With a body in sensitivity overload I have gone on a journey over many years trying to live comfortably with myself. It has cost a lot of money (mostly wasted) and the word most often used to lure me from product to product was "hypo-allergenic".
It turns out the cheapest and the simplest method is the one the works best but it takes a long time to break the conditioning in your head from manufacturers that "the more you pay the better the product" and "something only has worth if it costs".
You know I make my own pure unscented tallow soap.
I like the way it leaves my skin feeling.
I also use it to "shampoo" my hair.
One of these bars costs about 7 cents to make.
For "conditioner" I use a vinegar herb hair rinse.
Vinegar rinses leave the hair clean and close the hair cuticle making it shiny and tangle free. It is also good for the scalp. I use apple cider vinegar at a rate of 1/10 to water.
After shampooing I rinse through with vinegar water from an old shampoo bottle using about 1/4-1/2 a cup.
I leave this in and when the hair is dry there is no smell.
There are herbs that you can easily add for other hair benefits.
The one I am using above is a rosemary hair rinse.
Using about 6-7 pieces of rosemary (about 20cm long....a good handfull!!?) put it in a large jug and pour on about 1 1/2 - 2L of boiling water and when cool (overnight) pluck out the herbs and refrigerate.
I have several saved shampoo bottles that I mix up the solution into and keep them in the fridge. Our bathroom is on the south side and this IS Tasmania....it's ALWAYS cool. So I have no problem keeping a bottle at a time on the shelf in the shower. The bottle will last about 4-5 rinses and then I just get another one.
Here is a great site to go to if you would like more information about vinegar herb hair rinses.
I could as easily use; Marigold, Camomile, Nettle, Peppermint or Calendula to name a few that are free from my garden and probably yours too, or easily foraged in the neighbourhood.
The cost is about 20 cents for a months supply.
So I can wash my hair, remedy scalp/hair conditions, be truly hypo-allergenic, earth friendly...
all for less than 30 cents a month.
Don't just take my word for it, try it.
All you have to loose is about 20c.
I've used this method .. and it does take a little while for the transition .. but it does work. I've even used baking soda with the soap as a scalp scrub .. just rinse well before adding the vinegar or a science experiment will fizz all over the place. Just this week I dabbed a little 'glossing' product to make my silver hair shine .. and as soon as my hair brushed my cheeks .. I got hives ..
ReplyDeleteRetraining our mindsets about cost and quality is tricky in this commercial world. Do you watch friend transfer on abc? Their show on shampoo exposed me as total victim. Love your hair rinse idea. Especially rosemary. Love love love the smell of rosemary.
ReplyDeleteWith my thyroid issue I donate enough hair to the garbage as it is and with the tangles that so easily form, I NEED a creme rinse.
ReplyDeleteI've used natural shampoos and find the vinegar works great since it makes sure to get all the soap film out. It is no substitute for a creme rinse though. Do you have any inexpensive home-made solutions.
This is a great post, and one that will get me motivated to finally give up commercial hair products. I can already feel the rosemary water streaming through my hair.
ReplyDeleteI've also read about using baking soda as a shampoo, but then I also read that if you have high blood pressure you shouldn't use the baking soda b/c it's a salt. My guess is that if you use it less than daily, and rinse it out thoroughly you can't absorb that much salt.
I use baking soda and salt as a toothpaste a couple of times a week, along with regular daily fluoride toothpaste. I have blind faith that baking soda is mildly antibacterial and generally healthful. And the salt helps make it a whitening product too. I don't have gum problems and I get OKs from a dentist every couple of years, but that doesn't prove much. Still I'm not giving it up!
Thanks for the recipe, I have just started to use my first batch of soap and I LOVE it! I was wondering if it was possible to use in my hair? I might try it followed by a nice Vinegar rinse... :) I'm starting to keep old shampoo& conditioner bottles now so I can refill them with a more natural homemade solution, I don't think the kids won't go for it so I'm gunna trick em! :)
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