Baking Soda - yay or nay?

[Fethenwen]

I have tried to find information on this site about baking soda, without much result. There seems to be much too and fro if it is good for hair or not.
At least I have found out that it works well as a clarifying wash, but does it damage hair after long term usage??

Thanks!

[ktani]

It would depend on how you use it, IMO.

Baking soda can be abrasive if it is not fully dissolved in warm to hot water. The pH is about 8, so it is alkaline but some people's tap water is too.

Try using a completely dissolved, well diluted version and strand test it if you like first. You will need an acidic rinse or conditioner (all conditioners are acidic) to follow.

Damage your hair? Not if you are careful with it.

[heidi w.]

I have tried to find information on this site about baking soda, without much result. There seems to be much too and fro if it is good for hair or not.
At least I have found out that it works well as a clarifying wash, but does it damage hair after long term usage??

Thanks!

No.

Only clarify on an as-needed basis. I personally would not recommend this as a hair wash method for all hair washes (as in several times a week).

In my case, as-needed becomes about once a quarter.

I've been using this for decades now.

heidi w.

[spidermom]

For me - nay. It dries my hair out. I do much better with full-strength shampoo if I feel I have buildup. Otherwise I dilute my shampoo quite a lot in warm water.

[Loviatar]

I find it's a good clarifying wash instead of using sulphates. It leaves my ends a little dry though if I dont dissolve it properly, and it feels gritty, which I dont like. Properly dissolved, I use it maybe once a month, but I'm aiming for less, maybe quarterly like Heidi.

[Finoriel]

Nay. :wink:

Imo clarifying-wash states it very well what baking soda does. Clarifying never is a gentle method to clean hair. Which in conclusion makes it too harsh to be a good routine for cleaning long hair on a regular basis. If at all it should be used very careful, on a as needed basis and only once in a blue moon.

I personally would never ever, not even in a million years when the elks dance boogie at a beach-party, try to use baking soda on hair still attached to my head. I´ve put a test strand under the microscope and have seen what the common baking-soda mixture does to the cuticle of my hair. :eek: Umm no thanks.

[mellie]

Nay for me! It left my hair in a very greasy, tangled and horrible condition.


I´ve put a test strand under the microscope and have seen what the common baking-soda mixture does to the cuticle of my hair. Umm no thanks.

Finoriel, what did it do?

[heidi w.]

Just a reminder:

Any clarify hair wash no matter the product or home recipe, any hair wash using Baking Soda for sure, BE SURE TO CONDITION WELL AS PART OF THE PROCESS AFTER CLARIFYING.

If one doesn't then what happens is hair may well be dry, a weird texture and tangly. Why? Because TO CLARIFY = to strip the hair bare naked of all applied product, sebum, dirt, grime -- including moisture such as conditioner.

So you have to put back what's been removed.

If one did not condition at all, or sufficiently, then that dry, tangled, weird feeling hair -- well, the clarifying worked. That's what happens to hair when the "moisture" isn't replaced (after being removed).

heidi w.

[HoneyMouse]

Well for me its the only thing I have managed to use that lets me go more then 1 day between washes. I do use an acv and conditioning rinse after I wash my scalp and it would be terribly dry if I didn't condition. I'm trying lesson my washes anyway I now wash t every 3/4 days and I hope to get it down to once a week maybe on some other wash as I know soda bic isn't good for your skin long term so it might be the same for your hair.

[rosie91]

i wouldn't reccommend using it, it made my hair greasy and tangly and generally awful. i don't think my scalp liked the over-drying alkaline-ness of it

[Finoriel]

:gabigrin: You´re sure you want to know mellie?
Lights are on?
:p


It raised the cuticle in a very impressive way. Imagine a hybrid of fir cone and bottle brush.
Just not the best pH-level for hair.
:shrug:

What makes me very wary is the unnecessary wear this causes to the hair. Spreading the cuticle that wide and smoothing it down again with acidic-rinses and trying to mask the caused dryness with lots of conditioner nonetheless means a constant wear to the cuticle.
The drying effect of it makes conditioning and babying after clarifying necessary, probably over-conditioning the hair, which over time makes a clarifying wash appealing again. A vicious circle imo.

[ktani]

:
It raised the cuticle in a very impressive way. Imagine a hybrid of fir cone and bottle brush.
Just not the best pH-level for hair.
:shrug:

What makes me very wary is the unnecessary wear this causes to the hair. Spreading the cuticle that wide and smoothing it down again with acidic-rinses and trying to mask the caused dryness with lots of conditioner nonetheless means a constant wear to the cuticle.
The drying effect of it makes conditioning and babying after clarifying necessary, probably over-conditioning the hair, which over time makes a clarifying wash appealing again. A vicious circle imo.

I have always thought of it in exactly those terms. I do not use anything alkaline on my hair. But there are those here who love baking soda and are fine with it. And I never realized until I was duly informed by someone here, that baking soda completely dissolves in warm to hot water, making it less hair unfriendly.

[atlantaz3]

Nay for me. It left my hair too dry, but I've only tried it twice.

[LHGypsyRose]

I have had good results mixing BS into my regular shampoo and clarifying with it. It has never affected my hair in a negative way. Of course I only use it once a month.:D

[Fethenwen]

Just a reminder:

Any clarify hair wash no matter the product or home recipe, any hair wash using Baking Soda for sure, BE SURE TO CONDITION WELL AS PART OF THE PROCESS AFTER CLARIFYING.

If one doesn't then what happens is hair may well be dry, a weird texture and tangly. Why? Because TO CLARIFY = to strip the hair bare naked of all applied product, sebum, dirt, grime -- including moisture such as conditioner.

So you have to put back what's been removed.

If one did not condition at all, or sufficiently, then that dry, tangled, weird feeling hair -- well, the clarifying worked. That's what happens to hair when the "moisture" isn't replaced (after being removed).

heidi w.

Hmm, the reason I'm using baking soda is because I have read that it does _not strip off all the sebum. I use very little (less than one tea spoon), and follow it with ACV with honey. But this makes my hair static though. I wonder if honey also can make hair static with long term usage? Or is it starting to get in bad shape of the BS because it's static... or erm, I try not to wash it that often with it. But still...

I'm getting more confused :p

[Schefflera]

I washed with baking soda for a while -- not fully dissolved, necessarily, kinda goopy -- and did white vinegar rinses after it was all out. I was still washing every 2-3 days at that time and had no problems. On the other hand, I think my hair is comparatively tolerant....

I still spray my drenched post-shampoo head with straight white vinegar and re-rinse sometimes though. Feels great.

[ratgirldjh]

NAY for me
i only tried it once years ago - a teaspoon or so mixed into some conditioner to clarify.
after i used it i noticed that a lot of my hairs were standing straight up! they were so frazzled that it took several days for them to calm down. the rest of my hair felt weird too!
i can't even use baking soda on my skin or to brush my teeth. it gives me sores in my mouth.
so i definitely stay away from it.
actually, i am sort of scared of it now - LOL ;)

[LaCitoyenne]

I never got it to work for my hair. I tried using it in different ways -- mixed into shampoo, diluted, etc., always followed by conditioner and acid rinse, but it matted up my hair. I've come to the conclusion lately that, like ktani, my hair should never be exposed to anything too alkaline. Maybe that's why I've had better results with CWC than S&C.

[Hypnotica]

I say yey.

I use it as a clarifier about once a month. It is the only thing that will remove the buildup from my hair. I only need a light conditioner afterwards.

[girlcat36]

Baking soda worked great on my hair. I disolved less than a teaspoon in 20 oz of warm water and poured it over my head. I got very impressive curls while using baking soda.

[Carolyn]

Nay for me. The times I used it, it was for a clarifying wash. The first couple of times, I used a tsp or so dissolved in oh maybe a cup of water. Dried my hair out horribly. It went way beyond what I wanted in a clarifier. The next couple of times I mixed about a tsp. in with one of my regular shampoos and got the same dried out results. Yes I majorly moisturized after shampooing. Now I have good results with a commercial shampoo meant for clarifying.

[Anje]

Nay for me. I've mixed it with shampoo for clarifying (not recommended with ALS/ALES shampoos -- it smells like a perm!), but for me a plain old sulfate shampoo is sufficient to clarify with, and leaves my hair less rough.

It wasn't horrible, like some people report, but I think BS is better used for scrubbing henna stains off the bathroom countertop.

[Anje]

Hmm, the reason I'm using baking soda is because I have read that it does _not strip off all the sebum. I use very little (less than one tea spoon), and follow it with ACV with honey. But this makes my hair static though. I wonder if honey also can make hair static with long term usage? Or is it starting to get in bad shape of the BS because it's static... or erm, I try not to wash it that often with it. But still...

I'm getting more confused :p
I doubt that the honey is causing your static, since it's humectant, which means it'll try to stay moist by drawing moisture out of whatever it can (air, or in a dry environment, hair). It tends to be moisturizing therefore, which reduces static.

Your hair might respond differently than most does to the honey, but I'd be inclined to blame the baking soda and/or too-strong vinegar for dryness and therefore static before I went after the honey.

[Fethenwen]

I doubt that the honey is causing your static, since it's humectant, which means it'll try to stay moist by drawing moisture out of whatever it can (air, or in a dry environment, hair). It tends to be moisturizing therefore, which reduces static.

Your hair might respond differently than most does to the honey, but I'd be inclined to blame the baking soda and/or too-strong vinegar for dryness and therefore static before I went after the honey.
Sounds logical :)
From all the responses I guess I should just skip the BS, at least I don't think I will use it as a regular washing method. I'm still waiting for the rhassoul clay to arrive in the post, till then I guess I just have to hold on and clean it with water. My hair is really static now from the BS+ACV rinses.
Does anyone have any info or experiences of washing hair with clay?

[long.again]

I actually don't mind it, if used a certain way. I used it in the shower and massages it into my scalp and it left my hair feeling like straw. It was no good. However, if my hair is getting particularly greasy (I usually only rinse my hair 3 times a week), every 4 days or so, I add a bit (like a very little amount) of dry BS to my dry hair. I section it and add it directly to my roots. I do not massage it in or comb it through or anything. I usually leave it for a bit (10 mins or so) and then hop in the shower. I do a lavender essential oil/apple cider vinegar/water rinse followed by a rosemary/sage/chamomile rinse. The last few times it's left my hair perfect. Didn't strip it and it wasn't greasy, and it was shiny and soft all the way to the ends.

[Silverlox]

I have no yay or nay, since I've never tried it.

Mainly because my impression is that it's very harsh and drying, - the last thing my hair needs as it's very fine, fragile and generally prone to dryness.

Despite the fact that I use commercial poo and condish, filled with cones, as well as frequent oilings, I've never noticed any kind of build-up on my hair. And since in my mind, baking soda is mainly for removing build-up, I've never seen any reason to even try it. :shrug:

Like the saying goes, - if it aint broken, don't fix it! :eyebrows:

Of course, the fact that I've never managed to work out what the Swedish equivalent would be, (baking soda/baking powder) is also a main factor in my hesitation to experiment. :rolleyes:

[tooqute2nv]

naaaaaay. Would leave my hair uber dry, but my hair is really fine. But I do sometimes use it on my face! Diluted with enough water to make a pastey-sort of consistency, and rub ("massage") it round my face for about a minute, then rinse off with warm water, and finish with a splash of cold water. :D Followed by rose water, zit zap stuff, and lotion.:cheese: Kinda off topic, but if you really want to try baking soda as a cheap cleanser, try your face! lol

[princesspecial]

I switched to the no poo way and my hair loves me! I dilute baking soda with water in the shower. I use a plastic cup in the shower. I slop it on my scalp and back of hair. I scrub my scalp clean. I don't try to comb while I rinse. I then dilute apple cider vinegar with water and slop that on my hair and scalp. I rinse with water and comb. My hair feels SO soft and smooth, not oily and weighed down. I go about 7-10 days easily between washing, and I have pushed it 2 weeks. I'm new and don't know the codes yet, but I'm a Caucasian with curly brown hair. My scalp was always grungy even after a shampoo and my hair was always dry even with gobs of conditioner left on for the entire shower. Now, Clean Scalp and Soft Hair. Oh...I wet set my hair in rollers to make it straight and brush with a boars hair brush!

[Debra83]

I have no yay or nay, since I've never tried it.

Mainly because my impression is that it's very harsh and drying, - the last thing my hair needs as it's very fine, fragile and generally prone to dryness.

Despite the fact that I use commercial poo and condish, filled with cones, as well as frequent oilings, I've never noticed any kind of build-up on my hair. And since in my mind, baking soda is mainly for removing build-up, I've never seen any reason to even try it. :shrug:

Like the saying goes, - if it aint broken, don't fix it! :eyebrows:

Of course, the fact that I've never managed to work out what the Swedish equivalent would be, (baking soda/baking powder) is also a main factor in my hesitation to experiment. :rolleyes:


Baking soda - salty - more dense and packed than lighter, fluffy baking powder

baking powder - makes things "poofy" - like pancakes

[Kirin]

Nay. Big ol' Nay.

The results on the try on my hair were disasterous, and then I looked into more stuff about baking soda.

Doctors routinely perscribe it mixed in water for girls who chew and swallow their hair. Why? Simple, it dissolves hair.

For at least a hundred years, baking soda and a hot kettle of water put down a drain will dissolve a hair clog.

I'm not entirely sure I want to wash my hair with something used to dissolve it.

This, along with several other hair items touted leave me scratching my head. Baking soda may be natural, but its harsh as the get out. its not "gentle" by any stretch of the imagination. I use it to clean my house and in my laundry, and it works harder and better than most commercial stuff.

Now......*head scratch*, if baking soda cleans better than laundry detergent, and most people wont use shampoo because it has sls, like laundry detergent which is *harsh*.........

Its left me confused LOL.

[jessie58]

Yes for me.
This is a very timely thread. I have just been moaning and complaining about my hair and it's lack of curl. I just read Girlcat's comment above that BS made her hair uber curly. That is what it did for me too. Restored my curls. Come to think of it. I complained of straight hair a couple of years ago and Heidiw recommended the BS wash and it did wonders for my hair. I used it on a semi regular basis for a while but have not done it in ages. I think it's time for me to use it again.

[Keller1128]

I tried it last night and am going to say nay. My hair *looks* okay, but it feels like straw :/

[Amber_Maiden]

It dries my hair out- but it's great at clarifying, so I go on using it!

[cnd0020]

I say YAY!

I've had great results with a tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in a 16 oz bottle of warm water. Rinse. Then condition with cone-free conditioner and rinse. Gets my hair clean, pretty smelling and no frizzies!

[MeghannRenee]

I use it - heavily diluted - about once every week and a half, followed by a diluted acv rinse with some essential oils. Sometimes I alternate that with a cone-free CO wash, with some WO in between. I've been doing that for a year, no real issues to speak of.
I can go longer between washes, my hair has some wave and more movement, I'm noticing less damage and went for almost a year without cutting my hair - its saving me some serious $$ so YAY!

[CurlyMopTop]

Yeah for me! I use 11\2 tsp. to 2tsp. diluted in about 4cups of water every 7 to 10 days followed by a diluted lemon juice rinse. It keeps the build-up off of my hair and gives me wonderful curl formation/definition. :D I always condition afterwards and have had no problems with dry hair!

[Spanky]

I made a paste out of water and baking soda and left it in my hair for an hour. I did this about four times over a week. My hair was around three- four shades lighter, it even managed to strip some of the black colour that was left over from build up. I am happy with the colour but my ends have dried and split. I will have to get about two inches cut off.

I would recommend a baking soda wash once a week followed with a vinegar rinse, it really does remove all the crap from your hair and makes it beautiful. Just don't over do it like me.

[earthnut]

Yay! I love BS, used in moderation. It can create a monster if you use too much.

I always dissolve it.
I use as little as possible.
I never use shampoo with it, it's a substitute for shampoo.
I always rinse with vinegar.
I only use it on my scalp, not on my hair.

Too much can be damaging as others have mentioned, but if you use just a little it can be very helpful. The same can be said for any shampoo. :)

[jeanniet]

I've used it on occasion with good results, but I use very little and condition afterwards. I don't find it any worse than regular shampoo, but I don't use either very regularly, and when I do it's in small amounts.

[Deborah]

A couple of years back I tried BS washing. It worked quite well. I diluted about a tablespoon into a pint or so of water, and used that to wash my hair, followed by an acidic rinse, either vinegar or citric acid. My hair is ultra-fine, and did well on this regime. It was left soft, shiny and undamaged, as usual.

On another list many folks have found that it regularly worked quite well for them. I guess it differs for some though, so your mileage may vary. :shrug:

[sun-kissed]

I know a lot of people love the method, but I found it to be annoying. Baking soda is just as strong as regular shampoo, so why not use my nicely scented shampoo? Yes, you can dilute baking soda, but you can also dilute shampoo. The baking soda tended to leave my hair dull-looking, no matter what I tried to do, it always left my hair much less than shiny and sleek. It also irritated my skin. I would always rinse with ACV after washing, and while that helped with the shine, it still was much less than acceptable. And in the end, it was a pain having to buy, measure, and store the products, and have to put up with straw-like, dirty hair.

I'm much happier now that I'm using my 1 drop of shampoo per 2 cups of water, or cone-free conditioner washing methods. My hair is clean, and at the same time it's sleek, shiny, and silky.

Baking soda = failed hair experiment.

[girlcat36]

Just checking here.....I have been using baking soda for four years. Despite rumors that it is damaging, I have found it more gentle than most shampoos because I can tailor the dilutation to my hair's needs. I always make sure the BS is thoroughly dissolved in warm water. I actually use a large pitcher and I soak the my length in it because I don't want to use it on my roots; it seems to strip my semi-permanent hair color fairly quickly.
I probably use BS every two weeks or so. I am cone-free, but my hair is baby-fine and curly and conditioner builds up quickly.

[Oraien]

Yay.

I've been using BS and ACV rinses for about 2 months solid now, diluting about 2 teaspoons in a large hair-dye applicator bottle with warm/hot water, shake till it dissolves and then use the applicator tip to get it down through my hair onto my scalp, scrubby fingers for a bit on the scalp, thorough rinse, diluted ACV rinse to finish it up and my hair is a 100 times better than it was even with cone and SLS free shampoos and conditioners. I wash my hair every 3 or 4 days and stick a little cone-and-SLS free conditioner on the ends and let it air dry.

Prior to, though, I had to wash my hair almost daily, because of oily build-up. BS works for me.

[henné]

I have no yay or nay, since I've never tried it.

Mainly because my impression is that it's very harsh and drying, - the last thing my hair needs as it's very fine, fragile and generally prone to dryness.

Despite the fact that I use commercial poo and condish, filled with cones, as well as frequent oilings, I've never noticed any kind of build-up on my hair. And since in my mind, baking soda is mainly for removing build-up, I've never seen any reason to even try it. :shrug:

Like the saying goes, - if it aint broken, don't fix it! :eyebrows:

Of course, the fact that I've never managed to work out what the Swedish equivalent would be, (baking soda/baking powder) is also a main factor in my hesitation to experiment. :rolleyes:

Hello there Svensk medborgare! :)

Baking soda = bikarbonat

You're welcome!

[henné]

I'm grateful for this thread as I have also been considering giving BS + ACV a try.

Now you folks scared me a little :run: :D

[JellyBene]

When I personally tried washing with baking soda and ACV, it was disastrous. My hair never quite got clean and it turned my ends to straw. Maybe I did something wrong, I used it as a paste and followed with ACV after I rinsed the baking soda out.

[earthnut]

When I personally tried washing with baking soda and ACV, it was disastrous. My hair never quite got clean and it turned my ends to straw. Maybe I did something wrong, I used it as a paste and followed with ACV after I rinsed the baking soda out.

A paste is very strong. My hair gets straw-like with a BS paste too. But 1/2 to 1 tsp of BS in 1 cup water works quite well. :)

[Vampyria]

I did baking soda and ACV rinse a couple of times and didn't like it at all. It didn't clean my scalp so my hair started to fall off like crazy but also got really dry, shine-less and felt like straw. I put half of a table spoon BS in a cup of water.

[mary*rose]

I have a question for you ladies who have had success with baking soda. I stick with mostly a vinegar rinse only routine, and I used baking soda recently before the rinse and conditioner after. I left it in a braided bun all day, then a braid that night. The top of my head felt soft and clean and wonderful, but my length was terrible! It was very sticky and difficult to comb through - the kind of texture I had when I first stopped using shampoo. I never expected that texture to come back, but it did. It's gone now, after I did another vinegar rinse a day later - and now my hair feels soft and clean - but what went wrong?

[3 Cat Night]

Nay.

I tried washing my hair with baking soda only for a while and it left it really dry. Of course, my hair tends to be dry anyway, but this was worse.

[Poot]

Nay for me but I do add it to my bath water and it makes my skin nice and soft :)

[Scarlet_Heart]

I have a question for you ladies who have had success with baking soda. I stick with mostly a vinegar rinse only routine, and I used baking soda recently before the rinse and conditioner after. I left it in a braided bun all day, then a braid that night. The top of my head felt soft and clean and wonderful, but my length was terrible! It was very sticky and difficult to comb through - the kind of texture I had when I first stopped using shampoo. I never expected that texture to come back, but it did. It's gone now, after I did another vinegar rinse a day later - and now my hair feels soft and clean - but what went wrong?

In my experience, it's all about the solution you use. It's great to clarify but you really don't need to use a lot. I use a condiment bottle (I'll guess it holds around 15 oz) and I put maybe 2 tablespoons of baking soda in and the rest water. The water shouldn't even really look cloudy. If your solution has too much baking soda you'll end up dried out and maybe even get some breakage. HTH

[cosmic crusader]

For me, negative. I probably used it incorrectly, but it left my hair feeling tangled and straw-like. it worked a little TOO well *cackle* Even with moisture treatments, it took me a month to get my hair back to normal.

[Flittingsis]

it is a tentative yay for me. I use less than a tsp in 16 oz of water and that is PLENTY. I use it only as a last resort and follow up with a lemon juice rinse and aloe vera gel leave-in rinse. I want to find something else, tho. fethenwen I am seriously curious about the clay that you mentioned. I've never heard of using it. Made me think of using a cornstarch mixture. Any thoughts on that?

[cmg]

I left it in a braided bun all day, then a braid that night.

but what went wrong?

You left the BS in the bun for that long? Well then that is your answer. You let the BS loosen the outer structure of your hair, exactly what happens in a regular perm. Count yourself lucky, it didnt damage your hair for long.

I use BS myself regularly, every other month or so or whenever needed. I dont really use cones in my products, but my hair is very fine and shows signs of buildup very quickly. After the BS it gets very shiny and fluffy (which I like). I usually make up a paste in my hand with water and rub it on the scalp. The lengths get some of it while rinsing it off. I never let it sit or rub much of it on the lengths. Then I follow up with a sour rinse like squeezed lime or lemon. I dont like the smell of ACV or other vinegars. The ends get some more attention after the wash with oils and/or condish. My hair is very easily damaged by anything, but the BS washes dont seem to add more damage. Shampoo does give me noticeable damage after a few applications, especially at the "outer layers" and I therefore much rather use BS for clarifying.

CMG

[Teleah]

i tried but had such awful resulst. dry, frizzy knotted hair. i had to aply a cone conditioner several times just to bring it back to a decent state. when i did it i used a teaspoon in a 250ml cup, poured it onto my scalp, massaged and rinsed with warm water. YIKES. one of the worst things i could do to my hair. even after the conditioning my hair stayed frizzy for days after.

[Wildcat Diva]

I used it for a few weeks lastyear in Spring (2012), at the same time I quit sulfates, only twice a week for about six weeks, before I found LHC. I don't think I got any long lasting damage from it, but I don't think I'll dare try it again.

[Leeloo]

Nay for me, too harsh.

[emilia83]

I use BS myself regularly, every other month or so or whenever needed. I dont really use cones in my products, but my hair is very fine and shows signs of buildup very quickly. After the BS it gets very shiny and fluffy (which I like). I usually make up a paste in my hand with water and rub it on the scalp.
CMG

I'm going to try this! I'm still experimenting and I think I've been using too much BS, it makes my hair feel straw-like the first couple days after I clarify. I've also been dissolving it in baby shampoo, which is probably overkill. BS only on the roots seems like it might be better.

I tried BS/ACV for washes a year or so ago and my hair stayed straw-like the whole time, until I caved and used cones again. I need something else to keep the moisture in.

[cmg]

i tried but had such awful resulst. dry, frizzy knotted hair. i had to aply a cone conditioner several times just to bring it back to a decent state. when i did it i used a teaspoon in a 250ml cup, poured it onto my scalp, massaged and rinsed with warm water. YIKES. one of the worst things i could do to my hair. even after the conditioning my hair stayed frizzy for days after.

Welcome to the LHC, Teleah!

I supect the worst you could do to your hair was done BEFORE you used the BS. Otherwise the stripping of products would not have revealed hair in such a bad state. Cones are only cosmetics for the surface. It took me nearly three years to get away from that state and I dont have to use cones at all anymore. What you use is a matter of preference and convenience. Perhaps you can look for a shampoo-condish combination that is less damaging for you and let the natural quality of your hair become improved underneath all the coating. Read around some in this forum, there are tons of great hair advice for you to tap into!

/ CMG

[cmg]

@emilia83: If your hair shows signs of damage from the BS, it might be to harsh for you at present state. Have you considered doing conefree CO-wash or the oil+shampoo method? Some people get good results from diluting the shampoo with oil. This might give your hair some rest from the need for clarifying for some time. You could also try mixing the BS with a blob of condish (while washing) instead of water. The dilution of the pH-level from The BS will lessen the shock to the hair, because the condish has ph-balancing ingredients. Water is just water.

/ CMG

[10000days]

I say yay. It removes product build up and restores the softness of my ends (in my experience, any product can build up in your hair over time).

I mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a little warm water in a bowl, then add a bit of my usual shampoo to that mixture and gently run my fingers over my scalp and lengths (especially the ends) like I would if I were shampooing normally. Rinse. Condition. ACV rinse. Light oiling.

I only do this when my ends start to get coarse, knotted and lose their silky softness (usually at the point where I start to get exasperated over my hair then remember this routine!). So I probably do this three times a year in total.

[mary*rose]

You left the BS in the bun for that long? Well then that is your answer. You let the BS loosen the outer structure of your hair, exactly what happens in a regular perm. Count yourself lucky, it didnt damage your hair for long.CMG

Nonononono! Haha you misunderstand. I rinsed it all out, then used vinegar and conditioner. But thanks for the tips :)

[MadameV]

I won't say yea or nay, as it clearly doesn't work for some people, but for me it's worked wonders. I moved to a very dry climate (southern Colorado) about seven years ago and have struggled with dryness ever since. It was a weird dryness, though; it would be dry in spots, but if I went more than two days without washing the whole front half of my head would become an oil factory. I used to have a patch on the crown of my head that was so dry it hurt, and no amount of conditioning would get rid of it. I tried BS dissolved in warm water with an ACV rinse fully expecting disaster, as I'd read that it can take up to six weeks for your scalp to adjust to even if it works for you, but it worked really, really well for me. Dry patch gone, soft hair, zero adjustment time. Worked great for me.

I do every two to three days, though I've been trying to stretch it longer. 1T baking soda (which suddenly seems like a hell of a lot after reading everyone else's routines, but it was what was suggested to me when I started and it hasn't hurt me yet) in 12-16oz of water, so it's well dissolved. I use about 3/4 on my scalp, then stick the length of my hair in the cup, swirl it around a little bit, squeeze it out, dump the rest onto where that dry spot used to be, and then rinse. Same technique with 2T ACV in 2 cups of water. Let it air dry half way, comb it out, then let it finish air drying.

DISCLAIMER(S): 1. I'm new here, and may have bad info from less reputable sources. 2. I've been doing this for only about two months. If my hair bursts into flames, turns into a sea urchin, or stays behind in bed when I get up one morning, I'll be back to update on that.

[DinaAG]

its good for me when it comes to chilating which is once every 2:3 months then followed with vinegar rinse

[White Lavender]

I tried BS mixed with shampoo (followed by conditioner) last weekend and my hair loved it. Made my hair have more slip and dried straighter. It was soft and pretty. Might be because I hadn't clarified for a while. I think I'll use BS once every couple months or so.

[Tootsie]

DISCLAIMER(S): 1. I'm new here, and may have bad info from less reputable sources. 2. I've been doing this for only about two months. If my hair bursts into flames, turns into a sea urchin, or stays behind in bed when I get up one morning, I'll be back to update on that.

LOL, then I hope to never have an update :)

I have been using 1/2 tsp. BS dissolved in 8 oz. distilled water followed by an ACV rinse since December. I usually use Toadstool leave-in and Nightblooming's Panacea at the end. I can now stretch my washes to 7 days and my hair has never looked better. But my hair always looked disastrous and frizzy with 'cones so everyone's hair will react differently.

[alishaxmarie]

I won't say yea or nay, as it clearly doesn't work for some people, but for me it's worked wonders. I moved to a very dry climate (southern Colorado) about seven years ago and have struggled with dryness ever since. It was a weird dryness, though; it would be dry in spots, but if I went more than two days without washing the whole front half of my head would become an oil factory. I used to have a patch on the crown of my head that was so dry it hurt, and no amount of conditioning would get rid of it. I tried BS dissolved in warm water with an ACV rinse fully expecting disaster, as I'd read that it can take up to six weeks for your scalp to adjust to even if it works for you, but it worked really, really well for me. Dry patch gone, soft hair, zero adjustment time. Worked great for me.

I do every two to three days, though I've been trying to stretch it longer. 1T baking soda (which suddenly seems like a hell of a lot after reading everyone else's routines, but it was what was suggested to me when I started and it hasn't hurt me yet) in 12-16oz of water, so it's well dissolved. I use about 3/4 on my scalp, then stick the length of my hair in the cup, swirl it around a little bit, squeeze it out, dump the rest onto where that dry spot used to be, and then rinse. Same technique with 2T ACV in 2 cups of water. Let it air dry half way, comb it out, then let it finish air drying.

DISCLAIMER(S): 1. I'm new here, and may have bad info from less reputable sources. 2. I've been doing this for only about two months. If my hair bursts into flames, turns into a sea urchin, or stays behind in bed when I get up one morning, I'll be back to update on that.

You may have harder water than a lot of the other individuals using the BS/ACV method but I was curious as to if you leave the diluted vinegar in your hair or if you rinse it out before air-drying?

[MadameV]

I rinsed it out, usually with cold water. Eventually I started diluting it in peppermint and chamomile tea before applying it, too.

That being said, I've since moved on from BS/ACV. There seemed to be this weird residual greasiness that built up over the months that I just couldn't get rid of, and I started to miss happy smelly potions. Now I just do sulfate free shampoo with a whole lot of VO5 conditioner. Still trying to stretch those washes, of course.

[girlcat36]

I still say YAY to baking soda!

[Sillage]

Nay for me, I would never put anything that alkaline in my hair.

[hondaconda]

I was trying to find information on using baking soda, because using baking soda to wash my hair for a few months absolutely ruined it. Luckily I was awful at getting full coverage so it's been 5 months since but the damage was so bad its just crawled up the hair. So I've been trying to search and destroy strands a little at time so I don't have to chop all my hair. I have mostly virgin (besides the damage from this and one no peroxide/ammonia semi perm dye like a year ago) hair at shoulder blade length and having to start over would make me so sad.

Does anyone have any experience or know of any one who has recovered their hair from baking soda damage? I don't even know how to approach it because there aren't products directed towards dummies who using a cleaning agent for shampoo lol. I've been using olaplex and that has helped. I assumed it was probably just similar to chemical damage from bleach. Really great to read someone has looked at it under a microscope. Super cool.

[lapushka]

I was trying to find information on using baking soda, because using baking soda to wash my hair for a few months absolutely ruined it. Luckily I was awful at getting full coverage so it's been 5 months since but the damage was so bad its just crawled up the hair. So I've been trying to search and destroy strands a little at time so I don't have to chop all my hair. I have mostly virgin (besides the damage from this and one no peroxide/ammonia semi perm dye like a year ago) hair at shoulder blade length and having to start over would make me so sad.

Does anyone have any experience or know of any one who has recovered their hair from baking soda damage? I don't even know how to approach it because there aren't products directed towards dummies who using a cleaning agent for shampoo lol. I've been using olaplex and that has helped. I assumed it was probably just similar to chemical damage from bleach. Really great to read someone has looked at it under a microscope. Super cool.

Did you heat style (for years) before washing with BS? Do any other "bad stuff" to your hair? Because, normally, BS can't ruin your hair. It can severely dry it out, but it can't damage it infinitely. After that BS wash, yeah, you'll feel it, and maybe a couple washes (if you don't clarify with a good sulfate) you'll feel it, but... It's highly doubtful it's only the BS. I mean I'm not discounting your experience, but usually BS doesn't do that terrible on your hair that it is permanently damaged (splits, white dots, that's not from BS).

[Lady Stardust]

I was trying to find information on using baking soda, because using baking soda to wash my hair for a few months absolutely ruined it. Luckily I was awful at getting full coverage so it's been 5 months since but the damage was so bad its just crawled up the hair. So I've been trying to search and destroy strands a little at time so I don't have to chop all my hair. I have mostly virgin (besides the damage from this and one no peroxide/ammonia semi perm dye like a year ago) hair at shoulder blade length and having to start over would make me so sad.

Does anyone have any experience or know of any one who has recovered their hair from baking soda damage? I don't even know how to approach it because there aren't products directed towards dummies who using a cleaning agent for shampoo lol. I've been using olaplex and that has helped. I assumed it was probably just similar to chemical damage from bleach. Really great to read someone has looked at it under a microscope. Super cool.

Nightshade wrote an article about how baking soda causes damage. The article also provides some tips for gentle hair care.
https://www.nightblooming.com/2018/01/11/healing-hair-damaging-no-poo-baking-soda-washes/

[Rowdy]

I was trying to find information on using baking soda, because using baking soda to wash my hair for a few months absolutely ruined it. Luckily I was awful at getting full coverage so it's been 5 months since but the damage was so bad its just crawled up the hair. So I've been trying to search and destroy strands a little at time so I don't have to chop all my hair. I have mostly virgin (besides the damage from this and one no peroxide/ammonia semi perm dye like a year ago) hair at shoulder blade length and having to start over would make me so sad.

Does anyone have any experience or know of any one who has recovered their hair from baking soda damage? I don't even know how to approach it because there aren't products directed towards dummies who using a cleaning agent for shampoo lol. I've been using olaplex and that has helped. I assumed it was probably just similar to chemical damage from bleach. Really great to read someone has looked at it under a microscope. Super cool.

I think it would be similar to bleach damage (as high alkaline solutions force the cuticle open, I think) so you are probably on the right path using products for bleach damage. You might want to check out some of the longer Olaplex threads, some people have found the longer they leave the Olaplex on the hair the greater the benefit.

[Jane99]

This sounds kindof simplistic but what about a vinegar rinse? Or rather many vinegar rinses?

[lapushka]

I would, personally, do a good clarify-wash, with a sulfate, so say your Pantene's of the world (Suave has gone sulfate-free, I think with their daily clarifying, at least that is what I keep hearing); things like that. Then moisturize the absolute *crap* out of your hair, a nice moisturizing conditioner (usually for dry, damaged hair, as they are the most moisturizing on the market). And if it doesn't do it in 1 go, rinse & repeat when your next wash happens to come along. Meanwhile, I would keep it up & out of the way, and not think about it. Least you want to do now is take any scissors to it (even to S&D/take splits out), no, just: leave it be.

[hondaconda]

Thank you so much for your response! I have recently discovered nightshade and already have many products of hers saved on etsy. Her fire genasi henna is my dream color, but trying to follow those tips and baby it before chasing a color.

[hondaconda]

Thank you so much for your response and help! I am a little giddy over finally posting here even if its about sad hair, lol. I just yesterday broke out my hair sticks and my hair is long enough to use them now! So I will keep it up as much as possible and baby it.

For the clarifying wash, I was also considering doing one of the hard water washes offered by nightshade or mehandi (they are mostly vit c I believe) since I live somewhere with very hard water. Would doing one of these before the other matter? Or is doing both overkill? This pantene shampoo (https://www.cvs.com/shop/generation-beauty-cleanse-reconstruct-silicone-free-shampoo-with-green-tea-9-6-oz-prodid-348861) has the good ole SLS and has citric acid so it may give me the best of both worlds. Would any of those ingredients be problematic?

My hair is virgin except for using this dye (https://www.sallybeauty.com/hair-color/shop-by-type/semi-permanent-hair-color/advanced-gray-solutions-semi-permanent-hair-color/CLAIRL50.html) once. My ends have some leftover from when it was bleached but those parts seem healthier somehow :confused:. https://imgur.com/nZk5tQJ You can see the brighter parts at the bottom are soft but if you look at the right/left side around chin height you'll see the wiry strands. This photo might not be the best example bc i did heatless curls with a soft band so it doesn't show my natural texture well.


At the time of BO wash, I also did vinegar rinses every time, so I'm wondering if the frequent harsh open that was described earlier in this thread when viewing a strand with BO under microscope and the forced close with ACV made the strands super weak? And maybe with that semi perm die and the hard water? I also used nizoral for a while after and was trying to treat sebderm. I also used clay for a month or so.

And shoot I've been doing s&d pretty frequently because I noticed the problem strands are from like two inches down and they've turned very wiry (I'm wondering if it may also be I took a BC pill for a few months and I know hormones can change hair texture?) So half my hair is like a 2a with a few strands wanting to be 2c. But the 2c strands are very brittle. If you look at one you can see parts of the hair are "eaten away." Idk how to describe it but it looks like the close ups of strands that use hair spray, where park of the cuticle gets ripped away. But it's very obvious to even the naked eye and they are rough when you feel them. The kinks aren't curly either it's like right angles lol. So I was trimming the strands that are weird like that and they've been growing back as they're normal 2a, so I assumed it was just the damage. Am I making it worse? With the stick method, I'm more comfortable with it up since it's not pulling so I'll leave it for now. Thank you again so much!

[hondaconda]

This sounds kindof simplistic but what about a vinegar rinse? Or rather many vinegar rinses?

I just realized I needed to do reply with quote, sorry to everyone above!!! Newb things.. :doh: Thank you for the response! I did do vinegar rinses after every BO wash and not knowing what the culprit was has made me a little scared of both

[DropStitches]

In answer to the question in this thread title - definitely ‘nay’ from me, Baking Soda really did a number on my hair! I used it for maybe 6 months, I think around 2010ish, and the result was weird, matte, super fragile hair. I also always did a vinegar rinse afterwards, believing that was ‘neutralising’ the alkalinity in the baking soda…

And I was so pleased with myself at the time for doing something so ‘natural’, and sticking it to the man by not buying commercial hair products!

I second the advice to baby your hair, restore moisture - maybe apply a little oil a few hours before washing, if you’re not already doing that. Good luck!

[lapushka]

Thank you so much for your response and help! I am a little giddy over finally posting here even if its about sad hair, lol. I just yesterday broke out my hair sticks and my hair is long enough to use them now! So I will keep it up as much as possible and baby it.

For the clarifying wash, I was also considering doing one of the hard water washes offered by nightshade or mehandi (they are mostly vit c I believe) since I live somewhere with very hard water. Would doing one of these before the other matter? Or is doing both overkill? This pantene shampoo (https://www.cvs.com/shop/generation-beauty-cleanse-reconstruct-silicone-free-shampoo-with-green-tea-9-6-oz-prodid-348861) has the good ole SLS and has citric acid so it may give me the best of both worlds. Would any of those ingredients be problematic?

My hair is virgin except for using this dye (https://www.sallybeauty.com/hair-color/shop-by-type/semi-permanent-hair-color/advanced-gray-solutions-semi-permanent-hair-color/CLAIRL50.html) once. My ends have some leftover from when it was bleached but those parts seem healthier somehow :confused:. https://imgur.com/nZk5tQJ You can see the brighter parts at the bottom are soft but if you look at the right/left side around chin height you'll see the wiry strands. This photo might not be the best example bc i did heatless curls with a soft band so it doesn't show my natural texture well.


At the time of BO wash, I also did vinegar rinses every time, so I'm wondering if the frequent harsh open that was described earlier in this thread when viewing a strand with BO under microscope and the forced close with ACV made the strands super weak? And maybe with that semi perm die and the hard water? I also used nizoral for a while after and was trying to treat sebderm. I also used clay for a month or so.

And shoot I've been doing s&d pretty frequently because I noticed the problem strands are from like two inches down and they've turned very wiry (I'm wondering if it may also be I took a BC pill for a few months and I know hormones can change hair texture?) So half my hair is like a 2a with a few strands wanting to be 2c. But the 2c strands are very brittle. If you look at one you can see parts of the hair are "eaten away." Idk how to describe it but it looks like the close ups of strands that use hair spray, where park of the cuticle gets ripped away. But it's very obvious to even the naked eye and they are rough when you feel them. The kinks aren't curly either it's like right angles lol. So I was trimming the strands that are weird like that and they've been growing back as they're normal 2a, so I assumed it was just the damage. Am I making it worse? With the stick method, I'm more comfortable with it up since it's not pulling so I'll leave it for now. Thank you again so much!

I can't see the shampoo as it won't let me access it (CVS) from the EU. Could you give me another link, possibly?

[Obsidian]

That shampoo is fine and should be decent at clarifying. I don't think it will chelate though.
If you can find it, joico K pak clarifying does both, I had to order it off amazon.

Baking soda has a high PH so it will eventually eat away at the cuticle and nothing is going to repair that. Protein treatments and cones will be your friend until you can trim away the damage

[hondaconda]

In answer to the question in this thread title - definitely ‘nay’ from me, Baking Soda really did a number on my hair! I used it for maybe 6 months, I think around 2010ish, and the result was weird, matte, super fragile hair. I also always did a vinegar rinse afterwards, believing that was ‘neutralising’ the alkalinity in the baking soda…

And I was so pleased with myself at the time for doing something so ‘natural’, and sticking it to the man by not buying commercial hair products!

I second the advice to baby your hair, restore moisture - maybe apply a little oil a few hours before washing, if you’re not already doing that. Good luck!

Thank you so much! It's comforting to hear a similar story. I do oil and olaplex left in for probably too long prior to showering, but since my cat is my only roommate he doesn't mind :D Those two things and bringing cones back into the picture has helped a lot.


I can't see the shampoo as it won't let me access it (CVS) from the EU. Could you give me another link, possibly?

Yes! sorry about that, its pantene Generation Beauty Cleanse & Reconstruct Silicone Free Shampoo. (Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Histidine, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone)

how long until I should pick up S&D again?



That shampoo is fine and should be decent at clarifying. I don't think it will chelate though.
If you can find it, joico K pak clarifying does both, I had to order it off amazon.

Baking soda has a high PH so it will eventually eat away at the cuticle and nothing is going to repair that. Protein treatments and cones will be your friend until you can trim away the damage

Awesome! I will take a look at that shampoo. After thinking about it more, I think I may get an item for each purpose, just to get perspective on if one of them makes a bigger difference than the other. I've lived with hard water for a long time so im very interested to see what kind of difference it would provide me.

And eating at the cuticle sounds about right for how it looks. It's so weird it's like parts of the hair are just stripped. A single strand can have like 5 different "thickness"es because of it. Bringing cones back into the picture has made a huge difference for sure. Thank you so much!

[lapushka]

Thank you so much! It's comforting to hear a similar story. I do oil and olaplex left in for probably too long prior to showering, but since my cat is my only roommate he doesn't mind :D Those two things and bringing cones back into the picture has helped a lot.



Yes! sorry about that, its pantene Generation Beauty Cleanse & Reconstruct Silicone Free Shampoo. (Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Histidine, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone)

how long until I should pick up S&D again?




Awesome! I will take a look at that shampoo. After thinking about it more, I think I may get an item for each purpose, just to get perspective on if one of them makes a bigger difference than the other. I've lived with hard water for a long time so im very interested to see what kind of difference it would provide me.

And eating at the cuticle sounds about right for how it looks. It's so weird it's like parts of the hair are just stripped. A single strand can have like 5 different "thickness"es because of it. Bringing cones back into the picture has made a huge difference for sure. Thank you so much!

I think that's a winner, the shampoo.

I think best to wait until your hair starts to feel a bit better again, so you don't get trigger happy, just to pace yourself as it were, because right now you want to try and "fix" it all and it's so appealing to just go in there with the scissors, and that's just about a disaster waiting to happen.

[hondaconda]

I think that's a winner, the shampoo.

I think best to wait until your hair starts to feel a bit better again, so you don't get trigger happy, just to pace yourself as it were, because right now you want to try and "fix" it all and it's so appealing to just go in there with the scissors, and that's just about a disaster waiting to happen.

I am so glad I posted here! The LAST thing I would have thought to do is go out and buy a shampoo with SLS thinking it would dry my hair out. I honestly can't remember a time I've ever using a clarifying shampoo, and certainly not in the time the hair I have now has existed. I had used nizoral for a few months too so I thought I had already tried something to "strip".

I tested the shampoo and it seemed fine on some strands, and then used it like 3 times in the shower. I decided to try to be patient and do one thing at a time. So I didn't use anything else, no conditioner, nothing. My hair has not felt this nice in so, so long. It is frizzy sure, but it's light, baby soft (on the not so damaged strands), and my scalp isn't extremely itchy. I'm wondering if my seb derm was just being constantly fed by build up.

I thought because I hadn't used cones in so long, I didn't need to clarify. I'm going to try taking it slow, doing tests, and one change at a time per week to get a better understanding of how my hair responds. Thank you everyone!

[hondaconda]

Circling back here for anyone who may be in this situation in the future. I've done four weeks with just that pantene clarifying shampoo once a week and only MCT oil and aloe vera on the ends and my hair is SO much nicer than when I was being "natural" with BO and when I was being "vigilant" by doing olaplex once a week and using conditioners with two washes a week with no harsh sulfates. Granted I've been going through a greasy period and having to scritch/preen like SO people do. Patience has been really helpful in seeing some progress. I also just used nightblooms chelating rinse. I rinsed my hair in it for like 15 minutes, then rinsed it out with a good amount of distilled water and there is a lot less brassiness, it's softer, and my natural wave is much more pronounced again. Really happy with the progress. Excited to see what another month brings in BO recovery