Problems with No Shampoo Method in Very Hard Water

by Tara
(Virginia)

Hi - I really like your pages on natural hair care. I've been concerned about harmful chemicals in my personal care products for quite some time, but the cost of some of the organic haircare products is way too much for me to justify.

So when I saw you page about the no shampoo method, I was excited to give it a try.

Everything went very smoothly for a couple of months or so, but now my hair seems weighed down and a bit greasy. It's not soft and shiny like when I first switched.

Any ideas what I can do to remedy this problem? My water is very hard. I am using the baking soda shampoo recipe that you provided for hard water.

Thanks!

Tara


RESPONSE


Hi Tara,

I experienced that same problem too. Actually, I had considerable trouble when I originally swore off shampoo and conditioner.

This was mainly because my water is very hard. Plus I didn't know what I was doing at the time!

That's why I wrote that section on my baking soda shampoo page about the hard water recipe – to save others from the mistakes that I made.

Every once in a while I used to have your same problem – my hair just wasn't soft and shiny anymore. It felt heavy and slightly greasy. I had to wash my hair more often too.

I finally figured out what the problem was - I wasn't working the vinegar hair rinse into my scalp as thoroughly as I should have been. It just kind of ran down my hair instead of saturating my scalp.

With both the baking soda and vinegar steps, you should be focusing on your scalp only. Your hair will get cleaned when you rinse them both out. I have thick hair, so I really do need to focus on making sure the vinegar gets down to my scalp.

Another helpful tip is to start with the vinegar rinse, but use two or three times as much vinegar as you usually do.

Again, focus on getting the solution onto your scalp. Rinse well and apply a little of the baking soda shampoo (that you boiled first, as per the recipe). Rinse well again and follow with your normal vinegar rinse. Rinse well a final time and prepare yourself for gorgeous hair!

Hope this helps. :)

Wishing you the best of health,

Melissa
Approach Wellness