we have made the switch. and we're sticking with it for now. i'm talking about the no poo phenomenon. here is the deal: shampoo is water and baking soda, conditioner is water and cider vinegar. that's it. i let my hair get nice and dirty (sorry to the people i work for) and then i tried it out. and it worked! my hair was clean! it's also important to note that my hair is almost to my waist. not using actual conditioner was a bit frightening, but i was able to brush it out in the end just fine. the more we use this method, the more i love it. the kids have gotten used to it. that is the extent of their feelings on the matter. which is much better than the initial shock of that vinegar smell. priceless reactions. i guess i should have warned them, but then, where's the fun in that?::
indy and ellie both have long locks, and look how smooth! i'm not going to tell you that brushing your hair after your shower will feel as silky and divine as when you use conditioner, but it does feel smooth to some extent. and brushable, which is important when dealing with long, wet hair. especially when that long, wet hair belongs to a four-year-old. i would describe it as a different kind of clean. i don't think i'm selling the no poo here. we really do like it and it works. which is the main point. not to mention the peace of mind that comes from our not dumping any weird chemicals onto our hair and subsequently rubbing them into our scalps. i will stick with the vinegar conditioner until i find a recipe for a creamier one that works and that we can make at home. until then i will say to the teachers and staff involved, "yes, my children smell slightly of salad dressing. you're not imagining it".
in case you want to try no poo too:
the recipe is 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water and then 1-2 tablespoons of cider vinegar to 1 cup of water. i had those squeeze bottles hanging around and they each hold just under two cups of water. so for the shampoo i add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and fill. for the rinse, i use 4 tablespoons of vinegar and fill. this one batch will do both of the girls. i use a full batch for myself. squirt baking soda solution onto very wet hair and massage in. leave it in for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly. squirt on the vinegar rinse and leave in for a minute, or not. rinse thoroughly here too. unless you like smelling like a nice vinaigrette every time you break a sweat. to each his own!
ps - the vinegar restores the ph balance of your hair. i've heard that some people don't use it every time. they must have very short hair. i'm not taking any chances.
