Why are you doing all of this? Aren’t you a former Shopaholic?
There’s only one answer.
The real FB is gone and I’m her replacement. Granola Hippy FB.
I kid! I kid.
But to avoid dodging the question, yes. Yes I am a former Shopaholic. But I’ve realized that it applies mostly to technology, shoes and clothes now.
It was at one point in my life, overshopping with makeup with lots of different shampoos and lotions in the past, but it’s not really my thing any more because I hate seeing clutter in the bathroom now.
I also wanted to be more chemical-free this 2009. It was one of my New Year’s Resolutions.
I know, shocking.
I wanted to try and stick to a NY Resolution. WTF?
Anyway, the one last thing to get rid of in the household is my beauty stuff. I am talking about my shampoo and conditioner, because the soap, facial cleanser and moisturizers are DEFINITELY staying.
(I can’t find alternatives for them, other than using the Toner in the morning and at night, but I am not wearing makeup every day, nor going outside every day so all that pollution & gunk doesn’t need to be removed on a daily basis)
What about Lush?
Did you want to hear the real reason or the half-real reason? 😛
Just kidding.
Reason #1
I find them too expensive for the quality. They sure smell great, and look fun, but I wanted to find a more frugal, eco-friendly, chemical-free solution for everything I can in my life.
Reason #2
I am not 100% convinced that Lush products are any better for the environment than regular shampoos and conditioners.
I know they say they are, but companies say a lot of things they don’t mean because they’re not very strictly regulated.
Case in point: Lush Reincarnate Solid Shampoos – $7.95 for 100 grams
Ouch. So small and almost $10?
Plus, they have perfumes in them, and I’m trying to avoid all chemicals as a test to see if it can be done.
Okay okay. So what’s the toxic nasty in shampoos and conditioners this time?
The main thing to avoid is something called “Sodium Laurel Sulfate”, which apparently can cause hormone imbalances and lots of other nasty icky things.
Here’s a SHORT list of the ingredients in a regular chemical shampoo:
Sodium Laureth Sulfate – used in clinical testing as a primary skin irritant. Tests on lab animals indicate material may cause mutagenic effects.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine – potential irritant and potentially contaminated with or breaking down into chemicals linked to cancer,
Ammonium Chloride – Harmful if swallowed. May be harmful by inhalation. Skin, eye and respiratory irritant
Source: See the entire list of ingredients here.
Wow. SLS is pretty nasty, but it usually ends up in a lot of cleansing products like soaps and shampoos, so trying to get things that are SLS is a good idea.
Anyway, my direct for 2009 was to get rid of as many chemicals as possible.
Yes, I am aware that baking soda and vinegar are both chemicals, but it isn’t 15 different chemicals in a shampoo soup, and those shampoo soup chemicals seem nastier for the environment and for human skin.
I just feel better using as little as possible without compromising on beauty. I AM a girl after all.
Longer addendum on chemicals:
Everything is a chemical. I get it. (read my original sentence above on baking soda and vinegar).
When I say chemicals, I mean it in a layman’s term to refer to chemicals that alter hormones, that are questionable for long-term human usage because they haven’t been proven and odd studies (no matter how frou-frou or out there) are popping up to say that chemicals are not all good in long term usage (which we knew – hell we used white lead in makeup long ago without knowing!).
Stuff I am trying to avoid: SLS in detergents, Teflon coatings, detergents to clean dishes that hurt the environment by promoting algae, BPAs, leeching from plastics, bleach.
THOSE chemicals. Not eco-friendly, human-friendly, odd chemicals.
I am just a girl trying to reduce usage of harmful chemicals that we don’t understand the effects of, and to help reduce my footprint on the environment.
Wait, does Lush contain any of this stuff?
Actually yeah.. it does.
They’re sneaky. On the site, they highlight the ingredients that are Retro in black, and Vegan in green.
But the Retro stuff, like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is one of the environmental nasties.
And just because the other things are Vegan or Natural, doesn’t mean it’s good for your skin.
So… to me, expensive, and not eco-friendly, filled with chemicals..
I think baking soda and vinegar is a better alternative to test out for a while since I’m not working, so no one will have the pleasure of any odd smells. (Other than BF, who loves me anyway.)
So how is dirt actually removed from your hair?
They say rinsing your hair with water does the trick. BF swears by it, but seriously..as a girl, this is a big fat NO WORKIE for me.
It doesn’t work for girls with long hair, who like the fluffy feeling of clean hair.
But, since BF swore by it, I tried just rinsing my hair with water which they say gets rid of 90% of all the dirt.
Great.
However, the 10% left behind is oil, and dirt that isn’t easily removed, which makes my head and hair feel ICKY since my hair is longer.
It does not work unless you plan on rinsing your hair every day (which I don’t, since I wash my hair every other day, and I really don’t see how water can get rid of the oil in your hair without scrubbing your scalp.
but if you have short hair, go for it. BF has short hair, he scrubs his head with a wash cloth and water, and it gets out ALL of the oil, and it really looks and feels fluffy.
I petted his head today as a test after he showered.
Baking Sodas Other Fabulous Uses
Counter Cleaner/General Scrub
It works GREAT if you use it to clean your counters (with just a bit of water). The scrubby action of the baking soda is way better than any chemical BF has tried.Facial Cleanser
I have also successfully used it on my face by mixing it with my facial cleanser to create a quick and easy scrub. The granules of the baking soda are so small, they won’t tear your pores, but I should caution you to be gentle anyway.
Baking Sodas for the Hair
I had tried baking soda to clean my hair before. Only once.
And I hated it, but I thought I’d give it another shot in the name of being a Guinea Pig for your reading pleasure.
I think I may have also done it wrong and not have given it a fighting chance.
BAKING SODA PASTE SHAMPOO: FAIL
Okay, who was I to know that you are only supposed to use ONE tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water?
I basically poured a handful of baking soda into a bowl, added the same amount of water to make a thick kind of runny paste and spread it through my hair.
DO NOT try that at home, kids.
It was clumpy, it made my fingers feel weird, my hair felt really dried out and gross, and I had to try and work that into my SCALP? It was just not getting into my scalp, but I did feel it cleaning the oil off (I guess the scrubby action works there too, and probably soaks up some of the oil in the mean time).
No can do with a baking soda paste, however.
Apparently a baking soda solution is the way to go, with one table spoon to a cup of water.
I’ll try that in the next experiment.I rinsed the paste out of my hair.
Never, ever, mix baking soda with white vinegar.
I have not tried this, but I’ve been told it is not pretty.
WHITE VINEGAR HAIR RINSE: PASS BUT SHOULD HAVE FAILED
I rinsed again to be sure I got all the baking soda out.
Then I tried white vinegar poured into a cup with 2 parts of water (1 part vinegar, 2 parts water).
It felt all right in my hair, but BF was tsking me all the way while panicking that I was going to burn my hair off.
It didn’t burn off my hair, but it didn’t seem to do much as far as I could tell.
I let my hair dry and..
BAKING SODA PASTE & WHITE VINEGAR RINSE VERDICT
It worked and it was surprisingly good.
<---- No seriously, I felt like my hair was like that, but a bit fluffier/drier. My hair feels very clean, just as clean as if I had shampooed it.
The one feeling I hate is that I do feel like my ends are a tad too dry.
I almost want to do a leave-in conditioner on the ends or SOMETHING. I hear coconut oil is the best natural conditioner for your hair.
But is it possible that my hair looked even shinier than usual? No, right?
Well it does. Or maybe it’s just a placebo effect.
Either way, I’ll take it!
But I want to make some changes for the next time because what I went through was NOT pleasant and I would NOT want to do that every 2 days, even for a couple of minutes.
CHANGES FOR NEXT TIME
Wrong Vinegar Used
I did some Googling after, and apparently I am supposed to use APPLE CIDER vinegar, not WHITE vinegar.
Duh.
Apple Cider Vinegar has 4% acid in it, and White Vinegar has 5%.
It may not seem like a big deal to be 1% more, but as we all know in compounding interest, it counts.
Also, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is derived from apples and white vinegar is not. Apparently ACV is supposed to be used on your hair, as it is more gentle.
Apple cider vinegar is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids, helping to dissolve fatty deposits on the skin’s surface and reducing scaly conditions, promoting a softer, smoother appearance. This miracle fluid also regulates the pH of the skin.
I guess you can actually use it to soak your tired, dry, scaly feet in and it helps your skin rejuvenute.
No kidding!
Okay, white vinegar? Out. It stays in the kitchen for cleaning.
Cannot wash my hair daily
You are also not supposed to do it every single day (Baking soda + ACV).
I wash my hair once every two days to let the natural oils build up, but after the second day, I feel icky. I can go a third day if I have to, but it turns into Ponytail day.
Will take time for hair to adjust
They also say it takes about 6 weeks for your hair to get used to not being so chemicalized (sp?), so I’m going to do this right up until I leave for the weekend.
Stay tuned!
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
I highly recommend working on letting your hair go as long as possible between shampoos. Not playing or touching your hair during the day will help – I don’t know what your hair style looks like, but many women I know that say they have to wash every day constantly are pushing their hair behind their ear. Try to find a way to clip it back or up and forget about it until you go to bed.
My hair is about to my waist and I wash once every 4-7 days. I don’t use any “products” in my hair to poof it up, slick it down, or hold it in place. I sometimes use jojoba oil on the ends. I do use shampoo and conditioner, however. One of these days I will try to baking soda and vinegar since I use both as cleaners in the house as much as possible. I second the brushing/combing hair before getting in the shower – it reduces the tangles so much.
In the book “Curly Girl”, she talks about not using shampoo as well. Instead, she recommends mere rinsing, using the occasional conditioner, and lavender water spritzing. The book is more about how to take care of naturally curly hair, but does fit your ‘no-poo’ experiment. You can probably find it at the library.
Thank you sooo much for this post! I am very suspicious about all the green ideology out there and think many things labeled as green actually aren’t. (I recycle my plastic bags, not kill baby dolphins with them!) Still, I definitely prefer to treat the world good than bad, I just need reliable information on how to do that.
I couldnt stand the ACV. The smell made me gag. I used white vinegar but just make sure I wash it out really well. For the record, coconut oil is realllly great for the hair. When I have time I microwave 1/2 a cup full, apply to my hair and wash out about 2 hrs later. Voila…shiny, gorgeous hair! 🙂
Rae: YOu freaked me out!
But I dilute the vinegar, it isn’t super strong or 100%.. more like 1 Tbsp to 1 cup of water or more water 🙂
Alex: I don’t know. I don’t know what they put in shampoos these days and I was worried finding out what was in my shampoo. 🙁
Have you checked out dressgreen at etsy? They make all their soaps and moisturizers. Check ’em out.
AHHH get ready for a giant comment!
Lush: fyi, the shampoo bars last *forever*, or so I hear! Just a thought 🙂 I do like how some of Lush’s things use less preservatives than other products (some of their products even have to be refrigerated, whoo!) and how they use less packaging in some cases, but I wholeheartedly agree on one thing – most of their stock is way overpriced!
Vinegar rinses: DO NOT ATTEMPT AGAIN! 😛 Vinegar strips your hair of moisture, unbalances your pH levels, and snaps your cuticle shut (hence the shininess) Apple cider is the one you’re “supposed” to use, yes, but from a cosmetology point of view: never again! It’ll do the same thing as a rinse (which is cosmo-lingo for a liquid used post-conditioner to snap your cuticle shut and make your hair shiny) but shouldn’t under any circumstances be used often!
Aaanyhow. Just my two cents. I’m off to go ogle the traincase (I posted pics, hon! Come be excited with me ^^)
WTF is ammonium chloride doing in shampoo?
Very interesting… Let us know what solution you end up with!
I did the poo-free thing for about a month. It takes some getting used to, but I really enjoyed it and I’m about to start up again. I was nervous that I would walk around smelling like Vinegar, but I had everyone sniff my hair and they couldn’t smell it. 🙂
I also have to brush my hair before I get in the shower so as to alleviate some of the tangled-ness that occurs when you aren’t putting those slippery chemicals in your hair.
One final note: You can add essential oils to your ACV – just for the smell or to help your hair in some ways. I love lavendar. (I buy my essential oils from http://www.mountainroseherbs.com)
I’ve been SLS free (and fluoride-free) for a few years because I was getting dermal reactions. I use “Kiss My Face” shampoo/conditioner once a week as a special treat from the baking soda thing (if I’m going out, special occasion, etc). It’s not the cheapest- but it smells great and reminds me of regular shampoo.
And on days between ‘washing’ with BS and ACV I use a bit of the “Kiss My Face” conditioner on the ends and it works so well.
Check it out: http://www.kissmyface.com/haircarepages/haircarepage.html#
I’ve been SLS free (and fluoride-free) for a few years because I was getting dermal reactions. I use “Kiss My Face” shampoo/conditioner once a week as a special treat from the baking soda thing (if I’m going out, special occasion, etc). It’s not the cheapest- but it smells great and reminds me of regular shampoo.
And on days between ‘washing’ with BS and ACV I use a bit of the “Kiss My Face” conditioner on the ends and it works so well.
Check it out: http://www.kissmyface.com/haircarepages/haircarepage.html#
I’m a sorta no ‘poo girl myself.
I found in the end that I only needed to scrub the baking soda solution into my scalp otherwise I dried the ends out. My vinegar rinse solution is 1 tpsp to 1 cup water, but I make a leave-in conditioner with a ration of 1 tsp to 2 cups.
I also admit to using a clean rinsing commercial shampoo once a week or so because my scalp has started to get oily again after a few days.
– Frugal Urbanite
I’m not big on the no poo-dried my hair and scalp waaaaaay too much.
It’s hard finding an eco-friendly balance sometimes. Here’s hoping it works for you!
You should try the whole baking soda/vinegar thing. It’s a lot of fun. It’s your basic acid-base reaction and is the foundation of a good science fair volcano if you catch my drift. Just make sure your in your kitchen when you do it.
I have used ACV to cleanse my scalp and hair in the paste. I mixed 1 part ACV to 4 parts water in an applicator bottle and applied it to my hair that way. Sooo much easier.
Here’s another great cleansing mixture you can try:
2oz Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap
2oz oil of choice
12oz filtered or distilled water
Mix all 3 in an applicator bottle and shake before use. I have dry hair by nature and this cleanses my hair and scalp great w/o drying my hair out any and it foams up like shampoo!
Fair enough. Baking soda + vinegar is a nice way to clean out the drain without using super-harsh stuff like Dran-O, if you’ve got leftovers 🙂
Mrs MOney: No poo. LOL 🙂
c12h: I know. I am using the word “chemicals” in layman’s terms, chemicals that are hurtful and yet unproven for safe long-term usage.
Rags: I don’t use ANYTHING in my hair to style it… so I guess I’m safe 🙂 The closest I get to styling is tying my hair up and letting it fall down in curls after.
Am going to all the links now!
Rylee: Thanks for the tip on olive oil. I may use that for the ends because it’s driving me mad.
Actually, a vinegar rinse is a great way to get rid of build-up in your hair. A little light olive oil can be rubbed into the ends of your hair if it feels dry. An avocado mask is a good overall treatment if your hair is getting dry (rather expensive, though. I would rather eat those avocadoes). Just DON’T use mayonnaise. It does make your hair feel really good for a dry hair treatment but getting the smell out takes days… 😛
wow. the results sound pretty promising right now. I might try it too… although I worry how my bathroom might smell a bit… erm. vinegar-y afterwards.
i’ve read articles that you can use regular vinegar especially if you have dandruff. though apple cider vinegar is more gentler. 🙂
I used to do this around 2 years ago and I would put the baking soda in a spray bottle and spray directly on my scalp. I would always follow with apple cider vinegar and my hair felt great! I’m glad to hear more people are finding out about this.
Chemical-free, more like just free!
http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=365
Look into that if you want, maybe?
BTW, I name my laptop, car, phone, mp3 player…studded animals.. almost everything. It’s usually my everyday products and stuffed animals that have names.
I actually used to do the 'no poo' routine before which is using no shampoo & only conditioner with the occasional vinegar rinse to clarify your hair. It's popular with lots of people with curly hair. The thing is you are not supposed to use products such as gels, sprays, mousse, etc. with 'cones' in them. All the products I love have them so I still use a normal shampoo once a week.
It’s simply not possible to avoid all chemicals. Technically, chemicals comprise everything… water is a chemical. Is there any way to be more specific about what kinds of chemicals you’re avoiding?
Sometimes I use white vinegar as conditioner and it works for me. I mainly use ACV though. It works so well!
http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/no-poo-shampoo-alternative-dont-use-shampoo-again
Here’s how I went no poo. I used Lush’s squeaky green because it didn’t have any SLS in it, and then I weaned myself off that. It took a week or so, but my hair adjusted. I also tried using water only and a salt rise only as well. Stick with the baking soda! 😉 Good luck. I’m sure you can do it.