She tried, is all I can say.

She’s matched from head to toe (the front shot was priceless).

I also tried to get a clear picture but mofos like that one kept getting in the DAMN WAY!

I’ve been trying out this no shampoo alternative (baking soda and apple cider vinegar), my hair has (so far) shown promise because I seem to be losing less hair, and even BF has noticed that it has gotten extremely shiny, like black silk.

VERDICT

Numbers look great, and I promised I’d go until the end of March but I’ll tell ya, I don’t think I can make it.

In fact, I can’t.

It is not because I don’t like the feeling or think it feels weird when it doesn’t lather.

See, I have tried it for about 5 times now in a row, and I’m noticing a slight bit of dandruff starting which I am not a huge fan of.

It’s a couple of small flakes, nothing like what I’ve seen on others who are trying the same thing, but it’s enough to irritate me.

I could brush it out, it’s not a big deal but it’s a sign that my hair is not happy with what’s happening up there.

I don’t think this method is working because the baking soda is drying out my scalp and the apple cider vinegar is giving it a great shine but I want to keep its usage to once a month or so, not every 2 days since it is corrosive and hair is a fragile protein.

So, last night I tried washing with the normal chemical shampoos I’ve been using prior to switching and I literally gagged. (Physique if you are wondering what brand).

The smell is really, REALLY disconcerting and it made me dizzy.

I’d rather have the smell of the acrid apple cider vinegar ANY DAY.

I felt dizzy, sick and even though my hair felt soft, luxurious and healthy while drying, I don’t feel good at all.

I also lost a larger chunk of hair which scared me.

Maybe it was hair about to fall off (all hair is dead protein by the way) that was just sticking to my head for no reason, clogging up the drain, but it didn’t make me feel any better to scoop a chunk out when I am not used to it ever since switching to baking soda and ACV.

Maybe it’s all placebo, I’m turning into some weird urban hippie yuppie that you don’t recognize but I am literally done with chemicals and I am glad I went on this new change.

SO NOW WHAT?

I researched into what went into the shampoo and about 5 of the unpronounceable ingredients were potential carcinogens, hormone irritants and so on.

I just don’t feel comfortable using that shampoo or any other chemical shampoo for that matter, any longer.

I know you’ve all told me that Aveda, Lush and all of those other so-called vegan and eco-friendly companies are doing great things, but I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s a load of bullsh*t marketing crock to sell their “good for you and the world” goods.

I read their ingredients list, and Aveda and Lush both HAVE TO USE Sodium Laurel Sulfate (either in its pure form, or in some sort of variation that says “Sodium ____ Sulfate”), and they all use Dimethicone and all of the other kind of seriously nasty chemicals that are found in basic shampoos.

Short list of things that I am cutting out:
Sodium Laurel Sulfate or any of its incarnations listed here:

• Sodium Coco-Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
• Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
• Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
• TEA Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate
• Magnesium Sulfate
• Sodium Thiosulfate
• Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
• Alkyl Sodium Sulfate
• Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate
• Sodium C12-15 Alkyl Sulfate

TEA-Dodecylbenzene (?)
Dyes
Fragrances
EDTA (eliminates soap scum but is carcinogenic.)
SD Alcohol (drying & is a small amount of poison)
Parabens (thought to be carcinogenic)
DMDM Hydantoin (Used to preserve dead people. Not a bad thing since it IS a preservative but it’s kind of creepy.)
Phthalates (thought to screw with your hormones)

The only possible alternatives for FB moving on:

Going back to regular shampoos but using VERY LITTLE

Doable? I don’t know. Maybe I could just use a very little bit, dilute it and it’ll be okay? Nah. Not very eco-friendly..

Buying from eco-friendly stores

I checked a site called NaturOli (because they sold soap nuts) their products, they don’t use any SLS or any of those nasty chemicals, but I don’t like how many natural oils and ingredients they are using even if they are “natural” or “organic” — are they really all that necessary?

I don’t think so. So I’m not entirely sold on them yet.

I just want clean hair! That doesn’t make me gag. Or hurt fish in the oceans that I like to eat.

Figure out how to use these “SOAP NUTS”

They’re made by Maggie’s? Called “SOAP NUTS” that is “Nature’s natural saponin”, or soaping agent. So far, they look promising but they aren’t in any hand soaps or shampoos.

If you are looking for a good detergent alternative for your dishwasher, general cleaner and washing machine, give ‘em a shot. I use baking soda for everything, and I just clean my clothes with warm to hot water, which seems to get the clothes perfectly clean without detergents (no feces = no need for soap, remember?!)

• Maggie’s Soap Nuts
• NaturOli (sells ‘em too)

Going back to Baking Soda & ACV

So what? It’s a bit of dandruff. I’ll brush it out, and remind myself to stop touching my head to cause more flakes.

Buying vegetable soaps and using that as shampoo or looking into environmentally and human friendly products

I did more research, and apparently there’s a non-profit site out there I am feeling the urge to donate to, called Cosmetics Database.com. It ranks all of your products (after you do a little search) and tells you about its toxicity.

I want to repeat that Lush is NOT a good brand if you are looking to cut out toxins and to help the environment, even though their marketing makes them seem as such.

I just recently bought a Kiss My Face Olive Oil & Honey bar, and the only thing that was toxic or a known irritant in there was the Fragrance, which isn’t bad at all.

And it has Saponified Olive Oil (which is a mix of Sodium Hydroxide or Lye and Olive Oil, which is not as harsh as the old predecessors of Lye Soaps that were mixed incorrectly), along with some honey, and fragrance.

In the end, I found a store that seems to have a great 0 rating on all of their products (0 being the best because it means NO toxicity), called Nurturemybody. They have a store in NYC, so I am heading there in April to drag BF along to check it out and maybe buy some samples to test before I order the whole hog.

It ain’t cheap though, it’s around $20 USD for a shampoo, but I figure if I use less of it, and if it makes me feel healthier, I am going to shell out for it. I have since thrown out my shampoo, old soap and conditioner.

My motto will be: The less ingredients the better. If I see a list being too long (even if it’s all organic stuff), I won’t be keen on trying it or buying it. I just want clean hair.

So I tried the organic soap thing to wash my hair and I hate it.

It really strips my hair, I hate the dry feeling and it is WORSE than using baking soda (is that possible?), but when I do a rinse with the ACV, it turns silky smooth in the shower, it’s only when I’m actually trying to wash my hair before the rinse that it feels weird and too dry like straw.

Going to only use WATER ONLY to wash my hair for 6 weeks with apple cider vinegar (very diluted, Rae), rinses…

I am going to do WATER ONLY next and if that fails, move to organic SHAMPOOS that are more liquid-y and don’t feel like they are stripping my hair.

So far, I’ve been doing the water only thing for about a week now, and it’s going good so far.

I weaned myself off shampoo about 3-4 weeks ago with that baking soda/ACV stuff, but now, I get into the shower, and I rub my scalp vigorously (not hurting it or tearing out hair of course). Then I flip my hair upside down and rub from the back and up.

I’ve noticed less hair falling out as well, as compared to when I did commercial shampoos.

When it dries, I brush it out with a 100% boar bristle brush, going from root to tip to spread the natural oils and sebum out to the ends and to brush out the daily dirt (I do it twice a day – morning & night)

They say that if you go straight from shampoo to no water, you are going to hate your hair for 5 weeks because your scalp will continue to pump out that oil like a mofo until it learns it doesn’t need that much.

But I haven’t hated it so far. It feels great!

SO WHAT NOW?

Going to keep on the water only thing until April, and then I am going to do a FULL post on all of my experiments.

I’m waiting until April because you need a month to really evaluate if a process, product or method is working (I had to quit baking soda + ACV half way through) and that’s how long, it will take (6 weeks) to get my hair to adjust to the lack of shampoo or baking soda that is stripping the natural oils out of my hair.

It’s going good so far but I will keep you all in suspense until April with no-holds barred lowdown on what worked and what didn’t for me.

I feel like a hippie, now. Is it possible for a yuppie to be a hippie?