I have to say, I'm always looking for ways to save a buck. While I'm by no means a tightwad, I tend to seek out ways to help my family save money here and there without feeling like I've put a complete lock on the purse strings. If you take a look at the blogs I follow, you'll notice a lot of them have to do with money saving, stretching your budget, etc. If you haven't checked out some of these blogs, please do so! (One caveat, though...you may find yourself addicted to some of them!)
On a completely different (though, as you'll see soon, related) note, I have always had tremendous difficulty with my hair. I have extremely thick, yet rather fine, hair. It takes forever to dry, tangles like nobody's business, and falls out in amounts significant enough for me to sometimes think I could supply a bald man with a toupee. If I wash it every day, it gets extremely dry. If I wash it every other day, it's like GreaseFest 2010 on my scalp. If I use conditioner, the grease is worse. If I don't, it's so frizzy and tangled that I look like I might be related to Albert Einstein. It's too wavy to lay right if it dries naturally, yet not wavy enough to let it air dry and go curly.
I've heard more and more people singing the praises of going "no poo." These individuals seek alternative methods of cleaning their hair, allowing the hair's natural oils to help condition and nourish the hair. Supposedly, hair maintained in this manner turns out softer and more manageable. I've long been intrigued by this concept, but I've had major reservations. After doing quite a bit (read: way more than necessary) research online, I decided to give it a shot. Tonight was my first night of going the poo-free route.
Instead of using shampoo, I took one tablespoon of baking soda and mixed it with one tablespoon of water. I massaged the mixture into my scalp, giving it a good scrub, then rinsed it out thoroughly. I then took two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, mixed that with two cups of water, and poured that concoction on my hair. I worked it through, then rinsed VERY well. (On a side note, I've always associated the smell of vinegar with cleaning coffee pots, since that's about the only reason my grandma would ever break out the vinegar...took me right back to my childhood, and quite frankly made me a little apprehensive about pouring the vinegar on my hair, but I went for it). I decided to use apple cider vinegar, as suggested on a number of sites that recommend the "no poo" way of life. It's less strong than the white vinegar, so I figured it might rinse out a little better.
You should have seen the look on my husband's face when I told him what I planned to do with the baking soda and vinegar I brought home from the store tonight. After telling me he was sure my hair was going to smell disgusting, he sort of shrugged and said, "Go for it." (By the way, he insisted on smelling my hair after I got out of the shower, and he said it didn't smell bad...Momma D, FTW!)
After one treatment, I can already tell that my hair is softer and sleeker, and it's taking it a lot less time to air-dry than it usually does. I guess we'll see how it looks in a few days. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Not that I spent a fortune on shampoo (because, to be honest, we're cheapskates and tend to go the Suave route), but this is extremely inexpensive. If it works for my hair, all the better!
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