Use Baking Soda and Vinegar on Your Hair Instead of Shampoo and Conditioner

For the past several months, I've been experimenting with using baking soda instead of shampoo and vinegar instead of conditioner in my morning shower. It has been working well, so I thought I'd share with you how I do it.

Baking Soda "Shampoo"
I use an old shampoo bottle. I add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to each 8 oz. of water then shake to mix. Since I do not have oily hair, I generally shampoo every other day or even every third day. I've kept the same schedule with the baking soda mixture. I wet my hair in the shower then squeeze the baking soda/water mixture all around my head. Then I wash just as I would with normal shampoo and rinse well.

Vinegar "Conditioner"
I use store-brand apple cider vinegar. I keep a quart sized bottle in the shower along with a half-cup measuring cup. I use the vinegar daily whether or not I shampoo. First, I put about 2 tablespoons of vinegar in the cup and then fill the remainder of the way with water. Be careful not to let the vinegar splash into your eyes...it really stings! I pour it over my hair and work through, then rinse.

Vinegar gives a clean rinse to the hair, and I don't smell like vinegar after it dries. Some say that the vinegar will detangle hair, but I haven't seen that result. If you have hair prone to tangling, I suggest brushing before you get in the shower. That works very well for my daughters.

Using the vinegar rinse has greatly improved my husband's long-standing dandruff issues. We've truly been surprised by this result.

Some folks like the no-chemical, "organic" nature of using baking soda and vinegar, and it does have that advantage. My main goal in making this switch was to save money! My husband asked how much we are saving, and I have to guess that it is over $5 per month, and perhaps even more than that.