Day 1:
To understand my convert, let me start with why I've begun this.
My husband and I are in great debt. Due to bad decisions made in our early 20's, we're now spending our late 20's digging ourselves out of a hole to avoid bankruptcy. We're doing pretty good, too. I know a lot of people worse off in this economy. Though we're not making fast progress, we are making progress. Him being deployed right now in the navy helps since neither of us are going out right now. One of my big efforts toward debt relief is not purchasing things I want, only purchasing things I need. I'm in constant search for ways to pinch the budget and save money.
I was reading a sci-fi book, one of the Mercy Thompson series, and it made a side comment about using dryer sheets on bath towels ruins the absorbency. I grew up in a household who did, and most of my towels are hand-me-downs from home. I had to stop instantly & google search it.. My husband had complained that my towels weren't very absorbent, but we couldn't figure out why. A little searching found that comment to be true, and that white vinegar with laundry fixes it.
I bought distilled white vinegar. My husband complained the first time to the smell, but it went away and the moment he actually used the towel he agreed- great fix, he can deal with the minor smell since it doesn't linger more than a day or two. I crossed out "new bath towels" on my "Purchase Want List" and instantly made white vinegar part of my home.
One of my biggest internet searching topics is DIY projects, some of which will end up on here I'm sure. I came across a blogger who talked about going off shampoo & conditioner. It went into the history of shampoo & conditioner, how it's a concept that started in the 20th century, and how it's not necessary. The alternative is: Shampoo- 1 cup of water per 1 tablespoon of baking soda, Conditioner: 1 cup of water per 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. The blogger went on to say as she read it, she figured "Why not?" If she didn't like it, she could always go back. I agreed with that thought. Recalling how white vinegar has become my new love, why not try apple cider vinegar and baking soda.
Last night I bought the apple cider vinegar, I already have the baking soda. I rinsed out my shampoo & conditioner bottles really thoroughly. I mixed the stuff together in a measuring cup and poured it into my clean bottles.
Today's my first use. Out of habit I tried to pour it into my hand first (as I would with shampoo). It's mostly water, you cant really do that. So for my second attempt I turned the bottle over my head and squeezed it all over my scalp. I scrubbed and rubbed, realizing late that I'm not going to get the lather of shampoo. Deciding it was probably all over my scalp & worked in well, I rinsed. I repeated the bottle squeeze with the conditioner and rinsed.
Its been an hour and my hair is drying nicely. I'm surprised to admit it looks and feels just like if I had used my shampoo and conditioner. If anything, it feels a little more squeaky clean. It seems to be drying faster than normal, too.
The big test will be tomorrow. After 24 hours my scalp is so oily that I can brush my hair back and the grease will keep it back- not flattering looking, so I have to wash it daily. Baking soda is supposed to dry up oil, though. A girl isn't supposed to shampoo daily, it strips the natural oils from the hair. I'm hoping this will be a two part success: I will no longer have to spend near as much money on shampoo & conditioner, and it will allow me to only shampoo/ condition every other day.
Here's hoping!!
Day 2
It's been 2 washings, and I'm scrapping the idea! It was great in theory, bad in testing! By the end of yesterday my hair felt like it hadn't been washed in 3 days. I put a little more baking soda in the bottle, as was instructed by the other site, to dry out the hair a little more. I dumped just about half the bottle on my head this morning. I only put the "conditioner" in my ends, thinking that was increasing the oils. My hair seems to looks like I never washed it! Blech! I had to go to work like this, so I pulled it back to make it less noticeable Will be stopping at CVS to get my shampoo back and showing as soon as I come home.
I'm keeping this post as proof that what I recommend I really try, so it's not "everything's great" on this blog. I am always suspicious of "reviews" on blogs- are they legit, or is someone paying them to do/ say that? Hopefully this will offer proof to the skeptics that may stumble upon this.
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