Why I Don’t Wash My Hair . . Last year I stopped washing my hair, This is kind of a misnomer, I do actually wash my hair, but I refuse to use commercial products to do so ever since I discovered 3 incredible things . . .
- That I can make my own shampoo and conditioner for less than $5 per year
- That my homemade Shampoo and Conditioner is all natural, organic and (manufactured) chemical free
- That nearly ALL commercially sold shampoo & conditioners contain toxic ingredients<
I actually wash my hair with a super cheap shampoo that I make in under 5 minutes flat for just pennies per bottle. This homemade clear shampoo is organic and leaves my long hair silky smooth, soft and bouncy without stripping the hair of it’s natural oils.
I stopped using “store-bought” shampoos because they often made my scalp itch (so badly in fact that I would have to take Benadryl after a shower!).
The very first time I washed my hair with my homemade shampoo, it foamed- a LOT- to the point where I started to wonder if someone was pranking me and standing above me dumping a high sudsing shampoo on top of my head!! I wasn’t being pranked- it was the baking soda cleaning & stripping the nasty remnants of expensive (useless) shampoos from my hair.
I’ve been using my own ‘Poo Free Homemade Shampoo for about a year now with results that are nothing short of amazing.
Here’s how I make my own organic shampoo that works wonderfully on dandruff, oily hair, dry hair, thin hair, thick hair, and bald heads.
No Poo Shampoo Trial Size Recipe:
Here is reduced version of our No Poo shampoo recipe if you’d like to give it a try without a big commitment.
Shampoo
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Water
1 condiment bottle (from the dollar store!)
Add the baking soda to the bottle, fill with water, seal, shake well to combine. Shake just prior to use as the contents will settle.
No Poo Conditioner Recipe
2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups water
1 condiment bottle (from the dollar store!)
Add vinegar to the bottle, fill with water, seal and shake well to combine.
If you’d like to add scent:
No Poo Shampoo Family Size Recipe:
Shampoo
1 Tbs. Baking Soda
64 oz Recycled bottle
Water
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the baking soda, stir till dissolved.
- Fill the 64 oz container half full of cold water, add the dissolved baking soda mixture to it, fill to the top with water.
- This makes 64 oz of homemade shampoo. (About a month worth for 2 people) Cap, shake gently before use.
Technically you don’t have to boil the water in order to dissolve the baking soda, but I prefer this method because then the “shampoo” doesn’t separate when it sets for long periods of time.
Conditioner
1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
64 oz Recycled Bottle
Pour the vinegar into the 64oz bottle, add water to fill. Cap, shake gently before use. If you prefer to make the larger recipe, we recommend getting the condiment bottles to keep in the shower (for space saving reasons!) and just refill them as needed.
How to use the Homemade Shampoo
First, you don’t need to wash your hair every day, nor should you. Washing your hair daily strips it of the natural oils your body produces to protect your hair.
- Wet your hair well, squirt or pour the homemade shampoo onto your hair and gently massage it into the hair and scalp like you would any shampoo.
- Repeat the process with the homemade conditioner. This natural shampoo is also a wonderful anti-dandruff shampoo.
What does my hair look like after using the No Poo Shampoo & Conditioner Treatment
Here’s what my hair looks like using my own homemade shampoo and conditioner:
As you can see, my hair is not greasy, oily, dry, frizzy, etc. It’s actually much easier to comb out using the homemade conditioner than it is with commercial conditioners.
What’s Wrong with Commercial Shampoos?
Due to years and years of clever marketing, the average consumer has been duped into naturally assuming the following:
- Thicker is Better– the thicker the shampoo or conditioner (or detergent, etc) is, the better it will work. Ah, but therein lies the rub, this guarantees that the purchaser will overuse the product and need to purchase even more.
- Suds are necessary to Clean– that bountiful lather sure does make you feel like something is happening! (We recently saw the effects of this trend in our homemade Laundry Sauce Recipe. Many were concerned that the homemade detergent wasn’t working because it didn’t create enough suds.
- Pretty is Perfect- it’s got to be pretty in order to make you pretty right? That means it’s loaded with swirly colors (pinks, purples, greens) and has yummy smelling perfume in it so your hair smells like a field of flowers, or whatever exotic ingredient promoted by Dr.Oz this week!
Have you ever taken a moment to read the back of a shampoo or conditioner bottle? The list of ingredients is nothing short of repulsive, here’s an example of a PARTIAL ingredients list for 1 single bottle of a very popular brand name:
Water, Sodium Lareth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Dimethicone, Cocamidopropul Betaine, Sodium Citrate, Cocamide Mea, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Guar Hydroxyproplytrimonium chloride, sodium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methlysothiazolinone
Now, to break these ingredients down a little bit, we’ll split them into 2 categories:
Category 1: Ingredients that actually Clean your hair
1Guar Hydroxyproplytrimonium chloride – The short of it, it’s a detangler for your hair- the long of it, it’s actually one of the few ingredients in Commercial products that’s non-toxic
2Sodium Laureth Sulfate this one does actually clean your hair, (well sort of, it strips the grease/oils from your hair) but that’s not all it does, it’s actually absorbed into the body via your skin and mimics a hormone, Oestrogen.
The health problems associated with elevated levels of this hormone include PMS, Severe Menopausal symptoms, breast cancer and decreased sperm count in men.
In case you’re wondering what other products it’s commonly found in, here are a few: Car-Wash Soaps, Engine Degreasers, Garage Floor Cleaners, etc. This particular chemical cannot be metabolized by the liver, which means it stays in your body for longer periods of time.
Category 2: Ingredients that Stroke your Ego and Emotions
1Cocamidopropul Betaine– a foaming agent known to cause dermatitis. As a matter of fact, in 2004 it was voted “Allergen of the Year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society!
2Cocomide MEA– a lathering/foaming agent
3Dimethicone a silicone based polymer that is added as a lubricant or “skin conditioner”. When it’s not being used in hair, you’ll also find it in construction caulking, silly putty, and herbicides.
4Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)- this little doozy is just a cheap foaming agent that is shoved in multiple products to give the false appearance that the product is working. After all, if your toothpaste foams up, it must be getting your teeth clean, if your laundry soap foams up- it must be working extra hard to clean your clothes, right? Wrong!
5Methylchloroisothiazolinone – Another “preservative” known to cause severe dermatitis. It was actually voted “2013 Allergen of the Year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society! In case you’re wondering, it’s also utilized in Glue Productions, Paints, Fuels and other industrial processes. (read more about it)
6Methylisothiazolinone – this is a preservative that is widely known to cause dermatitis as well as cytotoxic (it kills the cells in your body). Want something to compare it to? The venom in a brown recluse spider is also cytotoxic. This chemical, widely used in commercial “beauty” products causes cells to undergo necrosis, where they stop actively growing and dividing and die. This toxic chemical has also been known to cause nerve damage as well. (read more about it)
7Panthenyl Ethyl Ether– this is added for “anti-static” properties, however, it is well known to cause contact urticaria as these studies have been cited inPubMed. Contact Urticaria, if you’re not familiar, is generally characterized with a local burning sensation, tingling, itching, red swellings/wheals and can also cause wheezing, runny nose/eyes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and anaphylactic shock. I think I’ll take “Static” please.
More DIY Homemade Beauty Product Recipes:
- Recipes for the Ladies– scrubs, creams, lotions, gels, hair treatments, masks, bath recipes and more
- Recipes for the Guys– aftershave recipes, antiperspirants, soaps, lotions, etc
- Household– recipes for homemade cleaners, detergents, pet removal, laundry care, stain removal and much more
- Liss Super Laundry Sauce– super concentrated laundry detergent
Sources:
- PubMed: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health – this site offers more than 90,000 References to the toxicity of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database
