I have been going "no poo" with the baking soda and ACV method for almost four years and I have had great results with it. I decided to start because I found my scalp and hair would get overly greasy and I could not go more than 24 hours after a shampoo without my hair being very stringy and I had heard that the baking soda and ACV method helped with that. The adjustment period is inconvenient (that's the best word I can think of to describe it) so expect to have a lot of pony tail days during that time lol. During my adjustment period my hair would flip flop between very greasy and very dry as well as a lot of dead skin cells flaking off, the adjustment period for me lasted about 4 weeks.
The results I saw and continue to enjoy are that my hair is much less oily without being dry and I don't need to wash my hair as often as before, I can usually go 2-3 days between washes and on those days I either just rinse it with water. I also noticed an increase in hair growth after about 5 months or so which I was not expecting but was an amazing perk because my hair thinned out a lot after I had my child, my hair is now a lot thicker than it was before I went "no poo". I also noticed a change in texture, my hair had been very pin straight which I did not like and after I started baking soda and ACV my hair had more of a wave and more body. I have heard that some people notice a slight change in color as well but I did not see any change in my hair. Also if you dye your hair the color will usually last longer/ look fresher when using baking soda and ACV as opposed to conventional shampoo. Bonus: my shower drains better / clogs less without sticky conditioner going down the drains all the time.
Some tips:
-I use squeeze bottles for the mixtures (like those red ketchup bottles at restaurants) I read a lot of how to's which used spray bottles but I had trouble with the baking soda mixture clogging the spray, I bought clear squeeze bottles which I love because once you figure out your ratios you can mark levels for each ingredient on the side using sharpie markers so its easier to refill your bottles.
-To get the ingredient ratios right you have to tinker usually I started with one tablespoon to once cup of water and that was too much for my hair and scalp so I decreased the amount of baking soda by a small amount each was until I was happy with the look and texture of my hair when dry and then I stuck with that ratio.
-I used to use vanilla extract to scent my solutions but I didn't like the idea of the added alcohol in the extract so I bought vanilla pod powder which is what I use now. Sometimes (usually during the holidays
) I put cinnamon sticks in each bottle to scent the solutions and a lot of people use essential oils as well I don't mainly because when I started I did not own any and now I am happy with the solution I use (if it's not broken don't fix it) Well hopefully that was not too long and even possibly helpful to someone
If anyone has any questions from me please feel free to ask
