Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner

When people hear that I make my own shampoo, they always say, “You what?”  Yes, I make my own shampoo and conditioner, but technically, it isn’t shampoo or conditioner.  Curious?  Today’s experiment: Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner.

Here we go.

Shampoo

• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 cup water

Pour into an old shampoo container and shake.

Conditioner

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water

Pour into an older shampoo container and shake.

Let’s get real.  I wash my hair about three times a week.  That corresponds exactly to how many times a week that I run.  Also, my skin tends to dry out quickly, so any more showers than that and I feel brittle.  This amount lasts me about three weeks and takes about five minutes to prepare.  SO simple.

When you wash with the baking soda, pour some of the shampoo onto your scalp.  Don’t worry about your hair.  The scalp is where the oil originates, so taking care of the scalp will take care of the rest of your hair.  Rub the shampoo into your scalp, especially in any extra oily areas, then let it sit for a couple minutes while the baking soda absorbs the oil.  Rinse and you’re ready for conditioner.

This conditioner is not stinky, but has a very distinct odor that is strong, even after diluting it in the water.  Don’t put the conditioner on your scalp.  Use it on your hair, especially the ends.  Let it sit for a little too, then rinse it out.

This is a super cheap way to clean your hair and has left me with great results.  I was initially skeptical, but now I wish everyone would do this.  No, you don’t have hair that is perfumed, but you are not putting chemicals onto your scalp everyday.

The only drawback to this is that you need to give yourself up to six weeks for your scalp to get used to it.  Shampoo strips your scalp and hair of its natural oils (that’s why we need conditioner).  When you initially start using the baking soda and vinegar to wash your hair, your body will still be producing a ton of oil.  It’s been doing this to combat the stripping.  After two to six weeks, your body will regulate the oil output to match the cleaning with the baking soda.

Personally, I didn’t find this transition period too traumatic.  Yes, I was oily but I just did ponytails and undoes while I was waiting for it to even out.  It’s normalized the oil now and I can wear my hair down without a trace of oil on top.

Try it!  You’ll like it!