Hair Experiment...

Tuesday wasn't exactly joyful or celebratory in any way. I worked like a maniac again, trying to get everything ready for the boot campers to leave and trying to fix all the mistakes I've made along the last two or three weeks (apparently it takes about that long for most mistakes to get brought to my attention. From now on, I'm not breathing easy for a month after making big decisions).

I did start something new, though, and I plan on keeping everyone updated on how it goes. I washed my hair with a homemade solution instead of shampoo. I read online about how bad shampoo can be for your hair and your scalp, and tons of people apparently do this no-shampoo thing (they call it no-poo, but I think that sounds gross. What are you doing? Stocking up on cheese? That's not healthy!). So, for no reason beyond curiosity and a hope for a cheaper way of life, I bought the materials and gave it a shot.

As I'm writing this I'm on day two. My hair doesn't feel greasy or nasty, but maybe a little heavier than usual and I'm definitely losing tons of hair in the shower (omg, locks of love anyone? Anyone making a homemade doll?). But they say that there is often a transitional period for hair to get adjusted to the difference, and since I don't have any formal occasions, weddings, or hot dates on the horizon, I figure I'll wait it out for awhile to see what happens. My hair is naturally thick and wavy, greasy roots, dry scalp, and frayed ends. I figure it can't get much worse, right? I'll definitely keep everyone updated on how it goes.

For those who are interested, I'm using a 3 to 1 combo of water and baking soda first on a dry scalp, scrubbing it in a lot, then letting it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing it out. Then I'm dousing my hair with a 4 to 1 mixture of water and vinegar, (combined with a cinnamon stick and a little vanilla extract to cut the vinegar smell), then rinsing that out too. It's pretty cheap, but I am looking for bigger bottles to put the stuff in. Right now I'm using travel-sized shampoo bottles, which work fine, but don't hold much. I'd like to not have to make the mixtures every 2 or 3 days.

If you've ever done this and have any suggestions or lessons learned, I'd love to hear your input.

My hair a year ago in the awkward i'mgrowingitoutbutit'satafunnylentghandi'minmexicowithnoblowdryerorstraightener phase - yikes! Not much of a place to go but up, right?