Natural Hair Care and Shampoo

Some people don't shampoo their hair. They wash it, but they keep it free of all the mystery crap that's in commercial shampoos. They're not dirty hippies, or crazy people, and their hair often looks great. A simple mixture of water and baking soda cleans your hair well and leaves nothing nasty behind. Most of the time I just use a baking soda mix, or rinse my hair if I KNOW it's not dirty-dirty. But sometimes when I've used product on my hair, or done something particularly filthy, I like a little more assurance, and I use one of the following ideas. (These are also great for people who want something more natural but aren't ready to take a plunge into the world of No-poo.)

Shampoo #1- the easiest:

• In a bottle, (small spray bottles are GREAT for this because of it's watery consistency!), mix 7 ounces of distilled water and 1 ounce of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. Any scent is fine. The lavender is lovely and feminine, and the peppermint is invigorating!

 Shampoo #2- a bit more, but totally worth it:

• Get your 7 ounces of distilled water boiling, and pour it into a clean glass container. Steep in it a chamomile tea bag; a tablespoon each of dried thyme, dried basil, and dried rosemary. Let steep for about 15 minutes then strain. 
• Mix this with 1 ounce of your Dr. Bronner's in the preferred bottle. 

Shampoo #3 is a bit of the "washing your hair with conditioner" movement. Many people have tried using cheaper conditioners in the same way as the EXPENSIVE "cleansing conditioners" you can buy. It seems the general consensus is that a few of the low-priced brands, WITHOUT any added proteins or such work best. Suave, VO5, etc. Some people also like to give it a little boost in the form of Castile soap to avoid the lauryl sulfates and other crummy chemicals in shampoos.

• Simple fill your chosen bottle 4/5ths of the way with conditioner. 
• Add your Castile soap to the almost top, then shake the heck out of it. 

As with all these shampoos (and baking soda...) remember to shake thoroughly before each use.

What about conditioners?
I've used as a leave-in the following:

• A drop of olive oil rubbed on your hands and run through
• The same with vitamin E oil
• A small dollop of coconut oil melts easily on your hands, and is great for super dry hair

In the shower, I have a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar. I spray my hair thoroughly, let it be a few minutes, then rinse out.It works surprisingly well! GREAT for tangles! A little four ounce bottle should work, but I keep a bigger 12ish ounce bottle because my hair is LONG.