No Poo Challenge

After spending way too much time on the Good Guide trying to find a cheap-yet-ecofriendly shampoo, I finally gave up and decided to try the No-Poo crowd. No-Poo is an eco-minded trend that suggests that washing your hair with a baking soda rinse, followed by an apple cider vinegar "conditioner" is actually healthier than any commercial shampoo. According to the various no-poo sites, their rinse idea doesn't strip off natural oils, leaving hair clean yet soft and shiny

While I have not yet made the jump to full no-poo, I have used it as an alternate between commercial washes.

I mixed up the rinses in two old plastic shampoo bottles to this formula:

16oz water to 2 Tbsp baking soda
16oz water to 2 Tbsp vinegar (it calls for apple cider vinegar, but some Googling told me that white works just as well)

I squirted it on my hair after wetting it down. I let it sit for a bit while I wash the rest of me, then rinse and swap to the vinegar mixture.The smell of the vinegar was decent but luckily didn't linger long. My hair felt clean, and it was definitely easier than Dr. Bronner's. It was so much easier to brush than with pure soap, too! The only downside is that the water is cold if I mix it up in advance, and that my hair seemed a bit drier since I swapped, making my monthly honey mask a necessity. Thus far, I have not experienced any dullness or crunchiness in my hair, which I've read is a side effect when the water to mixture ratio is off. I may start using it two times before switching now that I'm not doing as much grubby work during the week.

Bottom line: it works for me and my oily hair, but not as well as commercial as far as moisture.

Edit: I found this site, Beyond Shampoo, which is a great resource for the new to "no poo". If you have detailed questions, check it out!