The 'No Shampoo Experiment,' Six Months Later

The switch to washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar was supposed to last only a month, but I couldn't stop.

It had been six months since I stopped using shampoo. The experiment started when my editor asked if I’d try the ‘no poo’ method just for January. I agreed reluctantly, and together with Margaret Badore, dived headfirst into the world of extremely alternative hair care. Our experiment resulted in the “The No Shampoo Experiment.” While Margaret went cold turkey for a month, I continued "washing" my hair, with baking soda, and "conditioning" it, with apple cider vinegar.

I never dreamed I’d still be doing it at the beginning of July, but there I was, a staunch convert to the 'no poo' method with no intentions of going back. I loved so many things about it, and this is what I tell people who are curious about my strange hair-washing habit.

There Was Almost No Adjustment Period for Me

...which I think is common for people with really thick hair, or hair washed no more than once or twice a week. People with thinner, straighter hair might take a few weeks to adjust, so don't jump to conclusions too quickly about whether or not it works.

My biggest hurdle was psychological and getting over the fleeting smell of salad dressing in the shower as I poured vinegar over my head (don’t worry—it dissipates immediately and there’s no residual odor).

My Hair Is Healthier and More Manageable the Longer I Avoid Shampoo

My hair gets less greasy and I can go longer between washes, usually four to five days. It's softer, shinier, and less frizzy than before. I have fewer bad hair days and can get the natural, loose curls I like with just a bit of coconut oil rubbed into my damp hair.

There have been only two times that I used natural shampoo instead of soda and vinegar: when I traveled to Honduras and Mexico for writing assignments this spring. Both times I thought it was better not to have to explain a strange white powder in my luggage. I saw a big difference after washing with shampoo. My hair was drier and frizzier and looked greasy within two days. I also noticed my scalp was itchier, perhaps because the shampoo stripped away the natural oils.

I Love How the No ‘Poo Method Fits in With Zero Waste Living

In six months, I went through one cardboard box of baking soda and was only halfway through the same jar of vinegar. There were no empty plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles to recycle, nor the accompanying host of hair care products I relied on to tame my hair.

If the no ‘poo method has intrigued you for a while, why not give it a try? You might be pleasantly surprised at the result. Here is what I did:

Measure 2 tbsp baking soda into a 500 mL/1 pint glass jar. Wet hair. Fill jar with water and stir to dissolve baking soda. Pour over head and scrub into hair. Rinse. Measure 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar into same jar. Add water, pour over head, and rinse almost immediately.

This recipe is for long hair. If yours is short to medium length, use one teaspoon of baking soda and vinegar in one cup of water. If your hair doesn’t seem clean enough once it’s dried, use more soda next time.

You can also use white vinegar; its smell dissipates quicker than ACV, but neither lingers after rinsing and drying. If the smell bothers you, add a few drops of essential oil (like lavender) to the water-vinegar mix before the "conditioning" step.

I've also heard of rye flour used as a baking soda substitute. It's a bit gentler on the scalp than soda and leaves hair nice and shiny, but be careful to sift it well and dry your hair thoroughly.