Shampoo Alternatives for Natural Hair Care

I'm not on the 'no poo' bandwagon entirely yet, but I can totally see why more and more people are choosing to ignore shampoo as a hair cleaning product and turning to natural alternatives instead. I bathe my dog most often in just baking soda and water (baking soda soothes her itchy skin and makes her fur so sparkly white she glows) and only wash my hair every other day to keep my scalp and hair from drying out. If using less shampoo is doing this for my hair, I wonder what going all natural would do? Here are ways you can keep your scalp and hair squeaky clean without shampoo, and I have tried them all!

Try a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with just enough water to make a paste to clean out your roots and eliminate itching in your scalp. Particularly great if you tend to use a lot of hair product (gel, hair spray, etc), this natural cleansing method for your hair cleans your roots, promotes healthy oil production, and cures your poor, itchy scalp. Massage into your roots only to keep your hair nice and healthy all over! Leave on for 30 seconds, or longer if you have a dry scalp.

For a great hair rinse, try a fourth cup of apple cider vinegar and apply it to your hair from about an inch from your roots on down, then rinse out with cool water after 30 seconds. This strips out excess oil and odor from hair and is great if you have naturally greasy hair. If you can smell your roots or they are very oily, then this rinse is effective for roots as well. Don't worry- the smell of apple cider vinegar fades when your hair dries.

For dry hair, try apple cider vinegar with a tablespoon of pure honey mixed in. Honey will calm down the hair shaft and leave your hair glowing and shiny straight after your apple cider vinegar rinse. For super dry hair, try the rinse with a teaspoon of olive oil, which will replenish the hair with oils the scalp won't provide on its own. Leave all rinses in your hair for 30 seconds to a minute for full effect.

If you can't commit to trying the 'no poo' hair lifestyle, then try incorporating these natural hair cleaning methods into your lifestyle a few days a week. Even simply washing your hair every other day can make a huge difference in the health and quality of your hair! I have tried all the above hair cleaning methods, and by far the easiest one for me is the baking soda one. I love how it keeps the winter cold from making my scalp all itchy.

As with all natural remedies, you have to play around with different styles and methods to find the one that will work for you. Also, you don't have to use these methods every day, but they help in the winter when your scalp and hair tend to dry out. And all these methods are cheaper than traditional shampoo anyhow!

note: you can add olive oil to your daily conditioner to make your conditioner super effective on hydrating your hair without going all natural. Same goes with apple cider vinegar in your shampoo- it can make a big difference ein your life as well. Also, baking soda is better on a scalp with sores from scratching than apple cider vinegar, trust me.

Source:

personal experience