stay there for a while before you rinse it.

The apple cider vinegar on the other hand doesn’t feel like a real conditioner. It feels like you are pouring water on your head. It is not as thick as the regular conditioners and not as creamy too.

After washing your hair with baking soda and rinsing it with apple cider vinegar, you will not feel that your hair has been washed with shampoo and with conditioner. But wait! You need to let it dry first before you judge it. Your hair will feel clean, smooth and shiny too after it dries. A lot of people have decided to try washing their hair with baking soda and the condition it afterwards, because they do not have an idea about the result. Moreover, after some time, some went back to using regular shampoo and conditioner once again and then they try the no poo movement after sometime.

Organic shampoos are very expensive, so to enjoy the same effect that the organic shampoos can bring, people have invented baking soda as shampoo mixture and the apple cider vinegar to replace a regular conditioner. Washing the hair with baking soda and using apple cider vinegar to replace a conditioner is also one way for those who would like to try the no poo movement to practice and dramatically change their habits towards their hair. If you are an active individual, there is a higher chance for you to shampoo your hair daily, due to severe sweating and dirt you gather while in the gym.

You will go through the break-in period, regardless if you intend to be a part of the no poo movement or you just want to replace your regular shampoo with the baking soda mixture. There will always be a breaking in period and that might last for a few days or even for weeks while the scalp is still adjusting. Some people may say that the no poo practice is not the right one for them, but after a while their body got used to it and they became more confident using this natural method of cleaning the hair, which is more beneficial for them than using the chemically formulated shampoos and conditioners.