2 questions: Alt ACV and No-poo

[Rilig]

I don't want to crowd up the page with two separate threads, plus they are related, so I put both questions into one.

First question: I recently started using baking soda to wash my hair. It's fantastic and makes my hair so curly and voluminous! I love what my hair looks like after washing, but the curl dissolves when I have to comb it every day and doesn't come back after I wet my hair.
So, now that I don't use shampoo, do I really have to wash my hair only once a week?

Second question: When I had dreadlocks last year, I tried the BS and ACV method of washing, but ultimately stopped because the BS was hard to rinse out and left a residue. During that time, my sister hated the smell of the ACV that lingered in my wet hair and in the bathroom.
Does anyone know of an alternative to ACV that conditions hair but doesn't smell?

Cheers!

[Yosha]

Maybe you could only fingercomb instead of using a comb. And misting and then plop your hair in a t-shirt, you could try that.

Instead of ACV you can use white vinegar, I find that less smelly. Or even put a little in a glass jar and add a few lavender flowers, put the lid back on and leave that for a few days. The vinegar will take up some lavender smell.

Good luck:)

[Siiri]

You could use a lemon rinse or a citric acid rinse to replace the vinegar rinse. The sugar in lemon rinse is supposed to give better curl formation. Citric acid rinse is completely odourless.

If you use a very dilute baking soda rinse, I suppose you could use it more than once a week. Even if you used shampoo, you could wash it more than once a week, there's no general rules for that. But I doubt baking soda is much gentler than a typical shampoo, some people find the baking soda dries out their hair a lot. I have only used it once to clarify my hair.

[spidermom]

Baking soda can really dry out your hair, so be careful; pay attention. Curly hair tends to be dry anyway, I've heard.

[heidi w.]

Baking Soda is extremely harsh, and I ONLY ever advocate its use when "clarifying" the hair. You are, essentially, every time you're washing your hair with this once a week, clarifying your hair. There are MUCH better choices to make.

Baking Soda is very drying, strips the hair of its natural oils and whatnot, and in time will lead to possible issues with your hair. It may turn a bit funny behaving, possibly lack softness after a while, perhaps dull in shine a little bit.

I would recommend instead that you find a low- or no-poo shampoo, that is a shampoo without sulfates. You did not share what kind of hair type you have, such as what level of curl you have.

You could consider, if you have anything wavy or curly which you claim to possess, Conditioner Only washing.

ACV is a rinse to most importantly reset the pH balance of one's scalp skin. Then it can also (any vinegar rinse can do this, and if you're a light colored head of hair, I would advocate using Distilled White Vinegar) remove product in that hair wash that is accidentally not rinsed out for some reason, and can contribute to shine. It can remove hard water minerals deposited on hair in that hair wash, only.

If you dislike the aroma that ACV sometimes has or any vinegar has you can consider instead using lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar. The ratios for dilution is much the same. I recommend lemon or lime for lighter colored hair because ACV can, when used over a long time, impart a slight reddish hue in the hair. This takes a while to occur, but it can occur over an extended period of time of use.

ACV has apple pulp in it, and apple is said to have malic acid in it which is beneficial to scalp skin.

Indeed, some people use ACV rinse (diluted) on the entire body and to manage issues associated with body odor.

Devashon Salon is an online store where you can find low- and no-poo shampoos (which means often low- to no sulfates in the shampoo) intended for use on curly hair. It is run by Lorraine Massey who is a stylist specializing in assisting curly haired folks. She herself is extremely curly and has not only a shampoo line for these hair types, but also has contributed mightily to the technique for cutting curly hair. First rule, cut such hair dry, not wet.

Additionally, you did not mention if you condition your hair. I hope you do, at least the length. If you have a scalp skin condition it may not be adviseable to apply anything, including condition to the scalp skin, and Lorraine Massey says that those with mere body or wave should only CO (Conditioner Only wash) the length, and not the scalp related hair.

I hope this is of help to you,
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Maybe you could only fingercomb instead of using a comb. And misting and then plop your hair in a t-shirt, you could try that.

Instead of ACV you can use white vinegar, I find that less smelly. Or even put a little in a glass jar and add a few lavender flowers, put the lid back on and leave that for a few days. The vinegar will take up some lavender smell.

Good luck:)

If you're interested in home made recipes for hair care, check out the book Naturally Healthy Hair. There's loads of recipes in the middle of that book; it's almost all recipes. The opening sections cover information on how hair grows and things to know, and the last chapter covers styling information. Here is a link so you can see what the cover looks like. It's hardly ever on bookstore shelves; it MAY be on library shelves. But one, if they want to own this book, typically need to order it from a store.

http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Healthy-Hair-Treatments-Fabulous/dp/158017129X
by Mary Beth Janssen

heidi w.

[caadam]

Agreeing with heidi w. and spidermom here. BS is very drying. I've been telling people it's like using a SUPER DUPER clarifying product. lol It strips every thing off, and if your hair is dyed, it'll strip dye out, too.

Also, what I learned recently is that it'll screw up the acid mantle of your scalp, which makes you susceptible to fungal infections. So BS=Not good for regular use, even just once a week.

Try SLS-free shampoos, OR you could always try CO washing (conditioner only). I've seen that CO washing can be beneficial for people with curls, so just a thought. :D

Also, how much are you diluting your ACV rinse? That could be an important factor when it comes to smell. What really works for me is to do 2-3 cap fulls of ACV in a big mixing bowl of lukewarm water, then I pour that on my hair with a cup. I get no smell that way, and still get the benefits of ACV. I used to have bad smell experiences with ACV, too.

And like others have said, lemon juice can be an option (which I wanna try at some point).

[serin blackwood]

I've been using an egg wash and If I need a bit more clensing power (like to get out a deep oiling) I add a PINCH of BS to the mix, and I then also add sugarless applesauce as well, it brings the ph down. All this plus an acv rinse, and then mineral oil on damp hair as my "conditioner".
So if you really want to stay no poo and not use commercial products, this is one option. I wouldn't use baking soda on a regular basis, as others have stated.

[Rilig]

Wow, I never realized how drying BS is. My hair is really soft now, but problems will most likely occur, given my hair history. I've only done this twice so far, but didn't condition either time, to see the effects.
Based on the info you guys are giving, I'm thinking of doing tea rinses every few days, maybe with coconut oil for moisture, and then doing BS when it gets too oily, maybe every 1.5-2 weeks, we'll see.

ETA: To clarify, by 'tea rinses' I mean more like tea washes to remove sebum.

[caadam]

If you can, eventually, stretch out those BS washes even MORE. Like, every couple to a few months if you can. It'll be worth it, and it'll allow your own scalp and hair to take care of itself more efficiently. :flower:

[Yosha]

If you're interested in home made recipes for hair care, check out the book Naturally Healthy Hair. There's loads of recipes in the middle of that book; it's almost all recipes. The opening sections cover information on how hair grows and things to know, and the last chapter covers styling information. Here is a link so you can see what the cover looks like. It's hardly ever on bookstore shelves; it MAY be on library shelves. But one, if they want to own this book, typically need to order it from a store.

http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Healthy-Hair-Treatments-Fabulous/dp/158017129X
by Mary Beth Janssen

heidi w.

Sorry I only saw your reply so late. Thank you very much for the recommendation of the book Heidi, yes, I am very interested in home made recipes :D