Spring Cleaning: Hair Edition

Everyone knows that you shouldn’t wash your hair everyday. But what if the problem isn’t how many times you wash it, but what you wash it with?

Even though shampoo seems like a standard beauty product, it actually contains many harsh chemicals and oils that are not good for your hair.  Specifically, shampoo contains many mineral oils, which comes from distilled crude oil (yes, this also goes in your car’s gas tank).

These oils thicken the shampoo, creating a coating over the hair which produces the “shine” that many shampoo commercials advertise. Unfortunately, these oils are not very absorbent, and block the release of natural oils from our scalp, causing buildup.

The result? The more shampoo you use, the more shampoo you need.

Bypass this whole process by using this shampoo alternative, made from common household items.

Instead of a bottle of Pantene, check your refrigerator for some baking soda. A mixture of one tablespoon of baking soda with one cup of water works exactly like shampoo without the harsh chemicals.

Concerned about conditioner? Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of water. Apply the mixture to the bottom half of your hair as you would normal conditioner, let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse. A perfect, all natural conditioner!

If you have naturally oily hair, try using less vinegar in your conditioning mixture, or use lemon juice instead. For dry hair, use less baking soda, or try using honey instead of vinegar.

Within a few weeks, your hair should feel less heavy and oily and more, well… clean.

Photo by Jonathan Hsieh