I tried the hairwashing natural alternative linked in yesterday's post with mixed results (wash with baking soda, rinse with apple-cider vinegar). My hair isn't exactly clean, but it is clean enough. It's like having "day-two hair." There is a large section on the top-back of my head which is of questionable cleanliness. The rest is clean, that part not so much. Also, my hair smells slightly of vinegar. Not enough for anybody else to smell, but I catch a whiff every now and then. It was particularly noticeable when heat-styling with my flat iron this morning. Things that may possibly have gone wrong:
- My water is too hard
- I didn't use enough baking soda
- I used too much vinegar
- I had too much product in my hair
- I needed to wash twice (which I do with conventional shampoo)
On the upside my hair is very shiny and the texture is good on the clean parts. The vinegar smell was only strong when my hair was wet and is a non-issue dry. It was easy to comb through after my shower without any tangles. My hair definitely was conditioned. I'm not surprised since I've always heard beer was a good rinse. Since apple-cider vinegar is also fermented I guess it makes sense that it would work too.
So, I'm going to try it again to see if I can't get it right. Then I'm moving on to deodorant.
Note: this might be a good routine if I plan on wearing my hair in curls - as the day progresses, a natural wave is forming and there is a bit of volume on the ends.
