We’re all aware of some of the awesome powers of baking soda combined with vinegar. It bubbles, it unclogs sinks, and years ago when I became pregnant I replaced all my highly toxic pre-made household cleaners with home-made baking soda scrub and vinegar spray. I felt much safer knowing myself and my new infant weren’t ingesting dangerous chemicals off the kitchen table or (in baby’s case) off the floors. But nothing had not quite prepared me for the No ‘Poo revolution.
What is No Poo?
For folks who aren’t familiar with the idea of No ‘Poo, it’s a haircare regimen that involves washing and conditioning your hair without any harsh chemicals. The cheapest, easiest way to do this is with our old friends baking soda and vinegar.
Why do I love No ‘Poo? Well, aside from the obvious fun of saying it, there are 3 reasons.
- IT’S CHEAP! A box of baking soda costs me less than a dollar, if I buy in bulk it costs even less. Apple Cider Vinegar is around 2 dollars for a small bottle, again bulk is the better bargain. These last me about a month for general household cleaning AND my family’s locks. I even use the baking soda as face wash and the vinegar as toner (a little goes a long way!). For parents, having items that can multipurpose is a must, and the more affordable it is to have and raise children the better.
- IT’S SAFE! Baking soda and vinegar have been around for hundreds of years. They’ve been tried and tested far longer than any beauty product on the market today. Not only are they better for Mother Nature, but they lack irritating chemicals, like sodium lauryl sulfate. Last February CBC ran a documentary entitled The Disappearing Male that claimed our use of synthetics was effecting the male reproductive system and “may be starting to damage the most basic building blocks of human development”. And last but not least…
- LESS MONEY FOR BIG PHARMA. Oh yes, Johnson & Johnson make a lot of money on baby shampoo, and they make even more money with their reproductive control products (offered at any Planned Parenthood). For every $10 face wash, shampoo or conditioner I don’t purchase, it’s less money in their pot. And thankfully, with the dream team of baking soda and vinegar, this doesn’t mean I have to live in smelly protest. No ‘Poo for Life anyone?
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Sorry to disapoint you, but there’s a reason shampoo uses sodium lauryl/laureth* sulphate. It’s one really effective degreaser. It’ll make your hair smooth and silky – and it does that because shampoo manufacturers put a lot of time and money into optimising their forumlas to be both effective and marketable. SLS is just the best chemical for the job, and those safety concerns hugely overblown.
The ethanoic acid/sodium bicarbonate mix you suggest can be an effective cleaner too, but it’s just not going to be as good. If it was, why would we be using anything else? It’s also got one serious flaw, which I imagine you will soon discover: It stinks. A lot. I suggest you go with white vinegar – it’ll still smell, but not so much as brown would.
Other than that, just remember to mix it immediatly before use. It’s shelf life is about a minute, so you have to make it as you need it. Ideally in situ, on your head.
Oh, and don’t get it in your eyes. It won’t harm you, but it’ll sting nastily. Just like normal shampoo on that one.
“Do any of you guys do the No Poo thing? The woman I met mentioned that she buys a pre-mixed solution online. ”
Hmm… a pre-mixed hair cleaner… that sounds terribly familiar as a concept.
*They are chemically distinct but similar, and both used in cleaning products.
I’ll be dashed. Suricou, I agree with you!!! I have tried that mixture to clear out a kitchen drain clog and I have seen the way it, ah, bubbles up (never mind what it smelled like). NO WAY I’m using that on my hair! Yeesh.
While it’s true that SLS isn’t particularly harmful, it does strip too much oil from hair (especially when one washes daily), causing oil glands to become overactive and produce even more oil than they would otherwise. It is not terribly difficult to find shampoos that don’t contain SLS, I use one that is only about $6.00 and my hair still gets clean and smells good. Sure it’s hippie organic/vegan and stuff, but it makes my hair happy.
Well look at that. It’s a beautiful moment. You can be a pro-life woman and support organic shampoo, or not. Afraid I’m with Brigitte, but I do not mind, Jennifer and Deborah, your enviro ways. I’ve been known to be very organic indeed on week long canoe trips, which involved not shampooing with anything at all. Good times. But that was a long time ago, and these days I’m not sure I could do that.
Now let’s not go overboard here. I think one might say I support having pretty hair more than support organic shampoo. It’s only a coincidence that the hippie brand (both shampoo and conditioner, called “Live Clean”) doesn’t contain the few ingredients I try to avoid that are unkind to hair.